Eric Pickles on Question Time last night
Discussion
Saddle bum said:
Fittster said:
skoff said:
Now I firmly believe that we should pay our MPs well to attract the real talent, and some of them do need second homes.
How much do you think the salary should be to attract real talent?Fittster said:
Saddle bum said:
Fittster said:
skoff said:
Now I firmly believe that we should pay our MPs well to attract the real talent, and some of them do need second homes.
How much do you think the salary should be to attract real talent?i was under the impression that the crown did indeed own certain properties in london for ministers and that is one of the reasons why there was the outcry about 2nd homes the other week as it was not just allowance used but that armed coppers had to be there as well.
and as someone else said, they know where head office is when they applied for the job. i used to be sent home in a taxi if i worked really late, but also lived inside an area, the guys who were further out were put in a hotel. plus they are not there every day, and even then, only if they really have to be.
and as someone else said, they know where head office is when they applied for the job. i used to be sent home in a taxi if i worked really late, but also lived inside an area, the guys who were further out were put in a hotel. plus they are not there every day, and even then, only if they really have to be.
You have to pay huge amounts of money to attract top talent!! utter piffle. The same old clap trap bankers used to use to line thier pockets. If people want to work in politics then do the same as the general population of this Country, decide, look at salary structure, if you still feel you have the burning desire go for it. We need to get away from this 'top people, top money' nonsense and return to some ethics and honesty again.
Parrot of Doom said:
skoff said:
The audience turned on him, and he did himself no favours at all by saying that he would have to get up early to get to work on time if he didn't have the flat! Welcome to the real world Eric...
Now I firmly believe that we should pay our MPs well to attract the real talent, and some of them do need second homes. But they really should set an example to the rest of us by not doing what I think are effectively legal 'fiddles'. It just damages their reputation and our faith in them to run the country (if indeed we had any in the first place).
Hang on - what he said was quite right. 37 miles is a fair commute, especially when you may finish well past 10pm and have to be up 7 hours later. By the government's own working time directive such hours are illegal. I wonder how many in the audience worked those kinds of hours?Now I firmly believe that we should pay our MPs well to attract the real talent, and some of them do need second homes. But they really should set an example to the rest of us by not doing what I think are effectively legal 'fiddles'. It just damages their reputation and our faith in them to run the country (if indeed we had any in the first place).
And how often does he actually do those hours? As he said himself, he was sometimes there Tue, Wed and Thur. I bet his attendance is no where near 100% either. I wonder how many hours he actually does in London?
As others have said, Tory HQ dropped a significant b
k here.Sheets Tabuer said:
Why not just have an MP hostel nearby, they have needed to travel there for 100s of years you'd have thought they'd have built something by now.
I have said this for ages, in fact I'll go further.When the GLC was stuffed I said then that they should have taken County Hall and instead of turning it into what it is now they should have turned it into a combination of flats/serviced apartments, hotel rooms and some restaurants for use of MPs.
Thus MPs could have done like the rest of us do, commute or stay in something like a "Premier Inn." etc. The night in the P Inn would be free to them, if they wanted to go more upmarket or more permanent they would have to pay for it.
The capital would also have had more accommodation when parliament was not sitting, and probably the country would make a buck or two out of the tourists.
Instead these twarts have just been voting themselves better and better conditions. Example, redundancy pay. MPs get made redundant by being voted out. Their redundancy pay is their full salary for the life of the next paraliament. Ministers get a shed load more.
Not strictly speaking redundancy pay, who remembers that spacktard Blunkett when he got outed the first time? He continued to live in his grace and favour house, plus claim all his housing allowances on top, plus claim the ex-Minister's allowance because as an ex Minister he wasn't allowed to take work for a certain length of time with private sector.
Then he came back, screwed up again and got outed a second time. In the course of being busted it emerged that he not only had he claimed the allowance because he couldn't work for the private sector but had also actually taken such employment within the time frame for which he was barred from so doing.
Most, but admittedly not all, politicians are grubby sleazy conniving grabbing lying cheating b
ds that are worse than the scummiest sleaziest obnoxious chav in chavsville.Fawkes had the right idea. They have lost touch with reality.
