Innholdsfortegnelse for 6/6/2022 i The Big Issue

Experts from Basic Income Conversation and Compass have calculated that paying children a minimum of £41 a week and £63 for adults would cut poverty to its lowest point for 45 years. The findings in their recently published report, which also tested two more generous payments, found the measure could halve the number of children in relative poverty to 12.5 per cent, taking it below its historic low point of 14 per cent in 1977. The move would also slash pensioner poverty by half and reduce poverty among working-age people by a quarter. There has been resistance to a basic income from Westminster where the idea is considered an expensive one. But the experts behind the report laid out how tweaks to income tax and National Insurance contributions as a…

“During the period 1950-1981, every single piece of immigration or citizenship legislation was designed at least in part to reduce the number of people with black or brown skin who were permitted to live and work in the UK” That was an unnamed historian’s damning indictment of how the Windrush Scandal began, according to a Home Office commissioned paper leaked to The Guardian .…

32p Beef mince has seen the largest price rises in the last year, up to £2.34 for 500g 28p Chicken breasts now cost £3.50 for 600g instead of £3.22 a year ago 17p Expect to pay 53p for 500g of pasta at its lowest price 14p Vegetable oil is up to £1.78 for one litre and shortages could mean further rises 12p But rises haven’t been universal – potatoes now cost 75p for 2.5kg, down from 87p Find out how to make your money go further to take on the cost of living crisis at bigissue.com/tag/advice/…

With a long-standing housing crisis and the rising cost of living, the Church of England has unveiled its own plans to “level up” by setting up a national housing association. The Church wants it to become a major provider of social housing. Church and industry leaders met last week to grow their plans for 30,000 new homes, including 9,000 affordable homes, from 60 sites across England. The move follows a report into the housing crisis that the Church commissioned last year. To show their focus, the Church also appointed Guli Francis-Dehqani as their Bishop of Housing. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: “The priority of the housing crisis is getting worse rather than better because of high levels of inflation and very rapidly rising levels of poverty, with incomes rising…

Much appreciated I’m writing to you as part of a wee project before I turn 30 later this year, whereby I’m sending letters of appreciation to 30 people who inspire me. I’ll be honest and admit that the first Big Issue I bought was last year during the Christmas lockdown, when I spotted it in my local Co-op. I was so impressed with the quality of the writing and content that I subscribed and have been reading ever since. It is such a fantastic cause – even though I’m based in a small town in the north of Scotland, it is great to know my money can help, in some small way, people elsewhere in the UK. The issues you write about are so important and I always learn something…

The French writer and filmmaker Emmanuel Carrère is a divisive figure. Lauded by the European literati (Julian Barnes is not alone in considering him “the most impressive writer in Europe”), Carrère’s excavation of his family life has drawn criticism on grounds of exploitation, insensitivity and invasion of privacy. His ex-wife, Hélène Devynck, publicly accused him of breaching an agreement by including her in his latest ‘non-fiction novel’ Yoga , and also contended that much of his portrayal was wildly delusional. He’s probably not an ideal husband. But fortunately for his unrelated readers, he is an immensely engaging, lively and exciting writer. His new novel began life as an “upbeat, subtle little book on yoga”, and the first section details his brief stay in a meditative retreat in rural France, with…

For some, extreme sports is leaping into a canyon attached to a rubber rope or swimming with sharks. For others, it is opening the front door and walking out. I am nearer the latter. After 18 months in my attic, followed by a couple of months touring UK bookshops, I am back in the business of touring the world with Professor Brian Cox. My job is to interrupt him at moments of audience peak confusion and occasionally read a poem. I have gone no further than Belfast since March 2020, but now there are far wider seas to cross and it is making me anxious. Like many in lockdown, isolation and lack of distraction led to a discovery that was staring me in the face for decades but which I…

BERNIE BUXTON, 48 It all started with The Big Issue for me in 1996, and it has been off and on since then. I got a job in McDonald’s, then I got made unemployed again. I came back to selling in 2001 in Ivybridge and Tavistock. I sold until I got another job, had two more children, and then ill health meant I couldn’t work any more. Then I started doing The Big Issue again on Mutley Plain in Plymouth. Since then I learned that I had testicular cancer. This is my final year of scans, so if I get the all-clear this year then obviously I’ll be cancer-free. But it’s the support of my customers over the past five years that has kept me sane and my family going.…

Industrial disputes in the UK are at their highest level in five years as inflation hits pay packets across almost every sector. The transport sector, in particular, is shuddering and could grind the UK to a halt this summer. Staff at Network Rail, ScotRail, Transport for London (TfL) and Heathrow Airport are all planning walkouts. Members of the RMT union have voted for strike action against Network Rail and train operators in June as a dispute over pay, jobs and safety escalates. There are fears it could be the largest strike in rail history, and central to the dispute are claims Network Rail is planning to cut more than 2,500 frontline maintenance workers. ScotRail and rail union Aslef have been in talks to resolve a pay dispute that has led…

My mum got a brand new council house when I was one because she then had three kids and she was a single parent. It was in a place called Kingstanding in Birmingham. To us this little three-bedroomed house was like a palace. We had a front and back garden. There was a drive and a garage. It was like we had landed. We were in a predominantly white area with quite a bit of racism around. There was a lot of National Front around, but we seemed to be OK. I think it’s because all the community absolutely loved my mum because she was a Tupperware manager. She would bring the Tupperware to their house and do parties and stuff. I had a pretty happy childhood. If someone called…

