THERE'LL be some situations that everyone has an opinion on, and what we pay MPs is near the top of the list.
These are people who are paid significantly above the average wage and there have been too many examples of MPs doing a lot for themselves, a lot for their party and not a lot for the people who elected them.
One of the reasons why MPs are paid above average is that they do a job whose demands are also above average. The reality of an MP's day-to-day life can be punishing. They have at least three masters – public, party and Parliament – the hours are antisocial, and family life is hard to maintain. Our expectations are extremely high.
So they should be – these are people who are expected to develop an in-depth understanding of all sorts of complex issues and the decisions they take can affect us all. To do this kind of job properly, you need to be well-qualified and well-supported. And 100 per cent committed.
The strains that have appeared in the public's relationship with MPs – the expenses scandals, the cash-for-questions exposés – are signs that not all MPs can measure up to those demands. Which is why, in the end, it's right that their salaries should move up to the level of our expectations. You get what you pay for and parliamentary democracy should not be done on the cheap.