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would you like Mr Browns wages?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Just like to know if anyone on this site would like to have a ...well not a wife swop but a wage swop. So that Gordon Brown could feel the pinch this year....on say an average wage of £16,000. Do you think he would survive on that wage.
What would you think of earning Mr Brown's wages...thats on average about £20,000 a month more than what I earn. Put him in a council house in a for a year....and not live in 2 houses. Some of us cannot even afford one house let alone 2.

That's because as chancellor Mr Brown earns £136,000, but as prime minister he will be taking home £187,000 - an instant pay hike of more than £50k.

that wage was back 2007....

Now they also reveal that the labour party were going to increase vat and not lower it.
I would like to earn £20,000 a year but can't see me ever earning £20,000 a month.

Who else would like to swop with Gordon...maybe even be prime minister?;)

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    becks27 wrote: »
    Just like to know if anyone on this site would like to have a ...well not a wife swop but a wage swop. So that Gordon Brown could feel the pinch this year....on say an average wage of £16,000. Do you think he would survive on that wage.
    What would you think of earning Mr Brown's wages...thats on average about £20,000 a month more than what I earn. Put him in a council house in a for a year....and not live in 2 houses. Some of us cannot even afford one house let alone 2.

    That's because as chancellor Mr Brown earns £136,000, but as prime minister he will be taking home £187,000 - an instant pay hike of more than £50k.

    that wage was back 2007....

    Now they also reveal that the labour party were going to increase vat and not lower it.
    I would like to earn £20,000 a year but can't see me ever earning £20,000 a month.

    Who else would like to swop with Gordon...maybe even be prime minister?;)

    To be fair, I've been earning a spanking wage for a good while now (£100k+) with not a lot of responsibility or accountability. I honestly don't think that he is paid over the odds at all, for a man in his position. For somebody at the head of a country, a wage under £200k seems quite small, especially when compared to the wages the directors of some major companies take home, never mind the consultants the Government get in to do certain things.


    Just for reference, £187,000 a year directly equates to £9,691.72 per month, after deductions. Sure, there will be other factors (the much publicised expense accounts, for example), but he really doesn't get as much as you'd think as a wage - certainly nowhere near the £20k figure you like! I've been pulling in well over £6k a month after deductions, and I don't have anything like the media focus, nor expectations of a Nation placed upon my well formed shoulders ;) I come to work in jeans and t-shirt, have a laugh with people, and if something goes wrong, we fix it, and it impacts very few people. If Gordon or one of his crew make a fuck up, it's all over the place, hits half the population, and they're possibly likely to lose their job. Sod that.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think basic MP's are over paid, but I dont think that £200,000 is over the top given the budgets and responsibility he has.

    I certainly wouldnt want his job for that money, especially given he will work much longer hours than any one of us would want to.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm with g_angel on this one.

    This is the first time I really don't worry that any government officials are overpaid. They're doing a job I wouldn't want for those salaries. My job is supposed to be stressful but I'm chilling compared to what my government officials are going through. Plus I'm not working seven days a week. :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The Prime Minister (or the Prime Mentalist, as Guido Fawkes affectionately calls the current one) earns a salary of £189,994 a year. When you consider just how much work he actually has to do for that money, you almost start to think that he should be paid more. Then you rememeber how shit he is at the job, and any such thoughts immediately disappear.

    Could Gordon Brown manage on £16,000 a year? Of course not. It tells you a lot about a man's attitude to money when we look at his expenses claims. The House of Commons was forced to publish the expenses of Macavity, Call Me Dave, and a couple of other politicians earlier this year. According to The Grauniad, McBroon made "a £32 claim for lightbulbs and £99 subscription to Sky television... at the time [he] received a salary of £136,000 a year as Chancellor.". "You couldn't make it up", as Richard Littlejohn would say.
    becks27 wrote: »
    Who else would like to swop with Gordon...maybe even be prime minister?;)
    A very tempting offer, I must say. But I fear I must say no. For starters, you would have to call me Mighty Emperor, not Prime Minister. Anyone who's ever been a lawyer or a former communist would be banned from serving as an MP, every human rights lawyer in the country would have been thrown onto a bonfire, Tony Blair would be put on trial for war crimes with myself acting as the judge and Gordon Brown would be thrown into the sea.

    That, and Jeremy Clarkson would be my deputy. Probably.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote: »
    According to The Grauniad, McBroon made "a £32 claim for lightbulbs and £99 subscription to Sky television... who at the time received a salary of £136,000 a year as chancellor.".

