Policy Proposal - Citizen's Income
Posted by patrickvessey on Monday, 12 March 2007 00:21:14
Dave C,
A Citizen's Income is one policy that I can't remember senior Tories ever discussing in the media.
Why?
It would hit a lot of your 'hot buttons':
- Massive reduction in state bureaucracy and associated costs by scrapping almost all other benefits
- Genuine mechanism for reducing/removing poverty
- Encouragement of prudent financial management by the individual, through removal of means testing
- Provision of a fair and well understood system for all
- Dependant upon level set could be economically cost-neutral
- Actually enhances true freedom within the free-market
- Ought to be universally popular
From a purely party political point of view, I cannot imagine it's introduction being opposed by backbenchers of the other main parties and, equally, couldn't see it being 'borrowed' by Labour as official policy - our beloved Chancellor is too timid and also too keen on redistributive micro-management to propose it.
It's not only the decent, fair and economically beneficial thing to do, but would also cut the legs from under Labour's false claims to concerns about social justice.
Patrick
Post edited by patrickvessey on Monday, 12 March 2007 00:36:04
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