Paid Members tiger_rick Posted September 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2019 They don't need to send letters anyway, they've always posted a picture of the letter on Twitter before they've stuck a stamp on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 12 minutes ago, BomberPat said: I'm not so sure. I don't live in the UK, admittedly, but I don't think the government here have my personal email address. The only reason they have my work email is because I work for them. If I decide on a new email address tomorrow, would I think to inform the government? If I move to a new constituency, would I think to email my local MP's office and say, "by the way, it's x_joker666_x@vampirefreaks.com?". To say nothing of disadvantaging constituents without access to email. I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I think it's a gross simplification to say, "they should be using email" when it comes to governmental communication. It would be a worthwhile venture to issue people with an official Government email, don't you think? I also don't live in the UK full-time, but for example, the apartment building I live in at the moment issues those who live here with a building email that they send important updates and so forth out to. Something like that on a larger scale is surely possible? There are a ton of private companies who could assist with that if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 MPs used to be unpaid, but only the super rich and those financed by interest groups (of which I'm classing trade unions) could stand, so it right that MPs should be paid a decent salary. If they are doing a bad job, they can be voted out. My old mate Dave Nellist was an MP, he kept a skilled workers wage and donated the rest to local charities and the labour movement. He used to get a coach down to London instead of the train as it was cheaper. Labour expelled him though because he supported the Militant movement. Nice bit of trivia here, when he was first elected in 1983, he shared an office with another new MP. But because Dave was on the left and the other new guy was on the right of the party, it didn't make for a happy office so he was moved to another office with Gordon Brown. That other guy was Tony Blair. Dave is still a very respected man in Coventry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallicks Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 2 hours ago, David said: Then there's the possibility of an election. If Boris gets this deal sorted and over the line he'll have played a blinder. That paragraph I've bolded sums up how it would look going into an election in those circumstances. If this works out as it looks like it may do, even with another short extension to hammer out the details, I have no doubt the 'Tories will romp an election. What better way for Johnson to emulate his hero Churchill by losing the election straight after a time of great national distress? Brexit and now LD to a great degree are single issue parties, so if he does somehow do a deal and get it signed off by parliament (assuming it hasn't been permanently dissolved by this point), it becomes a straight Labour/Tory shootout. Labour have been campaigning on non-Brexit issues since the 2017 GE. The tories have been shitting up the country for 9 years. I don't think leaving with a deal wipes the slate clean that easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Ronnie Posted September 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2019 2 hours ago, David said: They should be using email. I emailed my MP when the prorogation occurred and even wrote 'No need for a reply: I know you'll be very busy.' I came home from holiday to find an envelope with my full name on it (= instant dread) and a pointless letter on the inside, which must've been sent to everyone else who mentioned the P-word. Straight in the bin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 16 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said: My old mate Dave Nellist was an MP, he kept a skilled workers wage and donated the rest to local charities and the labour movement. He used to get a coach down to London instead of the train as it was cheaper. Labour expelled him though because he supported the Militant movement. Nice bit of trivia here, when he was first elected in 1983, he shared an office with another new MP. But because Dave was on the left and the other new guy was on the right of the party, it didn't make for a happy office so he was moved to another office with Gordon Brown. That other guy was Tony Blair. That's my point, why should a politician get a "modest" wage of 80 grand a year while the people they are meant to be serving are barely scraping by on half what they get to spend on stamps and pens? Let's be honest, if half of the lot who stumble into Parliament these days were actually working in the private sector and doing the same level of job they'd have been fired long ago. A skilled workers wage should be the baseline for MP's in the UK in my opinion. 5 minutes ago, hallicks said: What better way for Johnson to emulate his hero Churchill by losing the election straight after a time of great national distress? Brexit and now LD to a great degree are single issue parties, so if he does somehow do a deal and get it signed off by parliament (assuming it hasn't been permanently dissolved by this point), it becomes a straight Labour/Tory shootout. Labour have been campaigning on non-Brexit issues since the 2017 GE. The tories have been shitting up the country for 9 years. I don't think leaving with a deal wipes the slate clean that easily. It's all about how it's framed by the media. Perception is king, which is why Boris and the Conservatives would likely walk an election if they get a deal over the line. That article from the FT is pretty much spot on in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members garynysmon Posted September 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2019 1 hour ago, David said: That's my point, why should a politician get a "modest" wage of 80 grand a year while the people they are meant to be serving are barely scraping by on half what they get to spend on stamps and pens? Let's be honest, if half of the lot who stumble into Parliament these days were actually working in the private sector and doing the same level of job they'd have been fired long ago. Tbh i don't think that politicians are grossly overpaid by any stretch of the imagination. Most of them walked into politics from, or could easily gain better paying employment in the private sector. The DEPUTY chief executive of my neighbouring small, rural local authority gets £90k. Meanwhile, the MP gets £79k and the Welsh Assembly Member gets £67,649. