As an association, it's been our aim from the very beginning to not only campaign for radical policies but really help unleash a new wave of liberal policymaking to see our traditional ideas and values as liberals engaged to tackle the problems of the 21st century. As such, I'm very proud to announce that we're getting started on that with the association's first policy working groups.
We're putting together two initial working groups:
Towards a Minimum Income, led by RA founding member George Potter, will examine the possibilities of minimum income systems to provide a modern, liberal social security system that meets people's needs in the modern economy. Giving people more flexibility of action and stability of minimum income level than the current benefits regime, a minimum income could provide significant new opportunities for people who would otherwise be stuck unable to retrain or move forward in the modern economy, and could alleviate some of the stresses and mental health issues that have damaged people's lives under the current system.
Tackling the Housing Crisis, led by housing expert Martin Walker, will look at the problems of homelessness, high rents, and poor regulation across the housing sector, an area in which new approaches are desperately needed. Hundreds of thousands of young people are stuck unable to make their way in a housing sector that feels rigged against them, and millions across the country are living in unsafe homes at the mercy of bad landlords. Radical solutions are needed to increase the stock of sustainable, environmentally efficient housing, ensure homes are safe, and provide more affordable rents - and that's what this working group has been formed to look at.
We've got a great many more ideas for possible future working groups, potentially looking at areas including reforming copyright law, 21st century community building, encouraging social business, and reducing pollution - if you'd be interested in helping work with or chair a working group in these areas, or if you'd like to be involved in one of our current groups, please contact office@radicalassociation.org and we'll put you in touch with the relevant RA committee member or group chair. Our policy working groups are going to be the cutting edge in defining radical liberal policy for the coming years; we're excited to have them up and running and we hope you'll help us make them a success.