GRAVY TRAIN SCOTLAND

So MSPs have decided they need larger allowances. Most people of course have to persuade their boss or their company for more money (whether basic salary or allowance). But MSPs just do it. Their budget for employing staff is to go up from £45,000 to £62,000. And because Scotland has a form of proportional representation they have decided that all MSPs will get the same whether a constituency MSP or a "list" MSP. The independent review thought that the former (who are elected, whilst the latter are just party jobsworths) should get more because they have a bigger workload — after all if a constituent has problems it is their constituency MSP they are likely to contact. But the MSPs have decided that all should be equal — no second-class coaches on this gravy train.