Doing nothing

Universal basic income is back on the agenda with yet another pilot to test whether or not such a scheme will work. UBI has had more pilots than Ryanair. It has been proven to be beneficial in providing a basic level of income to everyone. The clue is in the name. 

There remains, however, a stubborn resistance to the idea. People object to others getting something for free yet there are many things that society pays for yet are free to use. The local park, roads, schools and even healthcare are all provided equitably in spite of an individual’s ability to pay.  So why not then the ability to live comfortably.

Headlines like this in Upday are typical of what UBI is up against ‘Universal basic income: why some will be given £1,600 a month for doing nothing.’

The headline, like many, is misleading and purposefully inflammatory. People don’t do nothing. They live, they care, they interact, they socialise and generally contribute to society, yet we fall into the trap of measuring our worth by the value of money we can earn.

The implication is that those who earn the most money are of the greatest value to society, whilst those who earn the least are of no value at all. Look around you and you will soon see what a myth this is. The majority of people who earn a lot of money are either lucky, or good at earning money. These two ‘qualities’ don’t make them better or worse than anyone else.

Why shouldn’t everyone have a basic amount of money on which to live, enough to keep them out of penury, irrespective of their ability to earn a living? Why shouldn’t the large wealth of this nation be spread more equally? Why would anyone want someone to be worse off than they are? Why shouldn’t everyone have access to a Universal Basic Income?

Free from the tribulations of scrounging a basic standard of living, people would be able to create more, care more, start more new businesses, spend more in the local economy, be healthier and contribute more to society.

Yes, it’s true that if you give some people money for nothing then they will waste it, yet many people who have inherited money continue to spend their time doing meaningful things. All systems will be abused, benefits are claimed illegally, individuals avoid paying tax and UBI would be exactly the same. 

The question is though, would it be better for society as a whole to be less unequal? The answer is most definitely yes and UBI would go someway to realising this ambition.