Whilst watching TV this morning, I was frankly amazed at the gall of the likes of Dermot Murnaghan and Fiona Phillips criticising the 'vast' wages GPs receive.
Let's leave aside any arguing with the myth of the GPs 'six-figure income' (the average GP salary is around £70,000)and assume that every GP gets at least £100,000 a year. Let's imagine that Dermot and Fiona earn that too (I somehow doubt that's true).
GPs work on average 55 hours a week. They train for ten years. The perks of the job are few to non-existant. The strain on their own family life is great, especially if they happen to be female. There is a nationwide shortage of GPs.
Breakfast TV presenters sit on a sofa and read an autocue, in some cases only a couple of times a week. They occasionally have to interview people on subjects they plainly know nothing about. They get invited to all sorts of events and have ample opportunities for freebies and outside-hours jobs to boost their income. If one should choose to leave, there'd be a queue of wannabes lining up to take on the job.
Who is more deserving of a six-figure salary?
2008-06-02 @ 11:06