Did you know that Thomas Müntzer, leader of the German Peasants’ War in 1525, used a rainbow flag to rally his followers? It’s an aptly exuberant image for the radical charisma of Müntzer, and for the

The Big Issue, 2nd floor, 43 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 1HW letters@bigissue.com@bigissueuk @bigissue.com@bigissue /bigissueUK thebigissue ↑ I completed LeJog (Lands End to John O’ Groats) for charity la

In prison in Iran Few people will ever ...

Why do civilisations that dominated their epoch fail? In an era of autocracy, climate change, the rise of AI and a first-hand understanding of how deadly pandemics can be, it’s a question that seems p

Captive audience: Party members await a speech by ...

Glasgow, 1942. The Carl Rosa Opera Company was in town to perform Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Tickets had been snapped up by local people – including many who didn’t really know what an opera was. The