Sir, - It appears that Kevin Myers (An Irishman's Diary, October 9th) has not taken time to read Pathways to Basic Income. I have sometimes remarked, at international basic income conferences where CORI contributions are seen to be ahead of the pack, that one reason why Fr Sean Healy and Sr Brigid Reynolds have been able to work so methodically towards realisable proposals for an unconditional basic income is that, in a sense, they have a reliable BI from their respective orders, which leaves them free to concentrate on constructive research.
Their defenders (October 15th and 16th) do not seem to be aware of how revolutionary the proposal is. Sister Stanislaus and Fr McVerry try to pick up those who fall through the net. The net is constructed of red tape, conditions, forms to be filled. A society in which everyone, old, young, workers, carers, poor farmers and the family members of poor farmers have a modest but reliable and unconditional income would reform itself.
I do not know whether the proposed system would make it easier to identify tax-evaders, but I believe that we would quite soon forget exclusion and unemployment and thereby lessen suicide and many other evils.
At present refugees are given social welfare, with the usual condition that they must not do gainful work. They must think we are crazy. - Yours, etc., Maire Mullarney,
Whitechurch Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.