Everyone keeps talking about how we're in unprecedented times, and yet the solutions presented to us, whether they be furlough, loans, deferring mortgage or rent payments, or the welfare system aka Universal Credit, are all old school answers, nothing more than a sticking plaster on a gaping wound.
Back in March, I was already suspecting that it would not be enough - now we know it definitely isn't. And yet the tune we're being told to march to by the Prime Minister is one that is frankly gas lighting in nature, misleading the nation into believing we can go back to normal. Ironically, the only ones buying it are those too old to be going back to work. Go figure.
It suits the UK Government to set up this narrative of people being work shy, sitting at home, slacking off, living off the government dime, as it were. And many are all too eager to believe it, having been fed stories over the years about benefit cheats and scroungers. But that is not the experience of many, in fact it is largely the exact opposite - even those who were furloughed are working, feeling the pressure to perform in order to avoid redundancies that are inevitably going to come down the line as employers seek to balance their books.
And even if some people aren't working at home during a global pandemic - so what? There are many other ways people contribute to society, beyond creating wealth for those who largely already have enough of it as it is. Furthermore, nobody should be expected to be productive in this time of crisis, for many it is a huge ask simply for them to get through the day with their sanity in tact. Everyone is experiencing this situation in different ways, and we need to be kind to each other, rather than allow ourselves to be coerced into doing what those in charge love us to do most, turning on each other and ignoring what the real slackers are up to.
There are currently 30 people chasing every vacancy - a figure I have no doubt will go up. In Cardiff, it is anticipated that unemployment will rise by 50% over the next two years. All the retraining, and job creation schemes in the world, will not be quick enough, or big enough in number, to save people from falling into desperate situations.
The question we have to ask ourselves is, are we content for so many of our fellow citizens, our friends, our family, maybe even ourselves, to fall on such hard times because of something that is beyond the control of most of us? Is it fair? Is that a price that we want to pay for the possibility of winning big in a system that leaves so many behind? Or can we do better? Do we deserve better? Isn't it time we re-evaluated how we ascribe value to people's lives? Doesn't everyone deserve a minimum standard of living, regardless of economic circumstances? Is it really right to make people choose between their health and well being, and having a roof over their head and food on the table?
As a Liberal Democrat, I find myself coming back to the preamble of our constitution for the answer to all the above.
"The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity."
Universal Basic Income aligns with these values. It is a policy that's time has come.
It's not a case of can we afford it, it's a case of can we afford to not do it? Are we willing to live with the consequences of leaving so many people behind? I'm not.
I don't believe that we should accept suffering as an inevitable consequence of the way we live. I don't believe it is liberal to allow people to live on such a knife edge, to allow people to fall into poverty and destitution because of factors beyond their control.
Universal Basic Income is the solution to the challenges we're experiencing now, and the many others that are still to come (potential future pandemics, artificial intelligence, robotics etc.).
It is a compassionate solution for a world that desperately needs to reorganise itself, to prioritise the health and well being of individuals, and free people up to live their lives with the purpose and meaning of their choosing. That gives people the breathing space and the head space to not only survive day to day, week to week, month to month, and year to year, but to thrive.
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