Reading’s only newspaper: Red Rag Free. fortnightly. to get the rag delivered each fort- night call Clive 61257. To get your news in, call Mike 83275. Deadline 8pm Friday 17 July. ‘Culture’ events details to Alison, Flat 2, 47 Eastern Avenue by Thurs 16. Money welcomed, cheques to ‘Red Rag’: we need £1000 to replace the machine that gave us the title ‘the world’s worst-printed paper’. Vol 3 no 11. Est 1979 Events June 22 – July 5 NEWS DIGEST Well, I was deeply touched by the concern shown by this newspaper about my health. As requested I have got well soon. My doctor diagnosed Chronic-Postitis and advised me to lay off reading the scandal rags. But, being a glutton for punishment and wishing to keep you in touch with all the news worth knowing … … … … … MISSING THE BUS On my return from the private and very expensive nursing home where I convalesced, what should I find? Reading was busless due to the strike by transport crews! The dispute started when Reading Transport announced plans to introduce a five-day week for new drivers but not for existing staff. This decision was taken by the Chief Executive, Harry Tee, who omitted to discuss it with councillors or the union. The result was a 13 day stoppage which dragged on because the council was unable to act fast enough to find a solution. It was further complicated by the fact that dear old Harry Tee had gone off on his hols to South Africa. The dispute was settled when the bus crews, members of the T&GWU, agreed to talks on a £140 5-day week and the council agreed to union demands for the reinstating of driver Mohammed Bashier, who was sacked for unofficial leave- taking. Following the transport crews return to work a new row blew up. It seems that councillors on the transport committee were less than pleased with the way their chairman, Tory Simon Coombs, had handled the dispute. Labour spokesman, Tony Page, accused Coombs of being ‘inflexible and dogmatic’, adding that the Tory was unsuitable to continue as chair- man. Poor Simon was promptly unseated and replaced with former vice-chairman, Fred Pugh. Yes, folks, your caring councillors are on the warpath and Harry ‘Kojak’ Tee can expect a few fireworks on his return. Congratulations to the bus crews! NOT FIT TO LIVE IN The disturbing plight of families in temporary mobile homes came to light when a baby died from acute bronchitis. Milly Briggs blamed the death of her four-month old baby on damp conditions at the Borough Council sight site in Bright St. Mrs Briggs told the Post, “The place is cold and draughty and there’s damp running down the walls. There’s a hole in my kitchen floor and mould on all the clothes and carpets.” Other families had similar complaints. The official response to this was elusive, but the problem begins with the insufficient provision of housing and is aggravated by current spending cuts. The Post used the term ‘forgotten people’ for these families, but how soon will that paper forget them? SILENT MIINORITY A television with the above name sorry TV programme highlights the problems of Borocourt Hospital. The press had a field day because the ITV broadcast showed how lack of funds has meant difficult patients have been put in an outdoor recreation area described as a ‘cage’. Staff at the hospital for the mentally handicapped complained that cash shortages resulted in inadequate staffing and conditions. How right! Meanwhile our leader prefers to direct money into bombs… RADIO-ACTIVE WASTE During my absence the Chronic told the people about radio-active waste buried 30 years ago in Parkside Rd. The nasty stuff was put there when the site was used for putting luminous faces on watches and clocks. The cleaning bill will be a cool £50,000. Apologies for brevity this week but I’ll try harder next time. Red Rag’s Going Out Guide Details of events to Alison Flat 2, 47 Eastern Avenue or Evelyn, 106 London Road, please MONDAY 22 JUNE THE PASADENA ROOF ORCHESTRA 20s. nostalgia, well done too, as far as I can remember. £2-£3.50 Hexagon 7.45 TUESDAY 23 JUNE UNIVERSITY SUMMER BALL with ALBERTO Y Y LOST TRIOS PARANOIAS THOMPSON