RED RAG OCTOBER 11 EVENTS FROM 8 OCTOBER Newstips to: Sue 861841 / Mike 89275 / Lesley 68972 or send to 31b Milman Road Delivery queries: Clive 666681 Copy deadline for next issue: 20 Oct - - - A year ago Women's groups in Reading came together at a conference. The main resultant aim of the 100 plus assembled women was to establish a Women's Centre in town. A few months later a centre was opened at St Mary Butts. (Thanks are due to the efforts of a small committed group of women.) In the summer the centre moved to the Old Shire Hall in hopes of finding a more permanent location, a more sympathetic landlord. What is a Women's Centre? Those who set it up saw it as a place in town where women could congregate and feel comfortable. And where they could learn from talking with other women. It is for any women who wish to use it - for meetings, activities or as a refuge from the town after shopping. There is space and there are toys and drinks for children - children are always welcome! The Open Day September 26 was an invitation to all women to celebrate our new premises. The busiest place was the room with comfortable chairs, tea and coffee, and food. The noisiest space was upstairs in the room reserved especially for childrens' activities. The largest room held a wealth of information on women's rights, health, literature and the women's anti-nuclear campaign. That renowned Reading women's acting group - SWAG - entertained a large audience in the afternoon. (if you want to see a pale imitation of SWAG, watch Revolting Women, Friday evenings BBC2). The whole event was publicized by Rebecca Renbourn of The Evening Post (yes, The Post!) The Women's Centre has not lived up to its potential. Neither does it have secure tenure. We need more activities and more women to volunteer to open the Centre and to greet others. The more we use the Centre, the greater our presence and the better our claim to public space. Rowena would like to start some evening lectures. Edwina has volunteered time and energy in connection with her course at Bulmershe to organize events for young women and to encourage black and working class women to use the Centre. Brenda has offered to set up self-defence classes. Are there any more women who want space for meetings, who want to start a new activity (like yoga) ot who would like to help Edwina, Brenda or Rowena? If so come along to the Women's Centre. We'd love to see you there. The Women's Centre open on Tuesdays from 10.30-3.30 or Saturdays 10.30-2.30 - - - Last weekend a group at tenants and others met at Bulmershe College to discuss how to work together more effectively. David Birtwhistle of the Housing Department sleekly described the workings of the Council and his department - the latter portrayed as the benevolent initiators of tenant participation in Reading. A representative from the National Tenants' Organisation suggested ways of gaining power in negotiations with Council and their officers. The 1980 Housing Act requires consultation with tenants prior to any changes in their leases. Reading notified only the small list of tenants' groups on their files about these new rights. Then the Council created a Joint Housing Consultative Committee, consultative being the operative word. There are about 8 groups which are represented at JHCC meetings every 6 to 8 weeks. But large areas of Reading are not represented. The representatives have no voting power, no means of forcing issues. For example, a number of groups have complained for months about the imbalance of underfloor heating systems and related heating bills. Yet Housing Committee recently voted to take no further representations on this issue on the recommendation of the Director of Technical Services. (And the Liberals are concerned about how "democratic" these tenants' groups are!) Tenant participation in Reading appears to be a figment of someone's imagination! If you live in an area of Reading without a tenants' group, it's time to get one organised. If you have any technical expertise to offer to enable them to respond to the "experts" on equal footing, please contact Shirley Blights, VSC Housing Officer, 38 Caversham Road. Or go along October 28 to the joint tenants' groups meeting at the same address. - - - Direct action? Right on, I thought. So I went along to a BANC meeting on the subject. Organized by their women's group - good for them. And organized on pretty enlightened lines too, everyone splitting into groups of six or seven so that everyone would discuss it. This was a welcome change from the first part of the meeting, which was some sort of General Meeting, consisting of someone from 'the committee' blinding us all (maybe 40 or 50 people) with efficiency, information and exhortation (he seemed surprised, when he left a gap for people to volunteer that nobody did. For shame, Comrades! Look at all the hard