RED RAG 17 October 1983 Free News 666681, 666324 Distribution 665676 Events 37-3117 Going Out 507598 Next copydate is Thursday 27 Oct Send stuff to Red Rag c/o Acorn Bookshop 17 Chatham Street Reading - - - COUNCIL HOUSING - GAME FOR A HOUSE On Tuesday October 5, the Reading Council Housing Committee decided to sell 105 Council houses which are now being built, at a lottery in Council chambers. It is also selling all its land for future house building. This will remove the Borough from the new housing market for the forseeable future. What remains for those on the Council waiting list? Existing Council housing stock is inadequate in numbers and in condition. The Borough Housing Strategy for 1982/3 reveals the shocking state of the housing situation: * Reading is defined as an area of housing stress. * Council housing is only 22% of the total housing stock. The national average is 34%. * Of the 10,511 dwellings in Council ownership (March 1982), 452 were recognised as being substandard, 429 as difficult to let, and 3,594 in need of renovation... thus 43% of its housing stock is inadequate in some way. * In 1982/3, 442 Council units were made available to people on the waiting list. * The waiting list (or register) contained 2,873 households. Councillors may argue that the waiting list is getting shorter. No doubt because they changed the rules in June by making new applicants wait an extra 6 months (total 1 year) before being rated and placed on the register. (The rating allocates points based on how 'needy' you are). Also, since June, anyone living outside the Borough cannot apply for the waiting list. Therefore, someone could be working here and commuting long distances but would be unable to apply for a Council house unless they leave their existing home and squat, rent or camp out for a year in Reading. Many recognise that they'll have a low rating on the points system and don't even bother registering... particularly the single homeless in Reading. The 1981 Consensus revealed an increase in single households in Reading from 20% to 23% since 1971 (Berkshire=l8.2% in 1981). Yet only 6% of Council stock is in bedsitters and 16% in 1 bedroom flats. Reading has also a very low rate of provision for sheltered housing for the elderly. Most single bedsits and flats are allocated to them, despite the fact that they have inadequate or unsuitable facilities. Who is going to provide for these groups? Last year at this time, a group of private agencies surveyed bed and breakfast accommodation in Reading for a 'snapshot' of information about subsidised temporary accommodation(*). Of the completed questionnaires, 38% were from single parents (women), 28% from women expecting their first child and 56% from parents raising at least one child in such accommodation. The accommodation generally lacked cooking, washing and drying facilities, was overcrowded and sometimes required daytime absence. All rents were being paid by DHSS or social services. The survey also uncovered a number of 'hidden' homeless... those not registered with the Council and not subsidised by the government. The Tories pretend that their existing stock, the housing associations or the private sector will provide the housing needed in Reading. They fail to mention that there is an overall shortage of housing in Reading and a shortage of land for all types of housing. A short supply means a high price. Any Tory can tell you that. Perhaps they should hold their lottery in the Hexagon. People would probably pay to watch the tears of joy and sorrow at such a game show. Home-Les *'Survey of families in Bed and Breakfast accommodation in Reading'. Sept/Oct 1982. Co-ordinating Group on Accommodation for Young People. - - - NATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE BERUFSVERBOTE West Germany has been governed since October 1982 by a coalition of right wing parties (CDU/CSO/FDP), which strengthened their position in the March 1983 elections. A CDU policy document on 'Internal Security' is now being put into effect bit by bit: gradual stepping up of berufsverbot, attacks on the right to demonstrate (the law is to be changed so that every person present can be prosecuted if there is any violence at a demonstration) and official access to all computerised information held on individuals (with the slogan 'security is more important than data protection'). All in all there is to be generally less tolerance of dissent and more emphasis on legal compulsion, with the aim of making people identify more closely with the state. The new government has described its aim as 'spiritual and moral renewal'. It is attempting to deny the progressive nature of the democratic movement. A good example of this was a speech given by Herr Geissler, the Minister for the Family: 'It was the pacifism of the 1930s, fundamentally very little different from modern pacifism, that made Auschwitz possible'. We may well ask just who it is who is attacking the West German constitution. Progressive people in West Germany are feeling obliged to re-emphasise the anti-fascist, anti-militarist and anti-monopoly spirit of their constitution. The recession is deepening in the Federal Republic as well, and infringements of employment legislation are becoming commoner. Public employees are being held more strictly to their duty of loyalty to the state, which is interpreted as loyalty to the government. There is generally a greater readiness on the part of Social Democratic and trade union forces to work together with others in defence of democratic rights. There is now an openly reactionary government to be opposed. This is shown up clearly in the sharpening of the struggle around the planned installation of the new NATO missiles in the Federal Republic in the autumn of 1983. This is a central question for the whole democratic movement. It is also a matter of preserving the freedom of action of the peace movement. Repressive measures are being take intensified: disciplinary measures are being taken against public sector workers active in the peace movement. There are also moves towards militarisation of the health service, women and schools (propaganda for medical preparations for nuclear war, defence studies in schools), proposals for the conscription of women and for restrictions on the right of conscientious objection. Interior Minister Zimmerman has already threatened that if mass protests increase in the Autumn, a State of Emergency may need to be declared. On October 25, Gerhard von Schnehen will be visiting Reading to address a meeting. (Room 103, Palmer Building, Whiteknights Park; 1-2pm). This 34 year-old teacher was removed from his post for writing to a local newspaper in support of a sentence given to a Nazi teacher, who had told his pupils that during the War, no Jews had been killed and Americans had faked photographs of atrocities. Gerhard von Schnehen had written to the editor mentioning that there had been cases of neonazi activities by teachers