Rue Hector Blondiau, 22 7070 Mignault (Belgium)
EUROPE FR. Brasseur Jean-Paul 32 (0) 499 35 85 72 DE, FR, EN Meyer Joseph 32(0) 475 55 13 94 NL, EN, FR Nollen Paul 32 (0)3 651 75 28 www.vivanteurope.org Liberate work by removing its tax burden and finance social security by taxing the consumption of goods, which most often are produced by machine.” (+ unconditional Universal Allowance for all )
ELECTRONIC VIVANT-EUROPE N° 105 January 2013 Summary : 1. Editorial 2. Good vœux to politicians 3. The third industrial revolution according to Jeremy Rifkin. 4. Vivant-Europe proposals for a better future
1. EDITORIAL
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Is there a future for our living together ? Have we a way of ensuring a “Horn of Plenty” , on the affective, sociological and economic levels, for the human beings living on our planet? The Belgian network for the basic income (http://revenudebase.be) sent his best wishes to politicians in Belgium and the European Union with a claim against the driving of the human society by the economy and its power on the right of life of thousands people. Considering the growth of poverty, the Belgian network for the basic income supports a new social setup with many benefits. In our search for future solutions, we report hereunder an outline of the visit of the American economist Jéremy Rifkin (*), who believes in the capability of Wallonia to join the third industrial revolution rather quickly. We complement this report with a previous paper (published in 2010) presenting VIVANTEUROPE proposals for a better future. (*) Jeremy Rifkin (born Denver, Colorado in 1943) is an American essayist, specialised in future economic and scientific outlooks. He is also founder and President of the Foundation on Economic Trends (FOET)) based in Washington. PUBLICATIONS
- La troisième revolution industruelle - The Hydrogen economy : after oil, the new economic revolution, J.P.Tarcher, 2002 - The Age of Access : the New Culture of Hypercapitalism, Putnam Publishing Group, 2000 - The Biotech Century: Harnessing the Gene and Remaking the World, J.P.Tarcher, 1998 - The End of Work, Putnam Publishing Group, 1995 - The Sorcerer Apprentices : Biology tomorrow (with Ted Howard), Ramsay, 1979
2. GOOD VŒUX TO POLITICIANS Het is traditie om bij het naderen van een nieuw jaar de balans op te maken en de beste wensen aan te bieden voor een betere toekomst. Wij sluiten ons aan bij deze traditie en wensen eerst en vooral met u de vaststelling te delen dat, door de afwezigheid van een gemeenschappelijke sociale, fiscale en economische politiek tussen de lidstaten in de eurozone, de crisis die in 2008 ontstond, zal blijven voortduren en dat deze crisis vandaag zowel politiek, sociaal, financieel als economisch is. Vervolgens is het onze wens dat 2013 het jaar van de verandering zal worden, een verandering voor ALLE Europese burgers en gedragen door ALLE Europese burgers. Er is geen perspectief op economische groei, aldus het recente rapport van de OESO en dit maakt het dus nog moeilijker om sociale vooruitgang te voorspellen in de loop van de komende jaren. Het geloof in de sociale vooruitgang – door het verminderen van het precariaat en het verminderen van de armoede – is een noodzakelijke bron van hoop en energie voor de meeste burgers van de Europese gemeenschap. Zij staan voor vele uitdagingen: zich houden aan de opgelegde
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bezuinigingsmaatregelen en het vinden van de juiste econmische en sociale evenwichten in een gemondialisseerde wereld. Wij zijn “gewone” burgers, actief in nationale en Europese sociale netwerken en wij denken na over hoe we op een constructieve wijze een antwoord kunnen bieden op de crisis. Deze crisis die inderdaad maar blijft voortduren, vraagt, ons insziens, naar een kentering in het sociale paradigma en de afschaffing van de biologische en morele wet van de “originele erfzonde” – de verplichting een betaald werk te moeten doen in de draaischijf van de ecomomie om te kunnen leven in waardigheid, of erger, om gewoon te kunnen overleven. Wij vinden dat het ontoelaatbaar is aan het begin van deze XXIste eeuw, dat de economie nog steeds aan het roer staat van de mensheid en dat zij alleen beslist over het recht op leven van duizenden van onze gelijken. Het toekennen aan ELKE burger van de EU van een onvoorwaardelijk, inidvidueel en universeel levensinkomen, beter gekend als “basisinkomen” of “Onvoorwaardelijk Basisinkomen” , een inkomen dat losstaat van elk ander inkomen gehaald uit eender welke economische activiteit, zou volgens ons, één van de mogelijke constructieve antwoorden zijn om aan de neerwaartse spiraal van precariaat en armoede, waarin we ALLEMAAL dreigen verstrikt te raken, te ontkomen. Het groeiende precariaat is een gevolg van de mondialisatie van de economie en het lijkt ons dus onvermijdelijk dat onze politieke leiders een democratische tegenwaarde eisen tegenover de ongebreidelde vrijheid die ze toekennen aan economische en financiële markten. Talrijke economen en heel wat filosofen hebben niet alleen modellen uitgewerkt om het onvoorwaardelijk basisinkomen te financieren, maar ook aangetoond dat deze wijze van sociale constructie politiek, ethisch en economisch haalbaar is. Onlangs namen we ook deel aan het Europees Burgerinitiatief voor het Onvoorwaardelijk BasisInkomen in Europa en verwachten hierover een antwoord van de commissie tegen half januari 2013. Het is ook daarom dat wij besloten u vandaag persoonlijk aan te spreken. Wij zijn ervan overtuigd dat ook u, samen met alle burgers uit de Unie, wil bijdragen aan een meer sociaal Europa, een Europa dat een lichtend voorbeeld kan worden voor de rest van de wereld. We zullen deze nieuwjaarswensen niet alleen aan onze nationale en regionale politieke leiders laten geworden, en onze Belgische vertegenwoordigers in het Europees parlement, maar ook aan de belangrijkste geschreven en gesproken pers in ons land, en aan al diegenen die zich vandaag al inzetten voor een meer sociaal en rechtvaardig Europa. Wilt u deze brief onderschrijven dan kan dit via
[email protected]
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3. THE THIRD INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION according to JEREMY RIFKIN Dominique Simonet, published on 13/12/2012. Jeremy Rifkin believes that Wallonia can join the third industrial revolution. The oil crisis in 1973, climate changes, economical crises in 2008 and 2012 are signs of an end, the end of what Jeremy Rifkin calls the second industrial revolution. As a promotor of a third industrial revolution, he gave a talk on the subject in the Beaux-Arts Hall of Charleroi, and met several political leaders of Wallonia, including Ministre-Président Rudy Demotte. Rifkin spoke of this meeting as “very, very productive”.
