March 6-20
1983

RED RAG

Fortnightly / Free

READING'S ONLY NEWSPAPER!

News: 61257 666681 662302 666324  Events: 666681
Going out: 663083   Distribution: 61257 666681
...or write c/o Acorn Bookshop, 17 Chatham St.

Copy deadline for next issue: Thursday March 17

                                - - -

VERNON PAXFORD "MAFIA" BOSS!

Vernon Paxford is a landlord who preys on the down and outs and the
homeless of Reading. He exploits people who are living rough and have
nowhere to go. He charges high prices (the Council has to pay for bed
and breakfast accommodation for homeless people) for very basic
accommodation.

A number of unemployed in Reading hand over their giros (£60 per
week) to him, and he gives them a few pounds (£2 per day) in
return. Their humiliation of being forced to hand over their cheques
in the street was the subject of a recent 'Post' article
(3.3.83). They co-operate - but they have no choice. Paxford sends his
strong-arm boys round to force them if they do not hand the money
over.

Violence is used:

    At Christmas a man turned up at the Night Shelter in Brock
    Barracks with broken ribs and a battered face. He had run foul of
    Mr Paxton's thugs.

    Another man who wanted to cash his own giros was beaten up and had
    to leave Reading. He had a broken arm.

    Two months ago, a woman staying at one of Paxford's bed and
    breakfasts had to go into hospital for two weeks. Paxford had her
    cases dumped at the hospital. Afterwards she found a room for
    herself and her family at another b&b - with Paxford's henchmen
    after her for rent for the time she was in hospital. She took
    legal advice. She had to seek help from members of the public to
    get to the Post Office to cash her giro - Paxford's boys standing
    menacingly behind them in the queue as the cheque was cashed.
    Later, for her own safety, she was helped to leave Reading and
    find accommodation in Swindon.

Vernon Paxford, working from his office in Baker Street, also takes
part in the common practice among Reading landlords of selling a
letter stating that a homeless person is staying at one of his
addresses so that person can claim money from the DHSS which they
otherwise couldn't.

Someone living rough in Reading gets a mere £2.94 per day, and has
to present themselves to the DHSS every day. In the 'Operation Major'
in Oxford it was these unfortunates who were taken to court and
charged, not the landlords exploiting their plight. Young teenagers
forced to use Paxford's accommodation are particularly at risk; women
face the further threat of sexual assault.

People working with the homeless in Reading have been aware of these
problems for some time, but only with the setting up of the Night
Shelter at Brock Barracks, and other hostels (such as the Cyrenians
and Walter Rodney) have the homeless had any alternative to such
unpleasant and unscrupulous characters as Vernon Paxford. Even the
chairman of the Council Housing Committee has described Reading's bed
and breakfasts as "a rip-off". It remains to be seen whether the new
Unified Housing Benefit will improve matters....

                                - - -

HOPE

Homeless People support group runs a drop-in centre once a week in
Reading town centre, for the homeless and those living in poor
accommodation. We provide food, clothing, medical attention and help
with accommodation for those requiring it. We are self-funded and
desperately need volunteers, food, clothing and money. If interested
in helping or donating something, phone Diane on Reading 697967.

                                - - -

WE'RE STILL HERE

The Night Shelter at Brock Barracks (571 Oxford Rd) is helping to
alleviate the misery of those living on the streets of Reading. Since
we opened on Dec 23, 1982 we've helped over 100 people find
accommodation, medical attention, companionship. We still need three
full-time workers (we've found one), plus volunteer workers, and any
donations of money food or clothing.  Contact 54020 for further
details.

