Back Issues

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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 22nd (scan / txt); the next one is due out on August 12th.

Red Rag, or Reading's 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 is no exception to a worsening of problems faced by racial minorities: employment and housing are of particular local concern; it's Cultural Week at the Apollo Club and the theme this year is "Our History before Slavery"; the sixty people who turn up to the launch meeting of 20th Century Arts are unable to agree on much; the paper reclamation warehouse on Cumberland Road goes up in flames (community arts? it was certainly spectacular and brought "the community" out on the streets); there's a great acoustic on the top floor of the Chatham Street carpark; Red Rag is looking for news reporters; and a number of Tory Councillors are having trouble filling in the form for declaring their outside interests.