Dear Editor,
I'm writing to express my absolute disgust at the recent decision by the incoming Labour leader of Derbyshire County Council Anne Western to award the incoming cabinet members a £3,000 a year pay increase. As a University student in a heavily politicised environment, I am fully aware of the tough economic decisions that are being made, and in particular the seemingly holier than thou attitude from the Opposition.
Recently at Prime Minister's Questions, Ed Miliband accused David Cameron of presiding over "wages falling for ordinary people...by £1,300 a year". Miliband went on to say that "what people see is day in, day out prices rising and wages falling, whilst the Prime Minister tells them that they're doing well". It is ironic, then, that the incoming Labour administration has chosen to give themselves a 12% pay increase whilst the council needs to save £127 million. These pay reforms would be unacceptable had Anne Western's team been a hard-working fixture as council members who had been elected numerous times; that they have chosen such an illicit deal as newcomers is even more galling. How many other lines of work would allow for newly employed members to award themselves instant pay increases?
As a student on the Centre-Left of the political spectrum, I have over time argued that many economic reforms have been deeply unfair in a time of austerity, yet I am left suitably unimpressed with a Labour Opposition which cannot practise what it preaches. How can the confidence of young people such as myself be strengthened when certain political parties pursue self-serving agendas?
A compelling theme has been that you can't trust the Tories on fairness or Labour on the economy. However, it seems that you can't trust Labour on fairness either.
Recently at Prime Minister's Questions, Ed Miliband accused David Cameron of presiding over "wages falling for ordinary people...by £1,300 a year". Miliband went on to say that "what people see is day in, day out prices rising and wages falling, whilst the Prime Minister tells them that they're doing well". It is ironic, then, that the incoming Labour administration has chosen to give themselves a 12% pay increase whilst the council needs to save £127 million. These pay reforms would be unacceptable had Anne Western's team been a hard-working fixture as council members who had been elected numerous times; that they have chosen such an illicit deal as newcomers is even more galling. How many other lines of work would allow for newly employed members to award themselves instant pay increases?
As a student on the Centre-Left of the political spectrum, I have over time argued that many economic reforms have been deeply unfair in a time of austerity, yet I am left suitably unimpressed with a Labour Opposition which cannot practise what it preaches. How can the confidence of young people such as myself be strengthened when certain political parties pursue self-serving agendas?
A compelling theme has been that you can't trust the Tories on fairness or Labour on the economy. However, it seems that you can't trust Labour on fairness either.
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