                                - - -

HOMELESS IN READING

There is only one place you can go to if you are homeless and on the
dole, the Council. There you will be treated with all the indifference
they can muster. You will be made to wait, and to squirm, and to
apologise and to plead; by the end of the day you will have had to
trade in your self-respect for their help. Their help comes in the
form of Bed and Breakfast lodgings somewhere in Reading. If you are
lucky, the "Hell-Holes" will be full, as they only cost the council
£54 per week per room (per family). If you get into one of the more
expensive residences you can indeed be thankful, as you will almost
certainly receive the one breakfast allocated to each room, and so you
should, as the council will most certainly be paying around £60 to
£70 to keep you there. Conditions are very poor in all the
choices. The management take advantage of the fact that the council
need them, and they abuse their authority in any way that enriches
their own lives. Young unmarried mothers are the most vulnerable in
many cases as landlords write in an extra clause of bed duty and who
is to stop them ? There is no Homeless Peoples Protection Society, and
don't forget, many of these young girls have no family. Children
suffer always, there are no facilities for them to be able to play. In
fact in most cases the management order you out between the hours of
9am and 5pm, so then they are walking the streets with mum, or being
rushed along in a push-chair. Taking away a child's right to play is
as devastating to the child as taking a man's right to work is for
him. Add the two together and you have a very bereaved family. Far
from there being a body that protects the families, there is a clause
in the council ruling that works constantly against them. It is aptly
named "Expulsion". If you are in any way thought to be uncooperative,
you can be expelled from your bed and breakfast room, taken off the
council homeless list and you are on your own. The council no longer
have to do anything for you, and so they don't. You are always guilty
until proven innocent, and who is there to prove you innocent?

The council have many tricks up their sleeves, all seem to be designed
to make you suffer. They join forces with the social security on some
occasions and send you phoney appointments which mean that you spend
all day in Market Place having an appointment deferred that never
existed in the first place. You have to go because the social have to
give you money to take to the council offices to pay as your
contribution to your keep. Why they make you cash a giro then take the
cash to the council offices, I will never understand. It must be
cheaper and simpler for them to pay out in one draft for all the
families. It has occurred to me that this is one of the ways that the
government proves how much they pay the unemployed. After all, if they
pay you £134 and don't say that you actually have to give back £94
to another government department, then who is to see that we are
underfinanced, only you. Have you ever tried to feed two children and
an adult on £40 for a month, with only the use of cafes? I have,
and it can't be done. I would buy one cooked meal a day and the
children would have first bash at it. What was left, I would eat. I
bought them milk at every opportunity and fruit. Good food was vital
as we were on the streets every day. Our salvation came from our
friends who were always ready and willing to help, and all of them
were on the dole like us, but thankfully they were not homeless, as we
were. Their kindness kept my children from being worn out and cold,
they gave my children the right to play, without them we would have
suffered much more than we did, but no more than young girls and
similar families are still suffering today.

The end of your stay in Bed and Breakfast does not in any way make up
for the discomfort the council have needlessly put you through. After
a minimum of six months you will be offered a slum, or maybe a choice
of two slums. However many, you must settle on one. The conditions of
houses being offered during my stay in B&B were downright
disgusting. Many had been empty for years and had been
vandalised. Pipes may be burst, ceilings caved in, doors off hinges,
windows broken.  You name it, the houses had it wrong with them. One
girl managed to get a Health Hazard Report done on the home the
council expected her to move into, but still it did not help her. Here
the versatility of the Expulsion clause is seen at its peak: by
refusing the home, you are being unco-operative, and so you are
expelled from the council's responsibility. End of story....

Why do the council pay upwards of £54 per week to temporarily house
families in conditions that aren't worth £12.50 per week? Where is the
money that should be paying for the repair work on the homes these
people inevitably get moved to?

The managers of B&B's are making a financial killing, the council are
making a grave mistake, and who suffers? NOT the managers, they are
rich now. NOT the council. If there is one thing they are good at, it
is covering up their mistakes. IT IS the people, people who have
already suffered so much that they have lost their homes, their
privacy, their self-respect, why keep taking from them? isn't it about
time somebody said "enough is enough!"

Who is there to help the young mother who has rejected a landlords
advances and so became expelled? Who helps the young mother who
endured all and still ended up with a slum? There is no-one, just
no-one anywhere, who seems to have the power to change things for the
Homeless, and to be honest, when you are homeless, you end up asking
DOES ANYONE CARE!!

Maybe the system as it stands can't be changed in any great hurry but
improvements can be made. Play centres could be opened at very little
cost so that families could go there. The children could be warm, and
play, the mother could rest her weary feet. A canteen should be opened
somewhere in the town so that those needing to get a meal on the dole
could do it at a subsidised price. Just two small steps would help
alleviate the pressures on the homeless.

Something must be done.

This article was written by somebody no longer in the area, who was
homeless in Reading last winter ('81-'82) It is only out of date in
trivial details. Apologies to the writer for losing it - that's why it
didn't appear sooner.

