To read Jonathan Bartley’s recent article in The Guardian, click here.
… As things stand, the answer to questions about the fate of working people is sadly easy to predict. We live in a society that punishes the unemployed. Our welfare state, based upon assumptions about life that belong to a bygone era, is increasingly unfit for purpose. And this is compounded by an ideological assault from a government that appears to want to inflict death by a thousand cuts.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
We live in the fifth largest economy in the world. It is possible to not just weather the gathering storm, but create a new social security settlement for the 21st century.
We believe this can be achieved through a universal basic income – a policy we have committed to piloting in our 2017 manifesto. Universal because it would be available to all. Basic because it would provide the essential financial support we all need in the form of a regular payment. Clawed back through progressive taxation, it would be simple and transparent to administer, and provide not just basic security, but options and choices in an increasingly complex world – whether that be to study, start a new venture, care for somebody or supplement employment. …