Published on 12, July, 2020
Don't know how many of you have heard about the small trial of this? Its only a few people but they are given a no questions asked payment of £1600pm for two years on the trial.
I am sure I am not the old one whi thinks this would massivley change their life? I work 38 hours a week and only take home about £1850pm, and every one of those hours is a total slog and a battle againt ASD. I would take 6 months-1 year off and then probably do some voulenteer work doing something I love. Sadly I can't see it coming in any time soon but his would be a game changer for anybody with mental heath issues and physical disabilities. Of course that works as long as there is not massive inflation to go with it and prices remain stable.
What are your thoughts?
Rob
It is slavery... in two ways ...You are paid by the state so you are utterly beholden to the state - they own you.
Those who actually work to pay this ... they are required to work and hand over the fruits of their labour, so others can live without working. Those paying have no choice in paying ... it is slavery.
Your a slave if you wok to pay it, and you are a slave if you receive it.
UBI is a humanitarian catastrophe with the only purpose being the massive expansion of the power of the state.
It sounds like an amazing idea, especially for people like us that struggle with work. Work has been the primary cause of my destress and mental health damage for years so you would think I would welcome this but I dont.
First of all, if something sounds too good to be true it probably is. If the government were to give us something for free then we have to ask ourselves why? Governments never do anything out of the goodness of their hearts. Everything they offer us is used to control us more and make us more dependent on them.
The reality of UBI is it would simply be another way to make us more depended on the government than we already are. Some people on here have mentioned how it could be used when jobs are replaced with AI and this is a good point. It is also something that could be taken away in the future if we oppose or displease the government. If you think this is far fetched conspiracy theroy then take a look at what happened in Canada during the pandemic. People who supported and donated to anti lockdown organisations and protests had their bank accounts frozen by PM Justin Trudeu. In one case, a single mother who donated £10 had her account frozen by the Canadian government.
The other thing I would ask is where does the money for this come from? According to the last census there were 37.5 million adults of working age in the UK. If each of these were given £1,600 per month that would work out as 7 billion, 104 million pounds per year. The government doesnt have any money of its own, all of its money comes from taxpayers so one has to question how on earth this would be financed. I would imagine it probably couldnt be.
Its a wonderful idea, I am currently going through hell with my job as my previous posts have said and would love to know I had UBI coming in even if I couldnt work but I fear the freedoms we would give up are not a price worth paying as well as the fact that the money to finance it simply doesnt exist
I'm a huge fan of UBI. It would save on social services, reduce government bloat, and provide for autonomy. People could take time off from work when they feel it is appropriate, either for medical reasons, mentally recover, or find more fulfilling jobs in which they would contribute more effectively. Companies would improve also as their employees would be happier in jobs they freely sought out without financial pressure. As an American, this would have to be paired with universal healthcare of course.
Also would be a lot less harmful to physical and mental health
It has worked well in other countries for example, in Alaska. Every resident is given a set amount of money each year. Canada tried in the 1970's in an experiment. It allowed people to seek out the job they wanted not one they were forced in. It would be a lot cheaper than funding the DWP and the complex benefits system.
Yes, it has been argued that the poor aren't poor because tbey are feckless, it is poverty itself that creates short-termism and so-called fecklessness.
I susoect basic income may be used as a pacifier if AI and robots do take over a lot of drudge jobs, but somehow I susoe t it will be administered in ways that won't nake it much fun, rather than liberating mire oeoe from either drudge jobs or unemployment.
All the same I'd be delighted if basic income did catch on.
Yes I heard about that. It would take away the stigma of being poor, and dismantle the whe punitive aparatus that is there to justify the punitive aporoach ro welfare.
I agree with Dawn, I think if you take the financial pressure off of most people, they can start to think about what they really want to do and work towards it, achieving their personal and earning potential. Treating people poorly and taking every penny away from them/making them live on next to nothing doesn't usually result in them suddenly becoming an entrepreneur - they spend most days hungry and wondering how to get their next meal, or feed their kids/keep roof over their heads.
Yes, I have heard of it.
Apparently more people got jobs they wanted quicker as they relaxed and went for their dreams or else took time to get better quals or do an intern and ultimately do better.
They were healthier and more productive.
I think it would probably have a massive positive impact not just on people who struggle particularly but on our society as a whole. But unfortunately a lot of people are conditioned into this view that people working their fingers to the bone is the ideal and anyone they perceive as not enduring as much as them is a scrounger who's basically stealing from them.
So I don't see it happening (outside of potential small-scale trials to be completely ignored if the result isn't the one they wanted).