Three challenges to ‘punishment’

FINALLY, Secretary of State Karen Bradley has bowed to public opinion and docked MLA pay packets.

The popular view has clearly decided that if you’re not at work you shouldn’t take home the reward.

But there are three challenges to the punishment theory that MLAS will now redouble their efforts to secure a fresh devolved settlement to win back their £50k salaries:

1. Many don’t need the almost £14,000 they will now lose in two tapered reductions. The very rich (farmers with land, barristers), the comfortably retired (we still have more 65+ members than many legislatures) and the compulsorily poor (industrial average wage Sinn Fein and People before Profit MLAS) will not be “bought” in this way.

2. Some will genuinely struggle to pay mortgages, feed large families and heat their homes, or pay managers to run their farms, driving them out of politics and back to their professions. Their loyal staff (whose salaries are wisely protected) will do more constituency work and less political advice and support. That represents a loss to democracy.

3. Most importantly it undermines and weakens the political infrastructure every society really needs.

The public has its half-pound of flesh, but we deserve better from both Westminster and Kildare House to create the conditions for a meaningful all-party talks process.