As I get older and older I get more and more angry at being lied to by MPs (I know they all do it!), I presume it is largely a case of ....'how stupid do they think I am'....
Anyway, to my point. The BBC site quotes (I can only assume the quote is correct, which may be a dangerous assumption!) Derek Twigg as saying '.... we have an independent pay review body....'. Well, I for one don't consider it to be independent.
http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/gen...eport_2008.pdf
Look at page iii, terms of reference:
In reaching its recommendations, the Review Body is to have regard to the following considerations:
• the need to recruit, retain and motivate suitably able and qualified people taking
account of the particular circumstances of Service life;
• Government policies for improving public services, including the requirement on the
Ministry of Defence to meet the output targets for the delivery of departmental
services;
• the funds available to the Ministry of Defence as set out in the Government’s
departmental expenditure limits; and
• the Government’s inflation target.
To me the last two points destroy any vestage of independence. They basically say in reaching your conclusion take into account how much money the MOD has, and the governments inflation target (2%). So how are they going to recommend anything much more than 2%, say 5% across the board? (in the end it was 2.6%, with an extra 1% snuck in the back door by way of the X-factor).