Pay rise? Don’t mind if I do.

It’s been approved. Just sheer madness and double standards. An 11% pay rise and an annual rise better than the rest of us employed as public servants.

Why? Because the perks of being an MP (which should have been binned in these austere times with no compensation) are being scaled down.

No more public funded taxis, unless you’re working after 2300. If i cycle to work or use Public Transport, I have to make my own way home, regardless of the time I finish.

An 11% pay rise will raise the pension payouts for all MP’s. Because if they earn more, they get more. Strangely enough that’s not being highlighted, and a lack of pay keeping in line with inflation is a huge issue for public sector workers.

But it’s ok, it’s not the MP’s making the decisions, it’s an independent body. The sort of body that the Government ignored a few years ago when the police had a back-dated pay rise denied.

Their pension scheme is being moved to an average salary scheme, as is mine, yet do I get a pay rise to compensate me?

What do you think? Obviously not, but then again, some of us are more servant like than others.

BBC Website report

Clever knife block

While researching my last post I had a look online about the Ides if March, and this came up.

Every MP should have one!

I imagine one can be claimed within the expenses rules.

I went to see my MP, then I wrote this letter to the local paper

This is my letter….

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing following my visit to Mr Yeo’s Surgery on Saturday at the Sudbury Conservative Club.

I attended to ask the questions in person which I posed in last week’s Suffolk Free Press.

Mr Yeo had not seen the edition before I met with him.

The two questions I asked were;

‘Firstly, that he will answer our questions in public? and Secondly, that IF he is found guilty of wrong-doing, he will do the honourable thing and let us decide his future in a by-election?’

Mr Yeo will answer questions in public, but not until the investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner has been concluded.

No date or location has been set for such an event, but I’m willing to assist with organising it if Mr Yeo needs help. Perhaps St Peters or Sudbury’s Town Hall would be a good venue? If anyone has a suggestion, or can help, please let me know.

With regard to the second question. Should Mr Yeo be found guilty of any wrongdoing, he will decide if he stands down or opts to hold a by-election. This will depend on the conclusion of the investigation currently underway in Westminster.

I would like to emphasise, (as he suggests) that Mr Yeo completely denies all the allegations made about him, and that when The Sunday Times release the full footage he will be completely exonerated. I totally support his efforts to clear his name, and hope they do release all of the recording. If the journalists involved have behaved inappropriately I hope the book is thrown at them for such despicable tactics.

Mr Yeo claims everything he said in the recorded meeting was true, and everything the undercover journalists said was a lie, and that a suspected murderer would not have received the treatment he has.

I still have questions, as I’m sure many do, and look forward to the result of the investigation. Should Mr Yeo be found innocent, we can all look forward to the future. If found guilty, there will be questions to ask, and I hope as many constituents as possible will come to ask them and listen to the answers.