UK: Why John Bird won’t run for Mayor

John Bird is best known for founding the Big Issue, social enterprise's answer to homelessness, in 1991. In March 2007 he announced his intention to stand for election to the post of Mayor of London as an independent candidate but in October he announced that he had decided not to stand for election. His project today? To launch a political party to alleviate poverty: The Social Movement…

Why did you suddenly not want to run for mayor anymore?
When I heard about the shooting of an 11year-old-boy, Rhys Jones, who was shot outside a Liverpool pub, I realised I wanted to challenge gun culture and it?s causes. This case and that of James Oyebola, a boxer who was killed for telling a group of young people not to smoke, made me want to focus on specific problems. As a candidate for Mayor of London my concern was always with families and communities – I can now concentrate my efforts on that.

Many people claimed you didn?t have much of a chance to become mayor because most of the people you targeted in your campaign don?t even vote. Did you see, or do you still see, your challenge as realistic?
I?ve met lots of young people who have never voted. Although I am not standing for Mayor anymore, I encourage them to vote and be heard instead of complaining. Demonstrating in streets is useless if you don?t vote. The only way to change things is to have an opinion that can be listened to and therefore to be part of a political party.

The next Mayor of London will have to deal with the management of the Olympic Games: an event many charities already see as a ?nightmare? that would ?steal? their money. What would you do in this respect?
The resources dedicated to the Olympics will of course be significant, and may lead to a lack of funding for charitable organisations. However there are also major benefits in hosting such a high profile event – regeneration and a renewed interest in sport for example.

Why did you, or do you, think you were the best possible mayor for London?
I thought I could bring a new perspective to politics. I?m really pleased that several candidates have used ideas from my manifesto in their campaigns. Being Mayor of London means being able to manage a variety crises, and I did not feel comfortable apologising for delayed train services. I want to bring important changes to our society. It is time to dismantle poverty and the causes of social exclusion instead of maintaining it. Our benefit system does not work as it should. Our prison system does not work as it should. Our young people lack direction. These are the issues I want to tackle.

Gordon Brown stated that volunteers and social entrepreneurs like you are the ?best of Britishness? and that he wants to build a new English society around them. David Cameron has said that a civil society is one of his top priorities: do you believe them?
I have met both of them and I think that they each realise how vital social entrepreneurs are for the economy and the well-being of our country.

Is your London Guide to ethical living another Manifesto? Do you live ethically in London? Can you give us some practical examples?
I tend to shop locally, I ride a bike or use public transport the majority of the time, and The Big Issue strives to be an environmentally conscious business.

You have transformed the Big Issue Magazine into a social enterprise: what was and is your vision? How would you answer those who claim that selling insurance and products is no longer a social challenge?
The Big Issue has always been a social enterprise – from the very beginning. Vendors buy the magazine from us for 70p and sell it for £1.50, and they keep the profit. They earn their own money, so we?re helping them to help themselves.
The social challenge we?ve undertaken is to offer opportunity to those without one. We are not a charity, we are a business, a social business. To give our vendors the best possible opportunity we endeavour to produce a magazine which vendors are proud to sell and which people are keen to read. If someone wants to sell other types of products or services in a social way, why not?

How did you come up with the idea of the wedge card? Can you give us figures about its impact? Many people state it doesn?t really work for poor people, what would you say to them?
We just celebrated the first anniversary of the wedge card. The scheme currently operates in London and we have plans to roll it out throughout the UK. We have around 450-500 merchants on board who offer local people discounts in local shops. You can test it yourself: compare the money you spend in a supermarket on products you will end up throwing away because you took too many of them, versus the money you could spend locally by buying what you need for the next few days. And there?s the added benefit of meeting people from your local area, learning something about your neighbourhood, and maybe even making some friends. Do we really want to live in a country where you can?t tell if you?re in Liverpool, London, Birmingham or Portsmouth because all the high streets are identical? That?s what?s happening if we don?t support our local shops.

The last question is about Anita Roddick: you have known her well and worked with her and Gordon, what is the most important thing you learned from her? Is there something special you would like to tell us about her?
I learned to never stop fighting. She came from an Italian immigrant family, and if you?d met her tough mother you?d understand where her drive came from. She believed in permanent combat as a means of achieving what she could for others.

More info:
www.bigissue.com