[Livia]

I should probably just requote what I said last time we had this discussion, but anyway, here goes again.

The reason politics is dominated by rich people is that the salary isn't even equal to a middle-management salary in the private sector. Therefore, when working or middle-class people get their degree they usually use it to build a lucrative career and earn as much as they can, which rather rules out a career in politics. There is no job security like there may be in other professions. Once Parliament is dissolved before an election, the MP is no longer an MP. He may or may not have a job after the election so it's effectively a series of four or five year contracts if he or she is lucky. Like them or hate them, MPs have a lot of responsibility (I'm talking about in their constituencies mostly, where they are responsible for helping every constituent who approaches them) and take a lot of shtick, whether or not they deserve it, and really, some don't deserve it. The Chief executive of my local council earns five times the salary of my local MP. She also gets all the perks of working for the local authority.

Some MPs did abuse the expenses system, but not all of them by any means. And now IPSA is so tight it's hard to screw a little stationery out of them. And if an MP is going to fiddle the system or not declare an interest, he's going to lose his job if he's found out. It's harder now to hide things like that - and rightly so.

If you want to have a House of Commons that better reflects society, then MPs need to be paid a salary that is at least on a par with the private sector, or you’re always going to end up with career politicians making extra cash through the Old Boy Network and relaxing on their trust fund.