Peter the Believer:
I've really had it with you Christians.
I've listened to and read so much twaddle from Christians that now I can't even hear anything you say.
Bear that in mind when you're trying to bring people round to your way of thinking. We're twaddled out.
On the other hand, I find an awful lot of what Jesus reputedly said pretty interesting.

It seems difficult to defend a situation where 'ignorance of the law is no defence" yet in order to understand the law or argue the law we need to employ people who typically make 3,4 or more times more than the median wage, and who quite often make as much money out of litigation as the litigator.
It has been argued that putting lawyers in charge of drawing up legislation is a clear and egregious case of 'conflict of interest', I believe the expression is; although I don't see any conflict as such.
Drawing up legislation so only a lawyer can understand it must be very much in the interests of lawyers.

One could call all parliamentarians lawyers because they create legislation, not merely because of their educational or professional background. Lawyers have been in control of parliament, and effectively in a position of rule in parliamentary democracies, since the 17th century constitutional struggles in England.

Democratically elected representatives in parliament give most people a voice in how they would like their state to be run. Would you all prefer to be ruled by an autocratic dictator like a monarch?

What I would like is a representative who is representative.
I find having someone 'represent' me, who is in the top five percent of wage earners tax bracket is hypocritical and offensive.
It doesn't take a conspiracy theory to believe 'they' are not acting in 'our' best interests.
All it takes is a pay rise.

Grim,

I don't reconcile with your view on parliamentarians' pay and representation. They have been democratically elected to represent an electorate. The role they play is to represent the views of their electorate in Parliament. The reasons they are paid relatively well is that their work involves responsibility and long hours. Furthermore, MPs are often talented people who could earn much more in the private sector.

Hence, there needs to be remuneration regime that ensures these people are kept in the public sector. Some would argue there is a talent deficit on the basis of relatively low remuneration. Be honest, are they paid well for the work they do? They do carry much responsibility and often work long hours. I wouldn't say that they are earning too much.

Do you feel that because they are classified into the highest income bracket, parliamentarians are not representative of lower earning people who elected them? I feel that politics is more than just about the money.

I agree with Grim.

AGS1: <"Furthermore, MPs are often talented people who could earn much more in the private sector.".

Sorry to be a drag about it but I get a bit sick of hearing that about pollies and other people who are in government. The government certainly does have some hard working people in it; but it also is a fine repository for some of the laziest but rat-smart blood suckers I've ever encountered. I could shear about a million dollars off the national budget just striking off about 10 over paid; under functional jobs/people within my own locality. I can't imagine what that sort of trimming would accomplish if applied across the nation. People in government employ are also rewarded with a range of additional benefits as well as job security that about 2/3 the population can only dream about.

As to politicians being able to earn much more in the private sector - that would still place them in one of the top (remote from average Joe) income categories and indicates that the majority of them are drawn from a pool of social haves rather than from the ranks of the have-nots. Our social reality is that we don't have a classless society - we navigate social strata based on income and power and influence. We have less social mobility than we like to think. Who you know and where you're from etc does matter.