George Freeman MP, former minister, pass the hat
Discussion
Interest only (pending the fabled good times ahead), take a lodger (on their bike or not), or just f
king downsize to suit your means…. Jeez
George Freeman quit as minister as he 'couldn't afford' mortgage https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-6813...
king downsize to suit your means…. JeezGeorge Freeman quit as minister as he 'couldn't afford' mortgage https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-6813...
Pupp said:
Interest only (pending the fabled good times ahead), take a lodger (on their bike or not), or just fking downsize to suit your means…. Jeez
George Freeman quit as minister as he 'couldn't afford' mortgage https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-6813...
Probably got Sky, big flatscreen tv, enjoys takeaways rather than cooking for himself…..king downsize to suit your means…. JeezGeorge Freeman quit as minister as he 'couldn't afford' mortgage https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-6813...
Pupp said:
Interest only (pending the fabled good times ahead), take a lodger (on their bike or not), or just fking downsize to suit your means…. Jeez
George Freeman quit as minister as he 'couldn't afford' mortgage https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-6813...
Suspect he probably is interest only if his mortgage has gone up that much!king downsize to suit your means…. JeezGeorge Freeman quit as minister as he 'couldn't afford' mortgage https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-6813...
Flooble said:
Amusing part is he said his mortgage had gone from £800 to £2000
So one has to wonder what he is spending the remaining £4000-5000 per month on!
Article mentions divorce so no doubt a big part of the financial picture. So one has to wonder what he is spending the remaining £4000-5000 per month on!
It really comes down to expectations. £120K is a lot of money to the vast majority of people, but quite a lot less after tax, NI and pension. Then comes all the other curveballs life can throw at you.
Sounds like he has some good professional qualifications and experience and so can make more money elsewhere and therefore has done so.
I think the headlines are focusing on certain things when the truth may be a little different having read the BBC article
"It's time to... (prioritise) the things that I feel, rather painfully personally, that I've had to neglect,"
"As my (second) wife said the other day, I'm not 26, 36, or 46. I'm now 56. Nearly 57. Three stone overweight, 30 years poorer."
Reading the full article it is clear the guy has had his fill of putting his political career in front of his family with the strain that being a minister has put them.
Maybe we all feel being a minister is a cushy job, I don't know if it is or not, but clearly for this guy its not.
"It's time to... (prioritise) the things that I feel, rather painfully personally, that I've had to neglect,"
"As my (second) wife said the other day, I'm not 26, 36, or 46. I'm now 56. Nearly 57. Three stone overweight, 30 years poorer."
Reading the full article it is clear the guy has had his fill of putting his political career in front of his family with the strain that being a minister has put them.
Maybe we all feel being a minister is a cushy job, I don't know if it is or not, but clearly for this guy its not.
GT03ROB said:
I think the headlines are focusing on certain things when the truth may be a little different having read the BBC article
"It's time to... (prioritise) the things that I feel, rather painfully personally, that I've had to neglect,"
"As my (second) wife said the other day, I'm not 26, 36, or 46. I'm now 56. Nearly 57. Three stone overweight, 30 years poorer."
Reading the full article it is clear the guy has had his fill of putting his political career in front of his family with the strain that being a minister has put them.
Maybe we all feel being a minister is a cushy job, I don't know if it is or not, but clearly for this guy its not.
Exactly my thoughts. I think we woefully underpay our MPs and Ministers!"It's time to... (prioritise) the things that I feel, rather painfully personally, that I've had to neglect,"
"As my (second) wife said the other day, I'm not 26, 36, or 46. I'm now 56. Nearly 57. Three stone overweight, 30 years poorer."
Reading the full article it is clear the guy has had his fill of putting his political career in front of his family with the strain that being a minister has put them.
Maybe we all feel being a minister is a cushy job, I don't know if it is or not, but clearly for this guy its not.
We don't need many of them to run the country, but we should want the best we can have, and can we really expect to get that when we're paying such paltry wages for such a high scrutiny job? Sure, even a back bench MP is on around 2.5x the annual median wage, but - if done properly - it's not exactly a stress free, leave work behind at 5pm type of job, is it? It would be interesting to see where MPs and Ministers sit compared to average middle and senior management in the private sector.
At least on the Labour side there do appear to be some who are there for genuine reasons, but I don't necessarily agree with their reasons, nor do they always have the brains or ability you'd want in someone running the country.
On the Conservative side there seem to be three choices...
1. The Mr Burns-style independently wealthy weasel who either play at politics as a hobby or enter it with the aim of growing that wealth and influence.
2. The highly driven and potentially highly competent individual whose main aim is to pick up consultancy or after dinner speaking gigs that will make them independently wealthy.
3. The PPE graduate who has never been anything other than a political researcher. Cue David Attenborough... "whilst this MP may look as ferocious as any other, having been reared in captivity, it simply does not have the skills to survive on its own in the wild."
I'd pay MPs £250k a year, junior Ministers £500k, Cabinet Ministers £750k, the Chancellor, Home and Foreign Secretaries £1m and the PM £1.25m.
There would, however, be two caveats.
1. No external earnings would be allowed whilst they are MPs, nor for a period of time after they leave parliament, which would vary based on seniority.
2. Only a basic salary equal to UK average wage would be guaranteed by right. There would be an independent Ombudsman set up to govern payment by results for the remainder. Back bench MPs would be paid on a sliding scale based on a constituent satisfaction rating, whilst Ministers upwards would be paid according to the extent to which they honour their manifesto pledges.
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