[Livia]

Originally Posted by The Baby Jesus

I don't quite get why politics shouldn't be vocational though. I'm sure there are nurses and teachers that could have put their intelligence in the private sector for twice the money as well. The fundamental aim of politics (when done well) is to provide a service for the people. Just like teaching, it's not to earn a good salary, and be self-important.

Why would you think it should be vocational? Even local concillors get paid for what they do, and the more committees they sit on, the more they're paid.

I want MPs to be the best people with the best qualifications from the most diverse backgrounds. Pay them a decent salary and you attract the best applicants. Right now it IS sort of vocational. Even the Labour party are mostly made up of rich, privately educated chinless wonders and they top up their salary by sitting on company boards and investing their trust funds. I want them to give politics 100% of their attention.