work your committee does for you, while you just sit and gape! . . . ) We were given a sheet of questions to 'guide' us in our discussion - fair enough; it didn't unduly hinder us. (It did seem to think that eg leafletting counted as direct action) But we were asked to talk about the women's peace camp at Greenham Common - a subject well worth discussing, if rather tenuously connected to 'direct action'. In the plenary at the end, after the coffee break, this topic predominated. Broadly Speaking there were two points of view: the women's and the bureaucratic. (Those who had strong views on either side mostly claimed to represent the concensus of the group they were in). The women said the peace camp is a splendid initiative and should be supported. The bureaucrats said this action was not properly planned and has become a distraction and a drain on our resources. I left the meeting a firm supporter of the peace camp. I found the discussion in my group useful, if for rather negative reasons. I realised my ideas about 'direct action' (apart from being in favour of it) were extremely confused - and that so were everyone elses. So rather than report what we said here are some of my own later conclusions (This is my review! if you dont like it, write another!) Direct action, in the context of the anti-nuclear movement, is in fact next to impossible. By which I mean that we can't just go out and destroy the damn things ourselves. The movement is inevitably committed to persuading or so far as possible forcing our 'elected representatives' to do the job for us. I suppose those who work in the armaments industry have some options of direct action, as do the soldiers and the technicians who look after and use the products. Occupations of sites for nuclear power stations directly hinders their construction. The 'Bristol Seven' held up a train for a few hours. But the chief value of their action, and of nearly any action in this field is symbolic as a spectacular publicity stint. How about: a nationwide campaign of sabotage of bunkers? Anything from bombs to glue in the locks or fish in the ventilators. This would have a direct effect (our glorious leaders won't be so convinced of their safety) as well as a symbolic one (they prefer to hide their bunkers; armed guards rather give the game away). Next week: how to set up your own terrorist group. You will need two cornflakes packets and a piece of sticky-backed plastic. Bony Ten - - - This week RED RAG presents an article on 'The Co-habitation Rule'. Some time ago we mentioned the plight of Sue Webster who has been denied Supplementary Benefit on the grounds that she is co-habiting with her boyfriend, who, in official eyes, should support her. What follows is Sue Webster's account of her circumstances. THE COHABITATION RULE - HOW TO CEALLENGE IT (OR THE UN-WELFARE STATE) by Sue Webster. First I should explain how I came to be unemployed - the reason, in my case, being peculiar to the female of the species, but nevertheless one which is responsible for the loss of millions of hours of work each year. From 1976 onwards I found it impossible to hold down a job due to severe menstrual problems which caused my absence from work for 1-3 days each month and made firms unwilling to employ me. I had a number of short term jobs before starting to draw Unemployment Benefit in October 1979, eventually securing a part time job in June 1980. Unfortunately I had injured my back due to unexpected heavy lifting and had to leave work on my doctor's advice after only six weeks. So I found myself back on the dole and at this point it hit me that I had only 4 months left in which to find a job before my entitlement came to an end and I would find myself penniless. 'Penniless?' -you may ask- 'But what about Sup.Benefit?'. Fine, except for one very big problem. I live with my boyfriend, Sid, and so come under the notorious 'Cohabitation Rule', under which an un-married woman is denied Supplementary Benefit, regardless of need, where it is alleged that the two are 'living together as husband and wife'. Sid does not support me financially and neither do I expect him to, as the basis of our relationship is one of financial independence from each other. So, with the job market looking gloomy, we decided to challenge the Rule in every way open to us, and not to take 'no' for an answer. My initial claim was, of course, refused, and at one point it looked as if I would be forced to find alternative accommodation in order to claim benefit. After all, I could not be expected to live on fresh air! It was then, without my asking, that my father offered to provide me with financial support for a limited period, thus making it unnecessary for me to leave home and enabling us to continue with our fight, (and, incidentally saving the Taxpayer the extra cost which would be incurred by our living apart - 