Who should make the rules?

[Kathyan]

The party leaders have come up with new proposals for claiming their expenses. Is it right that they should be allowed to make the rules? Is it also right that there should be an independent body to oversee claims, as it is said that this body will not be transparent because it will not be covered by the freedom on information act?

[rov1200]

Without needing a crystal ball we can foresee the end result. The independent commission will say their salaries should be on a par with Doctors and school headmasters both who earn in excess of �100,000 whilst they currently get about �65,000. To many of the public this increase is far too excessive.

The answer is to have a poll on what their salary should be:

between �60,000 - �70,000
or �70,000-�80,000

etc,etc

The public should have the final say, we put them there and we should decide how much they get. It should not be down to some gentlemans club.

[kayakamina]

They should also accommodate them all in the Olympic Village and do away with the need for a London second home allowance/furnishings etc.

[anotheoldgit]

When we first went into Europe we were told that not only would there be a common market policy but also wages and salaries would be on par.

For example, a secretary in Britain would earn the same as a secretary in Germany, an Engineer in Britain would earn the same as an Engineer in Germany etc etc.

What happened to this idea, and could not the same idea be used for politicians pay?

Obviously this idea did not come to fruition, so I don't suppose it would in the politicians case, so therefore why can't a separate independent body of relevantly experienced civil servants be set up, who's primary job would be to review and set their pay.

[R1Geezer]

Even if they set up some sort of "independent" body to do this it won't be truly inpepedant because they will be suceptable to bribery by the politicians in the form of pay risees, honours etc etc.

[gina32]

why should they claim all that they do, other people have to work outside of their home town and have to pay for things themselves. they chose the jobs that they do, as the majority of us do.

[youngmafbog]

As I have said before: Base it on IR35 like the rest of us have to abide by.

Now let me see. to determine if a temorary job and therefore expaneses allowable (for tax releif) you need to answer the question "Has my job exceeded or expected to exceed 2 years"

Well whoever wins Gorbles' seat can probably claim but no chance for the rest.

[I.Don No]

to negate the need for a second home all of the restaurants and bars in the palace of westminster could be refitted as dormitories or single bedrooms and there would be no need to have the same number of berths as there are MPs because those in commutable (spelling?) distance should go back home to their constituency when westminster business has concluded for the day.

Those MPs whose constituency is to far away to commute to daily (or how often they need to be in westminster) could use the berths as mentioned above.

And when those MPs outside of commuting distance need to return to their constituencies they should be issued with travel warrants, and certainly not cash.

No allowances other than these should be given as imho if you represent a constituency then you should live there.

But, of course, I live in the real world and I realise that if the above were to be implemented then the MPs would just award themselves a big pay rise, which, as you may have guessed, would not be allowed under my regualtions.

Better still, vote me in as a benign dictator and I would have this country sorted within a year and then you could vote me out again, unless I had used my powers to ban all elections.....lol