Last night I came across this video on YouTube and fell down a rabbit hole. So Sweden gives MPs free flats if they don’t already live in Stockholm, but it’s basically student housing. Some flats are even in the Riksdag itself? How did this tradition arise and do any other countries do it? This actually seems like a really good idea, at least as long as it’s basically just one step up from letting them live in their offices.
This idea has been suggested in the uk.
Here, we give MPs a second house, along with all the other benefits and
bonuses they receive.
I totally agree with that guy ^, “I do not see any reason for the taxpayers’ money
to be used to give them a life of luxury”.
South Africa has something similar. There a a number of housing complexes for MPs in Cape Town, necessary since parliament is in Cape Town while all other government offices are in the capital, Pretoria. They’re not very fancy, built and run on the same lines as the military housing estates in the city.
I’ve heard of some members of the (United States) Congress slept in their offices, showering in the House gym. Others shared a house.
I know in Florida our very part time Legislature has members sharing condos/houses/apartments. It seems to be more based on geography, so you often have Ds and Rs sharing a place.
If we were to go to “company housing”, I think that should be the rule. It might help (a little bit at least) reduce the perception that the other party is the enemy rather than the opposition.
ETA: reversed my words there…