Italy opposition: People should not have to work

ROME: People should receive a basic income from the state and should not have to get a job to make a living, Italy's opposition leader said Sunday, at an event held to showcase his party's governing credentials.
Ex-comedian Beppe Grillo, once dismissed as a "clown" by leading German social democrat Peer Steinbrueck, is the founder of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), which in opinion polls is closing on the ruling Democrats of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
"You don't need a job to be in society, you need an income," Grillo said at a national rally in Imola, northern Italy. "Everybody should be born with an income, and they they should be able to decide if and how much they want to work," he added.
Introducing a basic income guarantee for all Italian citizens has long been a main plank of the M5S's political agenda, along with a referendum to take Italy out of the eurozone, and drastic measures against corruption and politicians' perks.
In his speech, Grillo also attacked against modern capitalism, the media, high-speed trains and the United States, saying they are "on the wrong side of history" and urging Europeans to ditch closer ties with them in favour of countries like Russia, China and Brazil.
The M5S' message is increasingly popular. A survey published Saturday by the La Repubblica newspaper had them on 27.2%, versus 31.8% for the Democratic Party (PD), whereas in October 2014 the two parties were 16 percentage points apart.
Grillo's party is hoping to score its biggest-ever coup in Rome, where mayoral elections will have to be held in the coming months following the Oct 1 resignation of the PD incumbent over an expenses scandal. But the M5S has not yet picked a candidate. — dpa