Basic income – Scotland’s radical chance to lead the world (again) | Jamie Cooke | TEDxGlasgow

The welfare state, built for a different age, is crumbling.

As films such as ‘I, Daniel Blake‘ have vividly demonstrated, a system designed to support and protect people at moments of vulnerability in their lives has been warped into one which uses sanctions to punish and control. As wages have stagnated, jobs have changed and incomes have been unpredictable, we have seen the growth of a section of society which Guy Standing calls the ‘Precariat’, living precarious, insecure lives. In turn, we have seen dangerous forces start to harness these insecurities, fuelling the rise of the far right in various parts of the world.

It’s a depressing picture, but there is hope – and Scotland, once again, has a chance to act as a beacon of enlightenment.

Glasgow is leading the way on developing basic income pilots, radical schemes to change the way we envisage work, income and our place in society; and in which we fundamentally shift the relationship between the citizen and state.

In this talk, Jamie will outline some of the positive paths we could take, and the role that basic income could play in creating a radically different Glasgow and Scotland.


As Head of RSA Scotland, Jamie leads on the development and delivery of a wide range of policy, research and thought leadership projects. Rooted in collaboration across a wide range of sectors, Jamie works to bring together individuals and organisations committed to progressive social chance and the concept of a better Scotland.

He is a lead figure in the basic income movement in Scotland, and also has particular interests in the areas of design, public service reform, political engagement, education and politics.

Jamie is a Director of the Melting Pot, Scotland’s Centre for Social Innovation; a Board Member of COSCA, Scotland’s Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy; and a
Trustee of Citizens Basic Income Network Scotland (CBINS).

He lives in Bishopbriggs with his wife, two children and cat.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx