Sir, While agreeing with Mr. McSweeney's argument that Guaranteed Basic Income needs to be introduced as quickly as possible, in his letter (April 30th) he makes several wrong assumptions about the Green Party. Firstly the Green Party has not "adopted" the CORI view of Basic Income, the Green Party was the first organisation in Ireland to promote Basic Income, as many within CORI will be prepared to acknowledge.
Secondly the Green Party is not anti-growth, it is for sustainable economic activity. We believe that much of what is presented as economic growth is a statistical aberration, and some of this growth is being bought at the price of future development. We believe that economic growth can be welcomed as long as it does not result in social or environmental degradation. We are not engaged in any act of goose slaying or egg vandalism.
The anomoly of increasing economic growth and increasing and widening poverty, as revealed in recent Eurostat figures, can only be addressed through the introduction of Guaranteed Basic Income. In this Mr. McSweeney needs to give greater credit to the Green Party, and our long and deeply held policies. Yours etc,
Green Party Spokesperson on Finance and Social Welfare
Capwell Avenue,
Turners Cross
Cork