Back Issues

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• Red Rag

Established 1979
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These are the back issues of Red Rag. They'll be posted here every (usually) two weeks on or around the anniversary of their original publication. We're currently reissuing 1984; the latest issue is dated July 8th (scan / txt); the next one is due out on the 22nd.

Red Rag, or Reading's (most improbable) only newspaper, had a noble tradition of misspelling, mixed metaphors, wrong facts, confused political judgements and a readership of 4000. It printed pretty well everything it got sent ("unless the Collective judged it racist, sexist, right wing, supportive of oppressive religions, or boring"). It aimed to provide a decent alternative coverage of local news and issues from a radical non-aligned position; to promote subversive and creative initiatives; to provide a forum for unorthodox views; to allow some sort of co-existence between a huge variety of interests. And in four and a half years it had never sold a single copy.

In this issue (scan / txt): Reading Miners' Support Group breaks a de facto union movement boycott when they hold a benefit at the Trades Union Club, known across town for its policy of refusing membership to women; predicting that the Lancaster House economic summit will solve the world's problems by making the richest countries even richer, the "Other Economic Summit" meets to develop an economic strategy suitable for an international civilisation aware of its dependence on a fragile planet; Cruise leaves Greenham for the second time: armoured trucks escorted by a posse of jogging MOD policemen; 20th Century Arts holds its first public meeting, aiming to "take back some control over our environment, our communities, our lives, through producing and living our own culture"; and Acorn is hiring.