in other schools but that the authorities had failed to take action following complaints from pupils. Gerhard, a highly praised teacher, is now unemployed on the grounds of his failure of attention to his duty of a public servant (resulting from his having written to the paper, and also because he wrote to the union journal). And because the Minister of the Interior of Lower Saxony had received information that he had donated money to the Communist party. He receives neither unemployment benefit, nor social security, and according to the authorities is the responsibility of his parents. Klinge, the Nazi teacher found guilty of incitement to racial hatred, insulting the dead, and using threatening behaviour; who was given a seven month suspended sentence, is still teaching, receives a regular income, and is entitled to a pension when he retires. Reading Campaign Against Berufsverbot 79 Baker St, Reading RG1 7XY - - - GOING OUT Key: Hex- The Hexagon, Queens Walk. Target- Outside Tesco's at the Butts. Tudor Arms- Greyfriars Hd. Central Club- bottom of London St. Caribbean Club- 112 London St. University- Students Union Whiteknights unless otherwise stated. Reading Film Theatre- Palmer Building Whiteknights Campus. Progress Theatre- The Mount Christchurch Road. South Hill Park- arts centre on edge of Bracknell. Bulmershe College- Woodlands Rd Earley. Mon 17 Hexagon: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 7.30 £3-6. Exhibition 'Reading 82-83' free to 29th. The Mill Sonning: Private Lives 2+8.15pm £10.50-12.50 matinee £7.50 to the 29th. South Hill Park Bracknell: Music Videos 7.30 free. Tue 18 Hex: Foster & Allen 7.30 £3.50/4.50 (folk) Progress Theatre: The Mayor Of Casterbridge 7.45 £2.50 +concessions. University: John Fox 8-1ate £3 (get your tickets in advance or else depend on waiting for hours at the door to get signed in) prob not worth it. Tudor Arms: Gay Disco 8ish free. Central Club: Peaches Disco 8-2 £1. SHP: 7.30 Once Upon A Time In The West £2+ conc. (film). 8pm Pete Allen Jazz Band £2.50/2.75. Playhouse Oxford: The Duchess of Malfi 7.45 £4.25. (l8th-preview night £1.50) 20th mat 2pm £1.50, Sat perfs 4&8pm £2.45/4.90, 19th 2 seats for price of 1. V Good Jacobean drama. Apollo Oxford: Ballet Rambert (prog 1) 7.30 £prob expensive to 20th. Target: Track 4 8ish free. Wed 19 Hex: Mike Harding (sold out). Town Hall Blagrave St: Catherine Ennis (Organ Recital) 7.45 £2.50. Reading Film Theatre: Dr Strangelove members only 8pm £1. Progress Theatre: as above. SHP: 7.30 A Fistful of Dollars £2 + conc also on 20th. 7.45 Taking Steps £? (theatre) to 22nd. Thu 20 Hex: sold out. Target: Tony McPhee 8pm £1. RFT: America from Hitler to MX + Nuit et Bruillard 8pm £1.60 + conc, documentaries on Nuclear Industry +Concentration Camps of WWII! Bulmershe College Earley: Candelabra (The Untold Story) 7.30 £2 + conc. Central Studio Cliddesden Rd Basingstoke: Fiona Murphy (cello) 7.30 £1 + conc. Apollo Oxford: Ballet Rambert special matinee 2pm £2. Angies Milton Rd Wokingham: Expresso Bongo 9pm £1/2. Fri 21 Tudor Arms: Gay Disco 8ish free. Horse & Barge Duke St: Spredthick + Richard Cox-Smith 8.15 £1.20. Target: Octal 77 (disco) 8ish free. Central Club: Youth Dance (11-17yrs) 8-11pm 50p. Caribbean Club: Nothing finalised prob a sound system 9-2 £1.50. Uni: YYY + disco 8-1 75p? SHP: 7.30 The Harder They Come £2+conc 8pm Bernard Roberts £2.95/3.20 (recital) Apollo Oxford: Ballet Rambert (prog 2) £3-6 7.30 to 22nd. Angles: Blackfoot Sue 9pm £1/2. Sat 22 Hex: State Express Snooker 2&7.30pm £1.50-7 to 30th. Few tickets left. Target: Capricorn 8ish free. Caribbean Club: Quorum 9-2 £2.50. SHP: 7.30 Gimme Shelter £2+ conc also on 23rd (film). 8pm Len & Barbara Berry £1/1.20 (folk). 8pm David Toop, Jezz Parfitt, David Holmes £2.25/2.50 (experimental music). 11pm Let's Spend The Night Together £2+ conc (film). Central Studio B'stoke: Home 7.30 £2+ conc (D Storey Play). Angies: Laverne Browne 9pm £1/2. Sun 23 Target: Tracer Roadshow 8pm free. Allied Arms: Readifolk 8ish free. Playhouse Oxford: The Unpronounceables 8pm £5. (World Premiere of Musical Entertainment). Angies: Red Beans & Rice 9pm £1/2. Mon 24 SHP: Flashdance 7.30 £2 +conc to 27th. Tue 25 Uni Palmer G10: Renaissance Vocal Music 1.10pm 20p. Target: Bernie Torme's Electric Gypsies 8pm £2. Tudor Arms: Gay Disco 8ish free. Central Club: Peaches Disco 8-2 £1. Uni: Dillinger 8-1 £2.50. SHP: Pete King Quintet 8pm £2.50/2.75. Apollo Oxford: La Cenerentola 7pm £3-12 (opera). Wed 26 RFT: Atomic Cafe + The Peace Game 8pm £1.60 +conc. 50's 4 60's pro nuke propaganda. Bulmershe: Mystery. 7.30 £2+conc TNT's popular show. Apollo Oxford: Fidelio 7pm £3-12. Thu 27 Players Theatre Whitley Wood Lane Outside Edge 7.45 £? to 29th. Target: Jonn Otway 8pm £1.50. Horse & Barge: Jim Couzon 8.15 £? folk. SHP: Murder She Said. 7.45 £? play based on Karen Silkwood to 29th. Apollo Oxford: The Love For Three Oranges 7-30 £3-12 (opera). RFT: as above. Angies: Between The Sheets 9pm £1/2. Fri 28 Caribbean Club: prob sounds 9-2 £1.50 Central Club: Youth Disco 11-17yrs 8- 11pm 50p. Tudor Arms: Gay Disco 8ish free. Target: Octal 77 (disco) 8pm free. SHP: 7.30 Thank God It's Friday £2 + conc.(film). 8pm Douglas Boyd/Mihnael Dussek £2.95/3.20(recital). 9pm Ian Stewart Band £2.50/3. Town Hall: Local Hero + support and disco Tickets £1.75, available from Music Makers, Listen Records & Pop Records. Apollo Oxford: as above. Angies: The West 9pm £1/2. Sat 29 Target: After Dark 8ish 50p. Caribbean Club: G&F Promotion Disco 9- 2 £1.50. Uni: Comsat Angels 7-30-12 £2. SHP: 7.30 Flashdance £2 + conc. 8pm Strawhead £1.20/1.50 (folk) 11pm Thank God It's Friday £2+ conc. Apollo Oxford: La Cerenterola 7pm £3-12 (opera). Angies: Juke Jump 9pm £1/2. Sun 30 Target: Disco 8ish free. Allied Arms: Readifolk 8pm free. SHP: 7.30 Les Blank Triple Bill £2 +conc (Mardi Gras,Blues,TexMex films) 8pm Big Bird Music Theatre £2.25/2.50. Angles: Juvessence 9pm £l/2. Coming up at the University Nov 2: The Enid, Nov 5: PiL £3.50 tickets on sale from 29th from Pop Records & Music Market - - - BURGHFIELD Burghfield Mill was once the only remaining timber-built mill in the Kennet Valley - all that remains now on the original site is the old barn and mill office which is still intact - the mill itself being burnt down. It was eventually replaced by the present red-brick building sometime around 1945 and has led a chequered existence since. Finally being declared unsafe to continue its function as a water powered mill, it was last used by a sacking company for warehousing and it is believed to have been disused for something like ten years. At the same time, one of two adjoining mill cottages was presumptuously declared unfit for habitation although the second cottage has been in continuous use as a dwelling for the past 8-10 years. Unfortunately this has not deterred vandals causing considerable damage in and around the mill, and in general the entire property has been neglected by Thames Water Authority