[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by PeterMorley

So Boris Johnson gets more than Junker for writing a newspaper column!

The mall I've seen at the European parliament is open to the public and has normal shops in it - you can even go on guided tours or visit open days, none of which have attracted me!

Yes some of these people earn a lot of money but you have to compare like with like, average director's salary in the UK is over 100,000 quid a year which is comparable to the handful of EU director generals.
FTSE top 100 directors average earnings are around 4 million quid a year.

Most govts. and many companies have their own fleets of cars and the EU drivers I've met only drive them on official business, last time I saw an EU president (Prodi) he was waiting for a taxi!
When travelling employees are obliged to use the cheapest option and have pretty meagre travelling expenses compared to company reps.

When you look at the cushy well paid jobs that ex-ministers move into when leaving or getting kicked out of govt. you see that what they earn is peanuts compared to the outside world.
e.g. David Davis (that well known failed negotiator) is getting 60 grand for 20 hours work for JCB (admittedly 20 hours is probably more than he spent in EU negotiations!!).
Blackrock paying George Osborne 650 grand a year is rather good for someone who failed his maths A level and screwed up an economy!

There is an argument that paying MPs much more would attract useful people - those who are any good can earn far more money without having to withstand public scrutiny.
If there had been some decent people running the UK it might not be in the state it's in.

You appear to have (deliberately?) overlooked the point that private industry directors actually create something of tangible value whereas EU bureaucrats create nothing of value whatsoever.