The Citizen's Income

We're going to have our monthly meeting for August tonight (730pm, at the Coventry Peace House).

Don't worry if you can't come, since we're going to be starting up a rolling programme of more social meetings (pub nights, BBQ and board game nights, going to the odd film), on top of the monthly meetings. You can give me a call on 07906 316 726 for information on future meetings.

We discuss one aspect of Green Party policy per meeting, and how it could be applied/put into place here in Coventry. Tonight, we'll talk about the Citizen's Income. You can read more about the economic policy of the Green Party here (especially section 730, on the Citizen's Income).

A Citizen's Income would replace tax-free allowances and most benefits. It would be sufficient to cover an individual's basic needs. It would be unconditional. It would be payable to each individual as a right of citizenship. It would not be subject to means testing.

There would be no requirement to be either working or actively seeking work. The idea would be to eliminate unemployment and poverty traps. People would be able to choose their own types and patterns of work.

We wouldn't have a welfare state as much as a welfare community, engaging people in personally satisfying and socially useful work.

It's this kind of policy that sets the Green Party apart from the Tories, Labour and the Liberal Democrats. What kind of society will we have if we continue our obsession with working harder and harder, with less leisure time, for low pay? We won't have the level of social solidarity needed to address the challenges of climate change, so long as individuals have their basic needs under threat.