Write to your MP and see what they have to say about an unconditional basic income. In addition, if you could write back with what your MP tells you we can use the information to give us a sense of what they think and their reasons for thinking it.
Should you want to use it, below is a sample letter for your convenience;
Dear (Name of MP)
I am writing to ask your opinion about – and encourage your support for – a new welfare proposal called Unconditional Basic Income which is gaining increasing attention – in both media and civil society – across the world. Basic Income is money that is paid to every member of a society regardless of whether they work or not or even whether they are looking for work. Given the increasing difficulties surrounding guaranteeing full and worthwhile employment for citizens I am sure you can appreciate the attraction of such a policy.
At the moment, however, only the Green Party has committed to this as in their manifesto. I urge you to encourage your party to do the same. Basic income is a way of meeting the needs of your constituents in as fair and equitable way as possible. There are certainly practicable issues to be considered but none so insurmountable that we should shy away from dealing with them. However, if you feel basic income is not the way to alleviate poverty, eliminate bureaucratic invasions and reduce economic inequalities, please do write back with suggestions/policies/laws you or your own party have made or will make that similarly meet the demands of the changing global political economy. At the moment, the dual narratives of neo-liberalism and austerity seem only to exacerbate problems and offer little in the way of the solutions.
If there is any more information you require please do not hesitate to add yourself to Basic Income UK’s Newsletter using the hyperlink or this address basicincome.org.uk.
I look forward to hearing back from you,
Yours Sincerely,
(Your name here)
It is not only a fairer and quicker way to get welfare to people whom need it. it is far more flexible in being able to evolve with different needs and results. It gives control to people – problems will be thrown into sharp relief very quickly, efficiently and cheaply – and they see more directly the fruits of their labours and has an exponential effect of increasing self confidence. The list could go on and on about the benefits yet I guess politicians are only interested in the bottom line and yes it would be significantly cheaper. A reduction that would diffuse, exponentially throughout the economy with huge savings all around.
I just used this template letter and amended it to ask my MP to sign EDM 974 – Basic Income. Perhaps you could create a custom letter for this purpose specifically and ask people in your next newsletter to encourage their MPs to sign it too!
Cheers Danielle – could you send the revised letter (maybe in the form of a reply) and then I can just slot it in there where the old one used to be, or else make a separate one. Thanks again