FRANCE: Hamon becomes Socialist Party presidential candidate following basic income-focused campaign

FRANCE: Hamon becomes Socialist Party presidential candidate following basic income-focused campaign

The French Socialist Party has elected a pro-basic income politician, Benoît Hamon, as its candidate for the presidential election this spring.

Benoît Hamon, the left-wing politician who has gained considerable media attention in recent months for his basic income proposal, has won the Socialist Party presidential nomination. He comfortably beat rival and former prime minister Manuel Valls by 58.9% to 41.1%, after his surprise win in the first round.

“Universal basic income is a tool to liberate work, allowing people to actually choose their work and not suffer from it” Hamon declared yesterday in his speech to supporters after his victory was made official.

A centerpiece of Hamon’s campaign has been his universal basic income proposal, which he claims should be introduced step by step:

  • Introducing, in 2018, a basic income without means-testing for those between the ages of 18 and 25.
  • Raising existing unemployment and underemployment benefits (RSA) to 600 euro a month.
  • Instituting a system of automatic payment of such benefits, to replace the existing system under which eligible persons have to apply (meaning that a third of those eligible do not receive their entitlements).
  • Launching a citizens’ conference to determine the details of the basic income’s ultimate extension to all citizens, and increasing the payment to 750 euro a month.

Nicole Teke of BIEN’s French affiliate, the French movement for basic income (MFRB), said the following of the result: “This is a beautiful victory, not only for Hamon but also for the idea of basic income. This vote shows that hundreds of thousands of people want basic income to be at the heart of political debate. This is such progress when compared with the misunderstanding of the idea three years ago! The advocacy work carried out by the MFRB along with other associations has borne fruit today.” She highlights that MFRB have contacted all the presidential candidates, advocating for the swift introduction of basic income across the political spectrum. Basic income is proving to be a popular idea in France, as elsewhere, with the Senate just last October releasing a report calling for pilot projects to investigate the policy.

In explaining his reasons for adopting such a stance, Hamon focuses on arguments regarding the changing nature of work given advances in automation. In an interview with Le Monde, for instance, he states: “According to all serious studies, there are hundreds of thousands of unskilled or low-skilled jobs that are beginning to be destroyed in Western economies. We must manage this transition and make the most of this amazing opportunity that the digital revolution offers us to work less and live better.”

This proposal drew sharp criticism from the pro-business Valls, who (despite earlier statements) instead offered a “decent income” of 800 euro a month, targeted solely at the worst-off. This would involve simplifying the French welfare system, but maintaining means-testing.

Hamon’s success has been compared to that of Jeremy Corbyn in the UK, as both represent a return to socialist values within parties that have been moving ever closer to the political center. Hamon’s platform also includes a tax on robots to fund the basic income, reductions in working hours.

Now Hamon will face a hard battle to win the presidential election against his rivals. The Socialist Party has lost a massive number of supporters under the mandate of President Hollande and is expected to be a big loser in the upcoming election.

According to the most recent polls, Hamon would only receive 15% of the votes, in fourth position behind Front National’s Le Pen (25%), Conservative Fillon (22%) and Centrist Macron (21%), but ahead of the radical-leftist Mélenchon (10%). This estimate is, however, much higher than earlier polls suggested, which had predicted Hamon to receive only up to 6% of the votes if he were to become the Socialist candidate.

The first round of the presidential election will take place on 23 April.

Read more:

Stanislas Jourdan, “FRANCE: Pro basic income candidate set to win socialist primary election“, Basic Income News, 22 January, 2017.

Thomas Samson, “Part-Sanders, part-Corbyn: how French socialist Hamon stepped out of the dark“, France 24, 25 January, 2017.

Pascal Guyot, “French left mulls universal basic income ahead of primaries“, France 24, 12 January, 2017.

