Innholdsfortegnelse for 11-09-2017 i The Big Issue

This week we’re following Street Cat Bob to Japan and I’m delighted! I always love seeing him on the cover. After I heard James’ story I went and bought his book – I really enjoyed it and think it was pretty honest. You can read all about Bob’s adventures in Japan on page 20. I was in the magazine a few weeks ago talking about my trip to the Fringe to see Cathy Come Home. I thought it was a really moving performance – and it was so nice to see my name in the magazine. It’s not the first time I’ve been spotted in the mag though, and one customer sent a tweet comparing me to Brad Pitt – she must’ve left her glasses at home that day! You can…

IF MPs’ FOCUS IS FIXED ON BREXIT THE POOREST IN SOCIETY WILL SUFFER MOST Last week, MPs and peers returned to Parliament after the summer break. As they compared holidays and new pencil cases, one word dominated – Brexit. This is understandable. It is the biggest political, economic and cultural change of our time. The lack of clarity around what Brexit means, what it will involve, what it will cost and every other question you could have is the only thing that IS clear about it. Divides are becoming more pronounced. On the one hand, it’s joy unbridled for those saying goodbye to the yoke of unelected Brussels elite forcing their views on us. On the other, it’s a world in which all hell breaks lose, the doors are slammed…

It’s not easy to make a new law, particularly starting in the House of Lords. Since 2000 only nine Private Members’ Bills introduced in the Lords have made it through the complex 11-stage process of intense scrutiny to become laws. A Bill introduced in the House of Lords – like the Creditworthiness Assessment Bill – must pass 11 stages of scrutiny, with Lords and then MPs dissecting it in miniscule detail. STEP ONE: The Creditworthiness Assessment Bill had its First Reading in the House of Lords on June 28. It was, said John Bird: “A bill to require certain matters be taken into account when assessing a borrower’s creditworthiness.” STEP TWO: is a Second Reading (on a date still to be announced). Here members of the House of Lords speak…

This summer we reported that up to 24 per cent of the youth homeless population in Britain is made up of LGBT people – with two thirds saying that their housing problem is directly related to their sexual orientation or gender identity, according to Stonewall Housing. Standing up to the fundamental problem, Stonewall has now launched a new campaign, Come Out For LGBT, encouraging support from allies. Their five steps to being an ally include educating and empowering yourself, listening, influencing others, being visible and challenging negative comments, and encouraging recognition of life and identity beyond LGBT – such as disabilities, race and religion.…

Lord Elton told an interesting story in the Crossbench debate last Thursday about the overcrowding in our prisons. With the prison population almost touching 86,000, we have had mad situations where once recently there were 20 prison officers to look after 1000 prisoners. Prison officer numbers are down 7,000 from 25,000 a decade ago. Yet the population of prisons has increased and, with it, the loss of any idea of rehabilitation. You can’t turn people in a different direction when officers don’t have the time to even escort prisoners from one block to another. Much of the two-and-a-half-hour debate centred on reducing the prison population by not giving out such long sentences, releasing more offenders more quickly, and addressing the appalling statistic that 46 per cent of prisoners who leave…

1. SNOW COUNTRY Yasunari Kawabata Written by Japan’s first Nobel Laureate, this is the story of a doomed love triangle set in a hot spring resort during winter. You will feel the snow falling all around you in this timeless example of the Japanese taste for the bittersweet. 2. NORWEGIAN WOOD Haruki Murakami This is Murakami’s most accessible book. Toru Watanabe is a young, disaffected college student drifting around the city as the traditional society of 1960s Tokyo undergoes radical change. Read this then move on to Murakami’s more surreal stories of time travel and talking frogs. 3. SNAKES AND EARRINGS Hitomi Kanehara This is the voice of young, modern Tokyo. A story of alienation, sexual obsession, body mortification and murder. As dark as a Shinjuku alleyway at midnight. 4.…

With the Mercury Prize just around the corner, we have three bundles of the 12 shortlisted albums to give away! Win the full collection, including alt-J’s Relaxer, Ed Sheeran’s Divide, Gang Signs & Prayer from Stormzy (above), Sampha’s Process and more. To enter and be in with a chance of winning, just answer this question: Which artist is behind the shortlisted album Gang Signs & Prayer? Send your answers with MERCURY as the subject to competitions@bigissue.com or post to The Big Issue, 43 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 1HW. Include your name and address. Closing date is September 26. Include OPT OUT if you don’t want to receive updates from The Big Issue. We will not pass your details to any third party. For full T&Cs see bigissue.com Also…

Sole traders A Big Issue Seller – what do you see? Someone down on their luck, selling a magazine, trying to get by, ignored by many, a street dweller. Or... a sole trader, a self-motivated, hardworking individual, out in all weathers. A specialist in micro-finance, supply and demand, and customer relationship management, building a client base through direct selling (with all the rejection that comes with that profession). The job demands a multitude of skills including being the managing director, finance director and sales director of their own business. Someone unwilling to accept the circumstances they find themselves in. They are proactive and willing to engage in an honest profession to make a better life for themselves. A member of the community, who leads by example, contributing to society, with…