and left to decay over the years. More recently the whole property has been taken over as a legally occupied squat and for about the past 8 months, members from a nearby peace camp, that of ROF Burghfield, together with members from another displaced peace camp - the Rainbow peace settlement from Greenham - have generally looked after and cared for the mill and surrounding islands. Despite our origins, it is not our intention to function as yet another peace camp. The mill is not exactly a 'strategic' location for such an activity. However, bearing in mind the number and location of the various military bases and establishments in this particular part of the country, it is regarded as being necessary to have at least one peace centre, or "Nuclear Free Zone" here (we have :- 1. ROF Burghfield, 2. AWRE Aldermaston, 3. RAF/USAF Greenham Common, 4. RAF Welford, 5. Upper Heyford, 6. Molesworth and various research establishments and related industries all within a 20/25 mile radius of the mill - that makes for one hell of a bang!) (ouch!). Surely a Peace Co-ordinating Centre is necessary to offset the balance. But yet the Mill has more potential as a Community Resource Centre which would incorporate many varied activities/workshops - already established is a large performance area for bands which will later include rehearsal/sound/recording studio and drama workshops. Also planned are numerous workshops to cover pottery, carpentry, and a mechanics workspace. These it is hoped will provide a small income to boost the general kitty and provide space for self-help and repairs. For the children living on the island and for visiting kids there are creche facilities and also a 'safe' adventure playground will be erected when we have enough materials. We have also established a "works canteen"/cafe, and a wholefood depot-cum-central communal space large enough to cater for meetings/discussion/displays and exhibitions. There are also plans afoot to establish a printworkshop and eventually incorporate a photographic darkroom. As far as the land is concerned, we would like to reclaim as much as is possible and feasible for a small holding (city farm co-op?) for small-scale growing of produce and livestock. Already we have goats and a number of free-range chicks. Experimental work could be undertaken in harnessing natural alternative (as opposed to nuclear) energy sources e.g. solar, wind, and of course to make ample use of the water power which surrounds us. To minimise waste disposal we have our own recycling process - very important when living in such a small space as the island, and also handy for organic fertiliser. All this basically is the direction of intent. We have, as a community, taken upon ourselves to work for and provide a safe and sane alternative to the bloody-mindedness of the establishment. We are, after all, ordinary human beings simply seeking an opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of a peaceful resolution. If this should appeal to other like-minded souls with skills to share, then you would be more than welcome down at the Mill. Declaration of the B@rflyd Free We declare that we no longer wish to live in a fascist and paranoid society and that the Islands previously known as Burghfield Mill is now the B@rflyd Free State, independent of the UK or any other power. Further we declare that any government or judiciary agents may only negotiate with us via the UN. Long live the B@rflyd Free, Anarchy, Peace, Freedom Notices :- Things needed for the (A) Resources centre are a BIG generator (8k), sledgehammers and tools. Hydraulic jack, lots of carpets, mattresses, cable, home-brewing gear, chairs and anything else you no longer need. Jim is flogging his 15cwt. L reg. Commer van for £50. Greenham women are doing a mechanics workshop in the garage. Help needed to dig a pit for vehicles. £50 reward for recovery of Aria Pro II walnut base guitar stolen from Mill early hours of Monday 10th. October. We need a crane or JCB for 1 hour to pull Brian's coach out. It's slipped half way into the river. - - - PARTY PARTY 22nd. - 24th. October at Burghfield Mill Party for the Full Moon, the moon of gathering gypsies. Bands include Rolling Thunder, Flying Pig, IT&T, Kaya plus special guests. - - - THE GAMES CONSPIRACY The winter league: for those of you that don't know, the Games Conspiracy is a group of people that get together to play New Games in and around Reading. The idea being for as many people as possible to have as much fun as possible (or something like that)!! Over the summer we did games sessions in various parks around Reading, both of our own organising and at large council 'fundays' and at the Glastonbury Green Gathering. We know and play games suitable for all ages from 5-50 and at the moment we are learning some games from Caribbean and Asian cultures. We concentrate on games that require little equipment or money although we have a 1 metre diameter ball (£25) and hope to make/buy a parachute, not for skydiving but for lots of really amazing games. We had a donation of £22 recently which will go towards this (thanks Pete!). We had a meeting last Wednesday and decided to hold a games/training session on Thursday (see events guide). So if you're interested come along and play, and help decide on our winter programme. Learn a bit about organising games sessions. New people most welcome; old conspirators please come, I haven't seen some of you for a long time. If you want either to help do some games, or if you want a games session done, write to Box 99, Acorn Bookshop or ask at the Bookshop. Or drop me a note at 63 Blenheim Road which is where the equipment is to be kept from now on. This week's New Game: Non-eliminatory-musical-chairs Same as ordinary musical chairs: everybody starts sitting on a chair/park bench/tea chest (whatever available). The music plays - remove a chair - the music stops - people scramble for the remaining chairs - those that don't have seats have to share. No One Eliminated. Final result - every body piled up on one chair. Use strong chairs, try not to step in someone's mouth, have fun. Luv and kisses, John - - - EAST READING ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND This is situated in Palmer Park and has various numbers of of structures as well as indoor games such as table-tennis etc. Playtimes are 11.00am. until 6.00pm. Tuesdays to Saturdays inclusive. A nominal charge of 10p per day is charged for the use of the indoor activities. Volunteers or people with ideas, suggestions, talent or skills, and anyone requiring further information please phone Sandy or Bob on Reading 665313. - - - Continued from last issue: PLANNING (Part 2) Offices What is generating most of the new traffic is of course the new residential development on the periphery and office development in the centre of town. The late sixties and early seventies saw Thames Water, British Hail, Foster Wheeler, Metal Box and the Prudential, Pearl, GRE and