Owing to the band’s commitment to Palestine and opposition to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, they have been accused of antisemitism, something they strongly reject.
McNamee speaks to the band members about being pulled into this “carnival” in their first major print interview since Mo Chara’s terrorism charges were dropped.
They also speak about Irish identity – which is at the heart of Kneecap as an Irish language band – and their place in the music industry.
This week’s cover has been created in collaboration with 10Foot, the celebrated outlaw graffiti writer. He has also added his unique touch to a Kneecap portrait inside.
What else is in this week’s Big Issue?
When your bed for the night is a plastic chair
When Darren, not his real name, was brought off the street last year to escape freezing temperatures while homeless in Hackney, London, he spent the night trying to sleep on six plastic chairs.
“It was really awkward and I didn’t sleep very well. It was just that it was way too cold outside and it was the lesser of two evils,” he told Big Issue. “I just stayed in pain.”
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Darren is a member of the Museum of Homelessness’s (MoH) community. The grassroots group has been investigating how councils respond to extreme weather to protect rough sleepers.
With extreme weather becoming more frequent, MoH’s investigation, shared exclusively with Big Issue, found more evidence of ‘sit-ups’ being used. As Darren experienced in Hackney, sit-ups see people experiencing homelessness being offered a chair for the night rather than a bed.
Read more about the investigation in this week’s special report.
Baroness Hale’s Letter to My Younger Self
As the UK’s top judge, Brenda Hale made headlines for ruling Boris Johnson’s prorogation of parliament unlawful, while wearing a certain spider brooch. The 81-year-old speaks to the Big Issue about her life – the grief of tragically losing her father at 13, studying at Cambridge University, and her incredible career in law alongside raising a family.
“The surprise to me, I have to say, is reaching the age of 81, because only one of our grandparents reached the age of 80,” she says. “As I said, my father died when he was 49, my mother died when she was 73. We’re not a long-lived family, so it’s a matter of enormous surprise to me that I’m still here.”
Worries over credit scores are harming people’s finances
Millions of people across the UK are believed to be sacrificing essentials they need to survive like food and heating to preserve their credit scores.
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The Centre for Responsible Credit recently found that a third (32%) of low- and middle-income borrowers have made cutbacks like this to keep their credit score healthy. This equates to 6.4 million people. The research also shows people delay seeking debt advice because they are concerned it will negatively affect their credit score. We break down why this could be so dangerous.
Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more.
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