Benoit Hamon, “riding to victory” from political obscurity
on a proposal to “pay all adults a monthly basic income,” defeated the recent
Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, in a presidential primary runoff election of the
Socialist Party in the E.U. state of France.[1]
Although “Hamon wasn’t as tainted as Valls by Hollande’s unpopularity” because
Hamon had “rebelled and quit the government in 2014,” whereas Valls served more
than two years as Hollande’s prime minister in the state legislature, Hamon’s “proposal
for a 750 euros ($800) ‘universal income’ that would be gradually granted to
all adults also proved a campaign masterstroke. It grabbed headlines and
underpinned his surprise success in the primary’s two rounds of voting.”[2]
I submit that the proposal, although flawed from the standpoint of economic
security, fits well with the industrial world of global capitalism.
The full essay is at "Universal Income Pegged to Economic Security."
1. Associated Press, “Hard-left
Candidate wins French Socialists’ Presidential primary,” Foxnews.com. January
29, 2017.
2. Ibid.
