Let People Be Free

Regular readers of this blog will know our position that Universal Basic Income (UBI) is (a) a likely solution for societies who want to abolish Wage Slavery and (b) an illustration of what happens when you let people be free instead of forcing them into undignified jobs that waste everyone’s time and energy.

In one of the best UBI pilot schemes I’ve seen so far (one with results so promising that it was recently made permanent, albeit in a cautious and limited way), there are some nice qualitative findings.

Only months into the scheme, I found out I was pregnant. The basic income helped me decide to have my baby, knowing I could continue creative work and keep my small studio space

The basic income gave me more freedom to experiment in my work, to write for independent publications and engage with community initiatives. I helped to create events that brought together artists across forms and raised money for a local rape crisis centre.

Before introducing this scheme, Ireland ranked among the lowest in the 27 countries of the EU for spending on culture. In 2022, that amounted to €897m, or 0.2% of GDP, compared with an EU average of 0.5%. A basic income for 2,000 artists increases Ireland’s spending by only about €35m a year, which would be offset by economic gains.

Yet again we see that when people are left to their own devices instead of being economically bullied into bullshit jobs, the advantages to the person and to society are huuuuge.

Here’s a reminder that campaigns against UBI tend not based on data generated by pilot schemes like this one, but on an old-hat ideology.

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