TZM Belgium Z-Day 20150404 - Basic Income by Christina Lambrecht: "Zeitgeist in transition"

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Good afternoon. Welcome all to Z-Day Belgium this event is organized by the Zeitgeist Movement
from Belgium it's part of the global Zeitgeist movement as you probably know The Zeitgeist
Movement is a sustainability advocacy group.
Our movements activism is explicitly based on non-violent communication and the focus
lies on educating the public about the root causes of our personal, social and ecological
problems. The Zeitgeist Movement also informs about
problem solving potential that science and technology enables but unfortunately it does
get unapplied due to the barriers inherent in our established social system.
Since 2009 The Zeitgeist Movement has been having Z-days all over the world in more than
70 countries. The goal of a Z-Day is to increase public awareness of our movement and the
potential for a new society. Our Z-Day today is especially about dialogue and transition.
Dialogue in a sense that everyone will be able to participate and bring up certain topics.
And transition because of our wonderful guest speakers and the possible paths that they
will explain to us to show how we can transition to a better world.
Our program today. first we'll be starting with the presentation of basic income by Christina
Lambrecht. After which there will be a Q&A and dialogue about this transition method.
Then we'll have a short break you can as you see buy beverages and snacks at the bar. After
the break Jean Lievens will give a presentation about the P2P Foundation also followed by
a Q&A and our last topic of today is the People's Voice where you can give your thoughts on
certain topics or even bring up subjects. Now, how to present Christina?
Well, her Flemish and her German roots and her French-speaking family in law gave her
the perfect Belgian profile to represent Belgium during the European citizens initiative for
basic income between 14 January 2013 and 14 January 2014.
She likes to present herself as a self-made woman, today she is retired and spends her
time with her four grandchildren and lives with her husband in Namur. Before her retirement
she was active as a tourist guide translator, interpreter and she speaks Dutch, French,
German and English. Her former public relations activities learnt her to promote as best as
possible the stuff she believes in. So today she will be promoting basic income.
Her life experiences in Africa, Germany, United States, Russia and Belgium gave her a broad
view of the world, and of its many cultures. Yet, she does not want to pin herself on a
specific idea and she looks to basic income from her gut feeling. Therefore she asks us
to do the same thing today. She always says basic income has nothing to do with dogma,
but is an opportunity to support a transition to change. Please welcome: Christina Lambrecht.
I would like to say you that you, that in fact you are blowing me away. Tomorrow it's
Easter, normally the most people are at home preparing dinner for tomorrow, are going on
a nice journey. And you're coming here? For me? Well, I'm very grateful. And I would
like to say: thank you Joris for this invitation because as - I don't remember the name of
the young man - Arne. I'm not busy with a dogmatical way, I'm just a messenger and
so every opportunity to talk about Basic Income is a good opportunity.
But before starting this talk, I would like to share with you a kind of «unconvenient
thruth». The misunderstanding, surrounding the idea of Basic Income remains very large
and opponents of the Basic Income idea like to keep the smoke as thick as possible.
They try to use what I call, the fear strategy and accuse us, the supporters of Basic Income
of propaganda, of spreading the idea in a dogmatically way , and they do not hesitate
to even accuse us that we are engaged in a kind of new religion. Maybe you read some
of the posts the reactions I have on Facebook, and that's what quite often...
So, when I try to ask them of course, ok, maybe I am wrong, for I do not have the monopoly
on the truth, and then they close their ranks, but bring no good arguments that can contribute
to the enrichment of the debate.
Of course they say: “Yes, yes! You're studying Basic Income”. And soon we will
bring out all the pros and the cons.
But as I know, very seldom, these cons are constructive. You can have critics, but you
can also be constructive. And sometimes I do have this strange feeling that they are
reinventing the hot water but that this water must flow through their channels, because
they don't want to lose their own old achievements.
Or as Nicolo Machiavelli put it very sharply: “It must be remembered that there is nothing
more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than a new system.
For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old
institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who gain by the new ones. ”
And I tell them, to the opponents, and I tell it to everyone: I am not a university professor,
I am not an economist and I am not a philosopher, in fact I am, like you, probably a citizen
who is seeking for change.
