IS now the time to get radical and adopt the suggested Universal Basic Income of a guaranteed £5200 per person, per year?

That’s the intriguing proposition that is going to put to the Festival of Politics. The National will be previewing the events of the Festival on Monday, but we thought Yes DIY readers might want to know about this online event being held on October 22, from 1pm to 2pm. hosted by the Scottish Parliament in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University.

The organisers say: “One in four children in Scotland live in poverty – the vast majority within working households. Is it now time to get radical and adopt the suggested Universal Basic Income of a guaranteed £5200 per person, per year?

“Would this stop generations of children growing up without resources to obtain the type of diet, amenities, living conditions and ability to participate in activities, that we’d expect in 21st -century Scotland?

“What other radical solutions are out there to mitigate the detrimental effects of poverty? And to improve life chances before the cycle of generational poverty finally ends?”

The free event will be chaired by Neil Gray MSP, Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. The panellists are Prof John McKendrick of the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit at Glasgow Caledonian University; Wendy Hearty, Basic Income Project Manager of the Steering Group, and Russell Gunson, the Institute for Public Policy Research Scotland.