Table of contents for 9/16/2024 in The Big Issue

How do we want our politicians? And what do we want of them? These two questions frame our democracy. The answers are always the same and always changing, mostly because as soon as we get the thing we want, we want something else. Much like shirts. Or football club managers. Let’s talk policy, we roar, no more of this personality business! What are the policies? Show us your confounded policies! Delight us! Then the change comes. They have delighted us long enough. Take Keir Starmer. During the early part of this year, with a Conservative government lurching from crisis to psychodrama to a complete absence of policy and decency, a cry went up for solid and stable. Starmer, with his evenhanded dependability, nothing showy, a slab of beige to quieten…

For a young Mo Gilligan, motivation was a pair of Nike Air Max 95 trainers. Not necessarily the footwear itself but what they represented. “Seeing those shiny things, it felt like if you had that you’d made it,” he says. “It was always a goal to be able to buy a pair that I desired so much as a kid. Now I have a lot of those trainers. But that was the catalyst, not the drive.” Gilligan, aged 36, is one of the most driven comedians and TV personalities in the UK today and certainly one of the busiest. He’s just released a new podcast and is in the midst of a world tour. “With any success story, there’s always the story before the success and that sometimes is the…

I’ve been through phases where I couldn’t stop running. Up and down the Thames for endless miles, panting and spluttering along the way while my headphones pumped disco music into my ears and sweat dripped from my brow. I must have looked a right tit. Running was a hobby, then a habit, then teetered on the edge of becoming an addiction. Years of therapy have taught me that’s just how I respond to anything remotely pleasurable: I gorge on it until I am sick and then, eventually, I ruin it for myself. Just as it was with booze and drugs, so it was with running. After getting sober in 2015, exercise became my all-too predictable methadone. It provided endorphins and distraction which, I figured, was what I needed. In fact,…

Famously, students are permanently broke – but they’re also a huge market for companies keen to build loyalty earlier or make their brand seem cooler (often both). Happily, that means offering student perks is a win-win move. Especially with student discount schemes like Totum (formerly NUS Extra), Student Beans and UNiDAYS, you’ll barely have to pay full price while you’re studying. So make the most of it! Here are our favourite perks and discounts. Beauty, health and wellbeing Rejoice! The two big high street pharmacies, Boots and Superdrug, both offer a 10% discount, which shaves pounds off essentials like hair products, makeup and medical supplies. To get money off at Boots online and in store, join its loyalty programme and show your student ID in store to link them. It’s…

Starting university or college is exciting, but it can be daunting when you’re handed lengthy reading lists in your first week of classes. And it’s tempting to head straight to the on-campus bookshop where you know you’ll get what you need without having to search. But explore your options first – there are plenty of ways to get what you need without breaking the bank. Your institution has hopefully made you well aware of its library and how to use it already. But if not, find out, and then either way, use it! Your library will have multiple copies of required readings available, and it won’t cost you a penny. Putting in hours at the library is a rite of passage anyway. If you prefer to own your books, buying…

The Big Issue’s regular #BigIssueTalksMoney series has loads of good tips. It’s supported by Experian’s United For Financial Health fund and here we’ve asked our friends at Experian to highlight some dos and don’ts to watch out for as you embark on student life. Roll up, roll up Make sure you are registered on the Electoral Roll. As well as enabling you to vote, credit reference agencies hold this info to help banks, lenders and others confirm your name and address. It can also help boost your credit score – so get registered. Don’t be a stranger Having evidence of responsible financial management on your credit report will help your future applications for finance or other services. Experian’s website includes guidance on building a credit history from scratch. Managing your…

Some advice to give to the government might be: “You’re heading in the wrong direction.” Towards austerity, shrinking services and once again – the Tories did it during the last financial crisis – making the poorest pay. Stop and think there; pause for a moment. Of course the poorest would be hit, and it is government’s lot to support people in poverty. Bringing relief to the poorest in society has been a major government responsibility since the creation of the welfare state in 1948. The government has always been the biggest cash supplier and rent payer since those foundational days. Charities may provide shoes, clothes, comforts and even shelter but the rent is coughed up by state support. When government plans its budgets and allocations of money it will trim…