                                - - -

READING CLAIMANTS ACTION GROUP

....is a group of unemployed + claimants who are sick of bieng
labelled 'scroungers' and who wish to improve conditions on the
dole. At the moment we are worried about:

The new means test form which replaces the old interview with the DHSS
as from April 1983 - its full of hidden traps... make sure (especially
women) that you answer YES to qu.2 - you are still allowed to put some
restrictions on the hours, type of work & how far you will travel,
despite what it says.

Unified Housing Scheme - confusion reigns. From 1st April 1983 the
DHSS will no longer be responsible for paying rent to
claimants. Instead, payments for rent will be made by the Reading
Borough Council - but as yet no one seems to know whether they will
pay the money to claimants as before, or direct to landlords!

A member of CAG (claimants action group) says "It looks like April
could be a busy month" If you claim benefit, it is possible that you
may experience some delay in receiving your payments after this date,
while the changeover is made.

Eligibility - the DHSS is going to discriminate against women even
further by demanding that mothers prove that they are available for
work & that their children will be properly looked after if they ever
get a job. Answer YES to qu.2 even if you find p/t work eventually -
it's your right.

The new visual monitoring of ethnic minorities - why should the DHSS
be interested in the colour of claimants?

If these moves disturb you come along on Thursday 2-4pm Reading Centre
for the Unemployed, 4-6 East St, Reading.

                                - - -

ooh! Slodge! guk!

BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING February 22

Outside the Civic Offices was a demonstration by "200 banner-waving
protesters" in support of the Berks Anti-Nuclear Campaign / Labour
Party petition for a Nuclear Free Reading. A good chance to meet
friends and distribute some Rags. The sight of Brian Revell organising
things with such enthusiasm that a policeman proffered him his helmet
gave some amusement. There were Councillor-spotters there to identify
and target those who on arrival had to run the gauntlet of peaceniks
chanting, "Nuclear Free in Eighty Three!" A slogan of singular inanity
- no wonder none of the Councillors seemed able to talk sense for the
next six hours. I tried to vary things a bit with "Nuclear War in
Eighty Four!", but it didn't catch on. Oh, the petition was presented
at the start of the meeting and now disappears until the Environment
Committee considers it at its next meeting.

Well. Business. It's nearly election time - and it shows. The search
for votes makes both main parties do all sorts of things you would
expect the other one to do. Thus the Conservatives support the plan to
be submitted to the Boundary Commission to enlarge Reading's Borough
boundaries, using labour-type arguments. Simon Coombs (Con.) went on
about "rational progression" whereby the town expands and the boundary
with it; free transport for the elderly now outside the Borough; and
new land becoming available for housing development. Labour were all
for the poor rich souls who would lose out by paying rates for
practically nothing - "they don't want it, for very good selfish
reasons," as Tony Page put it; the whole thing is a "bit of petty land
grabbing." Hell, ask yourself: which way are the residents of
Reading's suburbs going to vote, given the chance? Things are
different for Tory MP Tony Durant - he opposes the changes because he
might lose his seat! Labour claimed they wanted a total reorganisation
of local government (so did everyone), and couldn't possibly support
piecemeal reform. It would just antagonise everyone. But the Liberals
(who hold the balance of power) could see no reason not to support the
boundaries (Tilehurst is Liberal territory and the further the town
goes Westwards the better?)  and voted with the Tories, as they
usually do.

Fulcrum

When it comes to car parks and buses things are more
predictable. First a debate on car-park charges in which the Tories
wanted to reduce them; "There is no justification for anyone to say we
need the money - we don't," said Simon Coombs. "The gesture will be
appreciated by the business community." "Reading ought to act as a
fulcrum of activity" (!). Labour retorted that there was no evidence
whatever for consumer resistance, and that charges had to go up to
protect the bus service. As for the Libs, well, "I want to speak on
behalf of the ratepayers, Mr Mayor," began Leader Jim Day, supporting
Labour in this case; Simon Coombs tried to counter this by saying the
Council "lose rateable income if we kill the heart of this town" (!),
but realised that "a majority of closed minds" were against him
(i.e. the Libs and Lab. These set-piece debates on party lines are
purely for show as they merely repeat on a larger scale debates in
Committee.)