Cédric Pietralunga and Bastien Bonnefous, “Benoît Hamon : « Le revenu universel est la nouvelle protection sociale »” [Benoît Hamon: universal income is the new social security], Le Monde, 4 January, 2017.

Mathilde Damgé et Adrien Sénécat, “Hamon-Valls : deux revenus de base, un même flou de financement” [Hamon-Valls: two basic incomes, a common haze on financing], Le Monde, 24 January, 2017.

Barbara Carnevale, “La proposition de revenu universel de Benoît Hamon” [Benoît Hamon’s universal income proposal], Le Mouvement Francais pour le Revenu de Base, 23 December, 2016.

Stanislas Jourdan, “FRANCE: Prime Minister Pledges Again to Open the Debate on Basic Income“, Basic Income News, 25 September, 2016.

FRANCE: Senate Report Marks Another Milestone for Basic income“, Basic Income News, 23 October, 2016.

Additional reporting by Stanislas Jourdan

Photo: Benoît Hamon CC 2.0 Parti socialiste

FRANCE: Pro basic income candidate set to win socialist primary election

FRANCE: Pro basic income candidate set to win socialist primary election

Vocal supporter of basic income, Benoit Hamon came out first in the first round of the socialist primary. He now stands a serious chance to become the Socialist candidate for the French presidential election.

Update 30/01/2017: As we predicted, Benoit Hamon has won the second round of the Socialist primary election. He will stand as presidential candidate for the elections.

The pro-basic income politician was designated as the winner of the first round of the French left-wing primary with 36% of the vote, ahead of the former Prime Minister Manuel Valls (31%) and Arnaud Montebourg (18%). Now he stands a big chance to become the socialist candidate in the presidential race.

Hamon immediately received the support of his fellow main competitor Montebourg for the second round of the election, which should secure his victory against the former Prime Minister Manuel Valls at the second round. The later is perceived as a pro-business and status quo candidate within the party and has lost a lot of momentum recently.

Sometimes described in the international media as the ‘French Jeremy Corbyn’, Hamon, 49 years old, was Education Minister and Minister for the Solidarity Economy under President François Hollande. He was pushed to resignation after a government reshuffle in August 2014.

Hamon’s victory comes as a big surprise as he was only polling around 11% in December. However his vibrant campaign received an increasing level of following until the finish line. In particular, Hamon made a great impression during the last TV debate, where he was designated as the best representative of the left’s values according to polls.

Hamon has developed a radically progressive platform including bold proposals such as basic income, working hours reduction, a tax on robots, a ‘popular referendum’ system similar to the one in Switzerland, the legalisation of cannabis and the recognition of blank votes (protest votes) in national elections.

However, basic income was by far the policy that has attracted the most attention – and critics. Over the past few weeks, virtually all media in France, from newspapers to TV stations, have extensively discussed the idea of the universal basic income.

Hamon proposes the gradual introduction of a basic income in France up to the level of 750 EUR. Under his plan, the first step would involve raising the level of the existing minimum income and extended it to people under 25 years old. In a second stage, a social and fiscal reform would lead to the full implementation of a basic income.

Many commentators and politicians said the policy is too expensive (around 300 billions euros), This misleading criticism showed the extent to which the mechanics of the basic income is not yet well understood.

The French movement for basic income (MFRB) rejoiced the outcome of the vote. “This is a big win, not just for Hamon but also for the idea of basic income. The result of the ballot is a proof that hundreds of thousands of people in France want basic income to be in the political agenda now. Hamon’s candidacy to the presidential election will ensure the continuity of the nationwide debate on this issue,” said MFRB spokesperson Nicole Teke.

The second round of the Socialist primary election will take place on January 29.


Credit picture CC Parti Socialiste

FRANCE: Senate Report Marks Another Milestone for Basic income

FRANCE: Senate Report Marks Another Milestone for Basic income

After months of hearings and discussions with experts, the French Senate released a report on Basic Income recommending pilot projects.