Scottish Life Insurance companies either vastly expand their Reading offices or disperse large elements of their London workforce to the town. This growth has continued apace and although the planning department and the Council tried to control both the amount and the quality of development, the Department of the Environment continually overruled them. It approved a number of appalling developments (eg Hogg Robinson next to the Bus Station, and Kings House on Kings Road) which had been repeatedly rejected by the local planners, and increased the amount of floorspace allowable (eg an extra 100,000 sq ft on the old Courage brewery site). Ironically the County Council proved themselves the ace speculators by giving themselves permission for 375,000 sq ft between the Gaol, Abbey Gateway and Kings Rd before selling the site to MEPC for £12 million. This development will be a tangible symbol of the acrimony between the Borough and the County over the last twenty years. At the moment about 25 per cent of the office space in Reading is vacant - three times the 'healthy' level. Although schemes are still gaining permission at a steady rate, construction is still delayed indefinitely and many developers and funding institutions seem to be getting cold feet. Trafalgar House pulled out of the Courage site in 1982 and MEPC have been trying to get a 33 per cent reduction in the price they paid the County for the Kings Rd site. The projected growth in office rents has simply not materialised. At the national level there is mounting evidence of a glut of office space with the pension funds looking elsewhere (largely abroad) to invest. While local agents like to blame the situation on the planners (of course), the fact remains that offices axe in over-supply, that potential tenants can pick and choose, ignoring the poor buildings erected in the early seventies (of which Reading has more than its fair share), and that office jobs are highly vulnerable to the new technology (especially in insurance). Of course, as long as the national Tory party renege on their promise to reform the rating system, Reading will continue to attract companies moving out of central London. It is the rate differential, which is now so significant in industrial and commercial development, and which makes a Reading location a significantly cheaper alternative. But there is now a marked atmosphere of caution in the town, and the forthcoming planning appeal on the station site, where the Prudential want to build 250,000 sq ft of offices to 'pay' for a new booking hall and improved access for British Rail, will be something of a test case for the future viability of Reading's office market. Retail, residential and leisure developments Retail developments have been more subtle, for the greatest increases in floor space have been in Debenhams' and Heelas' redevelopments, both relatively sensitive. While Broad Street commands very high rents and is in great demand from the chain multiples, off-centre locations like the Butts or Friars Walk struggle to retain business. Retail expansion is scheduled for the Post Office site and south of Minster St but it would seem that Reading is not prosperous enough to attract a full range of multiples, but too prosperous to permit the proliferation of real speciality and 'alternative' shops. Fringe retail developments have been decimated by conversions to offices and only the expansion of the market offers much hope for a wider range of cheaper goods. Residential development remains largely confined to small in-town sites which are expensive and often subject to competition from commercial users. In addition, since house prices in the town have inflated rapidly under pressure from employment growth, the units produced are expensive. The Borough owns numerous central sites but no longer has the central government funds to develop them for council housing, despite the fact that 3000 households are on the waiting list. The Tory council will almost certainly dispose of these sites to private developers or, at best, housing associations. Gentrification will continue apace and the rental sector will come under even more intense pressure. There is nothing that local planning or housing policy can do to alleviate this situation other than seek small residential components in office schemes in the form of 'planning gain'. Even then it is difficult to ensure that the units provided meet the town's real needs. On the leisure front, to offset the continued decline in mass-entertainment facilities (eg closure of cinemas and the Top Rank), the previous Borough Council developed an ambitious ten-year leisure plan. This envisaged the use of private investments in commercial redevelopment as a means of financing new facilities, largely on Council land (eg Richfield Ave, old Courage brewery site, old Town Hall). Already there are signs that this plan is being watered down or abandoned, and the ice rink proposals for Whitley now being rushed with indecent haste through the various committees may well be the thin end of the wedge. The new Tories seem unwilling or unable to negotiate with private developers effectively enough to gain meaningful community benefits. Planning gain Negotiations on planning permissions is a critical area because it is the extent to which planners can wrest 'gains'. Conducted by the Chief Executive, the planning department may have little or no say in the proceedings. The end result can often be ludicrous - the best example of this is for squash courts built on Rabson's Recreation ground as gain for the new Foster Wheeler office block - and beg questions as to which section of the community is benefiting. In theory, the Chief Executive should only be truly influential when the Council is hung. This alone may account for Harry Tee's position of influence and his unofficial title as Mr Reading. It is Mr Tee who more often than not briefs architects, shortlists developers, co-ordinates property deals or land swaps, and it is his particular brand of public economy that is indelibly stamped on the town. Under strong Tory control, one might expect his power to be diminished but most observers conclude that Mr Tee's values are completely coincident with those of the new Tory council. So we can expect more deals like the Whitley ice rink, Avco House, the TUC club, and the piece de resistance, the Ramada Hotel. On the latter, it seems as if 80,000sq ft of offices were necessary to 'subsidise' a major international (US owned) hotel chain, the whole scheme producing gross overdevelopment of an important site, unspeakable architecture and a nicely-shaded 'Civic Square', all this on Council-owned land. We can only watch the Caversham Bridge Hotel - Richfield Avenue negotiations with bated breath. The future of Reading appears black indeed. A shattered county town with a lost industrial heritage, it now seems doomed to become a cross between Croydon and Paulo Aalto: all private affluence and public