Circles

Next the bus fares debate, equally familiar, with Labour wanting to
freeze them. Since July 1979 fares have more than doubled, though
retail prices have gone up only 60%.  Helen Kayes pointed put that
most people have no access to cars. Simon Coombs began by saying he
"obviously had a lot of sympathy - but not enough" with "the socialist
group - and I say the socialist group because they are learning from
South Yorkshire all the time, with empty buses going round in circles
in the middle of the night."  (Sic) The Tories "will not allow the
ratepayers to be pilloried in this way." Time for Jim Day again, this
time supporting the Tories: "These two debates show how well the
Liberals look after the ratepayers." He did point out maliciously that
"if by some dreadful mischance the Labour group was in control, no
such proposal would see the light of day. So: car-park charges go up,
so do fares.

(Note how in the Chronicle report the car park charges are the main
story, with the accidental-on-purpose error in the headline of a 50p
rise instead of 5p...)

Housing is a stick for labour to beat the Tories with.  Some facts
brought out: by May 5 about 750 Council houses will have been sold
off. The Council will make £9 1/2 million from this - over the next
30 years. A grand total of 8 new houses will have been built by the
end of the 82-3 financial year. Is this, June Orton asked, the lowest
on record?" "Yes," replied Ron Jewitt, the Housing chairman. "That,"
declared Lib leader Day in triumph, "is because so much has had to be
spent refurbishing buildings put up by the Labour council!" Certainly,
Labour seem strangely uninterested in the refurbishment of empty
houses, only in the building of new ones.

Suspicious

There was a proposal to investigate the need for the "Multi-Racial
Areas Working Party" - the Tories and Libs on which had decided it was
a waste of time. Much earnest concern displayed here by Labour. Sandy
Scaife on how the Council is not fulfilling its role as an equal
opportunities employer; how "racism is not always deliberate, on the
surface"; she painted a moving picture of honest Councillors slaving
away for people who just "say you're all out to line your own pockets
- I won't vote for any of you." Geoff Mander said party leaders were
not the best people to make decisions on this (!); "for God, society
is not a complex thing"; and he knew talented black kids on the
dole. John Silverthorne's well-intentioned waffle as usual did his
side no good at all ("...Even if it is just a talking-shop...") Much
smooth complacency from the Tories: Cllr Jewitt: 'I hate to see
Working Parties existing for their own right'; 'race relations are
better practised than talked about', or councillor Horton: 'all people
are treated equally by this council'.  Janet Bond (Lib.) said outright
that the Working Party was "a waste of ratepayers money" - and Ron
Jewitt referred mysteriously to "the suspicious, not to say suspect
involvement of the Labour Party in the black community of Reading" (!)
He also said: "If I were an ordinary black, I wouldn't go within a
mile of Caversham Rd (where the council for racial equality office is)
or this place (ie: the Council)." To which Margaret Singh replied that
the ordinary white has nothing to do with the council either - but the
councillors still go on working for them.

Dear noble councillors - I'd vote for all of you if only I could -
love for now.

Diogenes XXX

                                - - -

MAGISTRATE SCOWLS AND DISMISSES CHARGES

On Monday, Feb 28th, ten people again appeared at Guildhall
Magistrates Court on charges of threatening behaviour likely to cause
a breach of the peace. Five and a half months previously, they had
been arrested at the Falklands War Victory Parade in the City of
London, before they had an opportunity to carry out their intention to
chain themselves across the route of the soldiers, tanks, and
missile-carriers. Three times since then, they had had to come before
Magistrates. Now, after all the contradictory police evidence had been
heard, defence witnesses been called, and expensive lawyers' speeches
made, the Magistrate acquitted all defendants with obvious
reluctance. He had managed to send one, defending herself, down to the
cells for a while for contempt of court: when instructed to stop
eating a sweet, she swallowed it instead of placing it in the ash-tray
provided!

It was a lot of hassle for those involved, but nothing too
terrifying. While the laws defend the things we oppose, we will carry
on defying the law. And that magistrate knew it.

Cliff

                                - - -

EVENTS

Mon 7

Caversham BANC public meeting: Helen Caldicott video show (medicine &
nuclear war). 8pm Church House, Church St, Caversham.

