"I've told you, I'm not saying another word."
Gordon Brown stated today that politics was a profession. I don't think it is and that is because there are no formal qualifications required - not even any relevant work experience. Some may argue Parliament is about allowing people from all walks of life to serve the people and that may have been true a generation ago, but not today. Further education is now available to all.
If it is to be classed as a profession rather than public service, then formal qualifications have to be met by applicants, along with a good work history. The obvious one of course is a degree in politics with perhaps accounting as a secondary (forgive my humour), but if we want upstanding pillars of the community to represent us in Westminster, then they should show their worth and declare their CVs on campaign material. In any profession formal qualifications are certainly required for jobs falling within the £60-70,000 bracket. This may be a good criteria for councillors too, now that they are paid a good salary.
Second jobs must be curtailed. It's tedious listening to the list of other jobs some politicians have while, in the same breath, they express their exhaustion at their all-consuming day job. Either they do the day job properly or don't bother applying at all. Not only is it disingenuous of some MPs to do the job part-time for the full salary but they also insult their colleagues who do put in a fair day's work.
There will be people who argue our politicians aren't paid well enough and we must give them better salaries. I completely disagree and think we might just get a more honourable and sincere type of politician if we keep the salary structure as it is, give them expenses on a par with the Scottish parliament, insist all travel was second class and purchase a hostel in London where they could reside when at Westminster. Give them an agreed allowance for running a constituency office and insist that all Westminster staff must come from the internal civil service.
'Pay peanuts and you get monkeys.' True but we may also get a more honest and selfless class of monkey. Time we at least tried.
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16 comments:
Showbiz for ugly people.
Auch I don't know Monty. If I was 30 years younger I could maybe fancy wee Derek Brownlee. Poor devil :)
Parliament is full of 'career' politicians. In times past, the average age of MPs was higher than it is today, and being an MP was seen as a service to the country. You became an MP later in life, after working in the real world. Nowadays, the house is full of people who's ambition from an early age was to be an MP, and that alone should bar anyone from entry! They are using politics to make their fortune, at our expense.
That's it exactly Rab and many of them know they'd never earn anything like they do if they were outside their bubble.
Trouble is the whole structure is rotten.
I totally agree Subrosa - politics is not and should not be a profession, and allowing politicians to have second jobs is an obvious conflict of interest.
Look at Westminster and Brussels - completely and utterly corrupt ( and rotten) to the core. I can't see any way of restoring credibility to either institution given the parties and individual's involved.
Get out of both I say.
subrosa,
I certainly agree with you particularly about MPs being more accountable to the public regarding their expenses. When I worked in London I lived in Luton and commuted on a daily basis. One of the Luton MPs claimed thousands of pounds for doing the same thing. When I was called in to work "out of hours" I could claim around 40p a mile so, perhaps, they could restrict their expenses in that manner.
Incidentally, could I perhaps an earlier entry of yours. My name is John, not Derek, and I'm not wee!
Someone produced a list of all the CEOs of the failed banks, added Terry Wogan to the list, and asked who was the odd man out. Yes, it was Terry Wogan - he was the only one with a formal qualification in banking.
Here is my (oft repeated) prescription for politicians:
(1) salary to be three times the national average wage
(2) pension to be the ordinary state pension
(3) severance on deselection or failure to be re-elected to be three times the statutory minimum redundancy payment
(4) away from home accomodation, if required, to be supplied by state-owned hostels
(5) receipted expenses only, against a strict list of allowables - just like your tax return
(6) expenses claimed published in full each year
My prescription for dealing with the present lot involves a whitewashed wall and half a dozen men with muskets. Or perhaps give them half a suit of body armour and pack them off to Helmand to finish what they started.
SR,
It's a disgrace, that's what it is and none of them have any shame.
Saw C=Cameron this morning getting v angry for the camera and saying "I'm going to sort it out now!" jumped into his car and drove off!
Crossed to Sky and low and behold the Speaker was getting torn for arse paper - he really is a poor excuse for a human being and the biggest shame is - he's Scots!
What a w@nk*r of a guy - then typical Red Clydesider ex-shop steward of my youth - now that's the Scottish Cringe - inept politikos thinking their gods gift to Communism.
More of this to come and us standing on the side lines can only gloat and enjoy gleefully the destruction of a corrupt Parliament.
Burn it! Guido got a job fur ye....
Have a good one Madame,
Crazy D
You seem to want your M.Ps to come from all the best University's. Apart from the best one of all the University of life after being through the school of hard knocks
and Graduating with a degree in common sense.
some of those M.Ps have had the best education money can buy went to most prestigious university's and they still fiddled their expenses.
Certainly the Scottish Parliament seems to come out far better than Westminster or Brussels scunnert. Leading the way again we are.
Morning Derek beautiful day :) I have to admit to having a mothering instinct for shorter men.
Vronsky don't wish these thieves on our troops, they'd do nothing but cause havoc.
Your summary is fine but I would like to see the expenses published quarterly at the very least.
SR,
Sadly no one will recognise that we lead the way. Try to put us back in our box.
Also its worth checking out the proffessions of these bastards prior to politics.
Go see the number of lawers, barristers or otherwise legal trained.
Takes the pi** out of our legal system too.
Very very few go into politics "to do right by the public".
Got your tickets.....ALL ABOARD
Last ride on the gravy train anyone.........its about to come off the tracks
Morning CD, I do hope Cameron sacks a few of them. He must take the initiative here and show what he's made of. True many of them are tory grandees but it's time they were put out to pasture - then they'll have plenty days to pursue their own gardening skills.
Beautiful day here Sir, bluest sky and sun. Off to fix a dry stane dyke if I can. Couple of stones fell out the other week but it's been too wet until now.
Sorry Niko, the old 'university of life' business is out of date. Anyone who can write their own name can get a university qualification these days Niko so I see no reason as to why our elected representatives should not have a reasonable standard of formal qualifications.
Times have changed Niko, university is no longer for the better off, thankfully, but sadly the standard of some of the qualifications has been so dumbed down, they're not worth having.
Of course LotF, I missed the fact that so many have legal qualifications. Makes it even worse doesn't it. Shame of their professions.
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