Ok lets be fair here.
If you are an MP from North Wales, or Scotland, why should you have to pay travel expenses and rent out of your own salary because you are often required in London to vote etc?
If your company asks you to go away on business they foot the bill!
Now, are they well paid? Yes. They should be as we expect them to do difficult jobs for us (though my local MP is always conspicuous by his absence in anything, anywhere!), and thus are paid accordingly.
The Jacqui Smith thing really though showed that Parliament is still an 'old boys club', the allowances are treated as part of their salary and they look after themselves well! But when we keep electing this stereotypical Eton, Oxford privately educated sort of MP then this is what we can expect, they have no idea what real life is like!
Same with the current spin scandal. They all do this sort of thing to each other. Its why Elections have such low turnouts, we just dont care about any of it. I would once, for example, like to hear George Osbourne on the Today show NOT slag off Labour! Maybe try telling us why you would be better, than why we shouldnt vote for the others!
Posted: 2009-04-14 14:41:42