squalor, to use Galbraith's cliche. But spare a thought for the planners, those convenient scapegoats for commercial greed. They will probably learn about new developments from the Evening Post when you do! The Tee-Boy - - - BUSES FOR Oct 22 DEMO Leave Alder Valley bus station 10am £2.50 (£2.00 unwaged £1.00 children) Everyone and their ducks welcome Tickets from Acorn or phone Neal on 582668. Please get tickets in advance, so B.A.N.C. can estimate numbers. - - - NO CLAIM - NO BLAME (is that a bonus?) How many of us treat Personal Insurance on the cheapest is best basis? Too many, if my continuing experiences at a local advice centre are a guide. Does that certificate really cover you and are you paying the correct premium? Many times the sad reality is faced when it is too late and the car/motorbike is lying in a heap with no one doing, or wanting to do, anything about it either. However, you do have certain legal rights, whether you have hit or been hit by another vehicle or person. The police will only involve themselves if there is serious personal injury and even then their concern is towards obtaining a successful prosecution; for your civil case against the other party, you will have to rely on expensive and sometimes indifferent solicitors. In Red Rag (15.9.83), John Humphries suggested setting up a Housing and Welfare Sights workshop on Thursday evenings at the Community House in Cumberland Rd. If there are enough people interested or presently involved in insurance claims, then that might be a good time to get together. John Giacomet - - - EVENTS 17 October to 5 November MON 17 OCT Ecology party: regular meeting 8pm at 38 Long Barn Lane. Ring Maria 663195 for details. My mind's eye: a photographic exhibition at the Hexagon by George Desaxe - includes pictures of Reading. Until 29th "Housing for Old People": A talk at Central Evangelical Church Hall, Anstey Rd, Reading. 12.45. Admission 15p. Details 471434 Caversham Anti-Nuclear Group: Placard making meeting. 8pm 70 St Peters Ave Anarchists: weekly meeting 8pm. Contact box 19, Acorn Bookshop for details Gaysoc meeting 8pm RUSU Council Room. Possibly trying to organise disco and drag queens for later in the term. TUE 18 Reading Cycle Campaign: Meeting with Don Mathew, FoE National bike coordinator. 8pm at the Crown, Crown St (back room). Newcomers especially welcome. The Future of Caversham, illust talk at 8pm. St Johns Hall, Lower Caversham. All welcome. WED 19 Civil Liberties: inaugural meeting of NCCL group with invited speaker. 8pm, St Mary's Centre, Chain St. All welcome. Ring Greg 580137 for details. Women as Workers: 16 week course continues with "How others see us - wives? mothers? workers?" (Barbara Voules) 10.30-12.30 at Centre for the Jobfree, East St. Free to the unwaged. £6 for course or 75p per session otherwise. Socialist Workers Party: weekly meeting. 8pm, Red Lion, So'ton St. THU 20 Roses in December: Amnesty film about violation of human rights in El Salvador. Palmer Building, University, room 109. 8pm, free. For "Prisoners of Conscience week". East Reading Rights Group: training session "How to give advice on supplementary benefit appeals" with worked examples. 33 Palmer Park Avenue. 8pm. All welcome. New Games evening: learning games and how to initiate game sessions. For all interested in playing or helping at future Games Conspiracy events. 8pm. Bulmershe College. "America - Hitler to MX": film about nuclear industry. 8pm. Palmer Building, Whiteknights. £1.60. SAT 22 CND National Demo, Victoria Embankment, 11am onwards, via Whitehall to Hyde Park. Lots of speakers, very famous but probably inaudible at this distance. Hours of fun and games! It's numbers that count! Buses £2.50 return (£2 unwaged, £1 children). Leave AV Bus Station 10am, Cemetry Junction 10.10am. Tickets from Acorn or Neil Marsden (582668). "Leave London by 6.30" it says here. Curfew after a long day's subversion? Berkshire Women's Aid: Street Collection in Reading. If you can help ring 0491 34742 or turn up at St Mary's Centre, Chain St, on the day. "Berks Women's Aid helps women and children in need, especially women who have suffered violence or maltreatment in their home. Any woman can need their help." SUN 23 Open day at Shinfield Grange Gardens and plant centre. Cutbush Lane, Shinfield. 2-5pm. 50p (20p OAPs and children). TUE 23 "From today, handwriting is dead" (oh yeah?): University public lecture. 8pm G10, Palmer Building. Free. Berufsverbot (see article this issue to find out what it means!): Gerhard von Schnehen will talk about his case. 1-2pm, Palmer Building, room 103. Free. All welcome. WED 26 "Workers Music": WEA teach-in at Centre for the Jobfree, 4-6 East St. 7.30-9.30pm. Details 29 Denmark Rd. Open garden: old rectory, Burghfield 11am-4pm. 40p (children 10p). Friends of the Earth: business meeting 8pm. 27 Instow Rd, Earley. "Atomic Cafe" and "The Peace Game" film: ridicules the justification of nuclear weapons, 8pm. Details of venue, see 20th. Women as Workers: "The Local Economy" Barbara Voules. Details as last week. THU 27 Vigil 10am, outside Oxford Crown Court where Upper Heyford Appeals are being heard. Contact Adrian on Oxford 247429 for further details and help with accommodation for previous night. Parks and Gardens of Reading: talk at St Mary's Centre, Chain St, 7.30, free. Red Rag: copy deadline, editorial meeting. 8pm, Acorn Bookshop; in which we decide what to put in the next issue. For thicker Red Rags please write something and bring it with you... FRI 28 Gay Hallowe'en Do: at the Tudor Arms. Fancy dress. SAT 29 2nd planning meeting for non-violent direct action in December. 11am, somewhere in Oxford. Details from Bridge (also help with transport): Pangbourne 4532. Red Rag - production day. Ring 666681 if you'd like to help. We need people to type and paste up. Come and get your hands sticky in a politically secure environment. (Seriously though, have you heard the one about the Red Rag proof reader? Well, neither have we...) SUN 30 Red Rag distribution and collating. Do ring 666681 and tell us how much you'd like to help. MON 31 South Reading Anti-nuclear group. South Reading Community Centre, Northumberland Ave. 8pm. Letter-writing meeting. TUE 1 NOV How far do Vegans see their commitment to other areas of the environment. Discussion group at 38 Long Barn Lane. ROAR (Animal Rights). Monthly meeting. 8pm. The Crown, Crown St. "First of the Month" meeting at the Women's Centre, Abbey St. 8pm. All women interested in using the centre are welcome. WED 2 "New Technology" in the Women as Workers series. Details as before. SAT 5 Ecology Party Jumble Sale. 2.15pm St Andrews Church, near Royal Berks. Phone Maria 663195 with offer of jumble. Regular Events East Reading Adventure Playground At Palmer Park, Reading. 