    As long as they were covered under the guidelines for their second home, I don't see too much of a problem with these expenses. They're hardly shocking items! If it was for "S&M Dungeon equipment; spurious", then I would raise an eyebrow.

    If he was in a hotel, and he went for the PPV TV, he would have expensed that anyway.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've been earning a spanking wage for a good while now (£100k+) with not a lot of responsibility or accountability. I honestly don't think that he is paid over the odds at all, for a man in his position. For somebody at the head of a country, a wage under £200k seems quite small, especially when compared to the wages the directors of some major companies take home, never mind the consultants the Government get in to do certain things.


    Ok...point one ....you are one of the lucky ones to be in that catergory. I can tell you that even when I qualify I will only take home £? thousands as I cannot tell you what my future employer will offer me.
    Point two....have you always earnt this type of money? jobs these days are £5.73 an hour ... and only 2 hours a day or a week for £10?
    Let me also say this...if you have earnt that much money for a long time would you be able to go to less than £16,000 a year or less.
    Would you have the kind of life style you have always had? Dont forget also that he has 2 houses rent free and all expenses paid. When there are people struggling in this country to pay mortagages, loans and even get a small decent christmas. Mmmmm...I would love to be able to put right what labour said things would only get better under their leadership.
    I question to your comment that should someone who is leading our country get so much money? After all it is us taxpayers who are paying for him and his party. Is that really right when people in this country are struggling to make ends meet?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    tell you what star galaxy....why dont you and I share the almost £200,000 pounds a year job.
    Oh and g-angel dont tell me that Mr Brown does not get extra cash handed to him.
    I would swop with Gordon Brown and put in the site.org party. hehehe
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    becks27 wrote: »


    Ok...point one ....you are one of the lucky ones to be in that catergory. I can tell you that even when I qualify I will only take home £? thousands as I cannot tell you what my future employer will offer me.
    Point two....have you always earnt this type of money? jobs these days are £5.73 an hour ... and only 2 hours a day or a week for £10?
    Let me also say this...if you have earnt that much money for a long time would you be able to go to less than £16,000 a year or less.
    Would you have the kind of life style you have always had? Dont forget also that he has 2 houses rent free and all expenses paid. When there are people struggling in this country to pay mortagages, loans and even get a small decent christmas. Mmmmm...I would love to be able to put right what labour said things would only get better under their leadership.
    I question to your comment that should someone who is leading our country get so much money? After all it is us taxpayers who are paying for him and his party. Is that really right when people in this country are struggling to make ends meet?

    Damned right I would struggle to survive on £16k. My current rent is £18000 a year, not including any bills. I haven't always been on good money - I'm 29, and had to start somewhere (and no, I don't have a degree, or work for a bank), but I worked clever, as opposed to just hard, to get where I am. I'm not saying it was easy, but knowing when to jump ship is always a good thing.

    You're wrong about 'jobs these days are £5.73/hour'. Unskilled jobs are on that money. I know zero people on minimum wage, not even child carers.

    You seem to miss the point about how much responsibility he has, for the money he earns. There are plenty of consultants working for the Government earning WAY more than that. A friend of mine was recently employed by them on some IT work on £1000/day - yes, paid for by us tax payers. You don't see people having a go about that, simply because the consultants are not in the media spotlight. £190k is NOT a lot of money for the position he is in. If he were the head of a massive company (which would still be nothing like the size of the UK population, he would be on millions, with more millions in bonuses and shares. To place this much focus on this one person's wage, is just naive.

    If I am working away from home, damned right I claim expenses. Why the fuck would I not?! Sure, I don't get a second home paid for - but to complain that he gets 10 Downing Street 'for free' is ridiculous. It comes WITH the job. Has done for years, and it is also his work place.

    Oh and g-angel dont tell me that Mr Brown does not get extra cash handed to him.

    In what way? I think there are quite a lot of rules in place about not receiving 'gifts' and 'donations', hence the media stories in the last few years.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    becks27 wrote: »
    Is that really right when people in this country are struggling to make ends meet?
    This might interest you. Believe it or not, but there are government ministers in Europe who are even better off than British ones. Ministers in Ireland are paid more than in any other country in the European Union. They earn an average of €202,675, which converts to £171,013 a year. They earn so much that in October, the Irish President actually announced she would be taking a 10% pay cut because of the massive budget problems there. Ministers were ordered to take the same cut, whilst the opposition leader instructed his party's parliamentarians to take a 5% cut. Meantime, the governor of the Irish Central Bank took a 10% cut, and RTÉ network bosses also cut their wages. See here.

