'huge, queer and tawdry' but 'much admired by the public'

Hey! that was going to be my post! Well not really, but yes, on Saturday the cigarette sellers were out in force, standing underneath the very posters that cost us so much money and the local paper declarations that they are bullying the local flower seller. I've seen undercover police entrap them, force them to give back money to punters, pin them to the wall and arrest them and they've been back the next day. I've seen Pcs patrolling past them. I saw a black maria pull up 6 ft short of them sirens blazing and ignore them all. I usually just hit them out of my way with my shopping (they often clog my path back from Waitrose). Odd thing is...the only purchase I've ever witnessed was the plain clothes stooge.