Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-02-19 i The Big Issue

It was good to read an open discussion about fee-paying schools [Essay, February 4-10] and that the authors didn’t want to tear down the system. I was taught at a comprehensive school and have often thought that if there is a problem it surely can’t be with the top-performing schools but with the rest of the school system. As the essay rightly says, fee-paying schools have a much better teacher-pupil ratio, but if we closed them all tomorrow the ratio would not go up in public schools. If anything, the opposite, for the existing system would then have to educate even more pupils on the same money. If private schools really are so much better, we should be looking into what makes them better and doing all we can to…

Reading the editor’s letter [February 4-10] I agree with his statements. Libraries are wonderful places. Our local one is now run by volunteers, but they still have the children’s reading challenge in the summer and activities weekly too. My children loved the library, especially the story telling for the under-fives. They were so excited to pick new books. We had some, but had little money at the time to buy some each week. I got a bit of a break and a chat with other parents, while my children browsed the shelves and brought the delights to show me. We spent time together reading the stories and enjoyed them all. They are now both grown up – one is an English teacher and the other at university. They still avidly…

It was a significant turnaround. Last week we reported on the huge cuts to local authority music tuition for children across Britain. We looked at how short-term and damaging the cuts were – how they were excluding all but children of the wealthy from an opportunity to learn and enjoy. We looked at how this had a demonstrable knock-on effect in so many other aspects of learning and into the rest of their lives. There really was no excuse. We focused some of our attention on Midlothian Council, in Scotland, who were planning on completely axing all music tuition in secondary school, except for children taking their National 5s (the equivalent of GCSEs). Such was the outcry at the news that a matter of days ago the council relented and…

Last week we investigated two countries with differing approaches to tackling rough sleeping – but Manchester seems to be similarly divided. The city’s Housing First scheme, which was unveiled last week, promised to follow the blueprint set out in Helsinki, offering 400 rough sleepers a home with support for complex needs over the next three years. The Finnish city has virtually eradicated rough sleeping through Housing First in the last 30 years. But Manchester’s version arrived amid a row over plans to fine rough sleepers £100. Manchester City Council (MCC) is consulting on the introduction of Public Space Protection Orders, which could introduce fines for obstructing the entrance or exit of a building after being asked to move, or occupying a tent. The move has been dubbed “social cleansing” by…

They created a community where city planners failed, a high-rise town built on cornerstones of unflinching ribaldry, unshakable loyalty and unstinting companionship. This week, they’ll take the first of six steps towards the final visit to Craiglang, the fictional Glasgow housing estate where the characters of BBC comedy Still Game have raged against the dying of the light for 20 years. And as much as millions have enjoyed the humour in the high rises from Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill, the show's creators, writers and stars, they’ve been underpinned by more serious matters. “If you look back at the first series, there was a wee nod,” says Kiernan, aka Jack Jarvis. “Jack and Victor [McDade, Hemphill’s character] are walking up a hill in the first episode and they’re saying, ‘Craiglang!…

Ain’t it always the way? You wait years for a book which reveals the hidden histories and mysteries of the world beneath our feet, then two come along at once. This May sees the publication of Robert Macfarlane’s Underland , in which the daddy of British nature-writing turns his all-seeing eye to the buzzing, fizzing, story-rich wonders of subterranean planet Earth. It’s an awe-inspiring read and Macfarlane’s huge army of devotees will revel in its delights. But that’s not the book I’m reviewing this week. Because, in a bizarre, nay mystical, coincidence, New York writer/photographer Will Hunt (can that really be his real name?) has just published Underground, in which the global adventurer glories in the delicious secrets of the same territory. He takes a deep breath and descends into…

Difficult to watch but hard to look away from, relentless, conscience-rattling drama Capernaum is made with real passion by the Lebanese director Nadine Labaki. Her hero is Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) a kid who’s 12, maybe 13 – no one can remember exactly when he was born – so bruised by extreme poverty in Beirut that he sues his parents for bringing him into the world. It’s up for best foreign language film at the Oscars. The title, incidentally, means “chaos”. Capernaum is in cinemas from Feb 22…

A hand up, not a handout... Our sellers BUY every copy of the magazine for £1.25 and sell it for £2.50. Trade, not aid… Which is why we ask you to ALWAYS take your copy of the magazine. Our sellers are working and need your custom. Poverty is indiscriminate… That is why we provide ANYONE whose life is blighted by poverty with the opportunity to earn a LEGITIMATE income. The right to citizenship… The Big Issue Foundation, our charitable arm, helps sellers tackle social and financial exclusion. Prevention… Big Issue Invest offers backing and investments to social enterprises, charities and businesses which deliver social value to communities.…

