MPs are to be handed a £7,600 pay rise after a watchdog refused to bow to pressure from political leaders to scale back the rise at a time voters are feeling the squeeze. The 11% bump would take the standard salary to £74,000 by 2015.
"We are all in it together" said David Cameron when he launched the Coalition Governments Austerity Programme. Unless you are an Member of Parliament of course.
With most families struggling to pay the rent, ever increasing heating bills and having difficulties feeding their children, most people certainly are in it!
With no pay rises, cut hours, low wages with "Zero Hours" contracts affecting huge numbers of ordinary people who have been told to "accept restraint", "prepare for cuts" and cannot expect "unaffordable pensions", it's hardly surprising that there is exasperation over the news MP's are expecting an 11% pay rise.
The cheek of it.
Even the usually compliant Taxpayers Alliance leader Matthew Sinclair has this to say:
Taxpayers will be furious that the pay rise comes at a time when MPs urge public pay restraint and the Chancellor tells us he can't afford to ease the burden of taxes on hard-pressed households and businesses.
Ipsa's own polling and research shows that the current level of pay to be broadly fair and that the public simply do not back the increase.
This announcement amounts to an unaccountable quango putting up two fingers to taxpayers. The rise must be rejected.
The following petition has appeared on the Governments website. Please read and sign:
No MP Salary Increase
Responsible department: Office of the Leader of the House of Commons
At a time when the country is in deep financial crisis, the ordinary working people of this country are still losing their jobs, have been, still are suffering wage freezes while living costs are spiralling, and the government cutting or capping benefit payments, is it right for MP’s to get ANY pay rise, let alone a 32% increase they have been reported as wanting.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO “WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER”
SAY NO TO ANY PAY RISE FOR MP’s.
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