David Cameron has made a great start and showed good leadership dealing with the expenses problem. One of the questions he is going to have to answer is "what about MP's second jobs?" I personally have no problem with MPs having second jobs - so long has they do not interfere with their duties. There is a massive difference between the Tories and Labour when it comes to second jobs, especially in their respective Cabinets. Nearly all Tory MPs have some kind of business experience, whereas their opposite numbers have almost none. I believe it will be a great boost to the country to have a government that understands business (unlike the bunch we have now).Now that it looks like their is going to be big cuts in the amount MPs can claim in expenses, second jobs would fill that gap without the need to increase MP's salaries. However, I do believe that there must be some form of regulation on second jobs. I would put a limit of say 104 (8hrs/4weeks) hours a year spent working on a second job, and that time must not clash with an MP's parliamentary duties. In fact I would like to think that second jobs would be encouraged to increase an MPs experience beyond that of the Westminster bubble. 104 hours working with the military wouldn't go amiss either.
This could be another winner for Cameron. He would be seen to be leading the way in regulating second jobs, whilst at the same time pointing out the benefits those jobs could bring to government. Not to mention the fact that MPs would be earning some of their money themselves, instead of just taking from the taxpayer.
What do you think? is 104 hours too much/little? Or should second jobs be banned altogether?
3 comments:
If you ban other jobs then you will prevent any professionals who aren't professional politicians from entering Parliament.
Some professions require recent activity to remain current, credible or even legal.
My proposal would be that the hours worked should be declared and removed pro-rata from the MPs House of Commons Salary and pension. The information should also be logged in the register of members interests if it isn't done so already.
This would save the public money, keep knowledgeable MPs in parliament and help stop our country being run by people who studied politics at school, university, interning for MPs before becoming researchers then MPs. They are the real people we should worry about.
The type described succinctly by MiaS in the paragraph above is exactly the kind of inadequate we are lumbered with in the useless dollop of lard that is Gordon Brown.
A blinkered, one dimensional, lumpen, leaden footed oaf, who is totally incapable of any kind of lateral thinking, The way David Cameron had to explain to him that this was not about what was within the rules, but what was morally right and ethical, was really quite incredible to see and hear.
That a leader of so called great power could be such a half witted imbecile, however the Labour party is full of them, tribalist trotskyite class warriors out to destroy the old order and replace it with a far, far worse ruling clique of semi-literate low lifes.
Oooh yes.
And while we're about it why not set up a quango to monitor and control MPs second jobs. Then we could have some MPs having as a second job membership of this quango. You have to admit there is a certain circular elegance to my proposal.
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