No, we shouldn’t pay MPs more
THEY’RE whining again. They’re very important people doncha know, these Members of Parliament. And as they’re very important people they should be paid lots more of our money:
Seven in 10 MPs said they were underpaid on £65,738 a year, according to a survey by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa). On average, MPs said they deserved salaries of £86,250 — a 32 per cent rise.
No, sorry, but no. The pay for a job is not a matter of “fairness”. It is a matter of supply and demand. The more people there are willing to and capable of doing a job then the lower the pay that goes with that job.
This is as true of banking, wiping bottoms and serving pints as it is of being an MP. By definition, anyone who can get elected is qualified to be an MP. Thousands try to get elected at every General Election. We thus have no shortage at all of those capable and willing to do the job.
Thus there should be no pay rise: we just don’t need to increase the incentives for people to do the job.
We can actually go further than this too. That the curent set of MPs seems not to understand this basic truth about a market economy means that they’re too damn dim to get a pay rise anyway.
Posted: 11th, January 2013 | In: Money, Politicians Comments (3) | TrackBack | Permalink
