The Big Issue – August 05, 2019

A load of bull

I started reading Andy Smart’s article [July 29-August 4]
with some bemusement – surely he can’t be endorsing
the Pamplona bull-run? Yes, he was! Bulls – sentient,
intelligent animals, friendly to humans when given the
chance – are subjected to terror, surrounded by stupid,
ƫĪŧǿƫŊ᠁ƫĜƣĪÿŰŏŲŃƠĪżƠŧĪ᠁ƸŊĪƠżżƣÿŲŏŰÿŧƫƫŧŏƠƠŏŲŃÿŲģ
sliding on the cobbles, and who then end their lives in
more pain and fear in the bull ring. And what does Smart
get out of it? ‘A great party... the sky is so much bluer,
the wine tastes so much better, and I feel alive!’ I was
disgusted at his endorsement of this notorious animal
welfare atrocity, and so disappointed that you lovely folk
at The Big Issue have given an indirect advertisement to
this horror and now other sensation-seeking-at-any-cost-
louts may want to give it a try.
Tricia Hodson, Ivybridge

Prized possession

Thank you for the crossword prize of a beautiful Chambers
English Dictionary – much appreciated. I am in need of an
up-to-date one to replace my well-used 40-year-old one!
Veronica Hammond, Coventry

@bigissue

ᥑěĪĜĜÿŃŏdzł
Big thanks to Steve who sells on the Golden Jubilee
Bridge near Embankment for always greeting me with such
a big smile and wave in the morning but this week for also
giving me a fan to cope with the hot weather! Legend.

@ruthmacado
I had the pleasure of meeting Paul The Big Issue
ƫĪŧŧĪƣŏŲ ÿƣģŏdzł᠇NĪǝÿƫƫżƠƣżǀģƸżƸĪŧŧŰĪŊĪᡉƫŏŲƸŊŏƫ
week’s issue, lovely man.

ᥑ®ŊĪdzł᠕ƫżĜŏÿŧŏƫƸ
Was driving past Fairleigh which used to be part of
ƸŊĪżŧģrÿŲżƣĜżǀŲĜŏŧᠵŊżǀƫŏŲŃĪƫƸÿƸĪŏŲ®ŊĪdzǿĪŧģƸżģÿǣ
(until it was demolished a few years back). Noticed a new
development on the site of 419 new houses called Prince
Gardens. £175,000 and the other half available for rent
at £800-£900 per month. Average cost of council house
ƣĪŲƸŏŲ®ŊĪdzǿĪŧģÿƠƠƣżǢᢓ ᙶᙶƠĪƣŰżŲƸŊ᠇¼ŊĪǣģĪŰżŧŏƫŊÿ
council estate and replace it a few years later with a private
estate and charge double the rent of the council houses.
ŧÿƸÿŲƸƠƣżǿƸĪĪƣŏŲŃÿƸżǀƣĪǢƠĪŲƫĪ᠇àĪŲĪĪģĜżǀŲĜŏŧ
housebuilding not private housing.

ᥑdzł¼ŊĪGƣżǀŲģƣŃ
Being called “young lady” by the @BigIssue vendor in
#Chippenham never fails to make my day as I head deeper
into middle age. Looking forward to reading this week’s
issue about beach cleaning and plogging.

here’s an issue with fairy trees in Ireland. Dotted across

the landscape, north and south, you’ll see trees standing

ƠƣżǀģŏŲƸŊĪŰŏģģŧĪżłǿĪŧģƫ᠇ They’re frequently

hawthorns – gnarly, old, with roots full of deep memories,

a lovelyblossom in spring, but woe betide if you mess with them.

Children growing up in Ireland would listen to parents as we

ƠÿƫƫĪģƸŊĪƸƣĪĪƫ᠁ÿěżǀƸŊżǝłÿƣŰĪƣƫŧĪǽƸƸŊĪŰłżƣłĪÿƣżłÿŲŃĪƣŏŲŃ

the fairy folk. You don’t want to mess with that mob. Perfectly

rational people still retain a certain apprehension about fairy trees.

It’s not so long ago that a motorway in County Clare was diverted

to avoid cutting down a fairy tree.

