Feb 18, 2014

Right to citizen dividend / unconditional basic income. Right to end poverty.

Reading about poverty in rich countries makes you want to demand your citizen dividend immediately. Many people are poor for the simple reason that their rightful citizen dividend has been confiscated by the state. A citizen dividend will end poverty in many countries.
Jack Monroe: 'poverty can happen to anyone'

I wanted to say that poverty is almost indescribable to Edwina and co with their blinkered, self-righteous attitudes. That turning off the fridge because it's empty anyway, that sitting across the table from your young son enviously staring down his breakfast, having freezing cold showers and putting your child to bed in god knows how many layers of clothes in the evening – it's distressing. Depressing. Destabilising.

Imagine living for 11 weeks with no housing benefit, because of "delays". Imagine those 77 days of being chased for rent that you can't pay, ignoring the phone, ignoring the door, drawing the curtains so the bailiffs can't see that you're home, cradling your son to your chest and sobbing that this is where it's all ended up. It feels endless. Hopeless. Cold. Wet. Day after day of "no". No we aren't looking for staff. No there isn't anything else to eat. No I can't put the heating on. No I haven't got any money to pay my rent arrears. No, no, no.

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