8) The past history of sleaze argument is used as further evidence that something has to be done to rectify a situation which has slipped very badly indeed. The clarity of the No Other Wage rule is such as to clear up any ambiguities and to make the position clear to election candidates and to electorate alike as to what is understood and expected as reasonable behaviour.
9) The adequate wage argument acknowledges that the appropriate wage must be paid to representatives who accept these stringent conditions as part of the election process. This dissertation makes no plea for increasing present earnings for MPs which earnings appear to attract many applicants for the job, quite enough to live on and are more than most people enjoy for their paid work. It would appear unwise to set the income for MPs too high because money motivation hardly seems to be the most appropriate qualification for the work. However there must be no question that the status of the MP will command an adequate salary and that this is always under review to ensure equity.
10) The competition for the job argument has been implied in some of the foregoing arguments as regards the level of earnings. The keenness to undertake the work of Member of Parliament may be described as clamorous. However there is another side to this argument that the "perks", apparent advantages and lifestyle of the MP, as at present perceived, may also be attractive. It is common knowledge that these fringe benefits presently attach to the job. It is argued that this is hardly desirable and is part of the decay in the status of MPs which this dissertation is seeking to address. The No Other Wage condition, clear at election time, will rectify this undesirable situation.
11) The historical and modern world argument acknowledges that Parliament is steeped in tradition and that much of this gives a stable continuity in a secure and honourable context. However, Parliament also has a tradition of reform and that needed to address the problems arising from "money orientation" is long overdue. It may once have been true that an educated man, perhaps a member of the aristocracy, a landowner, or member of the upper-middle classes, would have both an intimate knowledge of life around him or her and be sufficiently well educated to represent the majority of constituents who were far less fortunate.
9) The adequate wage argument acknowledges that the appropriate wage must be paid to representatives who accept these stringent conditions as part of the election process. This dissertation makes no plea for increasing present earnings for MPs which earnings appear to attract many applicants for the job, quite enough to live on and are more than most people enjoy for their paid work. It would appear unwise to set the income for MPs too high because money motivation hardly seems to be the most appropriate qualification for the work. However there must be no question that the status of the MP will command an adequate salary and that this is always under review to ensure equity.
10) The competition for the job argument has been implied in some of the foregoing arguments as regards the level of earnings. The keenness to undertake the work of Member of Parliament may be described as clamorous. However there is another side to this argument that the "perks", apparent advantages and lifestyle of the MP, as at present perceived, may also be attractive. It is common knowledge that these fringe benefits presently attach to the job. It is argued that this is hardly desirable and is part of the decay in the status of MPs which this dissertation is seeking to address. The No Other Wage condition, clear at election time, will rectify this undesirable situation.
11) The historical and modern world argument acknowledges that Parliament is steeped in tradition and that much of this gives a stable continuity in a secure and honourable context. However, Parliament also has a tradition of reform and that needed to address the problems arising from "money orientation" is long overdue. It may once have been true that an educated man, perhaps a member of the aristocracy, a landowner, or member of the upper-