11.00am. - 6.00pm. Tuesdays to Saturdays. Tel. Reading 665313. Anyone interested/talented/free/with ideas to share should contact Sandy or Bob on Reading 665313 or call round during opening hours for a chat. Help and suggestions always welcome. Housing and Welfare Rights - sessions on Thurs. evenings at Community House, 117, Cumberland Rd. Share your problems and knowledge. Women's Centre - opening times:- Tues. 10.30 - 2.00 Weds. 10.30 - 2.00 Sat. 12.00 - 4.00 Also free pregnancy testing Tues. 7-9pm. Bring urine staple from first pee of the day. Shared childcare group - Thurs. 10.30-lunchtime. Also Women's Self Defence: learn the basics. Fridays 1-3pm from now til 9 Dec. Free for unwaged women. Creche available. RCY 4-6 East St. Reading Gay Switchboard ring 597269 between 8 and 10 Tues. and Fri. evenings. New: Gay Youth Group, Sundays. Phone 585858 for details. East Reading Rights Group: stall outside the church at Cemetry Junction. Every Sat. 11am - 1pm. SWAG (charity paper collection). Skips at Superkey (Meadway Precinct), Palmer Park, Northumberland Ave, St. Martin's Precinct, Recreation Ground Gt. Knolly's St. 8.30am - 12.30pm. every first Sat. of month. Central Club - bottom of London St. Fridays 10.30 - 4pm. Creche. 3pm. 'Uprising' a new black women's support group. Come and tell us what you'd like to do, what you'd like to see and what you're interested in. Community Action Group - every 2nd. Weds 8.15pm. Fairview Community Centre, bottom of George St. All welcome to come along and discuss ideas or offer voluntary help on local projects. Mutual Aid Scheme, Wholefoods Co-op, New Games. FOE Paper Collection - door to door in Gt. Knolly's St. 1st. Sat of month. Meet llam. George St. Chippy. City Farm - work continues on the site, and meetings are still held on Wednesdays 7.30pm. in the Staff Room of Ashmead School (organisational meetings). After School Club, Newtown Community House Mon+Thurs, 4-5.30. Age 5+. See noticeboard + local schools for details of activities eg Thursdays inflatables at St Johns School; Mondays swimming. - - - RED RAG Red Rag is Reading's only newspaper. It is free and fortnightly and produced by an independent collective. It has no links with any political group or with the university. 1300 copies of this issue will be printed - half go to various outlets around Reading. More people are needed to write, help type, lay out, fold, distribute etc. To help with the next issue ring Reading 666681. Money After this issue and Reading Between the Lines has been paid for there will probably not be much money left, so keep the spondulicks rolling in! Donation tins are at Acorn, Pop Records, and Listen Records or send cheques payable to 'Red Rag' c/o our treasurer at Flat 7, 66, Wokingham Rd., Reading. Reading Between the Lines Contrary to malicious rumour, this guide to Reading will appear with the next issue. (I copied that out of the last issue, but honestly it will appear with the next issue). If you want to help, please ring James on Reading 666681 or Clive on Reading 666324. Help will probably be needed around Friday 21 - Sunday 23 October. Advertising Rates £5 - 1/4 page £10 - 1/2 page - - - RED RAG OUTLETS Get your copy of the next issue from:-- Acorn Bookshop, under Chatham St carpark Listen Records, upstairs in Butts Centre Pop Records, 172 Kings Road Central Club, bottom of London St Centre for the Jobfree, East Street Our Price Records, downstairs in Butts Centre Mace Grocer, Crown Colonnade, Cemetery Junction Johal Cash and Carry, 14 Cholmeley Road Elephant Off-licence and grocer, 1 Derby Street (open till 10p.m.) Fine Food Stores, 168 Oxford Road Ken's Shop, Students' Union, Whiteknights Send it to a friend. - - - BARRIERS - Impressions of Greenham My birthday. A cold, Autumn day of dank mist, clouds of breath, and a mottled grey sky. A working day. Guarded gates opened and shut, and vehicles drove in and out of the air base. In the distance, I could hear the rumbling and hammer-on-steel blows of the engineers and construction workers. Men behind uniforms marched from building to building - cocksure soldiers secure in their stripes. Some looked at me - eye to eye contact with an alien world. I stood on the outside of the fence looking in (or was I looking out?) It was a green fence, topped with a frill of barbed wire and decorated in places with child's clothing, torn scarves and faded, sodden photographs of smiling strangers. I walked around the fence along a narrow path full of potholes, logs and rolls of discarded wire. I met no-one. The oak trees to ray right partly obscured the hedged-in houses; silent and still. The leaves were beginning to curl and turn to a smudge of red and russet, brown and yellow/green, drooping in the afternoon mist. Caught in a bush here and there, or trampled in the rust-coloured mud, were leaflets condemning nuclear arms. 'For evil to exist, good men and women need only do nothing', one said. Those rallies seemed very remote as I stood in this lonely wood staring through the fence. The women's camp by the main gate was smaller than I expected. Brightly coloured plastic domes of tents clustered together for warmth around a spitting fire. A few women were there - hardy souls with their own defence. Often there are more of them. Always there are more in spirit. Sue Berry - - - ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT Tens of thousands of people, mainly women and children, have fled from South Africa, where the brutality of apartheid and their opposition to it have made life unbearable, and from Namibia, which is illegally militarily occupied by South Africa. The black majority of South Africa (85% of the population) has been disenfranchised and deprived of land. Africans are allocated only 13% of the poorest land, and over 3 1/2 million black South Africans have been forcibly uprooted and dumped in barren overcrowded areas. Disease and malnutrition are rife and doctors are so scarce that there is only one African doctor for every 40,000 Africans. The spending on education for African children is less than a tenth of that spent on white children. Refugees from South Africa and Namibia are now living in settlements in Angola, Zambia, Mozambique & Tanzania. Basic necessities are grossly lacking especially for the women who cannot work in agriculture or even leave their shelters because of a lack of sanitary towels. If you could donate any of these items it will be of great support to the struggle against apartheid:- Soap, sanitary towels, toothpaste and brushes, Vaseline, baby oil, antiseptic creams. Anti-Apartheid Movement, 13, Selous St., London NW1 ODW Tel. 01 387 7966 (or Pangbourne 4532 for collection) - - - CYCLE CAMPAIGN Over the summer, the Reading Cycle Campaign has been working very hard to improve conditions for cyclists, particularly in the new Inner Distribution Road (IDR) scheme. Counts In August in order to get some background information, we carried out a series of cycle counts on the major radial roads in Reading to compare with a similar survey done 2 years ago. The results? Cycle flows were up on average by 24% over the previous count, which compares roughly with the national