Some of the most creative societies are those that live just on the edge. When your needs are met, but only just, and with no guarantee, societies produce the most amazing art and creativity, in order to survive. Societies that are comfortable produce nothing much. But we do not wish hardship on anyone. We think that it is everyone’s right to know that their basic needs are met, no matter what.
It was the Liberals who many years ago proposed a basis human
wage. It was a bit like ‘child benefit’,
in that every person got the same allowance.
(The Conservative government recently limited child benefit to just two
children.) If every person in the
country had a basis income, enough to keep them alive, there would be no need
to provide unemployment benefit. Would
this be a prohibitively large cost to society?
Yes, but for most people, the bill would be cancelled (paid and then
paid back in taxation) straight away. The incentive to work would be that the
allowance would meet the very minimum cost of living. All other income earnt would therefore be in
addition, and the ‘poverty plateau’ (where you need to earn a significant amount
to be better off) would be eliminated.
The unemployed would not have to worry that they might not like the
work, and then loose their benefits (and therefore not risk it). Work would be
rewarded. People would feel secure, and
therefore more able to work.
This policy was rejected because the majority of the
population struggled to see that this policy was fair and felt that it was
rewarding fecklessness.
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