The UK is a rich country, but we do not use that wealth to ensure everyone thrives. We could end poverty on these islands and provide everyone living here with opportunity and security if we wanted to. We have the resources to do it. But that massive wealth is kept locked away, unavailable for supporting the public good.
Instead, households across the UK are seeing their financial security eroded away by: the high cost of living; an ineffective social security system; and low wages, insecure jobs and unemployment. Fully 90% of people receiving universal credit are currently going without essentials. And work is not always and everywhere a sufficient solution, as shown by the fact that 70% of children experiencing in poverty Scotland are living in a household where someone is in paid work.
The calls are growing for the government to ensure that everyone has access to a secure, adequate income for a decent and dignified life. While proposals for a Universal Basic Income have been long-standing and well-established, in Scotland we’re moving forward with a slightly different idea: the minimum income guarantee (MIG).
