Why - unlike any other job - is each MP paid the same, and why is there no job evaluation and independent performance assessment as is common place in all other comparable walks of life ?.

The Party Leader should be given a salary budget . He/she could then allocate it depending on an individual's contribution giving more to encourage people with potential who, unlike, I suspect, many if not most MPs, are employable elsewhere and less to those coasting on large majorities with no real incentive to give that extra 10 %.

It is because MPs live this feather bedded existence, with no financial accountability that they have lost touch with how their constituents live. Many nowadays would welcome the four to five years security of job tenure which MPs have, along with their generous pension provision and severance payments when appropriate

john, Oxford, England

By all means increase MP's salaries - but only if this is accompanied by a reduction in their numbers of at least a third, and further wide-reaching reforms, including a limit of their parliamentary service to a maximum of two terms. This wlll eradicate the present situation of 'career' MPs beholden to their party - and in particular the Whips - for the duration of their extended political lives, and upon which they are dependent for earnings to fund their mortgages, holidays, school fees, second homes, pensions and all the rest - not to mention patronage. These steps will encourage a freedom of thought and speech amongst MPs - with a commensurate liberation from cabinet oligarchy - and ensure that they also have to earn a living in the real world to which they they are eventually obliged to return. Finally, no MP should be eligible for subsequent elevation (if that is the right word) to the House of Lords.

W L Pender, Salisbury,

Term limitation seems an attractive possibility!

The article bemoans the political classes bleeding talent to the professions. There should be no political class as such. These people are supposed to represent us. How can they represent us if they are cultured to rule us?

Anything that frustrates a professional politcal career is to be welcomed then real professional people of real talent might just be prepared to make the reverse transition and bring their sorely needed attributes into the political arena.

Mel Rowing, Pickering, North Yorkshire

MPs should receive no salary at all. They should come from the ranks of the successful; those who have lived and worked in the real world and who are able to support themselves. Most MPs have no idea what it is like to hold a proper job. They are professional politicians whose goal in life is to hang on to their seats and the perks it provides at any cost. How they perform is important only to the party, not to the people whom they are supposed to be representing. An MP who is not afraid to lose his seat will take a much firmer moral stand when it comes to examining party policy. It should be a vocation, not a job.

Sipu, Cape Town,

With many powers of Westminster now residing in Scottish, Welsh or European parliaments how many MPs do we actually need?

Every time they give power away they should take a commensurate pay cut (effectively they are demoting themselves).

Christopher M, london, uk

Halve the quantity and double the quality - and salary. If they need to be in London they stay in the 350-room Westminster Hilton - a new Public Private Finance scheme. Their secretarial and administrative functions are appointed for - not by - them, just like the rest of the world. In addition, they qualify for a bonus which is linked to the percentage of the electorate that turns out to vote. Finally, at PMQ, the PM has to actually answer the question that is asked, no more and no less, without saying "that is why". That should do it for now.

David Masu, Zürich,

Dear Damian, How refreshing ! Yes you are right - Here in Hampshire we have seventeen (17) MPs - why ? Most are nothing more than automatons voting to please their masters and impress ,with an eye on promotion. I have been ranting for years about politics, think on - we have parish councils, town and city, county councils, regional authorities, national parliament, the Eu, and all the aids, advisors and the dreaded "experts" along with the uncivil service - Works so well too !

william, Southampton, UK

"An alternative would be to peg an MP's salary to that of a public servant who works at least 40 hours and is required to be based in London. A person in that grade earns £99,960 a year."
That's 40 hours at the office- homework meetings, work related dinners, etc as well.

It would also be a good idea to halve the number as we've extraordianrily high representation compared with the USA etc. It might also be appropriate for politics not to be a career but taken on on the culmination of a career with all that experience behind th individual. The younger MPs look naive and 'very wet behnd the ears' and show surprising little knowledge of the world.
Additionally & particularly NuLabour might as well have almost no people on other than their Front Bench and a sprinkling of the difficult brigade as the rest just vote as told and save the odd sycophantic effort at PMQs are useless. Could be electronic.

Damian, Eastbourne,