Speaker John Bercow Earns More Than Pm After Pay Rise

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35188623

I am not sure why this man is being paid such a huge amount of money.

I know he is the Speaker in the HOC, but what else does he do to justify his enormous wages ?

[ichkeria]

He seems to do a great job of annoying his fellow Tories (something I have never really understood) so I think by that token he's worth every penny :-)

[Sqad]

Top man, big job....big salary.

\\\\Mr Bercow's annual salary is £150,236,\\\

That's not a big salary. What he does or doesn't do is of little consequence to me, as he clearly has worked hard and achieved that position.

[mikey4444]

Can't help agreeing with you ichkeria, a bit at least, but my question wasn't meant to be Party-Political. I genuinely do not know what he does that deserves such riches. When millions of people are earning the minimum wage, I can't see that his salary can be justified.

[mikey4444]

Sqad...Bercow was elected as Speaker after spending just 12 years as an MP,
for which he was handsomely rewarded. I am just asking why he deserves such a huge salary now.

[Sqad]

\\\\\ When millions of people are earning the minimum wage, \\\

If there were millions of speakers in the HOC, then they would all be on the minimum wage....believe me.
In the public sector, the higher one gets in the establishment, the less one does and the salary gets higher.....e.g Consultants in the NHS,Health service executives who earn 3 times the salary of John Bercow.

The salary goes with the job...........anybody can apply.

[Sqad]

\\\\ I am just asking why he deserves such a huge salary now.\\
Because he holds the top job.

[ToraToraTora]

It's not a high salary , I assume he's on more because the PM is not taking his full wack, very much like TGL in her day. There is an argument that says we'd get on a lot better if we gave our politicians a decent salary.

[Prudie]

Actually that salary is meagre in comparison to those on the board of huge companies. I've also known the Finance Director to be paid more than the CEO.It's how you negotiate.

[mushroom25]

//but my question wasn't meant to be Party-Political.//
//When millions of people are earning the minimum wage, I can't see that his salary can be justified. //

the above 2 statements are a little at odds mikey. if you're holding mr bercow up for criticism on the basis of fiscal envy, that most certainly is (left wing) party political.

[dannyk13]

Earns????

[mikey4444]

This is indeed a Red Letter Day !

£150,236 is not a high salary !

I shall store that away somewhere and bring it out again when necessary.

[retrocop]

Not much Mikey compared to what Blair leeches out of his existance.

[mikey4444]

Not at odds at all Mush !

Whatever Party a Speaker comes from, he or she would get paid the same salary, hence my question as to what the Speaker does to deserve this huge
( sorry, not huge apparently ) salary.

[mikey4444]

Retro...irrelevant ! We pay the Speakers wages but not a bad effort to change the subject !

[Prudie]

Well it is in comparison to us plebs but many many people earn more than that - bankers, directors, council leaders, NHS leaders, some surgeons probably :-)

[ToraToraTora]

my boss is on almost doulbe that mikey, in the scheme of things it is meagre.

[retrocop]

Mikey
Not trying to change the subject. Just giving you one of Blair's many red letter days to store in your memory banks. :-)

[mikey4444]

But Prudie...my question is....what does he do to deserve his salary ?

Presumably most, if not all those people on your list have some kind of responsibility.

[Sqad]

mikey.......unless you spend a working week with the speaker, then your question cannot be answered.

It reminds me of the contender for the heavyweight boxing championship of the world who gets £1million for lasting 2 rounds...........what has he done?
People forget, or rather don't want to know, what goes on in the background.

[ichkeria]

I'd have to agree with Sqad and others that £150,00, while I would not say no to it, is not a fortune by the standards of private industry, for example.
And he plainly has the ability to go long hours in the chamber without visiting the other chamber :-)

Maybe I am slightly biased, as I am a bit of a Bercow fan