90% more than is now being requested.) In January this year I took my case to an Appeal Tribunal. The appeal was lost, but we decided we had been deliberately misled by the tribunal and that the next step would be to set to work on grounds for leave to appeal to the Social Security Commissioner, which was requested in March. During this time my escalating menstrual problems resulted in my being admitted to hospital for a hysterectomy, followed by a three month period of convalescence before I could begin to look for work again, a task made more difficult by the current recession. It now became even more important to pursue my claim for benefit and in June against tremendous odds, leave to appeal against the tribunal's decision was granted. We are now waiting for the date of our hearing before the Commissioner which we hope will be within the next two months, though as usual the Department is taking its time, probably hoping we will give up and go away if they keep stalling. It seems that this type of hearing does not come under the legal aid system, so I must depend on Sid to represent me. The Supplementary Benefits officer, of course, has his own legal representative, and the Commissioners can act as judge, jury and executioner rolled into one. I should point out that at no time during our struggle have we received the help or support we requested and expected from such bodies as the Child Poverty Action Group or the National Council for Civil Liberties, to name only two of those who should make it their concern. Nor have our efforts to interest the national press produced results. We have had no 'expert' advice, for we could find no experts in this field. We have had to cope with this case alone and our predominant feelings have been those of isolation, indifference of others, and at times that I, for one, did not officially exist. I must emphasise that this is not merely a personal issue. The question which must be asked is whether a woman should be obliged to depend financially on the man she lives with simply because there is a sexual relationship between them. If so, then the relationship is reduced to one resembling that of client and prostitute, whether the couple are married or not. Ideally all women, married or otherwise, should be entitled to some money of their own from an impartial and impersonal source, and if we win our case, we hope we will have helped to turn the tide in this direction. Think for instance of the implications for women who are single parents existing on Sup. Benefit and who are at present subjected to intimidation and the withdrawal of benefit should a man move in with them or even spend several consecutive nights under the same roof. Consider too the wives and girlfriends who endure constant beatings from the men they live with, simply because they have no money of their own, no hope of putting something aside for an 'escape fund'. The man this situation has absolute power. Erin Pizzey describes many of the woman who arrive at her refuges for battered women as 'penniless'. Remember, with unemployment on the increase, more and more women will find themselves pushed back into the home and again reduced to playing a dependent role. Men have won their right to financial independence - surely it is time that women fought to establish theirs. If you are interested in discussing this subject, a meeting - "THE COHABITATION RULE - HOW TO CHALLENGE IT" - will be held at flat 6, 92 Wokingham Road, Reading on Wed 14 Oct at 8pm sharp. If you wish to attend please phone Sid or Sue at 661460, as numbers must be limited due to lack of space. Should interest be overwhelming, a further meeting may be held at a later date. - - - Events diary details of meetings, marches etc from compost to communism, tenants to terrorism. Give details to Clive, Laura or Nick on Rdg 666681 ANARCH'S MONDAY 12th OCTOBER The regular monday night meeting of Anarchists, meeting starts after Blakes Seven. contact James 473205 for venue. CO-HABITING? WEDNESDAY 14th OCTOBER 'The CO-HABITATICN LAW- HOW TO CHALLENGE IT' a meeting that is organised by two people who are doing just that, at Flat 6, 92 Wokingham Road, 8pm. anyone who is interested can ring Sue Webster on 661460. S.W.P. WEDNESDAY 14th OCTOBER SOCIALIST WORKERS PARTY meeting at RED LION, Southampton Street 8pm all supporters welcome. CO-OP GUILD WEDNESDAY 14th OCTOBER CO-OP GUILD OPEN MEETING. Report back of LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE by the Reading North Labour Party delegate. 