How does your pay compare with an MP's by Michael Blastland

For a great article about how an MP's pay stacks up against the average, check out this article.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8072031.stm

To summarise,

after tax and benefits the average individuals income is £390 a week, £1690 a month or £20280 a year.

How do MP's compare?

if you take their expenses alone (£300 per week or £1300 a month, £15600 a year) - they are better off than 30% of the population. If you take their income alone (£820 a week or £3500 a month or £42600 a year), they are better off than 91% of the population. If you add expenses and income together (1120 a week or £4800 a month or £58240 a year after tax) , they are better off than 96% of the population.

are MP's badly paid? Not according to these figures.

MP's expenses

Much will be written about this i am sure. So I won't go on about how immoral it all is, most of us know that already.

But, two things came to me that I haven't read in the Telegraph.

1. just because something is within the rules doesn't make it morally acceptable. Which is why you can't legislate for morality. Government cannot be expected to set the moral tone for the country by passing laws. and just because it isn't illegal to do something doesn't mean that it is ok.

2. Didn't bankers use the same "we haven't broken the rules" argument when they sank the economy? Short selling isn't illegal. The sub prime mortgage market wasn't illegal. Being paid billions in bonuses wasn't illegal. How can we ever expect the government to deal with the injustice in the banking sector when they hare their own snouts in the trough!!