THIS WEEK WE ASKED YOU... Should social media firms take more responsibility about celeb-endorsed weight loss ads? The medical director for NHS England weighed in on the debate so we asked what you think… We can’t ban everything so teach responsible decision making and yes ask social media not to support bad adverts. Annette Buckley Thing is. How does an ordinary common garden punter know how to recognise a scam. When FB Instagram etc accept an advert of this type, they should verify its authenticity and not just take the money and thank you very much. Eric Jewe It’s a platform issue. Facebook etc are making billions while facilitating chaos in every sphere. They should be considered as publishers of content and held suitably accountable if that is how they…

The article about businesses relocating abroad because of Brexit [Fact/Fiction, February 11-17] misses a key point. Even if a business does not trade with the EU, that does not mean it is not affected by Brexit. The hairdressers, window cleaners and builders mentioned in the article will be affected if their clients and potential clients lose their jobs, perhaps because of a larger employer relocating. The concern that jobs in the UK will be significantly affected by Brexit cannot be dismissed as Project Fear.…

Re: The LEGO Movie 2 and Trump [The play gap, February 4-10], in the last paragraph you say “the main difference between fictional President Business & farcical President Trump is that one hates people using their imagination to build things and the other is obsessed by constructing a fanciful wall.” Check the movie again. About 20 minutes in as they’re riding into the old west town Wyldstyle tells Emmet that one of the first things President Business did when he came to power was to build walls between the worlds. SEM58, email…

Former Big Issue vendor Bill Webb is toasting a “great year” that he is hoping to top off with two awards after impressing with his brewery tours. Bill hung up his red tabard last year after scooping a job at Bournemouth’s Poole Hill Brewery and has taken to his new position so well that he could be named Shining Star and Rising Star at the Bournemouth and Poole Tourism Awards. The 63-year-old ex-army medic was rough sleeping in a cave before he began selling the magazine and credits The Big Issue with playing a pivotal role in his transformation. Bill also has a glass-half-full approach to his chances in the March 14 ceremony after the public voted to put him before the judges. “I’m proud and humbled at the same…

PRESS GANGED BY MICHAEL CROSSWAITE “I like how this picture unfolded slowly,” explains frequent Street Art contributor Michael. “I painted the beach scene, the sky, the water, the sand. Then I popped in the boat, but it needed something else. A couple of deckchairs looked real groovy.” Once homeless in London and struggling with a drug habit, Michael now lives in his own flat and paints as often as he can. His debut exhibition Technicolour Dreamstate at the Outpost gallery in Islington has just been extended until the end of February. peterbedford.org.uk/outpost Street Art is created by people who are marginalised. Contact street.lights@bigissue.com to see your art here. To see more and buy prints: bigissueshop.com At least half the proft goes to the artist.…

01 The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write Edited by Sabrina Mahfouz Another collection to add to the one I’ve just edited; it seems I have a thing for these! In my opinion this is the fictional sister book to It’s Not About the Burqa . It’s a wonderful exploration of what it means to be a Muslim woman through stories, poetry and plays. 02 All The Things We Never Said by Yasmin Rahman Yasmin writes passionately about three intensely troubled girls, Mehreen, Olivia and Cara, who meet and form an unlikely friendship when they join a suicide website. 03 Let Me Tell You This by Nadine Aisha Jassat Nadine’s poetry takes you on a journey exploring heritage, connection and speaking out, reaching the reader with a…

I think BBC 6 Music might just have saved my life – or at least spared my sanity – over the past couple of months. They kicked off the new year with a reshuffled daytime schedule. I kicked off the new year feeling glum, pessimistic and a bit fed up about everything. Then I made a decision to switch off the unrelenting blizzard of news, talk, opinion and football that had blazed out of my radio for the past few years and calm down a bit. There’s only so many on-air rows about Brexit, Trump and disputed refereeing decisions a man can listen to. So I thought I’d give music a go. I used to love listening to music. In fact, for a long time, I considered it the very…

