Beppe Grillo returns to Brussels for universal income event at EU Parliament

Brussels – Today’s (April 16) discussion on universal income in the European Parliament was Beppe Grillo’s opportunity to return to Brussels. With him to talk about economic justice were Sabrina Pignedoli and Laura Ferrara, MEPs for the 5 Star Movement; Pasquale Tridico, candidate for the Movement in the upcoming European elections and former president of INPS, the Italian National Social Security Institute; Philippe Van Parijs, professor of economics at the University of Leuven; Daniel Raventós Pañella, professor of philosophy at the University of Barcelona, and Guy Standing, professor of economics at the University of London.

It was the usual Grillo, bubbly and over the top, speaking at the meeting for social justice. The last to take the floor, he spoke only minimally about universal income, devoting much more time to expounding on his idea of society. “Forty-five per cent of the containers that go around the EU are empty; we cannot make a serious logistics plan capable of filling the ships; good thing the Houthis are here!” said Grillo provocatively. The 5 Star Movement founder also spoke out on major foreign policy issues: “Embassies used to be guaranteed by international law; now, one is bombed, Ecuador breaks into the Mexican embassy, while another had Khashoggi come out of it in pieces.”

According to Grillo, the market has changed, it is no longer workers who produce income but only capital. Hence the public enemy: “It’s the one who rides a bike, who doesn’t affect GDP because he doesn’t pay insurance and doesn’t get gas: he doesn’t count for shit! And worse than him is only the pedestrian who doesn’t even buy a bike.”

The event also served to launch the electoral campaign ahead of the European elections for the 5 Star Movement: much space was given to Pasquale Tridico, chief executive in the Southern constituency. To finance universal income, a measure that all speakers said is necessary to limit poverty, Tridico proposed the introduction of a European taxation system. Not only that; to help the EU in achieving green transition goals and limiting poverty, the former INPS number one proposed replacing the EIB (European Investment Bank) with the creation of the EBST: European Bank for Sustainability and Transition.

The event ended abruptly when Grillo saw part of the audience getting up to head for the exit, asking, “What are you doing? Where are you going?” They replied that they had a plane back to Italy, to which the founder of the 5 Star Movement laughed and thanked the audience. On the way out of the chamber, there was also a quick confrontation between Grillo and Dino Giarusso. The MEP who left the Movement was present in the audience and, in shaking hands with the former comedian, told him, “You know how I think; I’m with you.”