Dear UBI Friends and Supporters,
We hope you are enjoying the warm weather. Summer has finally arrived in Leeds.
Would you like to join us for an in-person UBI Lab Leeds meeting?
We will have a mid-summer UBI Lab Leeds discussion and social gathering on Tuesday, 6 August, at 6 PM (18hrs) at the Arcadia pub (34 Arndale Centre, Headingley, Leeds LS6 2UE) (https://theeuropeanbarguide.com/arcadia-leeds/ ). We have tested the pub. It provides a wide variety of good quality beers and other drinks. Our topics for discussion:
- What do the UK election results mean for the promotion of UBI?
- What can we do in Leeds in order to overcome the inhumane Universal Credit and introduce a humane UBI?
- What are your burning questions about UBI?
You are welcome to bring along friends!
We hope to see some of you on the first Tuesday in August.
Please find below our request for a post-election action and several interesting updates.
- The UK general election has taken place on Thursday, 4 July 2024. You can find the contact details of your elected MP at ‘Who Can I Vote For?’. You type in your postcode at the bottom of the webpage or search the name of your constituency. If you click on the name of your MP, you will find her/his email address. You can download a long letter about the broken welfare system in the UK and our better alternative of UBI here. Please feel free to modify the letter and send it to your MP. If you receive a response, please let us know at r.huss@posteo.net
Many thanks for your support. Together we can advocate for UBI and working towards a good society.
- Unconditional Cash Transfer study in the USA making waves in the News.
The Telegraph reported about the study as People given Universal Basic Income ‘worked less and spend more time on leisure’ , but the article is hidden behind a pay barrier. You can find another report on CBS news as ‘Here’s what a Sam Altman-backed basic income experiment found ’ and in Bloomberg UK ‘Sam Altman-Backed Group Completes Largest US Study on Basic Income’. The study is supported by OpenAI founder Sam Altman. It included 3,000 participants in Illinois and Texas who received $1,000 monthly for three years beginning in 2020 and a control group of 2,000 participants who received $50 a month for their participation in the research. The Telegraph opposing BI expressed concern that recipients of the cash transfers spent more time on leisure and less on paid work. However, the concept of leisure is questionable, because it includes important unpaid care activities, which are not considered as work. The findings demonstrate that cash transfer recipients have more autonomy and flexibility how they spent their time and the cash contributes to their improved wellbeing. The researchers state the cash “can be used to address recipients’ specific needs, is responsive to changing demands, and creates the possibility for increased agency”. The research director commented “Cash is flexible, it’s an imprecise instrument if your goal is to move one outcome for everyone, but it moves some or many outcomes for everyone.” You may want to read the introductory website of the research ‘Cash increases possibility’, the executive summary of the study and all published documentation.
- The Observer has published a well informed article about the actual UBI discussions and some ongoing pilots in Ireland, Wales and the USA: Money for nothing: is universal basic income about to transform society? Well worthwhile reading!
- The organisation ‘Organise’ is asking the question: Should we reignite our campaign for a Universal Basic Income?If you want to participate in the vote, please click here.
- UBI Pilot in East Finchley and Big Local Jarrow:
Daniel Mermelstein of UBI Lab London was interviewed on the London podcast ‘The Broadest Church’ about the general concept of UBI and the proposed pilot in East Finchley. He clearly explains the different aspects of UBI. The podcast ‘UBI: A discussion’ ( 44 mins) is very worthwhile listening.
Community Power Podcast in collaboration with Local Trust has published a podcast on the East Finchley (London) and Big Local Jarrow (South Tyneside) UBI pilot which started in June 2023. With the funding in place the implementation may start at the beginning of 2025. If you want to find out more, you can listen to the discussion ‘Thinking outside the box – exploring a Universal Basic Income pilot’ (19 mins).
- Jo Poulton, Coordinator of BI for Farmers, has published an inspiring video ‘Cross Pollinate 2024 – Ideas for Hope’ (15 mins) to promote a BI, especially for Small Scale Farmers.
- ‘Can Universal Basic Income Save Us From The Destabilization Of AI And Automation?’ UBI experts Evelyn Forget, Guy Standing, and Karl Widerquist explain on the Forbes website how UBI can be funded to promote a more inclusive and resilient world in view of AI and Automation.
- Citizen Network has published a webinar on Grassroots Policies called ‘Commons, and wildlife’. Guy Standing from BIEN presents ‘The Commons: Redefining progressive politics’ with a critique of current obsession with labour (paid work), economic growth and the destruction of our Commons (24 mins). Vicki Hird from the Wildlife Trusts speaks about ‘Wildlife: what it is and what it does for us and the planet’. She explains the roles of wildlife and nature for our health, food, clean air and water (34 mins). The private exploitation of our different Commons is in my opinion a reason why we deserve a UBI and a funding source.
- Hefin Gwilym and our UBI Lab Manchester member David Beck have written a commentary on the decision of the Welsh government not to roll out a permanent UBI to Welsh care leavers after the pilot ends because of costs: ‘Austerity alive and well in Wales and UBI in intensive care’. The decision has been taken before the implementation of the pilot ends in May 2025 and the evaluation will be completed in 2027. This demonstrates in my opinion that the most important barrier to UBI is the political question of financing UBI.
- The Morning Star has published an interview with the RMT union leader Mick Lynch: ‘We’ll hold Labour’s feet to the fire’. At the end Lynch says it is more of a societal question about the nature of work and how to distribute wealth to look after everyone going forward — which may mean conversations around universal basic income.
- The Canadian Municipality of North Cowichan calls on the federal government to provide a Guaranteed Basic Income to all Canadians. You can watch the decision-making in a video (5 mins).
- South Africa
The Social Policy Initiative (SPI) has sent an open letter to Minister Nokuzola Gladys Tolashe and Deputy Minister Ganief Hendricks at the Department of Social Development (DSD). This letter underscores SPI commitment to advocating for the urgent implementation of a Universal Basic Income (UBI). SPI firmly believes that a UBI of R1500 per person per month is crucial for providing a safety net to all citizens, stimulating economic activity, and reducing inequality. This policy aligns with our vision of a just and equitable society and addresses critical issues of social security and human dignity in our country.
You can read the open letter here.
- Reinhard attended the Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) conference in Leeds (19-21/07/2024). MMT does not agree with UBI and prefers a Universal Job Guarantee. I still think one of the sessions ‘The value of money: implications for MMT’ of Randall Wray may be useful for learning about money, markets and capitalism. You can access all the slides here.
- Again not UBI! Instead it is about an ecological and green approach to our life which is closely associated with UBI:
The Leeds Festival will take place from 21 to 25 August at Bramham Park. A Salvaging event will be organised on Monday, 26 August (bank holiday) between approximately 2pm -8pm.
All the waste will otherwise be macerated up and incinerated!
You can find out more here or sign up for the team of Library of Things on this Google form: https://forms.gle/ySuqHveMKDkZtn4z8
- And a reminder: BIEN Congress 2024 ‘Reclaiming the Future. Basic Income and Socio-Ecological Transformation’
Every year the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) organises a congress about Basic Income topics. This year the congress will be in person and virtual from 29 to 31 August at the University of Bath in the UK. You can register for the Congress and download the programme booklet here.
In solidarity and
best wishes
reinhard on behalf of UBI Lab Leeds