So yes, I never will say that Basic Income is the only and one solution to our problems.
Of course I like to think that some of the problems we meet like climate change, are
linked together. And that we should be interested in solutions like degrowth, like sustainable
and more frugal economy. I think that The Zeitgeist is about this too. But to have this
change, we need also a strong and simple tool towards a complete change of the system out
of the short-term consumerism.
And here I would like to quote Michel Bauwens from the Peer-To-Peer. Who wrote in fact with
Jean Lievens who will be later here in the afternoon. Who wrote this book “De wereld
redden”. And he gives quite a lot of interesting ideas. And Michel, he once said: «The underlying
issue is how gradual, how smooth, how bearable, transition can be. And how can we support
those who gain a taste for frugality and its advantages and take the plunge into a different
way of life? »
It's indeed a very, very big challenge! And that's where -to me- Basic Income might
come in.
I also told you, I am not an economist. So for those who are preparing calculators. I
won't answer the question about how to finance Basic Income. I can tell you it's possible
and people more clever than I -the economists- they already did the calculation exercise.
But, what we really need. And that's in fact why I am calling myself the messenger
of Basic Income. What we really need, and this I would like to say in Dutch, because
it is linked to our Belgian politics. And probably you all will remember this. We need
"vijf minuten politieke moed”. Five minutes of political courage.
Our policymakers only talk about Gross National Product, because that's how they measure
how economically rich we are and so it's always linked to work-production and consumption.
Gross National Product measures everything, except that what is not worthwhile. Like health,
education, self-development, having enough free time to do something else than working,
producing, consuming.
Yet, when you talk about transition and change towards a system that makes life worthwhile
and you talk about the Gross National Happiness.. maybe you heard about it? You have this little
country in Bhutan, in the Himalaya, and there they are thinking measuring the wealth and
the health of the people by Gross National Happiness. You'll see when you talk about
Gross National Happiness instead of Gross National Product and you propose Basic Income,
you'll discover soon how difficult it is: people are so afraid for the unknown and prefer
to push always forward the challenges they are confronted with because in fact they are
always afraid of losing old achievements.
So to me, Basic Income, means in the first place a change of mentality, a kind of switch
towards a new sustainable system and therefore we need to build awareness, Basic Income awareness.
Now you're going to say: “What is she telling there?”. In Belgium for example,
a national Basic Income could be a politically viable program twenty years down the road,
but only if it can become a more mainstream concept in the nearer future.
Our politicians need to begin addressing Basic Income as a legitimate idea and start talking
about how it might work.
We need to build awareness, so that elected officials and the general population know
what Basic Income is and what problems it could solve.
We need policy experts to think about scenarios for how it could be practically implemented.
And we eventually need to set up city- and state-wide experiments in Belgium, in the
same way the Netherlands are starting now, so that we validate its effectiveness in a
real domestic environment.
But there is always, a but. The NIMBY factor. Not in my backyard!
When I talk about Basic Income: most people say: “wow, that's a great idea!”. And
then they ask me: “yes, but I am going to lose in this new kind of system?”. Or they
say -you repeated it already, when we discussed together-. Or they say: “that's fine,
but aren't you going to create an army of lazy losers?”.
So I like to compare Basic Income with the National lottery in Belgium: “win for life”.
Say 1000 euros a month, and then people say -that's always very strange-: “oh, if
I win this lottery, there will be no much change in my life, I'll continue to work,
maybe a little bit less”; “I will do something else because I don't like my actual bullshit
job”; I'll create something, I'll realize a dream, I'll buy something for my children
or for my home” and so on and so on…
So, lottery -and I don't understand it, because lottery is based on luck-. But lottery
seems to bring only positive, constructive and trustfully vibes. People feel in fact
“zen” with lottery. No one is telling me, “when my neighbour wins the lottery
1000 euro a month, well he'll become a lazy loser….”. No one is telling me that. But,
as soon I do ask the same question about 1000 euro a month Basic Income, confidence in the
other disappears like snow in the sun. “My neighbour having this Basic Income, 1000 euro?
