Above, nonagenarian Dame Joan Collins in her salad days.
The BBC report (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68649894) that Mr Hunt is committing the Tories to maintain the triple lock insofar as the state pension is concerned. Ms Reeves appears likely to promise the same.
Back in the 1950s the Old Age Pension was more affordable as many of it’s recipients helped the Treasury by dying as a result of their consumption of tobacco and high fat foodstuffs.
Today in the 2020s the State Retirement Pension is far less affordable due to many of it’s recipients like Dame Joan above refusing to help the Treasury by dying. Much of this is due to a lack of consumption of tobacco and high fat foodstuffs. It is also due to the NHS finding ways to keep us old folk alive!
Far from this situation ending; it will ultimately be expanded!
Herewith from the Green Party’s website: “EC730 Universal Basic Income sufficient to cover an individual’s basic needs will be introduced. Universal Basic Income is an unconditional, non-withdrawable income payable to each individual as a right of legal residence in the UK. It will not be subject to means testing and there will be no requirement to be either working or actively seeking work.”
Do NOT expect to see EC730 in either the Conservative or Labour party manifestos!
However, IF the development of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics follows a utopian and not dystopian course, expect a generous universal basic income paid to all!
Why?
Well the answer is simple really!
You see, if the capitalists replace salaried and waged human workers with AI controlled robots no salaried and/or wages need be paid! Only the cost of generating and providing the electricity to power them! This of course begs the question: IF nobody is paid anything for working, how will they afford the food they need to keep alive and the mobile ‘phones they do not need to enage in social media?
The answer is a universal basic income!
Clearly however there has to be a reward system. With incentives and disincentives.
Incentives will be additional payments and perquisites to reward activities and behaviour that is viewed by the authorities as desirable. Disincentives to “negatively reward” (punish) behaviour that is viewed by the authorities as undesirable.
Eating your greens will be viewed as desirable!
Eating a deep fried Mars bar will be viewed as undesirable!
Suggesting on social media that there are only two genders will be viewed as undesirable!
Suggesting on social media that there is an unlimited number of genders will be viewed as desirable!
You get the point!
Welcome to the 21st Century!
However, IF the development of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics follows a dystopian course, expect this particular machine to come knocking!
