Today it was revealed that a headmaster at a primary school in Lewisham, SE London was paid £276,000 in salary, pensions and bonuses last year. Apart from the obvious fact that this is an absurd amount of money, how could it be possible that a teacher could have got to the point where he was paid this money and what collection of buffoons authorised it. From the reports, it seems that the money was authorised by the board of governors of the school. On what basis and within what terms of reference were they allowed to squander such an amount of public money. It is us, the taxpayers, who have to pay for this profligacy. Where and when did they meet to make their decision? Late one night in a pub, perhaps? The primary school has 330 pupils - mainly from ethnic minorities - which, I suppose we would expect in Lewisham - and this teacher is paid over 5 x the salary of an average head teacher. He gets nearly £100,000 more than the head master of Eton; and is - in the view of the idiots on the board of this school - worth twice as much as the Prime Minister.
Apparently, there are quite a few teachers paid more than £150,000 per year - again all more than the Prime Minister. Is it surprising that this country is in a mess when bankers pay themselves millions for wrecking the world's financial structures; local authority chief executives [town clerks] are paid £200,000+; GPs need over £120,000 per year to work less hours than ever before; and footballers are paid £7,000,000 per year without, apparently, being able to play football.
The majority of people in this country support the new government and in spite of one or two cock-ups along the way, wish them well in their endeavours to cut the vast oceans of cash pouring into public service box ticking and providing vast un-funded pensions to people whose precise purpose is obscure. Already the unions are gearing up to protect feather-bedded terms and conditions of employment and the extended holidays that most of them enjoy - although, I have to say that, to their credit, the unions have condemned this crackpot remuneration package in Lewisham. Most of us will suffer some hardships in coming months but if the coalition government can get rid of the accumulated deficit and stop us paying £50,000,000,000 in annual interest charges - money down the drain and 50% greater than the total defence budget - it will all be worthwhile.
What nonsensical salary package will we hear of next? Road sweepers and dustmen on £100,000 per year, perhaps? Tell me it is not so.
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