Article by Didier Di Camillo adapted from MFRB’s statement on the report.

The parliamentary commission on basic income was initiated in May under the proposal of Socialist MP Daniel Percheron. Under the ‘mission of information’ procedure of the French senate, MPs can form an ad-hoc committee to investigate specific topics and produce non-binding recommendations.

The 433-page report formally commits to the testing of a basic income in France, through three-year pilots involving up to 30,000 citizens. The report also concludes that if the pilots showed successful results, the potential implementation of a nationwide basic income should meet the following criteria:

  • Be paid only to adult residents registered by fiscal authorities;
  • Be higher than the current minimum income scheme in France;
  • Be unconditional, although the money could be targeted to specific uses (in the form of vouchers);
  • Be financed by an important fiscal reform and partial replacement existing social benefits in a manner that favors the recipients.

Those conclusions broadly follow the main recommendations from the basic income movement in France.

Immediately following the public release of the report, the MFRB has immediately called on the government to provide the necessary funding as soon as possible in order to speed-up basic income trials in France. Those pilots would demonstrate its societal need and help pave the way for implementation.

“The result of many hours of discussions”

As Percheron MP pointed out, “This report, the result of many hours of discussions with economists, philosophers, and representatives from labor unions, civil society groups and public institutions, provides a first-ever glimpse of where they stand on this old but nonetheless revolutionary issue.”

marc-basquiat-senate

Hearing with Marc de Basquiat, prominent basic income advocate and founding member of MFRB.

The French Movement for a Basic Income (MFRB) praised the substantive work conducted by the Senate’s committee, which was composed of MPs from different political stripes–another sign that the interest in basic income transcends the left-right divide.

The Senate’s report is the first parliamentary report on universal income produced in France. The diversity of visions expressed by its contributors points to a convergence. The MFRB welcomes this: “as the implementation of a basic income must not come at the expense of essential social programs. As a citizen’s movement, we examine the various proposals that emerge based on our charter. The whole concept must promote greater social justice and a real reduction in poverty and inequality.”

With basic income becoming a key issue in the political arena, the MFRB also calls on all candidates in the upcoming presidential and legislative elections of 2017 to take a stance on a true basic income – one which upholds the inalienable right to a universal, unconditional and individual income. In this context, the MFRB is willing to work with all political actors, associations and media to broaden the debate on this important issue for France today.

FRANCE: Socialist primary candidate Benoît Hamon makes UBI key proposal of his campaign

FRANCE: Socialist primary candidate Benoît Hamon makes UBI key proposal of his campaign

Benoît Hamon, member of the French National Assembly for Yvelines, is making unconditional basic income a key component of his Socialist Party (PS) primary campaign.

Though all of the Green candidates have showed support for basic income, Hamon is the only PS candidate to express vigorous support for the idea.

In an article in Les Echos, Hamon lays out some of his main reasons for advocating for a UBI:

“We can not accept that thousands of French are forced to sacrifice their physical and mental health for grueling and precarious jobs. A transition is necessary and the ambition is great. Tomorrow, our citizens could be released from sustained uncertainty and, instead, choose their mobility. Tomorrow, all working forms of economic and social utility are recognized and valued, beyond the single employee or paid work. The value of an individual and his right to dignity would not be indexed to their contribution to GDP.”

Relatedly, Hamon campaigns for the recognition of “burnout” as an occupational disease. “The Law on social dialogue and employment” first recognized burnout in this way last year, and Hamon would like to make further advancements.

“[I]n 2016, 20% of French say they are on the edge of burnout, and 70% of paid employees do not feel noticed.”

In his arguments for a UBI, Hamon also stresses the risk of unemployment due to increased mechanization of work. As he points out on his website,

“In Europe, between 2000 and 2010, 7.6 million jobs have disappeared under the direct impact of new technologies.”

 

“While 10% of the workforce is unemployed, up to 3 million jobs could disappear in France with digitization by 2025.”