Lazy loser he will be!”. That's the mentality. In fact we need trust, confidence.
And now, let's start with very bad news: Robots are stealing our jobs. You hear it
every day I think. Especially on Facebook, I see everyday posts “this is automated”.
Two days ago, I listened to a radio programme “Radio1' from Belgium from the VRT. There
was this young man, I think a scientist, who explains in simple words science - about science.
And he was also a little bit talking about the Peer-To-Peer activities who are growing
everywhere. He said on the radio -I thought it was very funny-: “right now I am creating
a little robot”. So he can go at the bakery on Sunday buy my 'pistolets' -I don't
know how to say this in English. Little breads, “so I can stay in my bed”. That's “robot”.
Some say “oh no, this is science fiction”, but it really shouldn't. It's not science
fiction. It's in fact happening every day. Jobs are disappearing and no, I'm not talking
about lovely WALL-E. Have you seen this movie? My grandchildren, WALL-E is their hero. So
don't talk bad about him.
No, I don't talk about WALL-E and these kind of robots. I'm talking about the robots
who are stealing our jobs by automating. And then some will say: “yes! okay, okay; automation,
jobs are stolen, but, automation of low-skilled jobs, will create new high-skilled jobs. Yes
of course, it will always again. But never enough to give again full time jobs to everyone.
And even higher-skilled jobs are at risk today and start to be handled more and more by computer
programs.
So, yes, robots taking our jobs in fact is a devastating blow, especially in a full employment
economy. Inequality and poverty will increase, as well as the huge amount of pressure and
stress on our social welfare systems for the unemployed, which weren't designed to support
that number of people for extended periods of time.
So -some questions-. What if we would no longer focus on full employment? What if it was just
okay to not have a full time position? What if robots stealing our jobs could actually
be a good thing, rather than something to fear? That's the thinking behind a Basic
Income .
At first blush, of course, Basic Income may seem very similar to the existing social programs,
providing assistance to help those who are struggling.
But, there is a key difference: Basic Income would be considered as a fundamental right,
rather than a form of welfare. This would eliminate any stigma, that might exist for
programs that are designed for those in need.
And it is very simple.
Because Basic Income would be provided to every adult -to everyone of you-, and because
it just involves sending you a fixed payment to people every month, it would be much simpler
to run and require less bureaucracy than other social programs.
But, let me also give you the four criteria for Basic Income as accepted by BIEN, the
Basic Income Earth Network.
The definition to Basic Income Earth Network for Basic Income is: universal, individual,
unconditional, and high enough.
So Basic Income has to be high enough to live on, without needing any supplemental funds.
That means that you could be able to get by, even if you lost your job and there wouldn't
be immediate pressure to find a new one as quickly as possible. Having full time employment
would no longer be mandatory.
What's more -this one I like, what's more-, recent studies have shown that anxiety around
poverty reduces brain power – which means that the guarantee of Basic Income would actually
make people smarter.
Some are wondering whether or not, we should first start with a Basic Income at the European
level.
We see today indeed overwhelming evidence that the economic and austerity policies of
the European Union have a devastating impact on the lives of many Europeans, and they often
lead to a situation in which people have very little control over their own lives.
A growing number of people are confronted with an everyday life of financial restrictions
and a fading hope of seeing personal and professional efforts recognized.
So, yes, with the objective of an Unconditional Basic Income for each European Citizen, it
would be possible to set in fact a positive process in motion, allowing everyone the opportunity
of participation in working towards the common goals as stated in the European Constitution
and in the Declaration of Human Rights.
So let me just have some words, a few words about the European Basic Income idea as proposed
by Philippe Van Parijs, in fact the founder of BIEN.
He calls it the Euro-dividend .
It consists of paying a modest Basic Income. He proposes I think 200 euro, to every legal
resident of the European Union, or at least of the subset of member states that either
have adopted the Euro or are committed to do so.
This income provides each resident with a universal and unconditional floor (a base)
that can be supplemented at will by labour income, capital income and social benefits.
Its level can vary from country to country to track the cost of living, and it can be
lower for the young and higher for the elderly. It has to be financed by the Value Added Tax.
