By Eoin Meegan
Now that the country has a new government one of the first things they should give serious consideration to is introducing a Universal Basic Income (UBI). What this means is that everyone would be paid a standard non-means-tested income sufficient to live on, while still being free to take up employment. This would free up people’s time to pursue creative/artistic pursuits, or start their own business without having to worry about personal living costs, while negating the need to take up dangerous or exploitative work. Some benefit payments, particularly welfare payments, still unfortunately carry a perceived stigma, and may act as a deterrent to work. By creating an initial level playing field UBI would at least lead to a more equal and fair society.
There have already been a number of UBI pilot schemes conducted globally. In Canada the Trudeau government initiated one in 2016, only to have it abolished two years later following a change of government there. In Finland a pilot scheme was run in 2017/18 with those taking part reporting feeling more positive, and enjoying better physical and mental health. Currently the UK is running several UBI pilot schemes both in England and Wales and it will be interesting to see what the outcome of these will be. In response to the argument that UBI would be too costly, a recent report in the UK said that if all the tax reliefs were scrapped it would easily pay for it. Additionally, by eliminating the high administration costs which welfare payments incur there could possibly be some monetary payback to the exchequer.
Regardless, the advent of AI will see a radical overhaul to the entire concept of work and we must be prepared. Data entry processing, banking, and even hospital jobs, among others, will be affected. Already AI image recognition software is being used in medical diagnostics, and many medical procedures will be carried out (more efficiently) in the future by AI. Therefore, UBI will act as an important cushion, eliminating the need for monotonous and repetitive labour while freeing up people’s time to do more creative work, tasks involving thinking and planning that AI is unsuitable for. Although only gaining traction in recent years the idea of a universal basic income was actually first mooted by Thomas Paine in 1797. Currently our government has no plans for such a scheme, but it is something I think they should give serious consideration to.
So, having enjoyed the February public holiday you are now, hopefully, ready to sample the latest delicacies on offer in this issue. Starting with a feature on one of my favourite bands from the Punk/New Wave era, Raytown’s own Blades (pg. 4). We follow that with the poignant story of a ship that ran aground on Sandymount Strand 88 years ago (pg. 10). And for more historical biography see pg. 12. Love it or loathe it Valentine’s day has come round again. To celebrate we have three articles in total to satisfy your romantic urges (pgs. 6. 17. & 24.). We take a look back at the cerebral talent at this year’s Young Scientists expo in the RDS. The pictures are on pgs. 30-1. While looking ahead to our National holiday on March 17th and an event that I love to partake in, the Aware sponsored, Harbour2Harbour walk (pg. 33). Invigorating and refreshing. A bit like NewsFour. Enjoy!
