Joseph Muscat has renounced the right to a salary increase that is due to him after a decision taken in parliament in 2008. Apparently half the parliament was unaware of this decision – a side-issue that begs the question of “Where the f**k were the guardians of the opposition benches that day?” Even if we do grant the point of temporary lapse of attention to the totality of the opposition benches what we have here is an opposition leader and two of his party MPs deciding to not take the salary increase (honorarium).
***ADDENDUM***
Since we have no problem admitting where we were wrong, there is no “side-issue” to speak of. The decision for the new honoraria was apparently a Cabinet decision and not one taken in parliament – though we still harbour doubts about whether or not a law has to be changed for it to come into effect. The answer to our hypothetical question (Where the f was labour?) is therefore “not in the Cabinet”. We stand by the rest of our argument though – the scale of salaries is not a measure for assessing politicians’ performance. If it were so, 100% of the people who have moved to work with the institutions in Europe would theoretically make better parliamentarians. An AST1 (entry level grade) earns as much as a local (national for Privitelli) MP.
***
Cool. Sort of. As in while you can immediately understand how this latest gimmick fits in with New Labour’s fetish with salaries (remember the PQ about people earning more than the President) it is hard to reconcile this position of abnegation with anything beyond the making of a puerile point. They’re waiting for us to say it. Just in time for Christmas: would you dare criticise Labour’s leader for not pocketing extra MP dosh?
Well. The answer is Yes. J’accuse Can. For the argument we made back when the presidential PQ was posed still holds strong. It is not how much you are paid that is really important but the respect you gain by justifying whatever salary it is and doing your damn job. Even if Joseph Muscat were to suddenly get a bout of fantastic altruism and half his salary I don’t give a flying copulation. It is what he is doing while warming that chair in parliament as a representative of the people’s alternative to government that counts. I will judge him by his programmes and projects and NOT by his salary.
His alternative budget was ludicrous and only won some points because of Bondi’s hash of a programme – Bondi’s slip was Muscat’s gain in public perception. Which did not mean that Muscat’s grandiose faff that is an excuse for future planning will actually work. Meanwhile Muscat’s minions are busy on facebook reminding us how the Great Leader forwent so many euros increase from the mouths of his own babes in order to save 120,000€ that can now be spent on childcare or some other fantasmagorical mental masturbatory pink socialist idea.
The truth is that it won’t. -be spent on childcare, or on a new sleigh for Santa or whatever they might dream of in Mile End. Money spending and planning is called budgeting and that is up to the government of the day to do. To get to even write the budget you have to be elected to government. With a plan. A concrete one that does not involve not putting money in one’s pockets like some latter day St Nicholas but rather involves ideas on how our economy can survive the current climate and hopefully how money can be justly distributed into the pockets of the hard working and the deserving.
So. Bravo for Joseph for foregoing the salary increase voted by parliament. He seems to be of the type who revel in a warm round of applause and gasps of awe at his magnanimity. It is a pity that his performance as the generator of alternative government remains dismally hopeless for those who care to look beyond the antics of the latest trend in salary scale gimmicks.
Per Una Lira
(originale di Lucio Battisti – versione youtube di Giuliano Palma & the Bluebeaters)
Per una lira
io vendo tutti i sogni miei
per una lira
ci metto sopra pure lei
E un affare sai
basta ricordare
di non amare
di non amare
Amico caro,
se c’è qualcosa che non va
se ho chiesto troppo,
tu dammi pure la metà
A un affare sai
basta ricordare
di non amare, no
di non amare
no, no, no, nooo
Per una lira
io vendo tutto ciò che ho
Per una lira
io so che lei non dice no
Ma se penso che
Tu sei un buon amico
non te lo dico oh no
Meglio per te
6 replies on “The Currency of Salaries”
“I will judge him by his programmes and projects and NOT by his salary.”
To say anything else would indeed be quite redundant.
“So. Bravo for Joseph for foregoing the salary increase voted by parliament. ”
Not sure from where you got this. As far as I know – the Ministry of Finance said that the increase was discussed between the Ministry of Finance, the PN whip and the PL whip and not in Parliament.and no vote was taken in Parliament.
Right on RJ. Addendum has been added to the blog post. Fausto will probably add a corrige on the how and why the salary rise is introduced.
First, it is an honorarium not a salary (important difference which I need not go into here).
Second, it is not a matter of law, so nothing got voted upon or published (although public service salaries are published and this honorarium is expressed as a percentage of the highest salary in the public service).
Anyway, this is not yet implemented and, from my reading, I don’t think it features in the 2011 Estimates.
Not that discussion and vote would have made a difference. When Front Kontra c-Censura complained that the House had voted unanimously on amendments to the Criminal Code to increase punishments for distribution of porn the Opposition complained that it had been conned.
I can’t answer the whys but, with the increased honorarium, MPs will still be paid less than the Clerk of the House and (this being the new gold standard) significantly less than the President.
Thanks for the clarification Fausto. Just a small point, whether it is an honorarium or a salarium the issue that is being made centres around more money being put in politicians’ pockets. This morning the Times is heading with the fact that even Mayors’ salaries (or honoraria) will increase – since they are pegged to those of MPs. The justifications in the press are interesting:
“I will judge him by his programmes and projects and NOT by his salary.” To say anything else would indeed be quite redundant.