There are a good number of these trees around the border and

so I thought of them last week as Boris Johnson bounded over to

Ireland. Even with an innate openness to myth and legend, the

Irish aren’t buying the story he’s selling. They might believe in fairy

folk, but Johnson’s pitch is beyond credulity.

ƸƸŊĪǜĪƣǣěÿƫĪżłƸŊĪƠƣżěŧĪŰżłƣĪǢŏƸŏƫƸŊĪŏƫƫǀĪżłƸŊĪSƣŏƫŊ

border. When all else is stripped away, when all posturing about

free ports and Project Fear is gone, this is it, this is the money.

NżǝĜÿŲǣżǀŤĪĪƠƸŊĪěżƣģĪƣżƠĪŲǝŊĪŲżŲĪƫŏģĪǝŏŧŧěĪŏŲƸŊĪ/Ã᠁

with its particular arrangements, and the other side will remain

ƠÿƣƸżłƸŊĪÃf᠁ǝŏƸŊŏƸƫģĪƫŏƣĪƸżěĪƣŏģżłƸŊĪÿƣƣÿŲŃĪŰĪŲƸƫ᠈¼Ŋŏƫ

is impossible.

And despite Boris Johnson insisting he BELIEVES it can happen,

that there is technology, that because of this technology

there is no need for an insurance provision (the backstop),

ŏƸģżĪƫŲᡉƸĜŊÿŲŃĪƸŊĪƣĪÿŧŏƸǣ᠇ÃŲŧĪƫƫ᠁żłĜżǀƣƫĪ᠁ǣżǀᡉƣĪÿěĪŧŏĪǜĪƣ

in the Build-It-And-They’ll-Come approach that has overtaken

all our realities. It’s the Wayne’s World way of international

ÿƣƣÿŲŃĪŰĪŲƸƫ᠇ŲģƸŊÿƸǝżƣŤĪģłżƣÿǿĜƸŏżŲÿŧĜŊÿƣÿĜƸĪƣǝŊż

lived in his parents’ cellar, so, you know, what could go wrong!

We live in a period of magic realism. At times it feels like a

fable. That wise counsellors approach the ruler and warn that

certain things will inevitably happen if a path is followed, and

rather than listen to them, the ruler waves them away and says,

ah, no, but on we go...

There is no argument that cuts through. The Bank of

England warning of huge shocks to the economy in a No Deal

situation; major retailers warning of food shortages; doctors

warning of a life-damaging lack of proper medicines because

they can’t be stockpiled.

Instead, the language of wartime is evoked and masses of

money is poured into damming the mess. A magic money tree

is found.

This week in The Big Issue we cover the ongoing crisis around

school holiday hunger. It is a horrible reality for hundreds of

thousands of children. We reveal how smart investment running

into just tens of thousands of pounds could really help get to

grips with this. Instead, £2.1bn is moved to No Deal readiness.

Good people and volunteers pick up the pieces.

ŲģƫƸŏŧŧƸŊĪŏŲƫŏƫƸĪŲĜĪƸŊÿƸÿŧŧǝŏŧŧěĪǿŲĪżŲĜĪ¼N/¼NStG

happensisthemagneticnorthforthegovernment.Thecontrols

ÿƣĪ ƫĪƸ łżƣ ƸŊĪ ŊĪÿƣƸżł NÿŧŧżǝĪĪŲ᠇

Perhaps,intheend,thefairytreeswillholdtheanswers.

That’sasviableanoptionasanyotherdoingtherounds.

The fairy folk

aren’t buying

this Brexit

EDITOR’S LETTER

T

PaulMcNameeiseditorofTheBigIssue

@pauldmcnameePaul.McNamee@bigissue.com

@jonodrew
¼ŊŏƫŧŏŲĪłƣżŰÿŲŏŲƸĪƣǜŏĪǝǝŏƸŊᥑtŏĜŤ᠕dzłĪƣŰÿŲ
in the @BigIssue is killing me. Remembering how he says
“Please and thank you” in Parks and Rec and imagining him
doing so in the bedroom is deeply, deeply funny to me

ǻȀɯǼǼg&g]cǽǻǼȄ .&.]]gJCʸ 07