MPs set for above inflation payrise

Mr Kobayashi said:
What evidence is that the brightest and best work in the city?

Seems a big assumption. Is a city trader earning more than an emergency room doctor really brighter and more astute than a doctor?

Is it possible that people in the public sector with a genuine calling for public service might be better suited to government than finance industry workers driven by opportunism and greed?
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I think it’s a fair challenge. My wife is a good example of somebody who works in public service in a low wage sector and would be the ideal kind of person you’d want in an MP role (though I am biased clearly).

I think it’s not that there aren’t brilliant people working in low wage jobs and conversely there are plenty of overpaid morons working in London, but we’re talking about things at the macro level here and offering a lower wage just excludes a whole bunch of potential candidates from ever considering the role. If you have a pool of 100 brilliant people from all backgrounds and industries, wouldn’t you want to offer a package that attracts a high percentage of that 100? My point is that at the moment I feel like the needle is too far to one side and so it’s probably only an attractive prospect to a relatively small pool of people - the unintended consequence of which is that you end up with more candidates who already have wealth and so don’t need an income instead of ordinary working people. I think the numbers of MPs from wealthy backgrounds bear that out.

I agree with others that the offset should be limiting expenses and preventing undue influence through banning second jobs.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
Top bloke is Rory.
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He really is - I met him once back in my days working in Congo-Brazzaville. He was either Minister for Africa or Sec International Development. He wasn’t surrounded by SPADs and hangers-on. Asked incisive questions, got what we were doing immediately and didn’t forget us when he got home. He wasn’t the only politician who rocked up, but he was by a mile the most impressive.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
Top bloke is Rory.
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He had a spat with JD Vance on Twitter about Christian theology.

The Pope (yes, really, the Big Cheese himself) has now written to US Bishops about migrants which confirms Rory's position.

Doubtless Vance will tweet that the Pope doesn't understand the Bible as well as he does.


Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups...

...The trueordo amoristhat must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the “Good Samaritan” (cf.Lk10:25-37), that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception

The whole thing is a scathing condemnation of MAGA.

www.vaticannews.va

Pope Francis supports U.S. Bishops in migrant advocacy - Vatican News

Pope Francis addresses a letter to the bishops of the United States, expressing his support for their efforts to protect the rights and dignity of ...
www.vaticannews.va www.vaticannews.va
 
babyape said:
I’m no conservative, far from it, but after reading Rory Stewart’s book, we could do with a lot more like him running things.

Comes across fantastically. Smart, funny, dedicated, and highlighted a lot of the absolute stupidity in the current system.
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I have always quite liked him. He is reasonable, respectful, an active listener, a strategic thinker and his views are expressed in a cogent manner. It's his strategic thinking that I think the Government could use to it's benefit. He is genuinely interested and well versed in both the development of public strategy and policy. Something that has been lacking in Government since 2010. In Starmer's position, I'd bring him and David Gauke into Government.
 
Streetsweeper said:
He really is - I met him once back in my days working in Congo-Brazzaville. He was either Minister for Africa or Sec International Development. He wasn’t surrounded by SPADs and hangers-on. Asked incisive questions, got what we were doing immediately and didn’t forget us when he got home. He wasn’t the only politician who rocked up, but he was by a mile the most impressive.
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Seemed like one of the very few politicians who genuinely were in it to make things better.
 
franksinatra said:
It is not a massive wage in fairness. No issue with it personally. It’s easy to say drop their wages etc but then the standard of candidates would drop even further.
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Cannot be that good if many of them have second jobs. I would also suggest for this reason it is not a full-time job to many of them.

I am not quite sure what you mean by 'standard of candidates'. I personally want politicians with life experience, communication skills, diplomacy, empathy, strategic thinkers, a moral compass and a commitment to bettering the quality of life of the nation. I am not quite sure how being, for example, a corporate lawyer or investment banker. Especially when you consider many in those occupations, clearly not all, have only had the opportunity to take up those roles due to privilege.
 
Manc in London said:
I have always quite liked him. He is reasonable, respectful, an active listener, a strategic thinker and his views are expressed in a cogent manner. It's his strategic thinking that I think the Government could use to it's benefit. He is genuinely interested and well versed in both the development of public strategy and policy. Something that has been lacking in Government since 2010. In Starmer's position, I'd bring him and David Gauke into Government.
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His thinking on international aid and foreign policy is second-to-none. There’s a lecture from his time as visiting professor at Harvard on YouTube somewhere that nails why most people, including Governments, get it wrong and how it can work if done right.
 
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