David Cameron rules out restrictions on MPs’ second jobs
Ft.com
David Cameron has ruled out new restrictions on MPs’ second jobs, resisting pressure from Ed Miliband to take action after two senior politicians were caught out by an undercover sting.
Two former foreign secretaries, Jack Straw and Sir Malcolm Rifkind, had been recorded offering to help a fictitious Chinese company in return for payments.
The prime minister suspended Sir Malcolm from the Conservative parliamentary party on Monday, saying he would convene a disciplinary committee to investigate the case: “I want people to know in this country our members of parliament are there to serve their interests and their country.”
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“I want people to know in this country our members of parliament are there to serve their interests and their country.”
Typical ambiguous statement, as you'd expect from a politician these days.
Does the first "their" relate to "people" or "members of parliament"?
But they'll all at it, so someone new and currently outside of politics would need to take it on.
Like many of these large organisations, the people within them don't see they are doing anything wrong. They have their own local morality.
Quite right.
Electors choose their M.P.s and it's up to the electorate to decide whether their M.P. is doing a good job for them.
Every worker in the country has leisure time. No one works twenty four hours a day. Many people have second jobs. And if people like William Hague choose to write a book in their leisure time and have it published then who could stop him?
yes.yes they should be. i take it you are as equally irate at firemen having second jobs as well then.:D;-)
I don't understand the question. I do not object to anyone having a second job if it suits them. There are twenty four hours in a day. There is time for someone to work eight hours a day and still have time for a second job. That leaves weekends and holiday breaks for relaxation.
And yet as recently as 2011...Third of MPs say they considered quitting over long hours in Commons.
If that is really the case it is remarkable they still manage to find time for a second job.
Perhaps the ballot paper should have next to the candidates name the percentage of time they will undertake MPs duties against other paid work? ;-)
I clearly said
... if it suits them ....
My point is that if MPs are working such long hours as they claim, and it is a claim often made, they simply won't have time for a second job, unless they aren't being entirely honest about the actual number of hours they work, of course.
There is absolutely no evidence to support the claim that the astronomical remuneration packages those at the top of most companies has led to any improvement in the quality of those fulfilling those roles, so why should MPs be any different?
They have support staff and many of them do work exceptionally hard. If they spend eight hours a day on their M.P. duties then what they do with the rest of their time is their business. If they can fit in a second job then so be it.
I doubt many MPs would claim to only work 40 hours a week....
If I were to make money from a third party out of the resources provided by or gained at the expense of my employer then I would be out on my ear. This is not a unique situation, incidentally.
MPs are sort after by companies because they have political clout in varying degrees.
The high up the more clout they have the more money they demand.
Why would any company pay them large sums other than to have them use their influence .
The same goes for political parties and donors .
No body in their right mind is going to part with large sums of cash without wanting something in return.
So a QC should take a pay cut of many hundreds of thousands of £ to become an MP.
Though we may all dislike lawyers to some degree we do need rather a goodly number in the Commons to oversee the laws that are enacted by the State.
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.