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lets be clear - politicians arn't in politics for money

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
to anyone who has a clue about the workings of government must realise that politicans arn't in the 'game' for the money.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ok. :confused:

    Maybe you want to elaborate on imparting such incisive wisdom? ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    source:
    http://www.parliament.uk/faq/pay_faq_page.cfm

    on further research.. they earn 55grand whch i suppose is above average earnings?

    blair is on 183k which topples above anything i'll ever earn but i think my point was that there are many rules which regulate their interests. i thought MPs were earning 30k.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    to anyone who has a clue about the workings of government must realise that politicans arn't in the 'game' for the money.

    If it isn`t the theft,that leaves deception and murder.

    Do you have a theory if it`s just one of those, or both ? Could you state your reasons ?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Politicians are in it for the "power" and Power generally equals money. when they get out of office they make millions speaking even the bad ones. but mostly it is about power
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    cyndi63 wrote:
    Politicians are in it for the "power" and Power generally equals money. when they get out of office they make millions speaking even the bad ones. but mostly it is about power
    Exactly. Money generally brings power. In the case of politicians, they don't need the money, because they've already got the power and status. And earnings mean nothing when you're getting a free house and free chauffeur-driven car everywhere.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What do you mean by politicians - only Ministers and senior members of the opposition (and the Speaker) get a chauffeur driven car. Most politicians are councillors, who generally get sod all in pay and have to fit in council duties with their normal work - very few are full time (typically the leader and cabinet) and even then the pay is not fanastic given that you may be responsible for an area of several hundred thousand people and a budget of hundreds of millions.

    And Ministers work damned hard for their money. I've worked in the Office of one and typically they worked a twelve hour day (and took stuff home or went to the House after that) Mon-Thurs and Friday, Saturday and Sunday were a mixture of constituency business and clearing the box. The PM and Secretary's of State won't even get proper holidays, often having to remain in touch with London whilst they're away.

    As an aside seeking power isn't neccessarily a bad thing, you can seek power to make good moral decisions as well as power for its own sake.

    Yep, we've got some charlatans, some crooks, some who are ineffective, or unreliable. But we've still got a lot of politicians who do it because of the idea of public service and long may that continue
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    NQA wrote:
    As an aside seeking power isn't neccessarily a bad thing, you can seek power to make good moral decisions as well as power for its own sake.

    :shocking: :eek2: :shocking: :eek2:

    That statement implies that you have to be violent to make a "good moral decision" (whatever you define that as). :chin:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    NQA wrote:
    As an aside seeking power isn't neccessarily a bad thing, you can seek power to make good moral decisions as well as power for its own sake.
    And inflict their idea of what is a good moral desicion on the rest of us, using our money?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    source:
    http://www.parliament.uk/faq/pay_faq_page.cfm

    on further research.. they earn 55grand whch i suppose is above average earnings?

    blair is on 183k which topples above anything i'll ever earn but i think my point was that there are many rules which regulate their interests. i thought MPs were earning 30k.


    Loads of politicians get housing, travel and admin allowances etc that push their salaries way over £100k - then they use their position to land on the boards of private companies as 'consultants' etc ... apart from a handful of them, most politicians are in it for money and power.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Not to mention extremely long holidays. Even without the perks and influence (which most MPs get anyway) you could do worse than earning 58k a year and getting 3-month solid holidays in the summer.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    And inflict their idea of what is a good moral desicion on the rest of us, using our money?

    Well unless you're an anarchist that's the way it goes. Also a good moral decision might be to reduce your taxes and let you keep more off it
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teagan wrote:
    Loads of politicians get housing, travel and admin allowances etc that push their salaries way over £100k - then they use their position to land on the boards of private companies as 'consultants' etc ... apart from a handful of them, most politicians are in it for money and power.

    Some do, many don't. And accomodation and travel costs seem fair to me, unless you think that either MPs should spend no time in their constituencies or in Parliament they need to travel between them and spend time in both London and their constituency. Now its fine to say that a London MP can go home at night, but less if you're constituency is based in the Highlands.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    NQA wrote:
    Well unless you're an anarchist that's the way it goes. Also a good moral decision might be to reduce your taxes and let you keep more off it
    Still, it's a nice thought to be able to have everyone's money to fund whatever you consider the right thing. Tell me again how they aren't in it purely for the power? It doesn't matter what they use their power for, if they're in it 'to do the right thing' they're still in it for the power to do that, aren't they?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    Not to mention extremely long holidays. Even without the perks and influence (which most MPs get anyway) you could do worse than earning 58k a year and getting 3-month solid holidays in the summer.

    You're getting holidays muddled up with Parliamentary recess. During this recess most MPs will still be doing lots of constituency business. Ministers and members of the opposition will also be doing Government business - a cursory examination of recent news has shown Ministers such as Reid and Douglas Alexander still working, Cameron had a short holiday and returned to work.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Still, it's a nice thought to be able to have everyone's money to fund whatever you consider the right thing. Tell me again how they aren't in it purely for the power? It doesn't matter what they use their power for, if they're in it 'to do the right thing' they're still in it for the power to do that, aren't they?

    Of course people are in it for power to change things, but then virtually everyone who ever seeks a promotion at work is in it for power and money so to say politicians want power is a bit irrelevant.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    NQA wrote:
    Now its fine to say that a London MP can go home at night, but less if you're constituency is based in the Highlands.

    Based in the Highlands? Ah, now that is a different debate altogether (i.e. should Scottish MPs have a say in English affairs etc) .... :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teagan wrote:
    Based in the Highlands? Ah, now that is a different debate altogether (i.e. should Scottish MPs have a say in English affairs etc) .... :)

    OK based in Newcastle (and even if you have an English Parliament surely Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh MPs should have a say in UK affairs so would still need to sit in Parliament)
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