It seems like you blog is only good if you start discussing or referencing some newspaper like the Guardian, Independent or blah blah blah is going on about. Nafeez Ahmads ‘The London Bombings’ book did that spectacularly. Using newspaper articles and British Intelligence ‘sources’ as unquestionable veracity, to push the some weird line that somehow the 7/7 narrative is true and that the security services allowed some people with terrorist intent to go unchecked because they wanted to gain intelligence about them.
Anyway…
No. I’m not trying to become a ‘noticed political blogger’ – I don’t care about the horse-crap that goes on tinkering a rotten system, but I did leave a comment on TheTimesOnline concerning an article about MP’s pay.
Bloggers prone to sneering, will look at the title of this blog and nod with Daniel Finkelstein’s argument. That I wouldn’t agree to pledge allegiance to the nasty kween, or follow a party agenda or enter politics for personal gain won’t matter to them. They just want a wee tinker of the system Imagining that somehow all will be rosy in the filth pool British politics has become.
If you want better secualr politics (which will ALWAYS be problematical) Parties should be banned, and ‘ordinary’ people should be encouraged into the commons.
Here’s my comment.
I disagree with your argument. One reason is that with expenses, they already earn a very tidy sum, indeed – perhaps more than a head teacher, depending on what level of expense manipulation they partake of.
Secondly, in jumping to the cabinet from the backbenches, which involves a hefty jump in salary. This would, when in application of the logic of your argument, produce the best ministers in the cabinet, but it seems quite the opposite. The cabinet seems to be the ‘Big Top’ of parliament with clowns and strange animals and ‘midget bearded ladies’. On rare occasions where an MP is brought into cabinet for their passion/expertise, (Frank Field? – Social Sector) does it last? Or does ‘party agenda’ as well as PM, CoE, FM interferences mean if those concerns/loyalties are not catered for, the minister – no matter their skill, knowledge and passion have their job made impossible.
I don’t actually believe in the current political system, but if I had to change the remuneration aspect of it, I would make MP’s get minimum wage, be disallowed from having a second job, be given (temporary) government owned housing of a reasonable standard provided, kids schooling, travel provided and secretarial services provided by a commons pool of professionals. They should also be scrutinized after they leave Parliament if they take up a job at a firm which benefited from them previously being an MP.
The voters can see perfectly well if a candidate will be ‘professional enough’ or have a specific passionate interest to decide whether they should be sent to parliament or not. You don’t say it, but you imply it that any old riff-raff will get in if the pay is low.
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