Ecology Party meeting, 25, de Beauvoir Road.  Ring Maria Callies
663195 for details.

Anarchists Open Meeting "The Benefits of a Nuclear Holocaust". Ring
666681 for venue.  Held over from last week.

Union Movement through Independent Film Mondays till March 28 at South
Hill Park Bracknell. This week "Why we boycott", "For 20 cents a day"
and "A time to rise", free. 7.30pm

Young National Trust Talk with slides on the life and work of William
Morris. All talks are held at the Palmer Building, University.
Further details contact Robert Fisher, tel: 871989.

Women Only Disco at the Horse and Barge, Duke Street. 50p. 8pm.-11pm
Wear Red.

Berkshire Anti-Nuclear Campaign Labour and Trade Union Group
meeting. Ring Andrew Harrison 665332 for details.


Tues 8

International Women's Day. Woman Poet Pat van Twest 3pm Coffee Lounge,
Students' Union, Whiteknights Park.
Film "Awake from Mourning" about women in Soweto. 6pm. Palmer
Building, Whiteknights.
Also speaker from El Salvador at some time in the afternoon in Palmer
Building Room 103.

Berkshire Anti-Nuclear Campaign General Meeting 8pm Friends Meeting
House, Church St off London St. Evening of workshops and small group
discussion.


Wed 9

Guild of Co-operators: Mike Orton (leader of Labour Borough
Councillors) on "Social Services and the rates" + open discussion. 3pm
St. Mary's Centre, Chain St.

Socialist Workers Party: weekly meeting. 8pm Red Lion, Southampton St.

Rape: Showing of the infamous "Police" TV programme dealing with rape,
+ discussion afterwards. Women only. 7.30 pm Women's Centre, basement
Old Shire Hall, Abbey St.  All women interested in training for the
Rape Crisis Line are invited; all women interested in seeing the video
welcome.


Thurs 10

Women's Meeting: 10.30am at Newtown Community House, Cumberland
Rd. Find out about your rights to Unemployment Benefit. All women and
kids welcome.

Fun Fun Fun: "We are organising a day of non-competitive games for the
end of April in one of Reading's parks. If you are interested in
helping organise it or have useful skills (theatre juggling, food etc
etc) come to 5, Field Road Thursday 10th March 3pm. Meal provided. Or
phone 580563.

Massage: (in Thames Valley Natural Health Centre series "Help Yourself
To Health") Informal talk 8pm Friends' Meeting House, Denton Rd,
Wokingham. 50p. Details from Solo on Crowthorne 2061, Ian Bracknell
25343.

La Leche League: "good mothering through breast-feeding" meeting
10am. Details Alison Harris 752153.

East Reading Rights Group: Business/Training meeting to examine the
future of the group and encourage new members (no previous know- ledge
required). All Welcome. The group currently operates a regular
Saturday Stall at Cemetery Junction. Tel Sarah del Tufo 666184.

Amnesty International: Monthly Meeting. Starting a British Section
Campaign on "Murder by Government". 8pm St Mary's Centre, Chain St.


Fri 11

Ecology Party: National Conference in Malvern.  Details Maria 663195

"Lead Pollution": Talk by Prof. Derek Bryce-Smith organised by
Conservation Soc at their Resource Bank & Study Centre, c/o George
Palmer School, Northumberland Ave. 7.00 - 9.00


Sat 12

East Reading Rights Group: Regular stall at Cemetery
Junction. Morning.

Amnesty International: Jumble Sale 10am United Reform Church, Broad
Street.


Red Rag/Peace Week: Jumble Sale. 2.00pm at the Fairview Community
Centre, George Street. Offers of jumble, help, transport, anti-panic
devices to 867955 or 587381.

Reading Vegans: joint meeting with Reading Vegetarian and Food Reform
Society. 8pm 4 Derby Road, Caversham.

Anti Seal Hunting Rally: Trafalgar Square (London) 2pm. March to
Norwegian Embassy. Details from Friends of the Earth 868260.


Sun 13

Red Rag: Collective Meeting 4-pm at 7, Manchester Rd. Come along.


Mon 14

Screen Printing Class: Women only at the Centre for the Unemployed,
East St. Contact Sue Blake 867355 if interested.

