Pay rise for parliamentarians angers austerity-hit Britain

[steve2470]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/11/us-britain-politics-pay-idUSBRE96A0JG20130711

(Reuters) - Britain's members of parliament will get a 9 percent pay rise under a proposal announced on Thursday that outraged a public struggling with wage freezes, high living costs and a government austerity drive.

The proposal - which, ironically, was made by a panel created to mend parliament's image after an expenses scandal - is uncomfortable for David Cameron, a prime minister seen by many as part of an out-of-touch elite, adrift from the worries of most voters.

Tabled by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), created to distance lawmakers from the pay and expenses system, the proposal cannot be blocked by members of parliament (MPs), even if they were to oppose it.

Cameron's spokesman said the prime minister "doesn't think MPs' pay should be going up when public sector pay is being rightly constrained".

[Catherina]

1. Of course, this is what austerity looks like