Photo: Stanislaus Jourdan/Wikimedia Commons.

Talk on universal basic income

The concept of a universal basic income is very much at the forefront of political thought these days. Now Hastings Green Party and Printed Matter Bookshop have combined forces to bring an acknowledged expert to town to talk on the topic. Nick Terdre reports.

Basic universal income is the idea that we should all be given an unconditional monthly payment by the state as an acknowledgement of the part we all play in generating the wealth currently enjoyed only by a few.

The concept is gaining traction in political circles – it has been Green Party policy for several years and more recently has received the backing of John McDonnell, Labour’s shadow chancellor.

Professor Guy Standing of SOAS in the University of London, who has worked on the notion of basic income for the past 30 years, will be discussing his ideas at a meeting next Tuesday arranged by Hastings Green Party and Printed Matters Bookshop.

His book, Basic Income: And How We Can Make It Happen, which when published in 2017 received enthusiastic reviews from such as Paul Mason and Brian Eno, covers the effects of basic income on the economy, poverty, work and labour. In it, he explains in authoritative detail what we can learn from pilot studies around the world and illustrates exactly why a basic income has now become such an urgent necessity.

Universal Basic Income Talk by Prof Guy Standing. Tuesday 2 April, 6pm, The Printworks, 14 Claremont, Hastings TN34 1HA. £2 entry on the door. Prof Standing’s book will be available at the event and from Printed Matter Bookshop (185 Queens Road, Hastings TN34 1RG, tel 01424 440466).

Also in: Politics