Rachel Maclean MP joins a long line ...

When I started reading for my economics degree some 60 years ago, one of the first questions set for us to answer, posed in very old fashioned language, probably a quote from 19th century text on economics, was as follows
If one man by constant endeavour can find a job at a time of unemployment, why cannot every unemployed man do the same

If a class full of 18 year olds, fresh from school, and new to economics could work out the answer. Why are the government ministers who manage our economy incapable of doing so?

Dinahmo 160K seems about average. It'll be a mixture of constituency and parliamentary staff. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) allocate specific budgets to MPs to pay for these roles and activities. They account for up to 80% of MPs’ business costs.

You can find out more about MPs staffing and business costs here:

www.theipsa.org.uk/a-guide-to-mps-business-costs

Gosh, I've never thought of that, Ms McLean. I'll tell my foodbank clients next week. I am sure that they'll be grateful for your advice.....

Thank you Oakdryad She must either employ several assistants or else her staff are extremely highly paid. I thought that they used a lot of unpaid staff. The daughter of friends, after leaving uni spent a year working for nothing in the HOC, supported by her parents. She was very attractive and we all thought that she'd be bound to get a paying job but she didn't.

It was nearly 20 years ago so perhaps things have changed.

A major problem is that Johnson got rid of any half way decent Ministers, who were generally Remain supporters
Yes, there are in fact some decent Tories but they have been banished to the wilderness.

AGAA4

I meant Rachel MacLean not you Callistemon

?

Thank goodness!

Unbelievable! A major problem is that Johnson got rid of any half way decent Ministers, who were generally Remain supporters. He is thus surrounded by a bunch of borderline incompetents who are anti-Europe and hang on to his every utterance like bats in a cave.

Witzend

Yes, it’s just so frightfully easy, isn’t it? Just as well the Undeserving Poor have people like her to give them the benefit of their wisdom.

we really need this sort of advice Witzend

I meant Rachel MacLean not you Callistemon

Crikey! Patronising or what?

Petera

HousePlantQueen

Coming from someone who, like all members, can claim up to £25 per day for food (goes a long way in a subsidised restaurant), it is stunningly stupid.

Surely we can reduce this to a claim of 30p for each meal?

I really think we should - after all we, if we are taxpayers, are funding this!!

Yes, you can DinahMo.

Rachel Maclean's:

www.theipsa.org.uk/mp-staffing-business-costs/your-mp/rachel-maclean/4668

You'll see year-by-year itemised by category.

Go to download all claim data and you can get a spreadsheet itemising everything. Then you can use your spreadsheet tools to sort the data however you wish to view it.

I think that we all ought to be able to see the MPs expense claims in detail - or can we already?

Learn to cook
Buy value brands
Take on extra work

So kind of these Tory MPs to offer their advice - I hope those who're struggling and never thought of these bright ideas are duly grateful.

There are no political parties exempt from foot in the mouth syndrome, but goodness me, this recent bunch of Tories take the biscuit! And they probably would too.

Twitter

Parody Boris

Rachel Maclean has just solved the cost of living crisis - turns out all you need to do is get a better paid job and work more hours. For example, you could become and MP and claim £218,000 in expenses on top of your £80k salary like she did last year.

Parsley3

So, the message from the Conservatives is that people only have themselves to blame for any hardship they encounter. Watch out for the next bit of propaganda, folks. People who become ill and need to use the NHS will be called feckless wasters who need to learn how to live more healthily.

Yup, and people will not only believe it, they will repeat it. We will have the usual narrative on here about why people who abuse drugs/food/alcohol should be made to pay for their own 'faults' or at least made to wait behind more worthy cases.

Roll on the revolution people.

So, the message from the Conservatives is that people only have themselves to blame for any hardship they encounter. Watch out for the next bit of propaganda, folks. People who become ill and need to use the NHS will be called feckless wasters who need to learn how to live more healthily.

Twenty years ago I was invited to a small soiree to meet a prospective Tory candidate.

I asked him about education, primarily that there are some schools designated failures and some designated successes. What would he/his party plan to do for families whose nearest school was a deemed failure.
He said that it was up to the parents to move to a better area.

Same idea as this - i.e. No idea.

HousePlantQueen

Coming from someone who, like all members, can claim up to £25 per day for food (goes a long way in a subsidised restaurant), it is stunningly stupid.

Surely we can reduce this to a claim of 30p for each meal?

Aaargh! Where do these unthinking people come from?

Coming from someone who, like all members, can claim up to £25 per day for food (goes a long way in a subsidised restaurant), it is stunningly stupid.

Yes, it’s just so frightfully easy, isn’t it? Just as well the Undeserving Poor have people like her to give them the benefit of their wisdom.

Quite!