The Big Issue - worth a weekly trip into town (The Big Issue)

Name: cswann

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Product:	The Big Issue
Date:	23/02/02 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great scheme, good magazine

Disadvantages: You can't buy it in the shops, but then that's the point

The Big Issue is a magazine I try to buy every week – and the beauty of it is you don’t even need to queue up in the newsagents for it!
No, seriously, it’s a great way of offering a way for homeless people to earn money, without begging. The vendors buy copies of the magazine for 40p each and sell them for £1.00 each. There are Trusts which provide much behind the scenes organisation, offering sales training, supervision meetings, and so on. Each vendor operates by a strict code of conduct, including the instruction to stand at all times (sitting is obstruction, and illegal) and they now sell numbered magazines, designed to reduce the problem of fake vendors, and the ‘patches’ where they sell the magazine are designated. Some patches must be far better than others, so if a vendor has a good one (e.g. by a busy railway station) they would be crazy to break the code and risk losing that patch. Buyers are advised not to give extra money to the vendors, as that would make the vendor appear to be begging, not something that The Big Issue is about.
That’s all great, but the magazine is actually worth buying, too.

There is usually a celebrity interview – which is often the picture on the cover. The last couple of weeks it’s been Mis-Teeq and George Clooney, so generally they get some pretty big names. Famously, in the past, Oasis gave an exclusive interview to the Big Issue while refusing to talk to any of the music press. The interviews are often just 2 pages long, so not exactly in depth, and often they are promoting something such as a concert or theatre appearance – but what’s new there? It’s similar to the kind of thing you might read in the Sunday supplements.

Feature articles are often on subjects around homelessness – but this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a depressing read – often they tell the stories of ex-vendors who have gone on to do big
ger and better things, or simply got their lives back together again in some way.
Social issues are covered in manageable, sensible articles, recent examples are the sex industry in Bosnia, and abuse in care homes.
But there are also more light hearted pieces, like how to flirt.

There are 4 pages worth of news, both UK and global, again mainly relating to social issues – and often things that the vendors themselves may find of interest. One of the most moving sections is the regular “Missing – can you help?” featuring photos of missing people. Many have been missing for months, some for years, but some may well be living on the streets, and it’s an excellent way of raising awareness.

There’s a crossword
The Options section is usually the one I turn to first. It offers a good round up of what’s new, including:
- Cinema and TV
- Video
- Theatre
- Music reviews (CDs, concerts)
- Restaurants and shops
- Clubs
Any the reviews are what I'd call honest - they'll let you know if they think something's not worth buying or going to see.

There are regional editions, and the one I usually buy is called Big Issue in The North. Not only is the title different, but, as you’d expect, the job adverts are mainly for jobs in the North of England, and the restaurant and theatre / club reviews are also relevant to us, oop North, that is.

For me, the Big Issue has become an essential purchase, not just as a way of doing my bit for the homeless, but as a way of catching up with what’s going on – it’s not the kind of read that’s going to absorb you for much longer than a train ride to work, but the writers seem to know what’s what culturally speaking, and politically it’s right-on.

Cost £1.00 – once a week

(Now costs £1.20 down South, so no doubt there'll be price increases across the co
untry)

Summary: