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Adam Bernard, who was our candidate in Harrow East at the last General Election, and James Baillie, a leading voice in the Radical Association have spent much of the past five years trying to persuade the party of the merits of Universal Basic Income. They campaigned and networked and worked with others, including the Social Liberal Forum to build the case for UBI. They have put huge amounts of energy into persuading people that this was the way to go.
When Coronavirus exposed the inadequacies of the social security safety net, they tried again to get this issue debated at Conference.
This time, it was not only chosen, but it had the full backing of the Parliamentary Party.
Last night, Adam proposed the motion which called on the party to campaign for a regular payment to all UK residents, funded in a socially just way and to ensure that people who need it still have access to support for housing and disability support.
He had the support of Jane Dodds, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader and long term advocate of UBI and Wendy Chamberlain, our DWP spokesperson. Christine Jardine had been making the case for UBI all over the media. She wrote in the Mirror yesterday that UBI could be our generation’s NHS:
A basic income will be the best, fairest and simplest way to safeguard the most vulnerable in society and care for those who need it.
At the time of the creation of the NHS, doubters opposed the idea at every turn, yet now we treasure it.
Through this crisis, our pride in the institution and in the principles which created it have been palpable.
That post-war generation’s achievement has been the salvation of so many in this one.
Providing a fixed universal income to everyone with no stigma attached has the potential to be our generation’s National Health Service.
We need the states role to be helping people out of poverty and creating the equality of opportunity that leads to a prosperous life.
We must free people from the insecurity and anxiety that this virus has created and will be with us long after we have beaten it, and instead empower them to live their lives with security, dignity and freedom.
There were some fantastic speeches in the debate on both sides. Concerns were raised about affordability and whether the payment would be sufficient to meet people’s needs. Sheffield’s Laura Gordon had technical problems and was cut off mid speech and had to come back in for her 90 seconds but made her concerns about practicality really well.
Proper credit to @LibDemLaura in the #UniversalBasicIncome debate at #libdemconference – cut off half way through, recovered brilliantly.
(even if she’s on the other side on this one)— Richard Flowers 🔸 (@richarddflowers) September 25, 2020
One of the features of this Conference so far has been the number of first time speakers.
I attended my first Liberal Conference in 1981. And today, 39 years later, I made my first @LibDemConf speech. I am going to claim this as a record. #LDConf
— Neil Schofield-Hughes 🔶 🇪🇺 🏴 (@SZeitblom) September 25, 2020
The conversation continued on Twitter.
Not convinced by this idea that UBI would be toxic to soft Tory voters. Simplifying the bureaucratic welfare system, individual freedom, and the benefits for small biz and the self-employed, are all arguments we could make in favour that those people could respond to #LDConf
— Fraser 🔶 (@frasercoppin) September 25, 2020
Hannah Bettsworth from Brussels made the point that UBI would help with the precarious nature of the jobs market at the moment and would help people who could only get short term contracts.
As an artist a Universal Basic Income would benefit the creative community in so many ways. It would give us the freedom to pursue our careers without fear.
I'm thrilled that @LibDems members just voted overwhelmingly in favour of this policy. #LDConf
— Rachel-lee Mackenzie (@Rachellee4Real) September 25, 2020
The conditions on benefits claimants forced me to drop a course that could have taken me off benefits. That is how perverse the benefits system is. They'd rather I was on ESA the rest of my life than let me train for a job I could do despite my illness. That's why UBI matters!
— Charley Hasted (@CharleyHasted) September 25, 2020
The debate itself was fairly evenly balanced on both sides, but the result was very clear – 715 votes for and 250 against. Those in favour how this policy could transform lives for the better.
It was great to see that Adam and those who had been campaigning for UBI for years were able to lead the Conference debate to see their campaign come to fruition. It shows that as a member of the Liberal Democrats you can make a difference. It’s in stark contrast to Labour’s online event this year when their members didn’t get a say on anything.
Now we need to get out there and make the case for a policy that has the potential to benefit us all and make us a healthier, happier, more secure nation.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
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6 Comments
We still cannot ‘go out there and make the case for the policy’ until we know the answers to what level it would be paid at and how the overall cost would be met.
If the level is high enough to meet the aims expressed by supporters then the cost will very high to astronomical. If the level is low enough to be ‘easily affordable’ then it will be too low to even remotely achieve all its supporters proclaim.
I seem to recall the Green Party Leader in the 2017 being taken apart by the media in the 2017 General Election because she couldn’t answer basic questions about the cost of such a scheme. In the same election Diane Abbot, as Shadow Home Secretary, had a car crash media performance when she was incredibly hazy (and wrong) about the costings of Labour’s policy on employing more police. Jeremy Corbyn in 2019 was unable to answer costing questions about his Manifesto. Charles Kennedy in 2005 had the same problem -although for different reasons in his case since our Manifesto in those days used to be costed to the last penny.
This is not the media being nasty right or left wingers. It’s journalists doing their job. As for any loopholes our opponents can exploit…..! As with the Revoke policy, it’s no good just asking Lib Dems at Conference if they think something is a good idea. When I was an MP we always used to ask if something would stand up to the Daily Mail test. Not would the Daily Mail like it -but could we put up a robust and convincing case under hostile scrutiny? At the moment we can’t even say what level UBI would be paid at let alone whether it would indeed cost as much or more than the entire NHS and where we would find the money.
Find the money? A wealth tax on those earning over 100 thou?
BoE prints the amount required as a money tree seems to have been found for employment.This money will go round and round Bank produces it .Money spent on goods ,education,saved.A lot will be recirculated
I’m so glad this motion has been passed.
Congratulations to James and Adam for campaigning tirelessly on this, and refusing to give up.
I hope the party will now make this one of its main campaigning issues.
So, do we want an association of some kind with newer Labour or not?
Remember that they are “under new management” and that the larger party would expect to provide the Prime Minister designate.
UBI could provide the longest suicide note in history.
Have we forgotten, or ignored, the carefully thought out Alderdice Review?
‘Black Lives Matter’ is more than just a slogan. It is a campaign and we should own it.
I am strongly in favour of UBI, but Paul Holmes is right: before we make too much of a public fuss about it, or included it in a manifesto, it is essential to have , in his words “Daily Mail proof” proposals on what its rates will be and how we shall pay for it.
The Rowntree Trust has already done some work and come up with serious doubts about its practicability. We need to engage a think tank or a university department (perhaps in conjunction with the Greens and Labour) to produce some concrete and costed proposals.
When the Greens first suggested it they suggested a rate of UBI which could be financed simply by removing all income tax allowances and taxing all eared income from the word go. The viability of this was strongly contested.
For starters I would suggest a basic rate somewhere between the old and new rates for retirement pensions – say £150 per week. If we oldies are supposed to be able to live on it then that should be enough for everybody. There should be reduced rates for dependent children at various ages, and extras for various disabilities.
Then, having worked out the cost we need a rigorous calculation of the tax rates needed to finance it.
Remember there are lots of taxes in addition to income tax – a robot tax, capital gains tax (on houses as well), financial transaction taxes, an effective inheritance tax and, of course of course of course, a land tax.