The mononymous Lawrence is the very definition of a cult musician. He first rose to underground fame in the ’80s as the enigmatic leader of delicate indie art-poppers Felt, before setting off on an unparalleled glam/novelty pop odyssey with Denim, Go-Kart Mozart and Mozart Estate. A talented artist with a singular vision, his dreams of stardom have been constantly thwarted by a complex combination of bad luck, stubborn self-sabotage and the inescapable fact that Lawrence – great though he is – is just too ‘weird’ for the mainstream. Street Level Superstar, music journalist Will Hodgkinson’s highly entertaining account of Lawrence’s unusual life and career, is so much more than a mere rock biography. It’s a fascinating, funny and occasionally sad character study that’s written with tremendous affection and empathy, an…

In a chapter of Rory MacLean’s book Berlin, dedicated to David Bowie’s much mythologised spell spent living in Germany’s then-divided capital circa 1976-78, the author imagines one of the biggest rock stars in the world rattling around the city’s cobbled, battle-scarred streets on an old Raleigh bicycle. On his cheerful pedal, he retraces the footsteps of his idols, whether passing Brecht’s blitzed apartment in Wilmersdorf or Kirchner’s old studio in Steglitz. Today, people walk Berlin’s streets retracing his footsteps. Like countless others, I’ve stood in front of the plain building at Hauptstraße 155 where Bowie once shared a flat with Iggy Pop, picturing the two of them stumbling in. I’ve hung about outside the legendary Hansa Studios, imagining the muffled strains of the embryonic Heroes album echoing faintly from within.…

STUART DRUCKER, 50 I don’t just sell the magazine. I work in the Big Issue office on Mondays doing subscriptions because the one who was doing it before me, Mark, is too ill to work. I enjoy it because I get to speak to and see the rest of the staff. I’ve been doing it for a while now so I know everyone. It is good to see the other side of things because I want to help people. I love helping vendors. They come and say something like, “I can’t afford my gas” and I say, “Listen, whatever you want, just ask.” I think the Big Issue does a lot more than you think. I’ve been on both sides so I can put my point of view across to…

National Association of Money Student Advisers: nasma.org.uk/news Find advice for students in their Money Matters guide The Mix: themix.org.uk Candid, honest info, 24/7 crisis support, useful apps and tools Mind: mind.org.uk Covers all mental health issues Student Space: studentspace.org.uk Mental wellbeing support hub from Student Minds charity Generation Rent: generationrent.org/your-rights Advice, support and protection of private renters’ rights Turn2Us: turn2us.org.uk/get-support Practical help for people struggling financially StepChange Debt Charity: stepchange.org Free advice and support Experian: experian.co.uk How your credit score can get cheaper deals, plus advice on identity theft, credit and more Save The Student: savethestudent.org Finance tips and student deals Citizens Advice: citizensadvice.org.uk Support on everything from housing to debt to legal matters…

Are you a student with a new beau but no budget to wine and dine? Here are some wallet-friendly ideas to keep your dates fun without breaking the bank: • Explore campus events: Don’t ignore those notice boards – check out free or low-cost university events like movie nights, pub quizzes or student socials. • Cook together: Instead of dining out, plan a cooking date. It’s cheaper, more intimate and you can experiment with new recipes, even if the kitchen of your halls has seen better days. • Outdoor adventures: Take advantage of local parks for a picnic, walk or bike ride. There’s little more romantic than getting bundled up, grabbing a coffee and going for a stroll through an autumnal wonderland! • Free-entry culture: Plenty of cities offer free…

Student loans are the main source of income for many, but there are government benefits available too. Here’s what you need to know about payments you might be eligible for and how to get them. Universal credit Full-time students typically can’t claim universal credit, which is a monthly payment towards basic living costs. But there are exceptions – such as for disabled people, those with children, or people who live with a partner who qualifies. You could claim universal credit (UC) if you’re 21 or under, don’t have family support and are in what’s known as non-advanced education – studying for a qualification up to A level or equivalent. Apply online via the UC portal at gov.uk, giving details of your income, savings and student status. Housing benefit New applications…

Families of those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire spoke of their pain as they said the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report has not delivered justice – and called on Keir Starmer’s government to bring the charges and accountability they have waited seven years for. The fire at Grenfell Tower, which claimed 72 lives in June 2017, was the culmination of “decades of failure”, the inquiry concluded. Central government, London Fire Brigade, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council and cladding manufacturers, contractors and sub-contractors all shouldered the blame. Grenfell Tower Inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick said all contributed in one way or another – in “most cases through incompetence but some through dishonesty and greed”. All of the deaths in the fire were ruled avoidable and the people…

