Sir, - During the Nixon regime, the Senator from New York, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, approached the President (or so the story goes) with the rhetorical question: "How would you like to go down in history as the Disraeli of American politics?" Mr Nixon replied: "I'm listening." Mr Moynihan then explained his radical idea. Whereupon Mr Nixon introduced what came to be known as the negative income tax plan, which would have guaranteed a basic income for everyone and done away with means testing and other degrading evaluations. It was, of course, far too progressive a plan to gain acceptance in a thoroughly indoctrined capitalistic society and, sadly but not surprisingly, flopped.
The basic income plan currently being discussed here, whether initiated by CORI or the Green Party, is similar to that of Moynihan/Nixon, and also, I fear, so progressive and enlightened that it will be unacceptable to a thoroughly indoctrinated capitalistic society. Presumably our
Celtic tigers are far too busy amassing wealth to be concerned about social injustice and such issues as deprivation, poverty and homelessness. We are at the bottom of the European league regarding the maldistribution of wealth, on a par with the USA. If we had not already learned the lesson, surely Reaganism and Thatcherism taught us that greed is not good.
By the way, the Celtic tiger is not hard to find. Just look out for the fat cat with the insatiable appetite. - Yours, etc.,
Tobernea Terrace, Seapoint, Co Dublin.