Anarchists: Weekly meeting. 8pm Contact 666681 for venue.

Gaysoc Film Night: (their last event till April) Montreal Main -
Rarely seen Canadian film about man-boy love and the response to it.
Come Together - Early gay lib. When drag queens called themselves
radical feminists. Palmer Building Rm 109. 7.30pm. 50p members/70p
guests.


Tues 15

Woodley Peace Group: Discussion led by Brian Revell of BANC/CND 9pm at
15(or 16?)  Warren Rd. Tel: Sue Watts 690813.

BANC Daytime group meeting: at 6, Randolf Rd Caversham
1.45pm. Remember the Greenham Fence decorations?  This group is making
a collage of pictures and possessions to give to the US & Russian
Embassies. Materials and help wanted.  Ring Marissa 22824;
Caroline 25916.


Wed 16

Socialist Workers Party: weekly meeting 8pm Red Lion, Southampton St.

Animal-Welfare Meeting: To set up co-ordination between all the groups
and individuals involved (e.g. Hunt Sabs, Animal Aid, Vegans....) Back
room of the Crown, Crown St 9pm. Tel Alan Clayson 477790

Friends of the Earth: Public Meeting at the Sun in Castle St
8pm. General Discussion.

BANC Committee Meeting: at the Jury Rooms, Old Shire Hall, near the
Forbury Gardens. 8pm.

Norfolk Farm Labourers' Strike of 1923: Talk by R.D. Brigden,
2.30pm. Institute Seminar Room somewhere in the University. Try
phoning the Agriculture Dept for details.

NHS: Meeting to discuss action programme following WEA
teach-in. Contact VSC, 38 Caversham Rd. Tel 54123.

The Community Action Group meets on this and every other Wednesday at
the Fairview Community Centre, George Street at 7.30pm to discuss and
act on ideas concerning Veggie Dining, Mutual Aid, Wholefood Go-op,
CND/Peace Activities and more...  Anyone welcome - you don't have to
live in that part of town.


Thurs 17

History of Reading Soc. A.G.M. with speakers. Abbey Gateway
7.30pm. (Meets here 3rd Thursday every month.)

Red Rag Planning Meeting for the next issue. Tel 61257.

West Reading CND: Meeting at 19, Hollins Walk (off Parkside Rd)
7.45pm. To discuss l) The case for disarmament. 2) Preparations for
Easter action 3) Peace Canvass.

BANC East Reading Neighbourhood Group: meeting at 71 Hamilton Rd to
work on preparations for the Easter Action.


Fri 18

Vegetarian Dining: Fairview Community Centre 8pm.  see article
elsewhere this issue. £2 for 3-course meal. Tickets in advance (by
Wednesday) from Acorn Bookshop.


Sat 19

East Reading Rights Group: Regular stall at Cemetery
Junction. Morning.

Basingstoke CND: Leafletting on Civil Defence followed by demo. Meet
at Sports Centre 10am Support Welcome.

Red Rag Production Day - so you can read all about it next fortnight
too. Help welcome.

Coley Nurseries open day 2.30-4.30pm. Wensley Rd.


Sun 20

Friends of Shehnaz Sheikh Campaign "Come to a social at the Central
Club, London St at 4.30pm to catch up on what the Campaign has
achieved so far and to be involved in future activity. The next step
will be a court hearing in the near future and we still need your
support to continue to fight Shehnaz's case."

Red Rag Collation Day - so you can read all about it in the right
order. Help welcome.

BANC Benefit: Funk group + disco at Fives Bar, Queens Walk, in the
side of the Butts Centre. 8pm - ? £lish + concessions.


Mon 21

Ecology Party: Regular meeting. 38 Longbarn Lane. 8pm Ring Maria
663195.

Anarchists: Weekly Meeting. Tel 666681 for details.

Union Movement through Independent Film "Courage of the people". A
dramatised reconstruction of the historic massacre of Bolivian tin
miners and their families by government troops in June 1967. At South
Hill Park, Bracknell. 7.30 pm. free.


Tues 22

Berkshire Organic Gardeners: Talk on Bio-Dynamic Methods of Gardening
by Karen Heme. 7.30pm St Mary's Centre, Chain St. Coffee and
bookstall.


