Comments on: Universal Basic Income Is a Neoliberal Plot To Make You Poorer https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/universal-basic-income-is-a-neoliberal-plot-to-make-you-poorer/2016/08/25 Researching, documenting and promoting peer to peer practices Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:13:51 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.5.15 By: Martin https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/universal-basic-income-is-a-neoliberal-plot-to-make-you-poorer/2016/08/25/comment-page-1#comment-1624137 Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:13:51 +0000 https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/?p=59217#comment-1624137 Good article but an unnecessarily pessimistic conclusion. A UBI would essentially replace means-tested payments and save administration costs as a result. Just because Neo-liberals want to cut all other public services doesn’t mean that has to be the case in order for UBI to become a reality. Very likely the argument would be made by the right that the government can not afford public services in such an event, but as anyone with a proper understanding of money would know, such an argument is bunkum – there is always enough money – there is no limit for a government in control of its own currency. Spending on NHS and Education keeps people in job – their labour is what is of value, not bits of coloured paper. Ultimately (in order to avoid inflation) you can say it all comes down to a question of taxation – but again there is nothing impossible about raising them on the rich.
In conclusion your pessimism may very well be justified as a fair reflection of political likelihood….but that does not make it a necessary certainty. The problem you enunciate is not a flaw with the construct of a UBI but a political question – and there is nothing about politics that is set in stone and can’t be changed!

]]> By: Mike Riddell https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/universal-basic-income-is-a-neoliberal-plot-to-make-you-poorer/2016/08/25/comment-page-1#comment-1577537 Fri, 26 Aug 2016 06:32:03 +0000 https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/?p=59217#comment-1577537 This is an excellent piece that has offered up an alternative narrative to UBI. Certainly food for thought and very well timed given the left’s apparent desire to see it happen.

Food for thought. Thanks for sharing.

@mikeriddell62

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