The Big Issue

The Big Issue is a UK-based street paper that supports the homeless, the vulnerably housed asnd those seeking to escape poverty. Vendors normally buy the magazine for £1.25 and sell to the public for £2.50. We are using Zinio digital editions to create additonal revenue opportunities to fund our street-based and pastoral care services for our vendors. We are a social enterprise company and all revenues go to support the vulnerable communities we serve. Our goal is to move our vendors away from dependency and towards full time employment

Good day, Sunshine

THE DISPATCH • News, views & miscellany

The Big Issue

EDITOR’S LETTER • Education isn’t an exact science, but proper investment is vital

PORTUGAL’S DRUG DECRIMINALISATION SUCCESS: AN EVIDENCE-BASED MODEL FOR THE UK

BIRD’S WORDS • Flawed leadership has been our greatest tragedy. It’s time to give the people a chance

LETTERS

‘In a way, I’ve always been a chat show host’ • Aha! Indefatigable broadcasting legend Alan Partridge has been a constant on our TVs and airwaves for over 30 years. Even when there have been tricky, sometimes Toblerone-flecked, years in the wilderness he has bounced back. He reflects on a life which has brought him professional success, but on a personal level has been a bit of a mixed bag, if we’re being honest

‘Would it have been better to stay in Yemen and die there?’

The government is playing dishonest politics, says

Tish Murtha’s photography documented a nation in decline

HIV isn’t the killer, it’s the stigma • Welsh Rugby legend Gareth Thomas is a powerful example of the huge medical advances that have been made in HIV treatment. However, public knowledge and attitudes have not – meaning stigma around the virus is still hugely damaging for many. This World Aids Day, on 1 December, Thomas wants that to change

ROBYN FORMAN Moon artwork

Books

Marcia Williams was more trailblazer than troublemaker

Film

Beside Me ‘OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THIS CAN BE LIFECHANGING’

SAME DELANEY IS AT HOME

Music

‘CHRIST WAS PROBABLY BORN SOME TIME BEFORE CHRIST’ • Historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook’s wildly popular historical podcast connects past events to the present in ways we may not have considered. Here, for The Big Issue, they explore the origins of Christmas through the lens of today’s turbulent world

Nature

Puzzles

MY PITCH • The Body Shop, Bath Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday 10am-2pm