The Beatles brought us fresh joyful songs, such a change from the old songs our parents listened to. They were suddenly famous throughout the world and put GB on the map. They must have done a great deal for tourism and brought much-needed money into the country. John and George promoted peace and did their best to help others, I’m sure George’s concert for Bangladesh was the forerunner to Live Aid etc. Meat-free Monday, be a veggie and so much more is down to Paul and Linda. They certainly were not the Amazon of their time [John Bird, February 4-10], but a force for good, happiness, singing, dancing and so much more, and their influence continues to this day. I hope Sir Paul reads The Big Issue and sends you…

What an amazing story of Daiana Dumitru [My Pitch, February 4-10], and how much tragedy she has had so far in her short life. With her compassion and determination she is making the world a better place. As is Kerry [News, February 4-10] who saved the life of the would-be suicide. On a lighter note, it was good to read about champagne [Fact/Fiction, February 4-10]. An elderly relative told me many years ago that she had a bad stomach upset while on a transatlantic crossing. She couldn’t eat, but obtained nourishment by drinking flat champagne!…

@Stew_Art_Hill I’ve just been chatting with Mark in Southwark. We discussed books and look at what he recommended to me. @BigIssue @CarolineSKlein I’m loving this Changemakers series. It’s so nice and inspiring to read of people doing amazing things like this. Thanks @BigIssue! @OrinocoComms Reading about psychologist @lasana_harris’s research into how we react to homelessness in this month’s @BigIssue strikes me as an excellent example of #HowSocialScience and science can work together to tackle big societal challenges.…

As the Millennium came nearer and nearer, more and more people seemed to fear its outcome. Were we, through the Millennium bug, going to hit some big technical, market and society-destroying wall in Y2K? In order to steady nerves, I took out a full-page ad in The Guardian and suggested that our importation of poverty into the new century was the biggest bug, and it was not some hyped-up piece of technological hysteria that would lay us low. I was not alone in not expecting the worst from some digital gadgetry. Should I take another full-page ad out in The Guardian or some such publication and say something like: “Don’t worry! It’ll all come out in the wash.” This time not to do with a millennial bug, a Brexit bug?…

Organs donated by a 28-year-old man recently changed the lives of five people. David Llewellyn died of a brain tumour last month and his fiancée Corrine – with whom he had an 11-month-old son, Jude – shared a letter on social media from the NHS detailing who benefitted from his donated organs. A man in his 50s received a kidney and pancreas transplant and a woman in her 30s received the other kidney, having been on the waiting list for five years. Another man in his 50s received David's liver, a woman in her 30s underwent a double lung transplant and a man in his 50s received David's heart. Corrine said: “[David] has given the best gift a person possibly could. Not only has he saved one life, but five.…

Anja McCloskey was on a bus to Hove when her phone rang. It was her mother, calling from Germany. They chatted in German for a few minutes. When the conversation ended, a man turned round to her and said, “Excuse me, but we speak English in this country.” Anja was shocked – it’s not the sort of thing people expect to hear in Brighton and Hove, a city that enjoys a reputation for openness and produced a 68.6 per cent Remain vote in the Brexit referendum. She didn’t come up with a rejoinder at the time, and she won’t need to now. Facing uncertainty about her status in this country after Brexit, she went to live in Hamburg. We – whoever we may be these days – are left with…

I was only eight when the Nineties began and almost 18 when they ended, and thus that decade and its cultural pivot point of Britpop were formative for me in a mixed sort of way. I’m proud to say that the first album I ever bought, after seeing them on Top of the Pops in February 1995 over a Thursday night TV dinner of probably Birds Eye Potato Waffles and beans, was Elastica’s self-titled debut – a record which I still enjoy to this day. Admittedly not long before that, while still becoming au fait with the general concept of bands and stuff, I had gone through a confused phase of thinking that Blur and Oasis were one and the same shitly named group instead of two separate shitly named…

If you believe this glossy conventional biopic, one of the smartest career decisions Ruth Bader Ginsburg ever made was picking Marty Ginsburg to be her husband in 1954. She’s less known here, but in the US, Bader Ginsburg is a feminist hero, a rock star liberal – the most famous women’s rights lawyer of her generation. So famous they call her the Notorious RBG. Bill Clinton appointed her a supreme court justice; at 85 she’s still serving, recently voting from her hospital bed against Donald Trump’s proposed asylum restrictions. What we learn here about Mr Bader – also a lawyer – is that he was an early example of Woke Man, fully supportive of his wife’s career. A point hammered home here by repeatedly showing him in a pinny chopping…