What if universal income became one of the major themes of the next presidential election?
The creation of a minimum basic income paid to everyone is at the top of the solutions favored by the French to help people in their daily life, according to a study carried out by Ifop for the Solutions solidaires forum and published on January 28. .
And nearly a third of respondents (31%) cite universal income in their trio of solutions.
"While unemployment is on the rise again and the public authorities have had to come to the aid of many categories of the population (short-time workers, self-employed, cultural professionals, etc.) because of the economic and social damage caused by the Covid-19, the idea of the establishment of a basic universal income is gaining ground in a whole part of the population ", notes Jérôme Fourquet, author of the study.
Jérôme Fourquet insists on the universal income which is invited among the responses to the crisis expected by the French.
@libe https://t.co/Vz1HxcuYKq via @Dailymotion
- Benoît Hamon (@benoithamon) February 1, 2021
What to consolidate Benoît Hamon in his analysis.
The former socialist candidate for the 2017 presidential election, who had made universal income the flagship idea of his program, published at the end of October "What is needed courage, advocacy for universal income" (ed. Of Ecuador ).
Four years after his victory in the primary of the left, he is all the more convinced of the relevance of this proposal.
"The Covid-19 crisis replaced my assumptions with facts and gave reason to my analysis, in particular on the relationship to work which has changed considerably, judges the former Minister of National Education, contacted by France 24. We sees that with teleworking, it is more and more difficult to distinguish working time and personal time. Employees are becoming almost available 24 hours a day. This reveals a form of alienation through work that goes against naive speeches which consist in saying that everyone thrives through work. "
The universal income he advocates consists of automatically paying a substantial sum of money - 750 euros per month to 18-25 year olds initially - to all adult citizens, including when they have a job.
What to offer the French "a safety net" and "the freedom to do something else", according to Benoît Hamon.
The Pope in favor of universal income
The idea of universal income is gaining so much ground that even Pope Francis has argued in favor of such a solution in his book, "A Time for Change" (Flammarion), published on December 2 in France.
In this book, he believes that the time has come to reflect on concepts such as the universal basic income which, in his view, could guarantee "people the dignity of refusing employment conditions which lock them in poverty. ".
>> To see: Universal income, the wage for happiness?
“We should not at all underestimate this speech by the Pope, who is a world spiritual authority, jubilant Benoît Hamon. The doctrine of the Church has long given an important place to the value of work. to recognize that work is also a form of alienation and that universal income would be a means of liberating men is a crucial turning point in the social doctrine of the Church. "
Another sign of the evolution of mentalities since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, a dozen deputies The Republicans (LR) are also working on a similar idea.
Led by LR number 3, Aurélien Pradié, this small group offers an allowance of around 700 euros for young people aged 18 to 25 without work and who have agreed to devote three months of their time to the community.
We are in 2021.
10 million of our fellow citizens live below the poverty line.
8 million rely on food aid to feed themselves.
The wave of misery and poverty that is rising gives us a duty: to act.
With courage and imagination.
These are our values.
pic.twitter.com/NtGYWzwy1Z
- Aurélien Pradié (@AurelienPradie) January 12, 2021
"We have a problem with 18-25 year olds who will soon be 700,000 to arrive on the job market and who will be sacrificed, deplores Aurélien Pradié, contacted by France 24. How do we go about supporting them? Some are proposing to extend the RSA [active solidarity income, editor's note]. I am personally very hostile to it because the message sent would be terrible. Conversely, if we give them financial security, we will give them more entrepreneurial spirit, taste for risk. "
The proposal is not to everyone's taste at LR.
"Universal income is an idea either ultra-liberal or ultra-leftist, but not that the right should carry," said LR treasurer Daniel Fasquelle.
"We have spent years saying that we are fighting against assistantship, and the reverse message is likely to be understood."
A citizen debate launched by the National Assembly
"I hear the skepticisms which are legitimate, but the situation is so unprecedented that we will not be able to find a solution without an unprecedented answer, justifies Aurélien Pradié. Especially since once we get rid of the term universal income, There is no longer much disagreement. What I propose sticks to the values of the right which are those of commitment to the country, merit and work. "
If there is a big gap between the positions of Benoît Hamon and Aurélien Pradié, no one can now ignore a question which is emerging more and more in society.
The National Assembly was not mistaken.
On a proposal from Valérie Petit (Agir), the deputies adopted, on November 26, the launch of a public debate on the creation of a "citizen base".
The resolution of the Member for the North gave rise to rich discussions which demonstrated the diversity of the proposals.
"There are almost as many versions of universal income as there are proposers", underlined the deputy La France insoumise (LFI) Adrien Quatennens.
>> To read: In Europe, the Covid-19 puts universal income back at the heart of the debates
"I am very happy to see that everyone is taking up this idea and that we at least validate its principles, explains Benoît Hamon. Universal income is a new social contract of the same order as the creation of social security. in 1945. That's why he was able to frighten and ask questions. "
The debate that will soon be launched by the National Assembly could force future presidential candidates in 2022 to take a position on the subject.
The former socialist candidate has already announced that he does not intend to run again.
On the other hand, he will support the candidate most able to unite on the left, on condition that the latter takes up his universal income proposal.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon said he was "available for a discussion with Benoît Hamon" on this subject.
Aurélien Pradié hopes to deliver before the summer a detailed proposal that can be brought by the candidate LR for the presidential election.
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