The poodle speaks.............
Politicians are not well paid compared with leaders in the private sector, Tony Blair has warned.
Better salaries would improve the "gene pool" of political leaders, he wrote in an article in the New York Times.
The former Labour prime minister also said too few politicians had real-life experience in positions outside of politics.
The comments came in a wide-ranging piece about the "malaise" in democracies across the world.
"Only an ex-politician can say this - politicians are not really well paid by the standards of the private sector," Mr Blair wrote.
"This restricts the attractions of a political career, at exactly the time when we most need the gene pool of our politicians to be varied, vibrant and vigorous."
MPs are currently paid £67,000 a year but the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which now sets the level of pay, has said their salaries should rise by 9% to £74,000 next year.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30342948