1 The Lord of The Rings by JRR Tolkien Despite Arwen’s “claim” bravado and Galadriel’s imposing channelling of Medusa (both absent from the novel btw), the trilogy is essentially a band of boys swanning around Middle Earth. Granted, the greatest telling of any adventure ever. 2 A Game of Thrones (book series) by George RR Martin Power females in more bountiful supply, but who was rooting for Daenerys over Jon at the end? The books are way superior to the latter stages of the TV show, with the anticipation of the remaining two novels high. Let’s hope George RR springs surprises, with Jon’s merry boyband of Wildlings making a comeback! 3 Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk This boyband exists in one body or extends to the boys-only…

THE BIG ISSUE: You have called your book Life Is Sad And Beautiful. What does that title mean to you? HUSSAIN MANAWER: I found that life is really sad at times, but if you work at it, life can be sad but beautiful. It’s from all the sadness that I have been through that I was able to create beautiful things. You lost your mum in 2017. Could you tell us a bit about her? She was a very special woman. I remind myself every day how lucky I was to experience a loving mother. She always pushed us to do our best. Grief is hard, and heartbreak is tough. My brother once said mum can teach you everything, but she can’t teach you how to live without her. She…

1. Homeless man who built wooden house on pavement: “People understand I’m just in a bad situation” 2. The remarkable rise of Ncuti Gatwa: From sofa surfing and Sex Education to Doctor Who 3. Exclusive: The UK’s rarest and most threatened wildlife sites are not being protected properly 4. Martin Lewis: “The link between money problems and mental health problems is just so strong” 5. Lea Thompson on directing Star Trek: Picard and her plan to make a Howard the Duck sequel…

Soaring demand and limited supply of homes has pushed up rental costs at the fastest rate on record, with more households facing “no-fault evictions” than before the pandemic. Many landlords are cashing in on record house prices, or turfing out current tenants to re-rent at higher rates. This heated market has led to Hunger Games-esque competition between renters, forced to battle it out and emerge the “perfect tenant”. With waiting times for social homes spanning years, there’s little else to fall back on. In the absence of intervention, it could lead to homelessness for thousands with nowhere else to turn. Here are five demands that readers told The Big Issue about. 1 PET RENT “We have a dog – a chihuahua – who has been in our family for almost…

Remember when Tracey Emin demanded her artwork More Passion be removed from the walls of Downing Street over the Partygate revelations? Well The Big Issue can reveal she got her wish. The neon artwork has been moved to the ambassador’s residence in Paris, where it forms part of a display of works by women. Emin requested the removal in January with an Instagram post saying “more passion is the last thing this present government needs”. Downing Street said it would hold talks with Emin – and it is understood the artwork was removed without the need for an official request. The request came under fire from fellow artist Grayson Perry, who branded it “lame”. Perry told the Daily Mail in January: “Considering she is one of the few artists that…

Our fourth experience at the World Economic Forum (WEF) to build public-private collaborations to end homelessness just finished, which means I’m struggling to write this piece for many reasons. Sleep deprivation and being exposed to cold, wet weather takes its toll on a person’s body and mind. Although it wasn’t -15C this time, we had to sleep under a bridge that partially protected us from the cold rain but did even less to silence the stream by our side. Our focus was even clearer this year due to our previous visits, but the stakes were higher because we wanted to take it to the next level. As well as giving people experiencing homelessness a voice, we wanted to give them a presence in Davos. Thanks to our art adviser, Iveta…

One of my most favourite ever books is one I was given when I was small in the mid-’60s. It was an encyclopedia for children, with thousands of colour pictures about the natural world, the human body, history and a section called How We Live Today . Much of it seems incredibly antiquated but one aspect is the same now as it was then. It is the same Queen today as the one pictured in my 50-year-old volume. Politicians come and go, but she has been the nation’s steady rock. This summer, huge celebrations mark her Platinum Jubilee – the only British monarch ever to reign for 70 years. For all those decades she has been on our stamps, our banknotes and our coins. Take one of those coins from…

The Big Issue’s new podcast is about acting today to make a better tomorrow. It is the place for big conversations on the biggest subjects, from societal reform to climate change. BetterPod is created by The Big Issue’s Future Generations team. A recent study revealed that 80 per cent of journalists come from privileged backgrounds. Clearly, that locks out talent and builds in terrible bias. At The Big Issue we are committed to bringing opportunity to those who may not have had it before. Through our Breakthrough programme we are offering a platform for young people from underrepresented and difficult backgrounds to train and get a foothold in journalism and publishing. Our current group of four who make up the Future Generations team are guiding us and creating this podcast.…

Speaking to me from his home in LA, the pianist and organist Brian Auger sounds incredulous as he describes a recent phone call he received from an old associate of his, hoping to invite him to dinner. “It really surprised me,” he says. “The phone rang and this voice said: ‘Hello Brian is that you? This is Elton [John].’ I was blown away… he was so kind and gracious.” As our conversation continues, he touches on pivotal moments in his career with the same wide-eyed incredulity, as though he can’t believe his luck. Opening for Earth, Wind and Fire, touring with Led Zeppelin, receiving a letter from Wes Montgomery’s wife after Wes died, telling him he had recorded the best cover of Bumpin’ on Sunset she’d ever heard. Then there’s…