Being an MP should be a full time job with little time to do anything else. If you're no willing to commit to that, then don't become an MP as you're clearly not committed enough.
40 hours a week as an MP. (thats full time work for those not in the know)
Leaves plenty of time for other work.
No committment problems there.
Let's not trivialise this nonsense by calling it a "second job". We all know what it is and it stinks.
Is Gordon Brown being paid for his "second job" as a globe-trotting UN envoy?
Any MP who is also a minister (or a shadow) has a second job as they have all of their departmental responsibilities on top of their constituency ones.
Where were all these anti second job folks whilst a certain G Brown was swanning around for the last 5 years barely even visiting the HoC?
edit beaten to the punch.
I don't think an MP, should have a second job, their job as an MP is to represent their constituents and having a second job might take away time from them representing their constituents so I think their should be restrictions on MP's second jobs. Of course being a minister/shadow minister might be considered as a second job and that would be the exception but otherwise, they shouldn't have a second job.
Where were all these anti second job folks whilst a certain G Brown was swanning around for the last 5 years barely even visiting the HoC?
edit beaten to the punch.
Presumably the same place as all these pro second job folks were whilst a certain G Brown was swanning around for the last 5 years barely even visiting the HoC.
60k pa may seem like a fortune to many but it wont attract people who might be rather good at doing things. Those kind of people can usually earn far more in both the private and public sector.
No MP gets 60K pa.
The basic wage is 67K for a start, putting them in ther top 5% earners in the country.
Average expenses last year was £150K on top of that £67K. Of that £150K, accommodation expenses, food, travel and even clothing are included as part of the overall remuneration package, plus of course many MPs employ family members at £30k per year as well.
The idea any MP is 'scraping by' on £67k a year is an untruth, they get far more than that. It is disingenuous to claim otherwise.
I don't think an MP, should have a second job, their job as an MP is to represent their constituents and having a second job might take away time from them representing their constituents so I think their should be restrictions on MP's second jobs. Of course being a minister/shadow minister might be considered as a second job and that would be the exception but otherwise, they shouldn't have a second job.
Sounds like you are against an MP even spending time on anything other than representing their constituents rather than the issue of a second income.
So what if an MP did unpaid charity work work in their spare time? Does appearing on Have I Got News For You count as a "second job"? Should they be allowed to make money from writing books or newspaper articles?
The basic wage is 67K for a start, putting them in ther top 5% earners in the country.
Average expenses last year was £150K on top of that £67K. Of that £150K, accommodation expenses, food, travel and even clothing are included as part of the overall remuneration package, plus of course many MPs employ family members at £30k per year as well.
The idea any MP is 'scraping by' on £67k a year is an untruth, they get far more than that. It is disingenuous to claim otherwise.
Its still not a lot for somebody with any real expertise in any line of work.
Straw and Rifkind are both adamant that they never broke the rules or guidlines as laid out; but both are still suspended/ lost their jobs. That seems to suggest the 'rules' are not fit for purpose and they should be either changed or refined further.
However, I'm not surprised Dave would rather carry on regardless; there's a lot of money to be made as ex-PM, don't want that cash-cow put out to pasture just yet.
Its still not a lot for somebody with any real expertise in any line of work.
You can be a train driver and earn 50k plus.
You read the Torygraph don't you? There was a story a while ago about how Tube Drivers could earn £67,000 upwards. This was based on one driver who apparently had a load of bonuses coming to him one year. I question the voracity of the story considering it's dubious source.
Jeffrey Archer was on Breakfast saying that we should pay MPs more, given the work that they do
He added that there are 115 people working at the BBC who each earn more than the prime Minister
You read the Torygraph don't you? There was a story a while ago about how Tube Drivers could earn £67,000 upwards. This was based on one driver who apparently had a load of bonuses coming to him one year. I question the voracity of the story considering it's dubious source.
London Tube drivers' pay reaches £50,000 as unions demand pay rise for all staff
More pay: Tube drivers benefit from pay increases in line with inflation Picture: Nigel Howard
Dick Murray
Published: 01 April 2014
Updated: 14:58, 01 April 2014
Tube train drivers' pay will nudge £50,000 a year from today in the last year of a record-breaking four year deal.
Now unions are gearing to demand another multi-year pay deal of above inflation rises for all London Underground (LU) staff.
Under the deal, LU staff won rises of 0.5 per cent above inflation.
With 2.7 percent February inflation on which the scale is based, it means a 3.2 per cent increase kicking in from today.
This takes the pay for drivers at the top of the scale to £49,673.
Being an MP should be a full time job with little time to do anything else. If you're no willing to commit to that, then don't become an MP as you're clearly not committed enough.
No brainer you'd think. But i'm getting the sense as Dave doesn't agree then suddenly a few Tory supporters also don't agree.
