National politics

[born2run]

A full time Union official is as 'proper' a job as any other.

[DaveR]

A full time Union official is as 'proper' a job as any other.

But he's been an MP for 32 years. He's on £74,000 a year salary. He claimed £158, 994 in Expenses in 2014/15. He lives in a £650,000 house in North London.

Hardly a member of the proletariat, I'm sure you'd agree....?

[born2run]

If he's been an MP for 32 years to me it means he's probably a very good MP!
I'm not anti being run by people who know what they're doing, he's doing a VERY important job and should be paid well for that.

The England football manager is on a few million a year isn't he? He's doing a job that's not very important and not doing it very well!

[Ian]

He claimed £158, 994 in Expenses in 2014/15.

I think that was for running his office. And a £650,000 house in North London is probably a Victorian Terrace, although I can't say for sure.

[Bosun]

A full time Union official is as 'proper' a job as any other.

But he's been an MP for 32 years. He's on £74,000 a year salary. He claimed £158, 994 in Expenses in 2014/15. He lives in a £650,000 house in North London.

Hardly a member of the proletariat, I'm sure you'd agree....?

Let's be honest, £74k is not a partially good wage for London, and certainly not with 32 years experience, and £650k is nothing for a house in London.

[Quiggs]

If, ? He bought it when he he became an MP, he probably paid a fraction of the current value

[Hugo]

Let's be honest, £74k is not a partially good wage for London, and certainly not with 32 years experience, and £650k is nothing for a house in London.

I suppose the £158,994.OO  expenses for 2014/15 claimed by this London  MP  may have helped with the household budget

[Ian]

I'm wary of Corbyn, for the reasons I've stated, but this from Wiki:

"During the 2009 expenses scandal, Corbyn was revealed to have submitted the smallest amount in expenses of any British Member of Parliament.[21][22] In 2010 he claimed the lowest among all 650 MPs."

is interesting. From the 'They work for you' site we see that most of his claim is for staffing and office costs.

http://www.parliamentary-standards.org.uk/ViewAnnualisedData2013.aspx?mcode=0252

£235k on staffing
£16k on offcie costs.

[Hugo]

Thanks for posting that info Ian, it balances up things a bit.     Do MP'S now have to declare who they employ?        It's not that long ago that it was revealed that some other MP  had  large expenses for staffing costs but it turned out that these employees  were family members.

[Ian]

That's a fairly common practice, Hugo, but I'm guessing if there are any issues in that regard the various right-wing papers will quickly ferret them out.

[Fester]

A full time Union official is as 'proper' a job as any other.

I disagree.
You see I well remember several colleagues I had in my career, who decided that the best way to actually avoid the manual shop-floor work, (for which they were actually paid), was to become Union Shop-Stewards and Conveners.

Oh, and they got paid handsomely for doing that in addition.   

[born2run]

A full time Union official is as 'proper' a job as any other.

I disagree.
You see I well remember several colleagues I had in my career, who decided that the best way to actually avoid the manual shop-floor work, (for which they were actually paid), was to become Union Shop-Stewards and Conveners.

Oh, and they got paid handsomely for doing that in addition.   

That's not what a full time Union official is. So as good as your memory is I'm afraid it isn't relevant to Mr Corbyn or indeed any other full time Union officer.

[born2run]

It isn't something you can simply 'opt' to do because you don't like your own job. It's an independent position which you have to apply for like any other job. It has no relation to whatever job you do currently and you wouldn't be doing anything in 'addition' to what you currently do, it's a full time job of it's own

http://www.unitetheunion.org/growing-our-union/about-us/currentvacancies/regional-officer---multiple-locations/

I think you are getting mixed up with voluntary workplace shop stewards (paid for by their own company) and people who work for the Union (paid for by the Union)

[Bosun]

Speaking (writing actually) as someone who remembers the union militants of the 1970's, including Reb Robbo (who I have actually met) that decimated British industry, that isn't good thought......

[rhuddlan]

So in your mind it had absolutely nothing to do with pathetic management,a lack of imagination and an
inadequate funding?