tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116690042850060767.post8372313511890050958..comments2023-08-10T12:55:23.427+01:00Comments on SUBROSA: Are Our MSPs Work-shy?subrosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00151702590329788260noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116690042850060767.post-28308279148753126232011-11-21T00:55:26.496+00:002011-11-21T00:55:26.496+00:00I'd join up Hamish. Such a shame the SP hasn&...I'd join up Hamish. Such a shame the SP hasn't taken the opportunity to be a people's parliament where debate should go on every day of the week.subrosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00151702590329788260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116690042850060767.post-37623722773905735182011-11-20T22:42:12.899+00:002011-11-20T22:42:12.899+00:00Just confirms my opinion that Parliamentary democr...Just confirms my opinion that Parliamentary democracy is obsolete.<br />Roll on the real thing after independence. I'll be founding the Guy McFawkes party if nobody else does.<br />In the meantime, some excellent points made by earlier commenters.<br />In particular Brian's comment about constituency workload.<br />I guess most of us here know the solution. It's as simple as the solution to the West Lothian question. Only Tam of the Binns hasn't worked out the answer.Hamishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07401451754373118599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116690042850060767.post-27073785793260977082011-11-20T19:17:50.089+00:002011-11-20T19:17:50.089+00:00Of course it should pa_broon and I was hopeful tha...Of course it should pa_broon and I was hopeful that would be the case when I voted for devolution. However our newly elected politicians showed little regard of their electorate when they decided these expenses.<br /><br />Is it any wonder I have little faith in politicians?<br /><br />My MSP is great. My list MSP(s) I don't know at all and I've never had any communication from them. They appear to be admin rather than active.subrosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00151702590329788260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116690042850060767.post-8912698931922526112011-11-20T19:14:45.088+00:002011-11-20T19:14:45.088+00:00Excellent point Brian and one which should be used...Excellent point Brian and one which should be used by independence supporters. Of course that's why unionists are so against independence - they'd be jobless.subrosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00151702590329788260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116690042850060767.post-46931858282539316752011-11-20T19:13:31.293+00:002011-11-20T19:13:31.293+00:00JRB, as I said to Joe I made an error using a colo...JRB, as I said to Joe I made an error using a colonel's salary as a comparison. The military overnight allowance is far below an MSPs and these days they receive no family travel allowance but two journeys a year for their next of kin - not involving children of course.<br /><br />I'd agree with that. They should keep timesheets and then we would know how much time was spent on parliamentary business and party business.subrosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00151702590329788260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116690042850060767.post-49712828314784082322011-11-20T19:09:35.807+00:002011-11-20T19:09:35.807+00:00My MSP puts the hours in Joe but that doesn't ...My MSP puts the hours in Joe but that doesn't mean all do.<br /><br />Aye I made an error using that comparison.subrosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00151702590329788260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116690042850060767.post-45416671865387052182011-11-20T16:34:07.164+00:002011-11-20T16:34:07.164+00:00The expenses (or allowance) system should be broug...The expenses (or allowance) system should be brought in line with the rest of the public sector in Scotland.<br /><br />I don't get anything like the amount they do for overnight stuff. I get £5 for lunch, £15 for dinner, the hotel is the cheapest they can find short of putting us in a flea pit although that is very manager-dependent; some are a heck of a lot tighter than others. Our mielage allowance is 48p so that is in line I suppose.<br /><br />On the difference between MSP's and MP's, for local issues the MSP gets my vote everytime, they just seem to be more plugged in to local issues than the MPs do.<br /><br />Although again, that depends on who you've got.pa_broon74https://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116690042850060767.post-74416086772008340392011-11-20T13:44:57.026+00:002011-11-20T13:44:57.026+00:00How can there be enough constituency work for MSPs...How can there be enough constituency work for MSPs if it is shared with Scottish MPs (or vice versa)? Are Scottish Councils and government departments really twice as inefficient as their English counterparts to require extra elected representatives to sort problems out for their constituents?Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06358349301959327747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116690042850060767.post-73064261392480200302011-11-20T11:15:49.531+00:002011-11-20T11:15:49.531+00:00Your average MSP ---
Salary
MSP = £53,091 pa
+ A...Your average MSP ---<br /><br />Salary<br />MSP = £53,091 pa<br /><br />+ Allowances<br />Support allowance = up to £60,000 pa<br />Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance = £110.47 per night<br />Overnight Expenses Allowance = £98.80 per night<br />Travel Allowance = 49.3p per mile<br />Family Travel Allowance = 12 journeys pa for each family member.<br /><br />+ Pension<br />6% contribution.<br /><br />… all this for a couple of days a week.<br /><br />Nice work if you can get it.<br /><br />There is an easy solution<br />… put them all on hourly piece work, if they turn up for debates, committees, constituency work, then they get paid for time they are there.<br />… out on a nice little ‘jolly’, a round of golf or doing some shopping on Princes St, then they don’t get paid.<br /><br />SimplesJRBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01864418763227369458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116690042850060767.post-78563875815838073542011-11-20T10:31:52.699+00:002011-11-20T10:31:52.699+00:00Our (admittedly, Westminster) MP certainly puts th...Our (admittedly, Westminster) MP certainly puts the hours in.<br /><br />His Parliamentary work is but a fraction of his constituency work.<br /><br />"Neil Findlay......sounds a bit of a whinger and could do with being seconded to an army colonel - who receives roughly the same salary - for a week or two."<br /><br />I'd rather see him seconded to a Helmund-based, front-line squaddie for whom there's no Edinburgh hotel room available after a patrol gets delayed.Joe Publichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07829909061904690380noreply@blogger.com