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Danger Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 I get a load of stamps for my christmas bonus. If anyone knows of any politicians who want to strike up a deal like..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 59 minutes ago, garynysmon said: Tbh i don't think that politicians are grossly overpaid by any stretch of the imagination. Most of them walked into politics from, or could easily gain better paying employment in the private sector. The DEPUTY chief executive of my neighbouring small, rural local authority gets £90k. Meanwhile, the MP gets £79k and the Welsh Assembly Member gets £67,649. Yeah, but would they get the same holidays in the private sector? Would they get the same leeway to make a roaring cunt of it in the private sector? I'd say no on both counts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted September 20, 2019 Moderators Share Posted September 20, 2019 (edited) Right, so in your own words it's not about the pay then? It's the light schedule and the lack of accountability. So why not address that instead of cutting the pay? Edited September 20, 2019 by Chest Rockwell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 31 minutes ago, Chest Rockwell said: Right, so in your own words it's not about the pay then? It's the light schedule and the lack of accountability. So why not address that instead of cutting the pay? It's a bit of everything to be honest. I think this whole Brexit fiasco has highlighted how inept Britain's political system really is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPDTT Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 (edited) 12 hours ago, garynysmon said: Tbh i don't think that politicians are grossly overpaid by any stretch of the imagination. Most of them walked into politics from, or could easily gain better paying employment in the private sector. The DEPUTY chief executive of my neighbouring small, rural local authority gets £90k. Meanwhile, the MP gets £79k and the Welsh Assembly Member gets £67,649. Totally agree. I'd like to see our politicians paid much more. I'm a firm believer that if we want to attract the brightest and best minds into politics, to run the country, we need to pay salaries equivalent to leadership roles in corporates in the private sector. As things stand, what beyond a sense of civic duty would attract anyone to politics? Why would the smartest, highest potential minds want to go into politics? Constantly harassed, under the tabloid microscope and with earning potential well below what they could earn in the corporate world......and then we wonder why our politicians leave us constantly underwhelmed. MPs should be on a base of roughly 100k a year and I'd expect those in cabinet to be on double that. You'll regularly find that Senior and Executive Vice Presidents in corporate companies receiving base salaries in excess of £300,000 base plus bonuses and political top jobs should be no different. Plus you pretty much have zero job security and your future isn't determined by how competent you are, but by a popularity contest voted on mainly by people who have no little understanding of the issues. Edited September 21, 2019 by MPDTT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPDTT Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 This news on Jon Lansman and his move to oust Tom Watson, one of the few remaining moderate voices in the Labour front bench makes my blood boil. Momentum are such a disgusting movement that have ruined the Labour party. If we could go back in time ame stop Ed Miliband standing against his brother, this country would be in a radically different position today. Labour wouldn't be the joke it is today, he would have defeated David Cameron in 2015 and brexit would never have happened. I despise Boris Johnson, the direction of the conservative party and the purge of one nation Tories, yet there is no credible opposition and that's reflected in the opinion poles. The Lib Dems have my vote these days, but the state of our 2 main parties is a sad sight to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted September 21, 2019 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 21, 2019 18 minutes ago, MPDTT said: This news on Jon Lansman and his move to oust Tom Watson, one of the few remaining moderate voices in the Labour front bench makes my blood boil. I always enjoy waking up to good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted September 21, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted September 21, 2019 Whichever Milliband was leading the Tories would have had an uphill struggle against the Tory backing media onslaught, especially with the prospect of being able to avoid the EU tax transparency laws as presented by the referendum. Maybe the Tories would have had a smaller majority, or someone would have had to make some deals to get into power, but I don't think we'd have ended up with an actual Labour government. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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