Utopia?

[Julie noted]

Why does my blood boil when I read of the salaries paid to the heads of quango's, or public services etc.?
Paul Tucker, assistant head of the Bank of England, is on over £400,000 a year! Council chief execs on £250,000!
Hospital trusts on £250,000. etc. etc.

Know what I think? The Prime Minister should be on circa £250,000, ministers on £180,000 and MPs on £130,000.
BUT, that would be their FULL TIME JOB.
No other 'jobs on the side', no company directorships, no advisor to XYZ...nothing. A full time MP or minister. Period.

Then we may see a house of commons 3/4 full every day, as opposed to a handful of bodies.
We might also then have as politicians people that really WANT to do the job and represent the people, as opposed to the majority that seem to use it as a way of topping up their directorships, and availing themselves of almost living free, thanks to to their ability to charge everything to expenses with virtual impunity. 
What we have as democracy in this country is much better than many countries have...however, it has been sliding into sleaze and corruption for a number of years. Part of the reason is the 'outside interests' of those that govern us...it has to change.

[Julie noted]

KD, it isn't a salary increase so they don't 'moonlight'. It is a salary commensurate with the responsibility of the post.
As the quango morons are always saying; 'You have to pay the money to get the best, or they will go elsewhere'.

If the deputy governor of the Bank of England is worth over £400,000 a year and the governor on £500,000, the Prime Minister should be up there with them.
If a GP can earn circa £150,000, our politicians ought to be better paid.
But, and it's a BIG but, they must have to be examined closely for financial/business acumen.

One of the biggest no-no's ought to be 'no outside interests'.
Ken Clarke is on the board of BAT (British American Tobacco). I know he would have to 'declare an interest' if tobacco was to be debated but what is said behind the scenes? (Just like Hartlepool). 
Policemen have to ask permission to take on 'extra' jobs (and lots of jobs are not allowed) so that principle should be similar for politicians, only in this case, no jobs allowed. 
If they were really looking after the people in their 'seats' they wouldn't have time for outside jobs. To many of them, being a politician is just a sideline, a hobby.