The picture of mealy-mouthed members of the Government carving up a turkey at Thanksgiving under the caption of "Eat ah food" is good political satire. But the idea of Members of Parliament carving up the Treasury in their own interest is no laughing matter. It is obscene. Worse still, it is both unconstitutional an illegal.
It is clearly against principles of natural justice for Members of Parliament to be determining their own compensation. Their role in this matter is to approve or disapprove the properly considered report of the Salaries Review Commission. In so doing, they cannot pick and choose or in any way modify which of the recommendations they will accept or reject; they may only change them in so far as the proposals are prima facie, illegal.
The real tragedy of the proposal of the Bills to increase their personal benefits, in my opinion, is that it elicited no adverse comment from politicians, sitting or past, from the Law Society, civil society and the judges.
Lennie M Nimblett
St Ann's