TWINS BIDDIE & EVE RED BEAT VISION COLLISION Alberto etc very good, very funny, my sister says so. Thompsons good and you can join in. £2.50 University Students Union WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE XXXXX CHRIS BARBER’S JAZZ BAND Hexagon PREPAREZ VOS MOUCHOIRS French film about a libidoless wife (get a newer younger model love) £1.20 -80p RFT 8.00 THURSDAY 25 JUNE GAY PRIDE PICNIC All welcome. Bring friends & food & drink. free University campus 3-6pm FOLK: JOE STEAD This man is a comic. £1.00-80p Cap & Gown FRIDAY 26 JUNE JAZZ: RONNIE SCOTT St Andrews Hall, University £2.25 in advance, £2.50 on the door FILMS: MATA HARI with Garbo, and THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN with Dietrich. Need I say more? £1.20 -80p RFT 7.30 SATURDAY 27 JUNE KENNET JAZZ BAND Free Hexagon lunchtime MYSTERY EVENT PLAY: THE CRUCIBLE by Arthur Miller. A riveting play about religion, politics, hypocrisy & witchcraft in the States. As seen on TV no less. (this where the mystery comes in. We know it starts at 7pm in the Faculty of Letters theatre at the University and that it costs 80p to see, but our ace ‘I’ve been in rather a stew today’ compiler hasn’t said when it’s on. My best guess from the hieroglyphs in the diary is that it runs every night from Tues 23 until Saturday 27, but don’t bet on it – typist) MONDAY 30 JUNE PLAY: RADIO ACTIVE Oxford Revue Group. Oxford satire. Actually it does sound interesting, was presented at last year’s Edin- burgh festival. £1.75 - £2.25 Hexagon 7.45 WEDNESDAY 1 JULY FILM: ON THE BEACH 1959 film on the possibilities of nuclear war. Star studded. £1.20 -80p RFT 8.00 PLAY:HEXAGON:SEE TUESDAY THURSDAY 2 JULY FILM:RFT:SEE WEDNESDAY PLAY:HEXAGON:SEE TUESDAY FOLK:DITSYKE WILL Irish band, good as I recall £1.00 -80p Cap&Gown SATURDAY 4 JULY MUSIC:SPREDTHICK Hilary has the sweetest voice in Reading. Good musicians. free Hexagon lunchtime If you want an event or opinion included, give details c/o Red Rag 31b Milman Road, or Call 861841 or 83275. SLEEP TUESDAY 23 JUNE Womens Health Group discuss ‘Sleep’ at 35 Edenham Cresent at 8pm. all women welcome. Peace Tuesday 23 June Reading Peace Association public meeting, with a representative of Reading Ecology Party, at St Marys Centre. (behind the church, off the Butts) at 7.30pm. Womens Self-defence Thur. 25 June Womens Self defence classes start in Bracknell, sorry no venue or time supplied. Disabled Friday 26 June Friday lunchtime lecture at Hexagon 1.10 -2pm. free. Dr Peter Dixon on ‘Health Services and the handicapped’. NOTTINGHAM CONFERENCE SATURDAY 27 JUNE National Pregnancy Testing Conference at the Queens Walk Community Centre, Nottingham. 10.30 – 5pm. Contact Mary Anderson 34 Elm Avenue, Nottingham. Anti-Nuclear Classic WEDNESDAY 1 JULY ‘ON THE BEACH’ at the Reading Film Theatre, Palmer Building, White- Knights Park, 8pm It was filmed in 1959, it supposes that in1964 the Northern Hemisphere has been devastated by Nuclear war and radioactive fallout is expected to reach Australia in a few months, the story is rather glossed over by Hollywood, but is well worth seeing. Some of us will see it again for the umpteenth time! ALL WOMEN WELCOME WED 1 JULY A womens meeting at No 5, 2-4 Sackville Street, 7.30 onwards. A NEW READING ARTS CENTRE? THURSDAY 2 JULY A public meeting calling for ‘A CENTRE FOR READING PEOPLE’, there have recently been some moves to set up an Arts Centre for Reading, Everyone welcome, at St Marys Centre, behind St Marys Church in the Butts. 7.30pm. POSTPONEMENT THURSDAY 2 JULY The Socialist Feminist meeting scheduled for today has had to be posponed, the new date for the meeting can be obtained from Bridget 472297. MORNING STAR GARDEN PARTY SATURDAY 4 JULY A Garden Party in aid of the Morning Star, will be held at St Michaels Cottage, (Vi Wrightsons house) Routh Lane, Tilehurst at 2pm. LABOUR DEMO IN CARDIFF SATURDAY 4 JULY A large’Labour Demonstration’ will meet outside the National Museum in Cardiff at 11am. Reading Labour Party are running transport, contact them for details. COMING SHORTLY: NATIONAL SEA DUMPING WEEK MONDAY 13-19 JULY There will be a demonstration in connection with this arranged by the Berkshire Anti Nuclear Camp. more details in the next Red Rag. READING WOMENS CENTRE is open to all women, at St Marys Centre, Chain Street, Tues, 10-3.30. Friday 10 – 12.30. Red Rag’s back page: this space for messages, manifestos etc Letter A letter to the Rag from Carol G Ralphs, ‘Communications and liason officer’ of the University students union asks us to note that events at the union ‘are open to those who are 18 and over.’ Ms Ralphs continues: ‘Can I clear up a point about the “security goons” (that was in the last Red Rag) someone always seems to be going on about. If it wasn’t for them no matter how good or bad you think them, we could not allow people in from town to events in the union as we have a special ’members and bona fide guests only’ type of licence so it’s something people will have to put up with. Our compiler responds; ’What I think. It might be necessary to employ security at the students union but need they be so revolting? It’s easy work and well paid after all – certainly compared with bar work at the Union – but some of them are often xnastier than they need to be (I’d write more if I had the time, it’s quite an issue in some ways).’ Business news It is some time since we did an accounting of the Rag, so here goes: we have about £20 in the bank; no donations received in the last fortnight. We would like to raise more money in order to buy, at the least, a new reliable duplicator, and hopefully a proper secondhand printing press, which would allow us to bring you more news more legibly, to a lot more people. Apologies to people who haven’t been getting some Rags recently: some problems with our distribution system which we should have sorted out by the time you read this. Something we won’t have sorted out is that we had some problems on the computer a little while ago and think we have lost some of you. Please let us know if you haven’t been getting copies. We still want some more people to help, and to give us a chance to meet we will be having picnics in the university campus every second Sunday afternoon through the summer, when it’s not raining. About 3pm on June 21, July 5, July 19 etc. Who’s centre party? In the last Rag we heard about the plans of a group called Reading Enterprise to put together an arts centre in the town. The people involved seem to have done some astute politicking with the Council and a potential developer of the Courage brewery site which will get them a free building (the Malthouse) to turn into an arts space. Reading undoubtedly needs and wants some kind of space which, unlike the spectacular Hexagon, provides cheap space for artists, film-makers, drama groups, places for bands to practice and groups to have meetings, with perhaps cheap healthy food and bars etc, but do we want or need what Reading Enterprise is proposing? It’s a difficult question to answer since the group has not said in any detail what it is proposing. We think that it is disturbing that the plan has been presented to Reading without any public debate as to what people want, and that Reading Enterprise does not seem to have any representative structure: it gives as its address a company in London, We will all have to live with and use whatever finally comes into being, so we should have a say in what it is. To this end we have called a public meeting at St Mary’s Centre, behind the church in the Butts, to talk about what is needed and what is likely to happen. We have invited Reading Enterprise to come to this meeting and explain themselves: we have also invited a number of arts, voluntary and residents’ groups to send representatives, and have suggested to the Borough Council that they might like to send an observer and /or speaker. Hopefully the meeting will encourage a greater say for the people of Reading in the provision of its leisure, cultural and educational facilities. Please come along and make your voice heard. It is at 7.30 (promptly, because we have finish by 10 and there’s a lot to say) on Thursday 2 July.