increases over the period. The increases we were quite varied, with the largest ones coming at the Three Tuns crossroads. There was only one decrease - at Cemetery Junction. This is very surprising given the number of cyclists in East Reading generally, and the increases on Wokingham Road. The Campaign believes that the decrease is due to the London Rd improvement scheme (only just implemented when the last count was taken), which has frightened off cyclists from using London Road from Suttons Seeds roundabout to Cemetery Junction. This is therefore a warning as to what would happen to the other radial roads when the County Council gets busy with its plans for 'Drive-in Reading'. IDR On Phase I of Drive-in Reading (otherwise known as the IDR) things are looking slightly more hopeful. Over the summer, copies of the Cycle Campaign's objections were sent to every County Councillor with a Reading ward, and the Environment Committee were lobbied about lack of consultation with cyclists on the IDR. As a result of this, the County have said that cyclists must be consulted on the design of the scheme (whilst actually approving the first part at the same meeting, a mere £M4 1/2 millions worth) and it appears that they are actually going to build some facilities! The meeting on the IDR hosted by Reading Civic Society was a revelation. The County Council spokesperson produced maps of the scheme (nothing new this), but where previously there had only been dual carriageways and large gyratories, there were now (gasp) "proposed cycleways" and "preferred routes for cyclists". When members of the Campaign had recovered from the shock, they began to notice a mysterious similarity between the County's proposals and suggestions made by the Campaign. Still that's progress! There is still much hard work to be done to make sure these facilities are built and are actually useful. Representatives of the Campaign will be meeting with the County to discuss this next month. At the end of the day, as they say, it is just possible that cyclists won't be any worse off, and just think, it's only cost £25 million to do it. Reading Cycle Campaign - - - 24 HOUR PEACE CAMPS To coincide with the Greenham Women Against Cruise American court hearing (to attempt to bring an injunction against Cruise) in November, there will hopefully be one-day Peace Camps set up at each of the 102 American Bases in this country. A number of people in Reading hope to go along to both Welford (the largest store for American weapons in Europe) and Benson (home of the Queen's Flight. Security has been greatly stepped up recently although there is little other info available. Reported presence of U.S. servicemen). Please come along and support this action. It is hoped that telegrams from each of the peace camps will be sent to the court in America. Date and time :- 6pm. November 8th. to 6pm. November 9th. For further details here are some contacts : - Greenham Women Against Cruise, 344, South Lambeth Rd., London SW8 or locally - Welford: Angela Phillips - 0635 298512 Benson: Ann Waterhouse - 0734 478297 - - - READING PEACE PLEDGE UNION PPU met on Thursday 13th. October and discussed some events/actions which are coming up soon, including 24hr. peace camps at Welford and Benson in November, CND October 22nd., Christmas "War Toys", High Wycombe action in December and the possibility of a benefit gig soon!! Another meeting is arranged for 26th. October when the group will be working on leaflets, letter writing and anything else people want to do, focussing on the sale/purchase of toys such as guns and tanks which suggest that war is a glorious game. The meeting is at 8pm. at "Willows", Nursery Gardens, Purley. Phone Bridge on Pangbourne 4532 for details and directions. Reading PPU is an active group which meets about every 2 weeks in and around the town. For any information on this group or Peace Pledge Union generally, contact Box 10, Acorn Bookshop, 17, Chatham St., Reading. - - - NVDA SOUTHERN REGION PEACE GROUPS MEETING AT SALISBURY - SUNDAY 9th. OCTOBER 1983 Last Sunday, three people from Reading attended the above meeting which was aimed at organising an action to be part of CND's suggested "nine days of action" in December. The 27 present represented groups incorporating CND, Peace Pledge Union and Peace Councils from Salisbury, Bournemouth, Camberley, Southampton, Oxford, Petersfield, Dorset (Peace Council) & Reading. The meeting, which started at 11.00am. and finally wound up at around 6.30pm., came to a decision to co-ordinate an action at High Wycombe, probably on December 16th. The nature of the action has yet to be decided, pending a visit to the High Wycombe Peace Camp/Peace Council. Other CND regions, although not necessarily CND groups, will be planning actions from 13th. to 24th. December to uncover the lies between the dirty Tory bedsheets!! (cheap jibe). For those of you who haven't heard about the bombs under the blankets, December is the time when Cruise Missiles will be deployed in Britain and Europe by Ronald (Mickey Mouse) Reagan. High Wycombe's part in this network will be as the USAF Strategic Arms Missile Control base (at Daws Hill) which makes it one of many prominent targets in the event of a nuclear war. 7 miles up the road from Daws Hill is Map Hill where the installation of a civil defence bunker is underway. (Reading has its own bunker under the new Shire Hall for all our "important" citizens). Suggested activities for the event in December included blockading, marching, tree-planting (National Trust land has been sold to the MoD, and protected trees are being destroyed to make way for development), cycle blockade, silent vigil and many others. One of the aims of the meeting, apart from conforming to CND's idea, was to unify and strengthen the anti-nuclear feelings of people in the South of England. The meeting may have gone on for a long time, but the spirit was one of enthusiasm and goodwill. In-depth discussions were interspersed with games such as co-operative musical chairs, knots and neighbours (to become familiar with each others names), and although there were some disagreements during the day (relating to the venue and type of action), the unity and strength of the peace movement has begun to show its tailfeathers (going for it in the last winter before 1984!!). Most people present had not had experience in being involved with this stage of an action, and more ideas and offers of any kind of help would be greatly appreciated. More information can be obtained from Reading PPU, Box 10, Acorn Bookshop, 17, Chatham St., Reading or from your local peace group. Leaflets, should shortly be available from Acorn too. The next meeting will be on Saturday 29th. October somewhere in Oxford. For further details ring Bridget on Pangbourne 4532 who can arrange transport for you. If you're wondering what all the fuss is about, try finding out about the bunker underneath Shire Hall; ROF Burghfield and RAF Wellford, and see how far you get. Find out more about "Civil Defence: Why you need it". This leaflet (produced by the government) has been withdrawn from libraries, Civic Offices etc. Why? The answer is simple - the government is attempting a cover-up of the statements in this book in which they have no confidence. Need we say more???? So let's all get it together!! 3 messengers - - - COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday 4 October Some pretty devious wicked people "No doubt we shall review the situation nearer May." Last time round it was, "We'll wait until September to see how much money there is." Before that the slogan was, "Wait until the new financial year to see if we can afford it." The Tories are a perverse sort of animal. Their nature is the subject of informed speculation: "I've listened for a long long time," said Labour leader Mike Orton, "and I've come to the conclusion that they are incompetent." Graham Rush said he thought there was among the Tories, "a certain amount of voting fodder, but also some pretty devious wicked people." (Pretty? People? Ron Jewitt?) It's all a big deception The Tories were finally preparing to release just over £1/2million, mostly for various housing projects. Mike Orton, proposing (for formal reasons - all votes are on party political lines and the Conservatives have a big majority) to spend an extra £2million on housing repairs, claimed the Council had £10million available to it which it could spend without adding to the rates or incurring Government penalties. "There is no need for the restrictions being put forward," he said. "It's all a big deception." At the rate the Tories planned to renovate the Council's houses, it would take them ten years just to cover Whitley. For the Liberals, who now support Labour as regularly as they used to support the Tories, Tom Heydemann reasoned that, surely, "being a 'Conservative' implies looking after what you have," such as the housing stock. He called for a "good programme of repairs." Housing chairman Ron Jewitt replied that he was afraid to commit the Council for next year. We are not stupid like you are The Tories plan to sell off all the 105 Council houses they are building. This, it emerged, could save just under one fourteenth of a penny on the rates. Though Deryck Morton, the Tory leader, gave a "categorical assurance" that it was "no part of our policy to use housing money to reduce the rates." The Labour group tried to remove from the list 24 specially designed old people's flats at Whitley Green. Much was said on the inefficient use of stock in getting rid of such purpose built homes. Graham Rush called "Tory dogma rather than common sense." Ron Williams spoke of "connections between the elite of the Conservative group and property interests." John Freeman, Liberal housing speaker, was "very sorry to see the Conservative group appear to go wholeheartedly for selling houses," and made an appeal to the consciences of the new Tory members'. Fellow-Liberal Paddy Day said it was "incompetent maladministration", and "degrading to the dignity of this Council." She spoke of the Council's "primary responsibility" to house those in need. "Who," she asked, "is going to give a mortgage to an elderly person on supplementary benefit?" "I am not normally an angry person. But tonight I'm very angry." Ron Jewitt was not intimidated. "Show me a problem and I'll deal with it," he said. This was "a one-off policy to enable the Council to concentrate on improving existing stocks." £300,000 of debt charges will be saved. Behind the plan were "three or four converging threads." Or, as John Oliver put it, "We are not stupid like you are." As well as houses, the Tories aim to sell off all the empty building land the Council owns. According to Margaret Singh even the Ratepayers' Association and the Chanter of Commerce oppose this. Tom Heydemann said it was "not moral to foreclose our options for the future." Deryck Morton said he "should have thought that 90%" of the land would go to Housing Associations. Later he spoke of the "likelihood that at least 75% would. And of course, if the Housing Associations can't afford it, someone else will get it! "They're deceiving us and deceiving the electorate," said Mike Orton. Liberal Basil Dunning agreed: "They're pulling the wool over our eyes." Ron Jewitt ("my views are just as valid as those over there") said the debt charges ran to £180,000 a year for the site at Calcot alone, and pointed out that the Tories had no intention of building any houses anyway. Graham Rush labelled Ron Jewitt "the patron saint of slum landlords and doss-house owners", and also "the Wyatt Earp of Reading," whose "sole aim is to clear Reading of Council tenants." (!) John Silverthorne made a little speech: "In the late 4th Century, a barbarian host swept across Europe..." "In this town," he concluded, "there is a barbarian host. That host is the Tory group, and Attila the Hun is Councillor Jewitt." (!!) Council Signposts for the Ramada Hotel Other highlights. The Council is to contribute £200 to the County's Tree Planting Program. That's reckoned to be enough for six trees. Asked about possible shady deals with potential developers of Richfield Avenue, Ron Jewitt declared it was "a typical example of Councillor Rush muscling in and trying to make political capital. Why doesn't he get back in the gutter?" Maybe it was from his gutter that Councillor Rush noticed how the whole town suddenly sprouted Council signposts for the Ramada Hotel. Who authorised this? Why? Why not all the other hotels? Well, it was the Director of Technical Services. It was due to "exceptional circumstances." "All requests will be dealt with on their merits." (!) The continuing neglect of the Hill's Meadow riverbank moved mild Liberal Janet Bond to recommend the Tory group to go for a walk there. "Yes," admitted Tory Fred Pugh, "there's some deterioration. But, my god, doesn't the Labour Party go overboard." Someone came up to me in the Public Gallery, to ask when he got the chance to speak. His councillor had encouraged him to come to make his views known! Well, I said. You elected these people to do the talking for you. If you try to say anything you'll be dragged out! This is a democracy! Diogenes - - - ADS - small ones For Sale Guitar, Spanish, Espanol. Good condition, included. £30.00. Phone Paul, 873469. Room wanted in shared house preferably. For non-smoker, semi-veg, etc. Local. Phone Reading 67425 and ask for Kevin (P5). Free fridge Indesit fridge in good working order free to anyone who has transport to take it away. Tel 667517 after 6pm. Wanted Gents bike, reliable and cheap: nothing fancy. Kirk Robinson, Reading 873171 (room 328, if you want to leave a message). For Sale Full-length brown Afghan coat (white fur), in excellent condition. £30. Contact Jane Heater Bulmershe College, Woodlands Ave, Earley - - - $Id: //info.ravenbrook.com/user/ndl/readings-only-newspaper/issue/1983/1983-10-16.txt#3 $