http://anotherangryvoice.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/universal-basic-income-sanctions.html :: Here’s an article from Another Angry Voice in which he compares means-tested benefits with universal basic income. The comments are interesting in that they concentrate on the problems of funding UBI rather than attacking the concept of it. Are we getting to the point where the argument for UBI hs been won in…
I’m Tired Of The Big Fat Lie
Our politicians, the economists who advise them, and the journalists who report their words and deeds tell us over and over again that our country is “living beyond its means” and the government will “run out of money” unless it “balances the books”. We’re told that government spending is restricted to the amount of money…
Radical Independence Conference 2013: Ranting, Rambling, And Not Very Radical.
Yesterday was spent attending the Radical Independence Conference 2013 in Glasgow, organised by the Radical Independence Campaign which employs the slogan “Another Scotland Is Possible”. We were a thousand strong, packed into a big room in the Marriott Hotel where we were addressed by a series of very able and persuasive speakers all of whom…
The End Of Britain: Scaremongering Nonsense From MoneyWeek
I made the mistake today of listening to a “video” from MoneyWeek entitled “The End of Britain”. Adverts for it had been cropping up regularly in the MoneyWeek daily email so, even though it looked suspiciously like they were trying to sell me something I sat through it and was appalled at the quality of…
The Problem Is Bigger Than The Bedroom Tax
Here’s an excellent article from Gerry Hassan in which he takes our politicians and media to task for failing to address the real problems in our society. He argues that the debate on the UK government’s welfare reforms is so narrow and shallow that it completely misses the point: we have a chronic poverty/hardship/welfare/finance problem…
Scottish Independence: Welfare Debate Going Nowhere
Last night’s televised debate between Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP and Anas Sarwar of Labour was as predictable as it was depressing. It was hard to concentrate on the substance of what was being said because they were persistently talking over each other, but a review of some excerpts this morning reveals that there was…
Benefits Rage: Getting Things Into Proportion
The UK government has been very successful at promoting the idea that our system of welfare benefits is at the mercy of legions of scroungers who are cheating the taxpayer out of vast sums of money and thereby contributing significantly to the annual deficit. The resulting “benefits rage” provides a very effective smokescreen, helping to…
Views From The Boatshed 