Part time Politicians

[Asguard]

There is currently some political controversy focusing on the federal opposition in Australia. It is focusing on two Politicians, the former National party leader Mark Vaile who has taken a consultancy job that will take him to Dubai during the parliamentary sitting. The other is Wilson Tuckey who is is always getting himself in trouble (most noticeably on the aboriginal apology).


I cant find a link on Tuckey but here is one on Vaile:

Vaile accused of being 'part-time politician'

There are 2 interesting issues that come out of this

The fist issue is should politicians be allowed second jobs at all or should they give up everything BUT being a member of parliament once they take office. Its currently not illegal for a politician to have a second job, and I'm not sure it should be. There are a few doctors in parliament as well as quite a few lawyers, farmers, small business owners etc

Now should a GP give up his practice if he can do it when he is in town if he is only a backbencher? should a small business owner sell up or close down his business when he takes office and potentially put his employees out of work? Should a farmer sell his house and business and just be a homeless politician?

The other issue is more tricky, should an ex-minister take a job that is related to there office. Now if this is strictly applied you could have doctors who are put in charge of health because they have the experience and then cant go back to being a doctor after public life, or lawyers who are made attorney-general and after they leave cant practice or a treasurer who has managed the country but cant capitalize on these skills as an adviser to even the reserve bank or Treasury or be an accountant

So where should the limits be? and how can they be enforced?

 

[Fraggle Rocker]

People who devote their lives to politics often create a system in which only two traits are selected for in the competition for office: 1. A lust for power; 2. The ability to win competitions. I don't think either of these is desirable. Therefore I think part-time politicians are preferable.

Part-time politicians who also have real jobs have, to borrow IT language, a more "broad-band connection" to their constituents, precisely because they are not just constituents. They are people they do business with, people they work with, people whom they heal, whose children they teach. They're not just "voters."

Yes, full-time politicians may know more about the issues and may know more effective ways of getting things done. But damn, in my country at least, those advantages don't seem to actually be advantages! Most of our politicians--all the way up to the White House--focus primarily on doing the bidding of corporate leaders.

 

[Asguard]

there is the issue, conflicts of intrests. For instance a polly who has an interest in a company that relates to there departments

I have been trying to find the rate of pay but im having some trouble finding it but i THINK a backbencher is on about $80, 000 a year the PM would probably be between 150, 000 and 200, 000

This isnt including the travel alowences and the super ect but if they have trouble living on this there is a serious problem

Also is it really a good idea to have them looking after there OWN career while they are surposed to be serving the public?

its slightly worrying when your talking about companies rather than small buiness, med or farming because how do you know they arnt acting in a corupt manner (ie if you get such and such through the parliment i will give you a job)?