Moreover, today in France, 24% of individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed. “The youth… should no longer be synonymous with insecurity,” writes Hamon.

Hamon proposes an unconditional basic income distributed to every adult citizen on an individual basis. He says, “its amount and funding would be adjusted regularly to ensure each and every citizen has sufficient income to live and participate in public life.”

benoit_hamon

Hamon’s Breakdown

Here are the main features of the UBI program that Hamon proposes.

Every adult citizen would receive €750 per month. This would cost €300 billion per year. The UBI would exist alongside €18 billion in housing subsidies, €23 billion in social benefits, and €53 billion in family benefits–his rationale being that “the Basic Income should strengthen, not reduce the social protection of the French.”

Hamon plans to finance the basic income in part through reforms to the tax system, expecting to bring in €24 billion in revenue by individualizing income tax, €84 billion by closing tax loopholes, and €80 billion by fighting against tax evasion. He also recommends taxing wealth and digital technology, in addition to other appropriate taxation (he provides the example of French tax authorities who are currently demanding €1.6 billion in back taxes from Google).

Le revenu universel, la voie pour le progrès socialLe #RevenuUniversel pose la question fondamentale de la société que nous voulons pour demain. Pour aborder l’avenir avec confiance, notre pays a besoin d’un projet mobilisateur en ce début de XXIe siècle. Ayons l’audace de créer le revenu universel, comme nous avons eu l’audace de créer la sécurité sociale, pour protéger chaque citoyen face aux aléas de la vie.

Posted by Benoît Hamon on Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Hamon wants to change conceptions of wealth, the value of individuals, and the value of work from economic (GDP) to social, cultural, and educational. He explains his vision in the above video.

September polls show Hamon with support from 14% and 16% of those who intend to vote in the election. The PS presidential primary will take place on January 22, 2017.

On October 18th, Hamon invited people to a well-attended Q&A over coffee and drinks. Hamon’s campaign is part of a growing surge of interest in UBI in France. France’s prime minister, for instance, recently reopened the gates for discussion on basic income.

 


Cover Photo: by Margot L’hermite, published on Facebook on Oct 25, 2013.

Graphic: by BenoitHamon2017, campaign flyer.

Video: by Benoit Hamon, published on Facebook on Oct 4, 2016.

FRANCE: Basic Income session at World Forum for a Responsible Economy (Oct 10)

FRANCE: Basic Income session at World Forum for a Responsible Economy (Oct 10)

The 10th annual World Forum for a Responsible Economy will be held in France from October 10 through 14. Events will be held in a different city on each consecutive day, beginning in Lille and ending in Paris. Overall, the conference features approximately 100 speakers, and is expected to draw over 5000 attendees.

The theme of this year’s World Forum for a Responsible Economy is “Envisioning the economy of the future”. In keeping with this theme, one session–held on Monday, October 10 in Lille–will focus on basic income:

The ideal of offering all people with a job that provides them with an income satisfying their basic needs is becoming a mere dream. Additionally, people are increasingly given redundant and shedding jobs. Offering people an unconditional basic income, so that they do not have to worry about mere survival, can unleash untapped potential and new opportunities. But it also comes at a cost. In this session, a number of pioneers who are involved in basic income experiments will share their experiences, fears and hopes for the future.

Speakers include Sarath Davala (sociologist and founder of the BIEN affiliate India Network for Basic Income), Michael Bohmeyer (entrepreneur and founder of the non-profit Mein Grundeinkommen), and Olli Kangas (researcher at Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, which is currently planning the country’s basic income experiment).

Dean Rossouw of the Ethics Institute of South Africa will moderate the discussion.

For more information, see the website of the World Forum for a Responsible Economy and, specifically, its description of the session “Basic Income Grant: liberating or limiting human potential?


Reviewed by Genevieve Shanahan 

Image from Place Mitterand, Lille, France CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 todaysart