https://twitter.com/ActivateLearn/status/1353255077897662465

I recently read Rutger Bregaman’s book Utopia for Realists and How We Can Get There.

Here is my review of his book:

We are currently living in the best period of life and we can construct a society now with the best ideas – that strangely, aren’t new ideas at all.

His big ideas are the following:

• UBI
• 15 hour work week
• Open borders

Universal basic income – give free money to everyone as statistics show that people are likely to educate and help themselves out of poverty.

Poverty does not provide the state of mind for people to do things in their lives because they’re focussing on survival. You ‘cannot take a break from poverty’

Return to work employment programs prolong unemployment as spending a week doing mindless tasks leaves less time for parenting, education and looking for real jobs. Poverty isn’t a lack of character, it’s a lack of cash.

GDP is a relatively new concept BUT we cannot use it as a yardstick anymore because what are we actually producing anymore?

The case for the 15 hour work week – what will a life full of leisure look like? We are working longer hours but productivity is down.

Why aren’t we working on complex problems instead such as climate change, emancipation of women, unemployment?

The rise of bullshit jobs and how the majority of us think our jobs are actually useless.

How we have things arse end about (my words – not Rutger’s). The need for people to understand Politics (capital P – as in progressive politics – reformist – politics acts to reaffirm the status quo, Politics breaks it free).

The Overton Window “where politicians can’t permit themselves viewpoints that are seen as too extreme. In order to hold power, they have to keep their ideas within margins of what’s acceptable.”

The need for the left to have a strong narrative – to reclaim language of progress for Reforms; Meritocracy; Innovation; Efficiency; Cut out Nanny State; Freedom.

“Everyone who reckons themselves progressive should be a beacon of not just energy but ideas, not only indignations but hope, and equal parts ethics and hard sell”