MPs are greedy bastards aren’t they? They want us to pay for their booze
WE all know, or at least we should all know, that the browsing and sluicing of MPs is subsidised by the rest of us. Costs us about £5 million a year to provide cheap food and booze for them in Westminster.
However, that’s just the headline number of what we actually spend. There’s also a concept (very important in economics) called opportunity cost. This is the amount that we would have if we put whatever it is to a different use rather than doing whatever it is with it right now.
In relation to MPs’ guts and livers, this is that the bars and restaurants in the Palace of Westminster do not pay rent, do not pay rates and do not have to pay utility charges (water, ‘leccie and so on, these are just for the whole Palace). Given the location in central London these would be pretty large fees as well. This is money that we could have, if they all paid full whack, but we don’t have because they don’t.
And the greedy swine are actually claiming that because the bars don’t pay these numbers therefore the booze should be even cheaper!
MPs want taxpayers to subsidise the cost of their drinks in the bars of Parliament.
Prices at the four Palace of Westminster bars are already cheap, especially for central London, as they are linked to those in a nearby Wetherspoons pub.
But some MPs, who have a salary of £65,738, feel the £2.60 they pay for a pint of John Smith’s bitter, or £3.20 for premium Becks lager, is too much.
Senior MPs have even suggested prices should be tied to a cheaper venue outside of the centre of the capital.
The Sun claims to have seen a record of the Administration Committee’s meeting that states: ‘Several Members suggested that the House should not benchmark against central London pubs: those had to pay Central London rent, rates and utility charges, which House services did not pay.’
See? Because the bars should pay, but don’t, these charges and taxes, the MPs are demanding an even higher subsidy from us!
Well, fair’s fair. So we’ll tie the prices to those of a pub in Bootle shall we? The only quid pro quo we’ll ask for is that they also tie their rent and expenses claims to the prices in Bootle as well.
Posted: 7th, May 2013 | In: Money Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