Having The Big Issue founder John Bird in the House of Lords is a key factor in our mission to help people out of poverty in the UK. The introduction of his Creditworthiness Assessment Bill in June is an unprecedented step towards eradicating poverty. The concept of the Bill is very simple. At the moment credit ratings agencies and those who use them to provide credit – for example, companies offering loans, selling white goods or mortgages – are only required to take into account previous repayments records on mortgages, not rental payments. This means that those who have faithfully paid rent on time for life are generally offered less advantageous credit terms than those who own their home. That affects a huge number of people: last December the Resolution…

The Salvation Army has warned that changes to housing benefits could see the closure of homeless hostels. A report commissioned by the charity revealed 84 per cent of residents at their Lifehouse hostels would be unable to pay for bed spaces under the introduction of Universal Credit, with the figure rising to 91 per cent by 2021. In brighter news, the King George’s Hostel, run by Riverside Care and Support in Westminster, is doing its bit to replace the lost bongs of nearby Big Ben with an in-house recording studio. Residents are given the chance to rebuild their lives through open mic nights and weekly music groups, as well as recording future hits at the hostel. FROM THE VAULT... SEPT 10-16, 2013 NO. 1068 Fifty years on from…

UNTITLED PORTRAIT BY MARK JENNINGS Mark has twice experienced homelessness, the first time as a result of PTSD coupled with physical collapse, the second time because of “landlords’ greed”. “I stopped painting for many years due to a hang up with perfection,” he says. “Fortunately I now paint for joy, and each brush stroke or mark of a pencil is a fulfillment. I am grateful to St Mungo’s, Recovery College and Crisis Skylight for encouraging me to create again and for the friends I have made.” PEEPSHOW BY ANONYMOUS This anonymous artist, who submits her work via London homeless charity the 240 Project, describes herself as “a lone wolf”. “My work comes straight out my head, it’s happy and sad,” she says. “At the end of the day, how you…

Roald Dahl would have been 101 on September 13. Now immortalised as Roald Dahl Day, it sparks copious dressing-up antics and activity days across the UK – and voracious reading of Dahl’s books, of course. But, this year, Lego versions of Charlie, James, George, Matilda, Sophie and Billy, made from 100,000 bricks, will also be popping up, from Manchester to Cornwall and even on the Giant’s Causeway. Other treats are in store at the Dahl Museum in Great Missenden, the Buckinghamshire village where the author lived and wrote for 36 years. And a new edition of his magical tale, Billy and the Minpins, is being published with illustrations, like the one here, by Quentin Blake. Catch up with all your beloved favourites, old and new, on social media with #RoaldDahlHeroes…

My Big Issue story. The funny thing is, Tommy probably feels I made his day more than he made mine. In fact, it’s the reverse. Having dropped my daughter off for her swim meet, I headed over for a coffee at M&S. I could see him from a distance. I knew I was going to treat him. I simply walked by and casually said, “you want a coffee?” Yes please sweetheart. Latte with lots and lots of sugar! He wants sugar? He’s getting sugar! I got him a large one, an iced Chelsea bun and bought a mag. We chatted. I got to know him only a wee bitty. I liked him. Gentle. Polite. Talkative. I took a selfie (asked permission first) and posted on Facebook. I’ve had a tough…

The Original Issue Back where it all began, here’s the original edition of The Big Issue that launched our poverty prevention manifesto. Own a part of history and get your copy before they’re gone. £4 Also available as a poster in A4, A3 and A2 sizes (£15, £25, £35) 1 The Tea-Towel Like Woody Guthrie’s guitar, this unique item carries a political message. It also dries dishes. £9.99 2 The Mug The Activist Army mug makes you instantly cool, hip and ready to mobilise. £12.99 3 The T-Shirt Help dismantle poverty by buying your Activist Army kit from The Big Issue Shop – every purchase has a social echo. £20 Sweatshirt also available. £34…

“My name is George and I sell The Big Issue in London. Anger and frustration, including from being left behind in our capitalist society, are common in vendors. Resolution of this enables people to move on to make more positive contributions – probably true for many people.” Whether it is nobler in the mind, To have or to be. To have wee shiny things, Or to be a more contented happy bunny. Whether it is nobler in the mind, To have or to be. Be, be, be, Whatever you want to be, Be, be, be An intrinsically motivated, happy bunny, Be, be, be Whatever you want to be, Be, be, be And gouranga, gouranga, Gouranga... Your anger. Gouranga your anger (make happy your anger), And be, be, be. Open up…

The tale has now been told in 30 countries and they’ve attracted a legion of fans who share their Bob love far and wide across social media. Bob’s role in saving James from drug addiction and homelessness has been turned into fan art, knitted dolls and other devoted designs to pay tribute to the duo. Bobite Ester Inga Oppermann, from Hanover, Germany, has painstakingly recreated the pair in threaded form with Bob taking his customary spot on owner James’ shoulders. Dedicated fan Ester even recreated the former Big Issue seller in various times throughout his life, including back when he wore the famous red tabard around the time that he first met his partner in crime Bob. The pussycat portrayals do not end there, with other die-hard fans opting to…