    What's the chance of Macavity or any of his robots in the cabinet taking a 10% pay cut? What are the odds of massively over-paid BBC bosses taking pay cuts to show that they understand what people are going through? I think we all know the honest answer to that...

    As for the suggestion of putting in TheSite.org party... as much as I like Jim V, if he ever becomes Prime Minster, I would immediately emigrate. :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd like the PM's wages, but I'd like even more the annual bonuses from any one of the blood-sucking parasites (sorry, hard-working executives) who sit at the head of the boardroom table of any the UK's banking and financial institutions.

    Or even better, the wage of a top-four Premiershit club footballer.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I am going to see if we can start an site.org party....hehehe

    No just kidding.

    So why cant our government do the same...as for EU or Europe I dont believe that we are that european.

    I say that because I thought we would possibly be all the same on laws etc but that we aint.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote: »
    Or even better, the wage of a top-four Premiershit club footballer.

    Why? I'd rather have the wages of a Man City player. ;)

    Yes I'd like Gordon Brown's money, but not for the job he does. It's probably one of the worst jobs going as far as the amount of work you have to do compared to the amount you get paid. And of course they should have a second home allowance, but personally, I think the second home should be owned by the state, and MPs should have to return it when they stop needing it, rather than the situation at the moment where we all effectively buy half an MPs house for them. I have no problem with the prime minister having an allowance for Sky TV either. Having access to all of the news channels is no different to having access to all of the newspapers imo.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    this is what the chief executive of british gas gets....I could live on his wages and you are right Gordon brown has to do a lot more for his money than this guy.
    Cash boost: Chief Executive of Centrica Sam Laidlaw could see his pay soar by £1million this year
    The boss of British Gas's parent firm could see his pay soar by £1million this year as millions face huge bill rises.

    Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, is expected to get a seven-figure increase in his pay, bonus and shares package.

    The rise will be a blow for 16million British Gas customers who face a 35 per cent rise in charges.
    He is one of several executives at the firm who could see earnings rocket, including British Gas managing director Philip Bentley.

    Mr Laidlaw's total package is likely to top £2.8million, more than £1million ahead of last year.

    In theory, he could earn £4.8million if Centrica hits profit and performance targets.

    Mmmm....I think footballers are overpaid for what they have to do and yet again Gordon Brown does have to do a lot more.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    that link was from www.mailonline ...I will remember to put it in next time.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    becks27 wrote: »
    this is what the chief executive of british gas gets....I could live on his wages and you are right Gordon brown has to do a lot more for his money than this guy.
    Cash boost: Chief Executive of Centrica Sam Laidlaw could see his pay soar by £1million this year
    The boss of British Gas's parent firm could see his pay soar by £1million this year as millions face huge bill rises.

    Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, is expected to get a seven-figure increase in his pay, bonus and shares package.

    The rise will be a blow for 16million British Gas customers who face a 35 per cent rise in charges.
    He is one of several executives at the firm who could see earnings rocket, including British Gas managing director Philip Bentley.

    Mr Laidlaw's total package is likely to top £2.8million, more than £1million ahead of last year.

    In theory, he could earn £4.8million if Centrica hits profit and performance targets.

    Mmmm....I think footballers are overpaid for what they have to do and yet again Gordon Brown does have to do a lot more.

    You see what I mean about Gordon not being paid a lot in relation to the position he holds? :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    becks27 wrote: »
    Mmmm....I think footballers are overpaid for what they have to do and yet again Gordon Brown does have to do a lot more.

    Footballers aren't overpaid. They're paid in relation to the revenue they generate, like most other jobs. If I was able to fill a stadium of 50,000 people at £30 a ticket, along with millions watching around the world on TV, I'd expect to be pretty well paid too.

    Public service jobs aren't.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think I will change my proffession....and become a footballer

    Not sure if I would qualify but hey.... this article from www.timesonline shows me I am defo in the wrong job.

    Michael Owen (Newcastle United), £41 million -
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Your link doesn't work.

    £41m? That doesn't sound right. Even adding on sponsorship deals, I can't imagine Michael Owen making that much. His gambling losses alone would half that. :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    g_angel wrote: »
    If it was for "S&M Dungeon equipment; spurious", then I would raise an eyebrow.
    If he ever became an MP, this would surely be an expenses claim for Max Mosley...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    try www.timesonline.co.uk but I googled the title of:-

    most overpaid footballers in England then clicked on the first link. Hope that helps?
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