Too many people today are struggling to make ends meet, held back by jobs that don’t pay enough; a social security system that has subjected people to the most appalling indignity; and a public sector that is on its knees after a decade of cuts. [Thread] cards.twitter.com/cards/18ce547k…
Another future is possible, but we have to fight for it. Here are my ideas for how we can tackle the vast social injustice in our country.
It’s time to scrap Universal Credit and create a social security system fit for the 21st century with compassion and justice as its founding principles.
We must scrap the inhuman Work Capability Assessments and private provision of disability assessments (e.g. ATOS), scrap punitive sanctions, two-child limit and benefits cap.
We must end destitution and the rise of foodbanks by ensuring that benefit gaps, sanctions and debt recovery do not push people into poverty.
We must set a national goal for wellbeing to make health as important as GDP. We can learn from examples around the world including in New Zealand.
It’s crucial that we invest in early years services and radically shift resources to a preventative approach. As well as boosting the NHS, we need to invest in non-health services which impact on physical and mental health and life chances.
We must devolve powers and resources to harness the vibrancy in local communities so that public services can best meet people’s needs, and give people a say in the kind of support they want.
We should introduce a Public Right to Control unused buildings or community assets, and encourage the creation of new cooperative platforms for the digital age.
Government can and should set the rules for businesses. We should incentivise good quality jobs by driving out the bad employers and rewarding the good.
We must ensure everyone has the basic reading, writing, maths and digital skills they need for work, including creating a second chance career fund and boosting union learning.
I would really like to hear your thoughts and get your input into these proposals. You can read the full paper below. Another future is possible. cards.twitter.com/cards/18ce547k…
