A payment from the state for everyone? This concept has been debated on the left for years. Now there is a decision. It may not be the last word yet.
After years of dispute, the left has initially positioned itself against the demand for an unconditional basic income. What is meant is a “living” payment from the state that all citizens would receive regardless of their own job or need. The federal party conference of the Left in Halle voted against including the demand for such a basic income in the party program.
The new federal chairwoman Ines Schwerdtner, among others, argued against the basic income. Instead, she advocated a “sanction-free minimum income”. The difference is that this would only benefit those in need. Opponents of basic income also argued the high cost of the lump sum payment for everyone, estimated at one trillion euros per year. Proponents stated that a member vote in 2022 opted for the concept.
The party executive committee therefore felt obliged to put the inclusion in the Left program to a vote at a party conference. Schwerdtner spoke of a dilemma because she spoke against a member decision. She agreed to take up the topic again in a program discussion after the federal election. “We will take this member decision seriously.” A clear majority then voted against the party executive’s proposal.
Source: Stern
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