Are politicians living in a different reality?
2016 is over and with it some surprising world shaking events; the UK voted to leave the European Union and the USA voted in Donald Trump as president. I would add here that I predicted both these outcomes very early on in 2016, though even I was surprised that Brexit won going by the predictions from the doom and gloom merchants.
We are now in 2017 which looks like we are in for much of the same. We have just seen one of the most ridiculous statements ever issued from not just a politician but the leader of the main opposition party in the UK. Mr Corbyn wants to place a cap on the maximum amount of money a person can earn.
This idea is so beyond belief that I wonder how any sane person could even think of voting for him. The labour party is meant to be the opposition, therefore they are supposed to try and hold the government in check and question any injustices or wrong ideas put forward by the government. They are not supposed to come up with idiotic suggestions that deny them any credibility or kudos.
Now I am sure there are people who think a cap on salaries is a good idea, but where do we draw the line. To some people £40,000 may seem a lot, but to others it is a weekend away. Yes the earnings of some is in the millions, but maybe they have put in the work and investment into getting that reward.
Imagine a cap of say half a million pounds a year, a fairly large sum that should be more than enough to live very well on, however this figure is nowhere near the amount earned by our top football stars or many celebrities that appear on our televisions. Would Mr Corbyn exempt them from the wage cap to keep the talent (?) in the UK?
How about the leaders of some of the largest owned corporations in the UK that bring in billions on revenue and tax every year, would their bosses be capped, thus encouraging them to move abroad and take their company with them?
What a limited or private company pays its employees is down to the owners and shareholders and not down to government; though I would add that shareholders should have a say in the level of reward paid to its employees.
If there should be a cap on any salaries then that cap should be on anyone who receives their pay from the public purse. This would be all politicians, the NHS, the armed forces, emergency services, civil servants, teachers, local government and of course the BBC.
Granted many ordinary workers paid by the public purse deserve a pay rise, but some (as in NHS trust managers) are grossly overpaid. BBC presenters and celebrities are paid in excess of a million a year with some earning many millions.
At the same time we should also be wary of the old mantra continually spouted by the Labour party of taxing the rich so that they pay their fair share. As the highest earners (300,000) are paying 27% of the nation’s tax bill I think they are paying well in excess of their fair share. Higher tax means money and talent leaves our shores.
If there is a cap on salaries then the tax revenue would drop drastically and there would be very little money to fund any of our essential services.
It is very worrying that the country is now being run by politicians from all parties who do not have a clue, are very un-statesman, are egotistical and some are downright crooked; that is what happens when you have career politicians who have very little experience of the real world.