7.30 pm at the Education Centre, Oxford road School. WOMEN FOR LIFE ON EARTH SUNDAY 18th OCTOBER The WOMEN'S PEACE CAMP will cont throughout the winter with rallies every Sunday, speakers at 3pm. at Greenham Common, all supporters welcome. THE WOMEN'S PEACE MARCH MONDAY 19th OCTOBER The WOMEN'S PEACE MARCH starts out from Greenham Common, to reach the C.N.D. Demo in London on Sat 24th, The march goes via Aldermaston today. Anarchists Meeting MONDAY 19th OCTOBER As last week, call James 473205 for details. WOMEN'S PEACE MARCH TUESDAY 20th OCTOBER THE WOMEN'S MARCH reaches Reading via Burghfield Road and then the Bath Road sometime after 4pm,. They will be staying the night at ELM PARK METHODIST HALL as there are more than fifty women on the march, vegetarian food for dinner and breakfast will be very welcome. contact Rosemary on 589578 or Melissa on 22824. WEDNESDAY 21st OCTOBER The march starts off again at lOam to march through Reading and on to London, anybody who can make it please support them. UNIVERSITY PUBLIC LECTURE TUESDAY 20th OCTOBER "English church monuments and the Historian" by Dr B.R.Kemp. Palmer Building, Whiteknights. free. SOCIALIST FEMINIST GROUP WEDNESDAY 21st OCTOBER Discussing "Scarlet Women part 2" and what the Soc. Fem. group will do next, at 276 Liverpool Road, 8pm. S.W.P. WEDNESDAY 21st OCTOBER SOCIALIST WORKERS PARTY meeting at the RED LION, Southampton St. 8pm, supporters welcome. PEACE WEEK AT THE UNIVERSITY For all events see the sep. leaflet. TOGETHER WE CAN STOP THE BOMB SATURDAY 24th OCTOBER BANC have hired four double deck busses, to the CND Demo in London Fords Farm, Calcot 10.30am Riundabout, Tilehurst 10.45 Reading Bus Station 11am Cemetary Junction 11.15am £2.25, students 1.75, unwaged 1.25. From Acorn bookshop. - - - LATE EVENTS THE BOMB SATURDAY 17th OCTOBER Jonathon Dimbleby's 'THE BOMB' is being shown by Reading Peace Association, at St Marys Centre, Chain Street, at 8pm. EAST READING RIGHTS GROUP THURSDAY 22nd OCTOBER Session on redundancy and unemployment rights and benefits, TGWU speaker, 8pm at the Wycliffe Church Hall, 20p entrance. * * * * * Calling all ANARCHISTS the new AUTONOMY CENTRE, at 01 Warehouse, Wapping Wall, Metropolitan Wharf, London El. (in main entrance, turn left, first floor) tel 01 481 3537. Open Thursdays from 7pm, Fri & Sat from 2pm. If your union, grpup or organisation is planning a meeting or conference, remember the AUTONOMY CENTRE can be hired at very competitive rates- phone or write for details (ansaphone outside normal opening hours) seating for over a 100, bookstall, refreshments Food by arrangement, film projection & P.A. equipment, easy parking and only four minutes from the Wapping Underground Station. PUBLIC TRANSPORT WEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER John Rigby, an ex-employee of Berks County Council now working for London Transport, will be talking about the potential for improved public transport planning in Reading area, including better facilities for cyclists, to the Civic Society at 8pm at St Mary's Church House (opposite entrance to Heelas). Despite the innate conservatism of the Civic Society this should still be a provocative and well-informed talk by an 'un-muzzled' bureaucrat. EVENTS DIARY There are a lot of late entries for the diary this issue - please get them in early next time, so we can have it printed by Sat 24th. That means our next deadline is Weds 21 October - please give details to Clive, Laura or Nick on Reading 666681 by 8pm Weds 21st, for events until 10 November. Details sent to other places or mentioned to people involved in the Rag in the pub may or may not get in to the paper, since all the bits are put together separately. Thanks. - - - OCT 23-31 READING UNIVERSITY PEACE WEEK Fri 23 Oct American Committee on East-West Accord lecture Arthur Macy Cox (ex CIA), Marta Daniels (expert on Trident) and Admiral John Marshall Lee (leader of the coalition to defeat MX) Palmer Building, Main lecture theatre, 7.30pm Peaceweek disco 'No-Nukes' groups and bar extension Students Union, 8.00pm Sat 24 Oct CND demonstration 'Together we can stop The Bomb' London Coaches from Students Union, tickets £1.75 from Clubs Office, Students Union Mon 26 Oct World Disarmament Campaign Roger Elliot (WDC), Students Union, 1.00pm Violence vs non-violence Debate Ron Andrews (Reading Quakers) - other speaker to confirm Tue 27 Oct Jobs not bombs Showing of the film 'Lucas Aerospace: we've always done it this way' and speaker from the Lucas Aerospace Combine Palmer Building, 7.30pm Wed 28 Oct European disarmament 'Teach-in' Speakers: E.P. Thompson, Mary Kaldor, Dr Jim Garrison, Joan Ruddock, Prof. George Hutchinson Workshops and showing of film 'The war game' Palmer Building, Main lecture theatre, 2.00pm-8.00pm (E.P. Thompson and Mary Kaldor speaking at 5.00pm) Thu 29 Oct Peace in Britain The Corrymeela Group Students' Union, 1.00pm Nuclear links Namibia Support Committee and film 'Follow the yellow cake road' Palmer Building, 7.30pm Fri 30 Oct European Theatre of War Open Air theatre, university Campus 1.00pm Anti-nuclear cabaret, Faculty of Letters theatre, 7.30pm Peaceweek displays Poetry reading during the afternoon by Dennis Gould Sat 31 Oct Workshops