Wed 23

Civic Society: A.G.M. Dr. John Punter, chairman, will review the major
developments and proposals as they are likely to affect Reading. 8pm
Vachel Room, Hexagon. Free. All welcome.

Socialist Workers Party: weekly meeting 8pm Red Lion, Southampton St.


Thurs 24

Exercise and Movement: (in Thames Valley Natural Health Centre series
"Help yourself to health") Informal talk at 8pm Friends' Meeting
House, Denton Rd, Wokingham. 50p. Details Solo on Crowthorne 2061; Ian
on Bracknell 25343.

Henley Peace Group: Speaker from Medical Campaign against Nuclear
Weapons. "The only treatment is prevention." Henley Town Hall 8pm.

United Nations Ass. "United Nations Clean Water and Sanitation
Decade"(?) Talk by Brian Jackson. 84, Waverley Rd. 7.30pm.

                                - - -

SEAL RALLY


27 Instow Road,
Earley,
3rd March 1983.


Dear Red Rag,

Please publicise the Save the Seals Demo in Trafalgar Square on
Saturday 12th March at 2.00pm.

The annual Canadian seal hunt is due to start soon, and the British
Government has refused to support an EEC ban on the import of seal
products, preferring to make do with a voluntary ban.  Fortunately
consumers seem to have been voting with their wallets, and there is
reduced demand for seal skins, so 'only' about 50,000 cubs are likely
to be clubbed to death this year instead of the usual 200,000.

The only way of stopping this trade is to have a complete ban on the
import of all seal products, which would be most effective, since the
U.K. is a major centre of the trade.

Best wishes,

Anne and John Booth.

                                - - -

CLOWN COURT

I devote this, the first appearance of Clown Court, to a case with
which I have come to feel a great personal involvement. It was the
trial here of 5 men accused of criminal damage to a piece of fencing
at Greenham Common, property of the MoD. It was a trial in which there
was unmistakable doctoring of evidence, one which ultimately led to
wrongful verdict, and one which convinced me that the so-called random
selection of jury is a positive vetting in favour of authoritarian
views. But I'm not going to shout Pig. I offer facts instead.

Introducing The Defendants

In this case I shall name names. The defendants deserve, I believe,
respect and support.

One was Kevin Hutton; he is not involved in the greater part of the
trial; his principles sanctioned what he did; he pleaded guilty.

Another was Richard Bond. He is a buddhist; an artist; he lives in a
multicoloured bus and follows the festival circuit.

There was Jeremy Barford, a printer of t-shirts, a pacifist and an
anarchist.

There was Sheaffer, a trader, making his living following the circuit.

And there was Conway, whom I'm unable to label, but who probably had
the best line.

The 1st Day

The scene is this: the four defendants sit in the dock, flanked by
prison officers, facing the judge; before them, crouched like beetles
at their desk, the counsels for Prosecution and Defence. To one side
is the witness box; to the other sit the 12 jury. The charges are
read; Prosecution begins his case.

Firstly he cautions the jury. Only if 10 of them are totally certain,
may they return a verdict of guilty. Otherwise they must return a
verdict of not guilty, or ask to be released of their duty.

Then he describes the crime. On 9th July last year 250 metres of MoD
fence was demolished. At the time people were shouting and throwing
stones. One policeman was threatened with a sledgehammer. An
articulated lorry, on leaving the air base, had its windscreen wipers
torn off (I am told the lorry actually hit the protestor involved and
smashed his camera). A man was using a catapult to shoot at a
bulldozer driver. And so on. But none of the defendants were accused
of any of this. The Prosecution was simply setting the scene.

Then the Prosecution described other aspects of the day. The
peace-campers claimed, he said, to have been provoked. In the
preceding night about 70 metres of fence had been demolished. There
was a stretch of young woodland inside this. To provide the police
with a better view a bulldozer was brought out. The woodland was
removed. This was 9-10 o'clock. At the destruction of the trees the
campers were incensed. Within half-an-hour posts were coming
down. Shortly after mid-day 250 metres of fence was down, and a gate
had been ripped from its hinges and thrown into the road.

These facts were mostly true. What was questionable was the
involvement of the 4 defendants.

Then the evidence.

A PC White saw Jerry Barford smashing a post with a sledge. Later on
he saw him again, pulling down fencing from a flat-bed lorry.

