Our country is truly broken. Age old assumptions that hard work leads to property ownership, stable family relationships and success can no longer be relied upon. Our public services are poorly resourced compared to other countries and our infrastructure is either a collection of white elephants – megaprojects scaled-back to the point of irrelevance – or failing private provision.
As the Common Sense Policy Group, we have presented a Beveridge-style programme for renewing the UK’s social provision in Act Now: A Vision for a Better Future and a New Social Contract. This presents a whole of government approach to rebuilding Britain. HM Treasury is integral to this plan, tasked with improving health, education, employment and myriad other outcomes by financing a basic income and a suite of basic services.
We believe the combination would transform individual behaviour and society by increasing the quantity, security and predictability of resources. We also believe that the magnitude of that transformation is greater the earlier in life that it is experienced.
