Sunday, November 27, 2011

Limit MP's expenditure on campaigning

In the early days of Parliament it had been common practice for Members of Parliament to be paid by their constituents.   A horse was given to them plus expenses to enable them to get to parliament plus so much per day for attending.   The last recorded occasion when this happened was in 1678.
MPs began to be paid in 1911.   Today, over the course of a full term Parliament an MP receives over £1 million in salary and expenses.   This gives the incumbent MP a huge advantage over a candidate opposing him in a General Election.   Democracy is thus distorted.
There should be a rule limiting the amount MPs and candidates may spend each year on campaigning.

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