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| How does your pay compare with an MP's? | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Do MPs think they are poor? Some who have stuck up for them in the expenses saga say they are underpaid. In his weekly column, Michael Blastland looks at how their income compares with that of Mr and Mrs Typical. | Do MPs think they are poor? Some who have stuck up for them in the expenses saga say they are underpaid. In his weekly column, Michael Blastland looks at how their income compares with that of Mr and Mrs Typical. |
| What's a typical person's weekly income in the UK? About £390 after tax and benefits, adjusted for household income*. That's for a two-adult household without children. How did I get the figure - it's the median average, which is a technical way of saying it's roughly the figure in the middle of all incomes. | What's a typical person's weekly income in the UK? About £390 after tax and benefits, adjusted for household income*. That's for a two-adult household without children. How did I get the figure - it's the median average, which is a technical way of saying it's roughly the figure in the middle of all incomes. |
| Have a look at the graph below: | Have a look at the graph below: |
| It shows roughly how we stack up. The vertical scale shows how many people are at each interval - so for example about 1.3 million have between £270 - £280 a week. About 4% are off the graph, which stops at £1,100 to keep the scale practical. | It shows roughly how we stack up. The vertical scale shows how many people are at each interval - so for example about 1.3 million have between £270 - £280 a week. About 4% are off the graph, which stops at £1,100 to keep the scale practical. |
| Now, where do MPs fit in to this picture? The figures take account of household composition. So let's take an MP living with a non-working partner, the kids grown up and gone, and no other income. | Now, where do MPs fit in to this picture? The figures take account of household composition. So let's take an MP living with a non-working partner, the kids grown up and gone, and no other income. |
| Look at the graph below. If we treat MPs' expenses as income then the average expenses alone would place the MP household above about 30% of the population or 17 million individuals. | Look at the graph below. If we treat MPs' expenses as income then the average expenses alone would place the MP household above about 30% of the population or 17 million individuals. |
| On salary alone, the MP's household is above about 91% of the population - 55 million individuals. About 9% have household incomes higher than this. | On salary alone, the MP's household is above about 91% of the population - 55 million individuals. About 9% have household incomes higher than this. |
| And lump them both together (salary and expenses) - our honourable member sits above about 96% of the population - 58 million individuals. A working partner would push them higher still. | And lump them both together (salary and expenses) - our honourable member sits above about 96% of the population - 58 million individuals. A working partner would push them higher still. |
| Have MPs, of all people, lacked a sense of how most voters live, of what these amounts would mean to the majority? And does this help explain public anger? | Have MPs, of all people, lacked a sense of how most voters live, of what these amounts would mean to the majority? And does this help explain public anger? |
| I wonder if they found themselves in the expenses mess because, bluntly, they think they are poor. | I wonder if they found themselves in the expenses mess because, bluntly, they think they are poor. |
| Perhaps they do feel poor compared with many of those they meet. MPs work hard and could probably earn more doing something else. So could many people. | Perhaps they do feel poor compared with many of those they meet. MPs work hard and could probably earn more doing something else. So could many people. |
| The poorest we can make the MP appear in the population at large is to remove the expenses, continue to assume one income only for a two-adult household and give them three teenage children. That puts them roughly in the middle of the distribution, after adjusting for family circumstances. | The poorest we can make the MP appear in the population at large is to remove the expenses, continue to assume one income only for a two-adult household and give them three teenage children. That puts them roughly in the middle of the distribution, after adjusting for family circumstances. |
| So are MPs badly paid? We have to ask on whose scale. Not by the standards of half the population or more, for whom they are rich. The top 5% might think otherwise, and perhaps it's those people we want in the job. | So are MPs badly paid? We have to ask on whose scale. Not by the standards of half the population or more, for whom they are rich. The top 5% might think otherwise, and perhaps it's those people we want in the job. |
| Where should they be in the distribution? You tell us. | Where should they be in the distribution? You tell us. |
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| The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |