The Big Issue 3/21/2022

This was the future once. Cumbernauld, about 12 miles northeast of Glasgow, was developed into a new town in the mid-1950s, designed to ease the pressure in Scotland’s most populous but poverty-stricken city. This new town had vision. Infrastructure was key. Housing estates were carefully planned, with networks of pedestrian paths connecting them to a town centre. And not just any town centre. Opening in 1967, it was a brutalist warren of interconnecting walkways bringing together retail, recreation and housing in one complex. It was bold proof of Scotland looking to the future, revolutionising urban planning and leading the way in Britain’s post-war housing and living plans. But it hasn’t aged well – not as well as the 1981 classic Gregory’s Girl , set in the town and remaining Cumbernauld’s greatest…

OLIGARCH SQUAT This is what happened when some people took over the Belgravia home of a sanctioned oligarch to hold it for Ukrainian refugees Standing on a Belgravia balcony, the masked men shout their demands past the police cordon. They want an end to the war in Ukraine. That may be beyond the remit of the Met. They also want an empty mansion to be used to house refugees from the conflict. The balcony belongs to the oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Net worth £2 billion, he’s one of a handful of Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the UK government on March 9. The £25 million townhouse has been occupied. Hours earlier, the minister for Levelling Up Michael Gove said oligarchs’ mansions should be used to house refugees. His call, it seems, has been answered. As The…

As the desire to wean us all off dependency on short car journeys grows, the joined-up approach that public ownership affords makes sense The Andy Burnham approach is fascinating. One of the key planks in his leadership of Manchester is transport. Last week he defeated a legal challenge against his plan to take bus services back under public ownership. There are at least 30 bus operators vying for business in Manchester at present. Bus operators Stagecoach and Rotala lead the judicial opposition to Burnham’s plan. But a judge ruled Burnham, as mayor of Greater Manchester, acted correctly. Within days, Burnham announced that single-journey costs would be capped at £2. Currently they run to £4 and up. He’s not stopping there. He plans to have a unified public transport system across tram, bus,…

The Beatles sang and I laughed at All You Need Is Love . I remember ridiculing the four rich boys who had risen out of the struggle for money and could pontificate about ‘if only we learned to love each other then all would be fine’. “Love, Love, Love” was an insult to me and I took it personally. I could never imagine loving the occupants of the local police station, or my landlord. This was the reason why I thought we should never allow ourselves to be swept along by the thinking of performers. They were not reformers. Come forward 55 years and I am asked what am I trying to show the world by my work. And I find myself saying “to think lovingly”. Wow! It just crept out of…

Get in touch The Big Issue, 2nd floor, 43 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 1HW letters@bigissue.com @bigissue /bigissueUK @bigissueuk @thebigissue RE: JOHN BIRD [ISSUE 1503, MARCH 7] No to war John Bird chides politicians in the UK and the West for supposedly neglecting military power while “keeping the consumer happy”. Are the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq so soon forgotten? Millions of people are unable to meet their basic consumption needs such as housing, food and heating. NATO already has “a bloody big stick”. The annual military spending of the US ($778 billion) is more than double China ($252bn) and Russia ($61.7bn) combined. The UK ($59.2bn) is only slightly behind Russia. (Although the difference in capacity is not so great, as these figures are based on international exchange rates, not purchasing power.) An arms race, even if it does not lead to war, would…

‘The potential for positive impact is extraordinary’ Comedy writer, director and activist Richard Curtis on why we all have the power to create a better world, and how The Big Exchange is helping to lead the change It’s as much of a surprise to me as it may be to many of you that the man responsible for Mr Bean and Blackadder is involved in a campaign about finance, about making our money matter. But in fact it’s pretty logical. In the other half of my life I’ve spent 30 years trying to find ways to fight the great inequalities and injustices of the world. My first step was through Red Nose Day – but in 2005, like so many before me, I expanded my focus to talking to and putting pressure on…