I leave it to you to google Philippe van Parijs and Euro-dividend to learn more about it.
Yet; sometimes I like to think this would be a nice idea for Greece for example.
Basic Income pilot projects have proven that it works, so why not, instead of suffocating
Greece and all these other countries -member states in need- with unrealistic demands and
impossible obligations, start a European pilot project for Basic Income?
But as I say: it's like wishful thinking.
Joris, you asked me to give some history about Basic Income. But, you know, every time when
the Basic Income idea bubbled up again in history, it was always in its own contemporary
context.
Some days ago I did read a quote -that's why Facebook is very nice, you have every
day quotes of people passing by, this one I selected-. Some days ago I did read a quote
coming from US President Theodore Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States and
I would like to share it with you: In his annual Message to the Congress on January
11, 1944 and in a fireside chat to the American people the same evening, he stated : “We
now do realise the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security
and independence. Men in need are not free men. People who are hungry and out of a job
are the stuff of which dictatorships are made and only -and this one I like- and only when
men have hours of labour short enough, he will, after his days work is done, have time
and energy to bear his share in the management of community and to help carrying the general
load.”
It sounds indeed like music in my basic income ears. And I think for the Zeitgeist maybe
too? Work less and Basic Income: that's what the future should be about!
And although the context of history and time was complete different, Thomas Paine already
pronounced similar words during the French revolution, some hundred fifty years earlier.
“No income, no citizen” he claimed in 1792 at the National Assembly.
The French Revolution was just broken out, but Thomas Paine warned his fellow revolutionaries:
“democracy friends, can only work well when citizens are economically free and available to make
flourish her.”
Today, we have professor Guy Standing, I met him on Wednesday. One of the co-founders of
Basic Income Earth Network, he says exactly the same in his book “A precariat charter,
from denizen to citizen” : the term Precariat was originally used to denote temporary and
seasonal workers, but now, with labor insecurity, a feature of most western economies, it is
the perfect word for a great mass of people, “flanked by an army of unemployed and a
detached group of socially ill misfits, who enjoy almost none of the benefits won by organized
labor during the 20th century.“.
In Standing's view, they increasingly resemble denizens rather than citizens: people with
restricted rights, largely living towards the bottom of a “tiered membership” model
of society.
So the idea of Basic Income bubbled up a long time, and still keeps bubbling up, but what
I notice today is that it gets more and more interest and followers.
So maybe Victor Hugo was right, he said: “nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come”.
We all know him as a novelist, dramatist, poet. But do we know this about him:
In 1848, Hugo was elected to the Parliament as a conservative. In 1849 he broke with the
conservatives when he gave a noted speech calling for the end of misery and poverty.
In other progressive speeches he called for the universal suffrage and free education
for all children. And Hugo's advocacy to abolish the death penalty was renowned internationally.
And is again very actual.
So it's in fact all about the Zeitgeist, Joris.
And not only the Zeitgeist, but also about strong men and women who are not afraid for
the unknown and believe that progress is the realisation of Utopias. Or, as Oscar Wilde
said: “A map of the world that does not include utopia is not even worth glancing
at, for it leaves out the one country at which humanity is always landing. And when humanity
lands there, it looks out for better countries. Seeing a better country sets sail.”
Today Joris, I think, Zeitgeist is in transition. The momentum for change has come!
And we live in a very exciting «Zeitgeist» I would even say we live at the crossroads
of old and new, and that's of course always full of suspense.
Which direction to choose?
What legacy we would take from the past, and we should leave to not burden our choice of
direction towards the future?
Let's have a little talk about the Belgian social security.
I like to think that at the beginning of the industrial revolution, social security was
also a kind of utopia progressing in the mind of some people. But then suddenly it was realized
and it was greatly expanded thanks to the labor unions. But today we are in a very very
different situation: at the crossroad of a changing labor market in which we are becoming
in fact prosumers.
This word was coined in the 80's by the futurist Alvin Toffler — in his book The
Third Wave — as a blend of producer and consumer.
He used it, to describe a possible future type of consumer, who would become involved
in the design and the production of goods. Thanks to the 3D printer for example.
