Friday 9 April 2010

Paying Fair

Yet another watered down version of something that I have been saying for 15 years enters the political mainstream. But I claim no direct influence. What is going on here is much more interesting and important than that.

So, what will it be next? That in fact we are almost all much poorer than we were a generation ago? Phillip Blond did say that, in almost exactly the words that I have repeatedly used, in The Spectator some months ago. But he is a friend of mine, so perhaps that doesn't count.

Anyway, David Cameron, by all means ban any company from paying any employee more than ten times what it pays any other employee, and have the public sector function as a single entity for that purpose, with MPs' pay fixed by statute at the median point, itself fixed by statute at the median point in the private sector.

For there isn't really a private sector, as that term is ordinarily used. Not in any advanced country, and not since the War at the latest. Take out bailouts or the permanent promise of them, take out central and local government contracts, take out planning deals and other sweeteners, and take out the guarantee of customer bases by means of public sector pay and the benefits system, and what is there left?

They are all as dependent on public money as any teacher, nurse or road sweeper. Everyone is. And why not? Well, with public money come public responsibilities, including public accountability for how those responsibilities are or are not being met. The promotion of social cohesion is one such responsibility. Though very, very far from the only one.

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