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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 September 30th (scan / txt); the next one is due out on October 14th. 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 was produced by an incredibly fluid collective, some of whom had never met each other. It printed practically everything it got sent ("except poetry and party political broadcasts, provided it isn't racist, sexist, militarist or otherwise supportive of oppression"). 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 five years it had never sold a single copy. In this issue (scan / txt): Stop The City III is as violent and dangerous as predicted but all the violence and danger come from the police who arrest everyone in sight, passing tourists not exempted. The Environmental Health Department has been serving notice on owners of shared houses requiring them to meet fire safety provisions applicable to houses in multiple occupation; Acorn Bookshop has been summonsed to appear before Reading Magistrates on October 5th to answer charges under the Obscene Publications Act; the Gay Switchboard celebrates its fifth anniversary; the second edition of Reading Between the Lines goes on sale; and the Centre for the Jobfree is planning a new year revue "Jack and Jill Sign On - or - Waiting for Giro" a modern fairy tale for the 80's. It was illegal to leaflet, apart from the Support the City group, who were also handing out stickers that said "Aggravate an Anarchist - Support the City". | |||