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submitted 1 week ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

As Ireland's $1,500-a-month basic income pilot program for creatives nears its end in February, officials have to answer a simple question: Is it worth it?

With four months to go, they say the answer is yes.

Earlier this month, Ireland's government announced its 2026 budget, which includes "a successor to the pilot Basic Income Scheme for the Arts to begin next year" among its expenditures.

Ireland is just one of many places experimenting with guaranteed basic income programs, which provide recurring, unrestricted payments to people in a certain demographic. These programs differ from a universal basic income, which would provide payments for an entire population.

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[-] SethTaylor@lemmy.world 61 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I've been struggling for years, living in poverty since I was 18 despite having just about the best education you can have in my field. I've made desperate decisions and risky moves to keep a roof over my head all while being spat on by all sorts of people and weathering wave after wave of politically motivated anti-intellectualism and it's 2AM and I'm exhausted from digging a fucking trench to install pipes for the shitty house in the middle of buttfuck nowhere that I've had to move to in order to be able to work from home...

And this piece of news made me cry a little. Even though I don't live in Ireland.

Cause I know how it is to feel like there's no way out and to watch how everyone consumes art daily like addicts all while saying artists don't matter and we should be grateful for the "privilege" we have and yelling "get a real job" anytime you complain.

And that's my piece. Bring on the logical arguments. I've laid out my feelings.

Also, UBI for everyone would be fucking amazing. Why we're not doing that is beyond me. It's like "they" think that without a "carrot on a stick" everyone will stop working. If I had a penny for everyone who practically can't think straight because of how worried they are about basic needs I'd probably save those pennies for my own basic needs. Fear is not a good motivator for workers.

[-] Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

Fear is a good motivator for committing crime. But not for getting a job.

[-] blkryful@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago

If you expected a comfortable life as an unknown artist without a side hustle, that was naive as hell. Market doesn't give a fuck about your degree.

[-] plyth@feddit.org 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Also, UBI for everyone would be fucking amazing. Why we’re not doing that is beyond me.

You can do it right now. Create a club to share a part of everybody's income as UBI.

Downvoters, you would have to pay for it anyways with higher taxes. Why not do it voluntarily among those who want it?

[-] tuff_wizard@aussie.zone 5 points 1 week ago

without the threat of destitution how will will force people to work shit jobs for shit pay?

[-] plyth@feddit.org 2 points 1 week ago

That's why it will never be approved by a parliament.

It has to be done privately. That way, it would be like a union for everybody. That should lead to everybody earning more so that the membership fees pay for themselves.

But as the voting shows, it's a tough sell.

[-] balsoft@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

This exists already, it's called mutual aid, I'm participating in it when I can.

The reason why this won't work on a large scale without a societal shift is the same as why UBI isn't implemented already. It's capital leeching off a big share of resources from labor.

If we replace the capitalists with a fair sharing system, we could implement a generous UBI and also your effective net salary would go up.

Or, if you want to go a more reformist route, you can implement a very aggressive progressive taxation scheme (a-la FDR) to force rich people to contribute more. That way once again, we can implement UBI without your taxes going up.

[-] plyth@feddit.org 1 points 1 week ago

If we replace the capitalists with a fair sharing system, we could implement a generous UBI and also your effective net salary would go up.

Which is essentially communism and a goal too far away.

Or, if you want to go a more reformist route, you can implement a very aggressive progressive taxation scheme (a-la FDR) to force rich people to contribute more.

Why should the rich share with the average person if the average person doesn't want to share with the poor?

Start with the average person and the rich will join.

[-] balsoft@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Which is essentially communism

No, it's more like total welfare state socialism. Not yet achieved anywhere, but might happen within our lifetimes in China.

and a goal too far away.

Only because most working-class people think that, with a bit of class conscience is totally within our grasp.

Why should the rich share with the average person if the average person doesn’t want to share with the poor?

Because the average person, world-wide, is struggling to get by and doesn't have much in terms of extra resources, because the rich are stealing a significant portion of the labor value. Meanwhile the rich (who, again, are stealing the resources from the working person) are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on stupid bullshit that even they don't really need. It's pretty clear that we should indeed start with the rich.

Start with the average person and the rich will join.

Lol. No. The rich will never do anything other than short-sighted profiteering unless directly threatened with imprisonment or death. Otherwise they would be joining the mutual aid orgs which already exist almost everywhere.

[-] plyth@feddit.org 1 points 1 week ago

Because the average person, world-wide

Of course, because the average person in the West is already rich.

So there are the resources for an UBI.

are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on stupid bullshit that even they don’t really need.

Make it $800 billion. That would give each person $100.

It’s pretty clear that we should indeed start with the rich.

It us not. The rich can prevent you from starting if you need them to participate but nobody is preventing you from doing it yourself.

No. The rich will never do anything other than short-sighted profiteering

Even if they do, it's just $100 more. You don't need them.

[-] balsoft@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Make it $800 billion. That would give each person $100.

I'm not talking about just taking the bullshit money away. The combined assets of "big" capitalists worldwide is in high-double-digit trillions of dollars. That would be enough for a livable UBI for everyone, for some time at least. Redistributing the rest of the capital more equitably is trickier but also worthwhile.

It us not. The rich can prevent you from starting if you need them to participate but nobody is preventing you from doing it yourself.

As I've said, I'm participating in local mutual aid communities when I can.

Even if they do, it’s just $100 more. You don’t need them.

Even $100 is considered an OK monthly salary in some places of the world. But redistributing all the wealth more equitably would mean a lot more than $100.

Stop defending capitalists, they will never appreciate it or give you anything in return.

[-] plyth@feddit.org 1 points 6 days ago

The combined assets of “big” capitalists worldwide is in high-double-digit trillions of dollars. That would be enough for a livable UBI for everyone, for some time at least.

That doesn't work. Assets are not recurring income so you can only handout them once.

As I’ve said, I’m participating in local mutual aid communities when I can.

What does prevent it from spreading?

Stop defending capitalists, they will never appreciate it or give you anything in return.

They create the structure. People could already have the assets for UBI if they were structured. We don't have because groups don't have the discipline to maintain the structure all the time.

If the group can force the billionaires to hand out the assets then they could also create the assets on their own.

[-] jj4211@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

We have voluntary programs, they are called charities and they gave so little participation that they have to pick and choose their battles and ensure they spend money on those that care.

Also hard to know if the charity is efficient, competent, and free of corruption.

UBI needs universal participations on contributor and recipient to maybe work. Hard to say even then since the nature of it resists meaningful experiments, and the few actual programs tend to fall well short of even "basic" income.

[-] plyth@feddit.org 1 points 1 week ago

Charities are not sustainable. There needs to be recurring income.

UBI needs universal participations

Why? Only honest people are needed who are willing to work if they can.

[-] BilSabab@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

we have something like that in our tenant unions - we drop extra money to support lonely elderly

this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2025
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