Get in touch The Big Issue, 2nd floor, 43 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 1HW letters@bigissue.com @bigissue /bigissueUK @bigissueuk @thebigissue Our first-world problem There shouldn’t be any homelessness in this country. We have a history of being one of the leading countries in wealth creation and capitalism. A first-world country with the sixth largest economy globally out of 195 countries. If we can’t eradicate homelessness, what good is such an economic/political system? John Smith, Facebook The leopard’s spots I may or may not be eligible for pension credit, but there is no way I will claim anything unless I am on the breadline. Not because it’s charity (I’ve paid all the taxes). My grandmother in the 1930s was a victim of the vicious and infamous means test. Separated from her husband…

I arrived in England aged 12 and the big question in my head was, why were we having to do this? By that age, I was building emotional relationships with friends in Baghdad. Although I understood why my dad had to flee [he was tipped off that he was no longer safe under Saddam Hussein’s rule], it was hard to reconcile being wrenched away. It was a time of sadness and heartbreak. England was grey skies and cold. I remember my sister and I slipping on the icy pavement walking to school in Holland Park. We spoke little English and when you can’t communicate you get even more frustrated. You cry at night. You think, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to survive. But one great thing…

INTERVIEW Carrie Coon Carrie Coon is only in London on a flying visit. A very short break from filming season three of The Gilded Age, Julian ‘Downton Abbey’ Fellowes’s hit HBO series set in New York’s 1880s boom years, for which Coon has just received another Emmy Award nomination and which she was convinced was about to be cancelled. “I told everyone it was over,” she says. Coon knows Big Issue’s work and welcomes us warmly, jumping up to offer us a glass of water – because you’re never too jetlagged to be polite – before leafing through a recent edition of the magazine. “We have something similar in Chicago,” she says, “though not as substantial as this.” His Three Daughters, Coon’s new film, is a beautiful, singular depiction of…

Since accepting the Democratic Party presidential nomination in July, Kamala Harris’s profile has skyrocketed among Generation Z, largely thanks to TikTok. In her first 30 days on the platform, Harris racked up nearly five million followers, and over 30 million likes thanks to star-studded cameos from rapper Megan Thee Stallion and the US Olympic basketball team. The Harris campaign has tactfully interspersed light-hearted viral content with clips of the vice-president’s speeches and rallies, delivering campaign messages to a new audience who could hold the key to election victory. However, this does not necessarily grant Harris a path to the White House. “Videos are not just reaching people who are registered to vote, or even people in the US… and not all engagements [likes and shares] are positive,” says Dr Sunshine…

Scan your social circle and you’ll notice a range of approaches to money matters. Some splash the cash, others never get a round in. Some talk about it, others brush big worries under the carpet. Just like other parts of life that need balance – studying, partying, romance – it’s wise to take a considered approach to money. Treat it right and money can enhance your life, rather than become a worry. And the sooner you start actively thinking about your relationship with money, the easier it is to spot and stop bad habits. What should you be on the lookout for? Here are a few pointers for a healthy relationship with money. Consider your current attitude to money A bit of self-reflection is a great place to start, so…

With the high costs involved, it’s no surprise that nearly six in 10 students work to put themselves through uni. There are desirable aspects to it, like meeting new people outside of your social group, and developing time-management skills that will serve you well in the working world. But it can also be tricky to juggle work and studies – especially when it’s important to make the most of uni life too. While a few universities don’t allow students to take a job during term time, most recommend working no more than 15 hours a week. International students are restricted by their visa – most often, you can work up to 20 hours per week during term time and full-time during breaks. Of course, the biggest factor in finding a…

You’re settling in at uni or college, getting to grips with your new part-time job – it's daunting to then get your head around tax too. But it is vital to understand. Here’s a quick guide to help avoid surprises. Understanding PAYE If you work while studying, your employer will likely use PAYE (Pay As You Earn). This means income tax and National Insurance (NI) contributions are deducted from your wages before you get paid. The amount depends on earnings and your tax code. Know your tax code This determines how high your income can be before tax is deducted from your wages. For 2023/2024 tax year (April to April), the standard personal allowance is £12,570. So you can earn up to that before paying tax. Most students have the…

Moving away from home is an exciting time, whether because of the independence, house parties, or convenience it brings. At the same time, we all have horror stories about renting as a student – from living in dank flats with moth infestations, to flatmates who flee, leaving everyone else to foot the bill. There are ways to avoid the common pitfalls – they just need understanding in advance. Starting university in halls is a great idea, even if it’s just a year to slowly transition you into the world of renting. You won’t have as many rights as those in the private market, but you can usually trust the university to act above board. Four in 10 students rent through a private landlord during term time. Finding the right property…