Peter Kennard 'Imagery and the Peace Movement' David Taylor (Ecology party) 'Direct action' Others to be arranged 26-31 Oct Photomontage exhibition 'Images for disarmament' Peter Kennard For further information about Peaceweek contact: Andrew Harrison University of Reading Geography Department, ext 6331 - - - GOING OUT GUIDE next deadline 20 October for events to 10 November call John, Rdg 662740 MONDAY 12 OCTOBER =Modern Jazz -Tony Lee Trio with Lennie Best. SHP 8pm £2 also tomorrow =Cinema -The Elephant Man. 7.30pm SHP, until Thursday. =Shlock -Rolf Harris. If you go ask him to sing the Canoe Song; they say it bears more than a passing resemblance to Adam Ant's latest rave. Hexagon 7.30pm £2.50up TUESDAY 13 OCTOBER =Rock -Steve Gibbons, established R&B band. Good. Uni SU £? 8-lam =Nostalgia -Donovan. Elderly flower child playing to packed houses of nouveau hippies - you can borrow my old love beads if you like Hexagon 7.30pm £2.50up =Baroque -Music for baroque ensemble by JCBach & Telemann. Uni Palmer building ?free 1.10pm WEDNESDAY 14 OCTOBER =Film -Man of Marble. Polish intrigue concerning media myths and life in postwar Poland. All about Hero of Labour and Gdansk 1970. A must. RFT 7.30pm 90p/£1.40 THURSDAY 15 OCTOBER =Film - Scarface & Beyond reasonable doubt. Members only. RFT 7.30 90p =Folk -Cap & Gown folk night - singers night 8pm 50p =Jazz -trad at the Prince of Wales Caversham. free 8-1O.30pm. FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER =Rock -Caribbean Club. Something good from 10pm til late but we don't know what £1.50 =Rock -Metro Glider. Target 8-11pm free =Pop -Sheena Easton, the great British dream. Sold out by all accounts. Hexagon 6pm & 8.30pm £3up =Theatre -Three Down by Peter Robert Scott, played by Salisbury Playhouse. SHP 7.45pm £2.20. also tomorrow =Jazz -Lol Coxhill and friends. Tres amusant mod jazz. SHP 8.15pm £2.25 SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER =Rock -Suspects. Cherries free 9-11pm =Rock -U2 plus Comsat Angels. Well worth the journey. U2 Irish punk, latest single Gloria. Bracknell Sports Centre 7.30pm £3 =Rock, -Mood elevators. Uni SU £? 8-lpm =music -NFOAPA concert. Hexagon 2.30 50p =Claasical -John Gill, Beethoven piano sonatas. Hexagon. 7.30 £2.50up =Classical -Programme of Mendelssohn, Haydn & Beethoven trios for violin, piano & cello. Chiltern Edge School, Reads Lane Sonning Common 7.30, tckts from K Kaye, Kidmore End 2284 SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER =Rock -Kindergarten Cherries 9-10.30 Free =Classical -Arion orchestra, Rossini, Beethoven, Haydn Hexagon 7.30 £2up MONDAY 19 OCTOBER =Johna Strauss Gala. With dancers in costume! Hexagon 7.30 £2up =Cinema -Gloria. Good film, features tough woman as heroine. SHP 7.30pm until Thursday. TUESDAY 20 OCTOBER =Jazz -New Orleans Jazz with Bill Brunskill's Jazzmen. SHP 8pm £1.80 WEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER =Film -La Mort en ce Jardin. RFT =Classical -Marisa Robles harp recital Hexagon 7.30 £2.50up THURSDAY 22 OCTOBER =Classical -Anthony Goldstone, piano, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Gershwin, Grainger. Hexagon 1.lOpm free =Rock -Bauhaus. Heavy nonmetalic modern melodrama with dead trendy hyperactive singer. Uni SU £? 8-lam =Film -The great Rock & Roll swindle. Crass, but you'll probably talk about it afterwards. RFT 7.30 90p up =Jazz -Prince of Wales Caversham 8pm free =Folk - Cap & Gown. Don't know what but something. £lish Spm FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER =Rock -Caribbean Club £1.50 10pm =Rock -Workshop. Jazz/rock group ex (Elvis Costello & the) Attractions members and other nearly famous names. Sounds good. Leighton Park School £1 (tckts from Hacketts) 7.30pm =Bedtime stories -Magnus Magnusson tells of vikings in Reading. Hexagon £2up 7.30pm =Theatre -Work is the curse of the drinking classes by Neil Titley. Sounds unpromising. SHP £2.20 7.45pm also tomorrow =Strangeness - Fred Wedlock, of oldest swinger in town fame. Take Dad. SHP 3pm and 11.30pm =Film -Stir Crazy. Lots of adlibbing and it shows. SHP 7.30 =Film -The Warriors 'Bronx rivalry between two gangs. Good stuff. SHP 11pm, also tomorrow SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER =Rock -Bernie, and the mysteries. Cherries free 9-11pm =Rock -Ivory Coasters, Uni. SU, £? ?pm =Classical -Moura Lympany. Piano, Haydn Liszt, Debussy, Ravel, in good setting for music, bad setting for its other purpose Christ Church, tickets from Hickies, 7.45. =Visuals -Andy Warhol exhibition. AW is not expected to attend. SHP all day & evening. Free =Folk -Portway Pedlars. SHP 75p 8pm SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER =Rock -Project Surprise. Cherries. Free 9-10-3Op did someone say there was nothing to do in Reading? - - - $Id: //info.ravenbrook.com/user/ndl/readings-only-newspaper/issue/1981/1981-10-11.txt#6 $