There’s a yawning disconnect between the governed and governing – and a 27% pay rise won’t help |
SO the body which oversees the pay of our politicians has approved a whopping 27% increase in the salary of MLAs. Unsurprisingly, the public – Joe and Jane – are not feeling the love.
With a dysfunctional Executive and a below-par performance by the Assembly, this pay rise does not pass the smell test.
Politicians should have enough nous to know this themselves.
It matters little to the electorate whether their representatives are the poor relations of their counterparts in Scotland or Wales. Politics is supposed to be about improving people’s lives – that simply is not happening.
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Public services in Northern Ireland are hanging on by a thread.
To meet pay demands which are relatively modest from teachers and those in healthcare, both the Departments of Health and Education are borrowing ahead to fund the single-digit pay increases. This borrowing on tick is not sustainable.
This current Assembly has not fulfilled the mandate it was granted at the last election.
It not only has a poor legislative record but its scrutiny role is pretty scant, and that’s before one is reminded that members got paid whilst the Assembly collapsed.
Most people who deliberately don’t show up for work don’t get paid.
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