He argued that we then no longer would be a passive market upon which industry dumped
consumer goods, but a part of the creative process.
So our social security needs an urgent update.
And whether you call it Basic Income, Citizens income, Transition Income, Citizen Dividend….it's
it's all about advancing equality and economic participation while enabling and emancipating
simpler welfare systems.
Today, in fact we already are in very modern times. Today, a solar powered plane, the Solar
Impulse, is flying around the world. Without fuel, only sun energy. We discovered that
Jupiter's moon Ganymede has a salty ocean with more water than on earth.
So in fact Oscar Wilde was right: progress is the realization of utopias.
We first learned how to make fire or to use fire, and this was a very huge step forward
and I think in fact that some of our far-off ancestors at the first fire burned their fingers…..so
this unknown new discovery for sure was not immediately appreciated by all.
Some might have said: “oh forget about it, let's remain deeply enough in our cave,
it's warm there and it's safe.”
But soon they knew: this unknown possibility -this fire- not only keeps us warm, brings
safety ….but a mammoth burger on barbecue tasted so much better…
And so men kept going on, always on and on, progressing from crossroad to crossroad. Setting
sails for newer and better countries. We are leaving now today, the era of petrol in which
we made cars and aircraft and we live in a more and more internet connected world, and
what's next?
Are we entering the P2P revolution towards a collaboration prosumers economy? But I suppose
that Jean explains more about it later.
Since I'm invited by The Zeitgeist Movement, I wanted to have a few words about Jacque
Fresco. And I would like to use a quote. For those who don't know Jacque Fresco, he was
an American futurist, he also is known for The Venus Project, with Resource-Based Economy
ideas I think, and he also featured in the movie Zeitgeist Addendum.
[And “Moving Forward”.] I don't know, but... where his ideas of the future were
given as possible alternatives.
Now, he said: «Today we have access to highly advanced technologies. But our social and
economic system has not kept up with our technological possibilities that could easily create a world
of abundance, free of servitude and debt. Yet too many of us continue to believe that
some miracle technology will make growth always possible, again and again and thus postpone
the need for change because they think there is no alternative and that growth is the only
solution.”
So my proposal is Basic Income as a possible alternative.
As I said in the beginning: the idea is very simple: everyone in society receives a regular
income simply for being alive. Because you are there. And yet, let me ask you this. Would
our lives be better, would they have more meaning, if we knew we are working together
as a species toward common goals, without the fear of an income security?
To me the answer is yes! What if we start really working together toward these common
goals, designing our worldwide society for the benefit of all?
And here, I used the word “common”. And maybe you heard already about “the commons”.
I again I leave it to Jean to talk about it because to me, the commons, the P2P and collaboration
economy both fit perfectly together.
But, what I would like to say about it: the contributors who create these common values.
Like Wikipedia and so on. And share it with all of us, they don't have any income security.
With a Guaranteed Basic Income the individual would have easier access to a range of human
activities, and thus in fact it will encourage work.
A Guaranteed Basic Income that is high enough to ensure an existence in dignity and participation
in society and enables you to make your own free choices as well in private life, in your
P2P or prosumers activities or on the formal labor market.
In fact, it evens out life chances and choices.
And choice is to me as the Muse of creativity: human beings are not short of activities,
but rather of recognition, and freedom and financial security.
But here's another quote from Jacque Fresco: “If you think we can't change the world,
It just means you're not one that will.”.
Today the Zeitgeist is a bit of gloomy. And as I said, we are on the crossroad of old
and new. It gives an uncertain feeling, how to deal with the “unknown”?
Well, in fact I am quite positive about it. Humanity comes from far and still has to go
a long way. And we always learn by trial and error. And no one has a crystal ball of course,
but the future starts today, not tomorrow.
Jeremy Rifkin, author of “The Third Industrial Revolution,” said “Basic Income is not
a utopia, it is a practical business plan for the next step of human journey.”
Tomorrow we are celebrating Easter, and Easter is about being with people you love. And I
love being with you. Thank you.
[And thank you Christina Lambrecht!]