/rant
This is all a bit over the top. It is clear that an MP from (say) Newcastle needs to have some form of accommodation in London. So its merely a question of what sort of accommodation and where the line is drawn. There are always going to be questions about MPs near any given boundary.
bobbylondonuk said:
flats for all mp's and families near westminster, include office space and meeting places etc...job done.
Mmmm, I'm picturing a towerblock with the obvious security provisions, armed guards etc - how would the MP's smuggle in their mistresses/rent boys/bits-on-the-side/gimps past that lot without being found out? Can't see them agreeing to it really.ipitythefool said:
I laugh when I hear people who work 35 hour weeks complaining about MP's perks.
The average MP will work nearly 100 hours a week, and be on call 24hrs a day 7 days a week even when they're on holiday.
your kidding right, have you ever tried to get a speak to one, they are always on holiday, or away, and never come back to you. unless they can make a name for themselves or get themselves up the party ladder you won't get anywhere with them.The average MP will work nearly 100 hours a week, and be on call 24hrs a day 7 days a week even when they're on holiday.
also i work in the public sector, and as i am the only one who does IT were i am, i am on call, 364 days a year, and i don't get paid anywhere near his base salary, let alone any 'allowances' (perks and back handers)
jesta1865 said:
ipitythefool said:
I laugh when I hear people who work 35 hour weeks complaining about MP's perks.
The average MP will work nearly 100 hours a week, and be on call 24hrs a day 7 days a week even when they're on holiday.
your kidding right, have you ever tried to get a speak to one, they are always on holiday, or away, and never come back to you. unless they can make a name for themselves or get themselves up the party ladder you won't get anywhere with them.The average MP will work nearly 100 hours a week, and be on call 24hrs a day 7 days a week even when they're on holiday.
also i work in the public sector, and as i am the only one who does IT were i am, i am on call, 364 days a year, and i don't get paid anywhere near his base salary, let alone any 'allowances' (perks and back handers)
Since it's obviously so good (and of course they are such incompetent fools).
ipitythefool said:
I laugh when I hear people who work 35 hour weeks complaining about MP's perks.
The average MP will work nearly 100 hours a week, and be on call 24hrs a day 7 days a week even when they're on holiday.
Are you sure? I cannot help but think that is an exaggeration. I was a junior doctor, working over 100 hours a week (a few years back!) and I lost a hell of a lot of weight, was almost deleriously tired most of the time, couldn't maintain a proper relationship etc. The average MP will work nearly 100 hours a week, and be on call 24hrs a day 7 days a week even when they're on holiday.
I don't see that mirrored in fatty pickles and the others.
crankedup said:
You have to pay huge amounts of money to attract top talent!! utter piffle. The same old clap trap bankers used to use to line thier pockets. If people want to work in politics then do the same as the general population of this Country, decide, look at salary structure, if you still feel you have the burning desire go for it. We need to get away from this 'top people, top money' nonsense and return to some ethics and honesty again.
Point taken about the bankers, but that was more down to poor recruitment of people for the job with no qualifications or relevant experience.I don't see how talent can be attracted any other way than with good salary. In a utopian society then yes we would have honest selfless people running the country, but the trouble is there are many many commercial organisations only too happy to pay big £££s to get successful people on board with a proven track record - how do you compete with that other than with comparable salaries?
minerva said:
Flats in Westminster would cost a FORTUNE. I think that that would cost so much, the public would baulk at paying for them.
The state owns a lot of property in central london that they plan to sell etc...convert some of them into flats. shouldnt cost much..i think!there are ways of solving problems if the govt wants to ...but its very obvious they dont want to...and the other MP's dont want to either. Go on public...bend over..and again...and again...you tired? im sure you can bend over for another few years...go on!!!
I think next election should be a boycott...people should openly refuse to vote until all of their demands from every constituency are compiled and parties come up with a plan to address the demands of the people...This will be historic...and westminster/councils all of them will learn a lesson..
But i can tell you what will happen...bend over...again and again!
ipitythefool said:
Why don't you become an MP then?
Since it's obviously so good (and of course they are such incompetent fools).
because i would not tow the party line, when my dad was a councillor for the lib-dems (yes i know) and was asked about standing he never got nominated as he thinks the way i do, a good idea is a good idea, and bad is just that, doesn't matter who suggested it.Since it's obviously so good (and of course they are such incompetent fools).
so he never got the nod, and neither would I.
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