This third revolution was stated by the European Parliament in 2007 as the mean towards a carbonfree economy, based on a clever decentralized distribution of renewable energy. Its first applications arise in some European countries like Germany and Denmark. It has also reached France. Jeremy Rifkin met President François Hollande during the Election campaign, and is now in charge of a mission for the reindustrialisation of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. Jeremy Rifkin recalls that “Wallonia and Nord-Pas-de-Calais were great European industrial powers, which is unknown in America. These regions failed to join the second revolution, but they have kept an industrial mentality, so their potential is very large. A successful reindustrialisation would have a big social, economical and political impact in Europe”. Work in progress Rifkin is impressed by the recent programs like Marshall 2.vert, which step in this third revolution: “you move towards renewable energies, transports, intelligent networks, but they are still not connected into an infrastructure.” He offers to elaborate a strategic plan that “could move things quickly, not in twenty years”. Looking at the enormous expenses made for saving banks or obsolete industries, Rifkin claims that: “a good plan supported by structural fundings enables a fast evolution, restores the economy and creates jobs”. He insists on the main lines of action: switch to renewable energy, turn every buildings into electrical power units, invest into energy storage technology, promote energy distribution by a new Internet. “The third industrial revolution introduces new economical models that can not be implemented on the previous ones; that can not work, it is something else”. This is why emerging countries can evolve faster, since they have no legacy infrastructure, but experiences of interconnected micro-networks. China is also evolving, but the decisions are too centralized. North-America and the US have made the first step of the third revolution (the Internet), but they are not engaged in the second step since the shale gas production. “Our production is managed vertically instead of horizontally”. Jeremy Rifkin already had two long meetings with Kris Peeters, Flander’s Minister-President, “which have only resulted in press conferences. I note that Wallonia was ahead of the first industrial
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revolution, while Flanders joined the second earlier. Now with Marshall’s plan, Wallonia gives a new momentum, and may become a leader in the third industrial revolution“.
4. VIVANT-EUROPE PROPOSALS FOR A BETTER FUTURE
Looking into the future
The technological future. A future of culture, freedom and rights. We want a community in which living, dwelling, working and pleasure go together. We want a society in which people feel secure: in which we and our children can be sure of a pension and a welfare system of quality, even in 20 years’ time. We want a country, a Europe in which people can influence what happens in their neighbourhood and at other levels. We want a society in which clearer and simpler regulations lead to less bureaucracy and lower burden of taxation on work. Within this framework we want more intelligent fiscal measures that protect everyone’s purchasing power and their environment. TO GET THERE WE PROPOSE 1. To make work more attractive Taxing work is a nonsense. If you go to work it’s for the benefit of yourself, your family and your community.
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Taxing work amounts to taxing progress. This is why it is no longer viable for the State to rely on it for two-thirds of its revenues. Since labour is too expensive here firms go elsewhere – with results that are only too well known : unemployment and tensions within the family and society. 2. To tax not the production of wealth but its utilisation The consequence of replacing taxation of work with differentiated taxation of consumption is that he who consumes the most pays more. Such a measure is both social and ecological – for it leads to economy and more measured utilisation of natural resources. Furthermore, imported products also contribute towards paying for social security. 3. To reduce State expenditure through clarification and simplification of regulations High government expenditure is largely caused by the complexity of regulations concerning social security, taxation, employment and subsidies. Simplifying such regulations enables the State to reduce expenditure and leads to lower taxation and more equitable treatment of the citizen. 4. To promote more freedom, more security, more human dignity The Work-Taxation-Revenue connection results in workers always having to contribute more to support the growing army of those without work. Social security grows ever more complex and costly, a burden on the economy and increasing exclusion. It is in this context that the Basic Income proposed by VIVANT-EUROPE, combined with removing tax from work, makes good sense. Employment of those less qualified is rendered feasible and increases the number of jobs on offer. As human beings we prefer a Basic Income combined with the right to work to an unemployment benefit with which working is forbidden. We prefer the freedom and the opportunities that transparency offers to the necessity of cheating through working ‘black’ in order to survive. The latter is a threat to the rule of law. The State has a constitutional obligation to see that we can work and earn our living with dignity. 5. To involve citizens more in decision-making and improve the social fabric VIVANT would grant us the right to participate directly in political decisions. Thanks to the referendum this is quite feasible. This gives one the possibility of gathering the necessary signatures for submitting proposals to the vote (popular initiative referendum). Representation of the people continues, but is complemented by direct democracy (referendum).
6. To recast legislation (through permanent audit) so as to enhance justice VIVANT requires clear laws and transparent administration. Before new laws are passed existing ones must be examined in the light of the effects they have had, and either amended or repealed in consequence. A State founded on the rule of law but having an out-of-date legislative system loses efficacity and credibility.
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