Yes lets not take it too literally, i'm all for novel writing, helping in the family cake shop, bit of charity shop work or CAB at the weekends. Looking at the parliamentary register though every second job seems to be paid work gained purely because they are an MP and more importantly carried out on a weekday in parliamentary time whilst parliament is sitting. On the basis 1/3rd of MPs don't have enough time in the day for their job the other 2/3rds on a weekday obviously need to be doing more constituency work if they're finding themselves at a loose end. Raise the salary and ban 2nd jobs (although £67k disposable income isnt bad, when expenses pay for all housing costs, domestic bills and sudsidise food & drinks).
Jeffrey Archer was on Breakfast saying that we should pay MPs more, given the work that they do
He added that there are 115 people working at the BBC who each earn more than the prime Minister
If only Archer had been banned from having a "second job" as an author....
Straw and Rifkind are both adamant that they never broke the rules or guidlines as laid out; but both are still suspended/ lost their jobs. That seems to suggest the 'rules' are not fit for purpose and they should be either changed or refined further.
However, I'm not surprised Dave would rather carry on regardless; there's a lot of money to be made as ex-PM, don't want that cash-cow put out to pasture just yet.
Technically they might say that they were caught before they actually broke the rules. However at least one of them is on film implying this was not their first time tarting themselves out.
I think working or having worked outside politics is essential, but it depends on the job. MP's that are doctors or dentists are fine, I'm not so sure about things like directorships though. That's code for being on a board of the company to represent it's interests, in return for lots of money.
Comments
I could only support that if there was a big decrease in the number of MPs.
40 hours a week as an MP. (thats full time work for those not in the know)
Leaves plenty of time for other work.
No committment problems there.
Well, here is a prime chance to partly address that.
Indeed.
Is Gordon Brown being paid for his "second job" as a globe-trotting UN envoy?
Any MP who is also a minister (or a shadow) has a second job as they have all of their departmental responsibilities on top of their constituency ones.
edit beaten to the punch.
Presumably the same place as all these pro second job folks were whilst a certain G Brown was swanning around for the last 5 years barely even visiting the HoC.
No MP gets 60K pa.
The basic wage is 67K for a start, putting them in ther top 5% earners in the country.
Average expenses last year was £150K on top of that £67K. Of that £150K, accommodation expenses, food, travel and even clothing are included as part of the overall remuneration package, plus of course many MPs employ family members at £30k per year as well.
The idea any MP is 'scraping by' on £67k a year is an untruth, they get far more than that. It is disingenuous to claim otherwise.
Sounds like you are against an MP even spending time on anything other than representing their constituents rather than the issue of a second income.
So what if an MP did unpaid charity work work in their spare time? Does appearing on Have I Got News For You count as a "second job"? Should they be allowed to make money from writing books or newspaper articles?
Or 47 minutes a week.
Just to put things into perspective.
Its still not a lot for somebody with any real expertise in any line of work.
You can be a train driver and earn 50k plus.
However, I'm not surprised Dave would rather carry on regardless; there's a lot of money to be made as ex-PM, don't want that cash-cow put out to pasture just yet.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/mps-told-to-pay-off-outstanding-food-and-drink-debts-before-election-10066828.html
Catering on tick. Nice.
If I tried that in my works canteen, I'd be told to go forth and multiply.
You read the Torygraph don't you? There was a story a while ago about how Tube Drivers could earn £67,000 upwards. This was based on one driver who apparently had a load of bonuses coming to him one year. I question the voracity of the story considering it's dubious source.
A nudge and a wink doesn't take long.
He added that there are 115 people working at the BBC who each earn more than the prime Minister
London Tube drivers' pay reaches £50,000 as unions demand pay rise for all staff
More pay: Tube drivers benefit from pay increases in line with inflation Picture: Nigel Howard
Dick Murray
Published: 01 April 2014
Updated: 14:58, 01 April 2014
Tube train drivers' pay will nudge £50,000 a year from today in the last year of a record-breaking four year deal.
Now unions are gearing to demand another multi-year pay deal of above inflation rises for all London Underground (LU) staff.
Under the deal, LU staff won rises of 0.5 per cent above inflation.
With 2.7 percent February inflation on which the scale is based, it means a 3.2 per cent increase kicking in from today.
This takes the pay for drivers at the top of the scale to £49,673.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/london-tube-drivers-pay-reaches-50000-as-unions-demand-pay-rise-for-all-staff-9227580.html
No brainer you'd think. But i'm getting the sense as Dave doesn't agree then suddenly a few Tory supporters also don't agree.
Yes lets not take it too literally, i'm all for novel writing, helping in the family cake shop, bit of charity shop work or CAB at the weekends. Looking at the parliamentary register though every second job seems to be paid work gained purely because they are an MP and more importantly carried out on a weekday in parliamentary time whilst parliament is sitting. On the basis 1/3rd of MPs don't have enough time in the day for their job the other 2/3rds on a weekday obviously need to be doing more constituency work if they're finding themselves at a loose end. Raise the salary and ban 2nd jobs (although £67k disposable income isnt bad, when expenses pay for all housing costs, domestic bills and sudsidise food & drinks).
If only Archer had been banned from having a "second job" as an author....
Technically they might say that they were caught before they actually broke the rules. However at least one of them is on film implying this was not their first time tarting themselves out.
You don't think running the country should be a full-time job then?