Thursday 27 August 2009

The Waste of Money Eventually Pays Off

JP here, seeing as people often think I'm Mark. Just revealed to me today I have the luck of visiting the (£470 million) Scottish Parliament to watch Question Time then meet my MSP. Her name is Cathy Peattie, from her voting record I'm guessing she's a Leftie and I get to meet her and ask her questions. Google her and you'll get some info.

Anybody got any ideas what I can ask? She's Labour by the way.

5 comments:

Mark Wadsworth said...

First mumble something about tax credits and the national minimum wage making work pay to throw her off guard, and then ask her how much a family's net income increases if ...

1. That family is in social housing, claiming Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Tax Credits

2. The main wage earner does thirty hours a week and earns the National Minimum Wage and

3. He or she starts working forty hours a week.

According to the DWP's Tax Benefit Model Tables, the answer is about £10, that's £1 per hour net.

Anonymous said...

Does she think that helping herself to three or four times the national average wage, promotes or impedes the polarisation of society between the 'haves' or 'have nots'?

As a leftie, does she think it proper that much of her cash over and above the national average wage ought to be donated to the poor?

Mark Wadsworth said...

Anon "Does she think that helping herself to three or four times the national average wage..."

An MP's second home allowance alone is approx. equal to the national average wage; an MP's salary is about three times that; plus a ton of other goodies on top (like index linked final salary pension etc etc).

formertory said...

Oh FFS....:

Cathy supports various peace, environment and development campaigns. She is a supporter of nuclear disarmament and opposes the renewal of Trident. Other concerns include promoting fairtrade; addressing the impact of poverty and deprivation in education and training; Community Development and participation; and developing the Social Economy.

Sounds like a Miss World contestant. Enjoy.

neil craig said...

When Labour intend to make economic growth their "number one priority" as former leader jack McConnell promised election before last?

or

What so convinced her & ever last other MSP that we are suffering such catastrophic global warming that we have to cut 50% of Scotland's electricity production (CO2 cut by 42% & closing nukes) over the next 11 years?