There was a police photo of Barford crouched down, near a damaged
post, with a sledgehammer in his hands.

A PC Balcomb saw Steve Sheaffer cutting chain-link with wire-cutters.

PCs White and Balcomb saw Bond smashing posts with a sledge. White
also saw Sheaffer with wire-cutters.

C. Conway asked to be arrested.  "Come on, I did it.  We all did
it. Arrest me. I cut the fence." This admission was the sole evidence
against Conway. They were arrested around 5.30 that day.

Then the 1st witness for Prosecution was called up.

Inept Collusion

The 1st witness was an unimportant MoD policeman. He estimated that at
the time of demolition about 2-300 people had been milling about. The
2nd witness was more significant.

This was PC Balcomb, a fairly stout man, with a square face and the
trim 1/2 inch beard that these types affect.  The campers knew him as
'Bob', he announced proudly.

'Bob' fraternised with the campers. (I believe now that his job was to
get to know faces: this was 'Liaison'.)  He came to know Bond quite
well. They had cups of tea together. "I would like to say at this
point that I, ah found him very nice. And also his American
girlfriend, who was also, ahem, very nice." He gave an embarrassed
smile. He knew the others less well.

He explained how he had seen Bond smashing posts. Bond wore a red
beret. He wore it all day, said 'Bob'. This is what identified him.

He saw Sheaffer cutting wire.

He saw Barford pulling at the fence, bare-handed, from the top of the
flat-bed lorry.

The 4th witness also was significant. This was PC White; he had been
on patrol with 'Bob'. He had seen Barford smashing posts with a hammer
in the morning, and pulling fencing down from the lorry in the
afternoon. He had also seen Bond smashing posts with a hammer. All
this allegedly. He claimed that Bond had been wearing a striking red
beret throughout the event.

Now, I will summarise the facts highlighted by the counsels for
Defence (there were three counsels, one being employed by two of the
defendants).

The two policemen were very slap-happy. Neither had had watches or
notebooks on them. One said there had been 40 campers watching the
demolition, the other said 200. 'Bob' insisted that Bond wore heavy
boots all day (and waistcoat and beret) - even when he was shown an
inventory taken on arrest listing plimsolls. They claimed they were
together throughout the events, but Balcomb said they were several
metres inside the fence, and White said several metres outside. But
more importantly: 'Bob' Balcomb said he was there at the beginning,
but did not see Bond until later; White said he saw Bond smashing
posts at the very beginning, something Balcomb 'could not have
missed'. Also, there was a police photo taken at a time during the
events where Bond is sitting drinking without waistcoat or beret. As
for Jerry Barford: he was sitting on the cab of the lorry, he said, as
it moved slowly along a narrow track beside the fence, playing protest
songs at the policemen and MoD staff. Occasionally he shouted slogans
such as "Go home Americans." At points, where the fence was cut, but
not down, it billowed out over the track.  Barford said he was pushing
the wire up, away from the lorry. (And I ask you, Who tears down
chain-link fence with their bare hands?) Said Defence: "Mr White, when
you give this evidence aren't you being completely wrong about the
matter?"

And now I come to the most damning inconsistency of all. White, when
he made out his statement that evening, didn't mention Barford's
alleged fence-pulling or use of a sledgehammer. Next day he went on
holiday, and only in a second statement made some time later did he
mention these things, in corroboration of the statement made by Bobbie
Balcomb. Now, this may be breezed over, on the grounds that the
information is actually contained in White's notebook, filled in
shortly before he made out the 1st statement. But does this hold up?

I suggest to you, the reader, that White falsified evidence. I suggest
that White, after a hard day's work, made out only his 1st statement,
then hurried home. I suggest that when White returned from his holiday
he met up with Balcomb, made out his second statement in corroboration
of Balcomb's, and only then filled in his note-book, and ante-dated it
to the day of the arrests.

Not only were these men in collusion - they were in inept collusion;
their ineptitude was repeatedly shown. By the end of the 2nd morning I
was certain the case would be dismissed.

An Inspiration

Conway, who claimed to have been washing clothes at the stream at the
time of fence-demolition, on seeing Bond being taken away by the
police hurried after them, saying "We all did it, we were all
involved." He asked to be arrested. At first he was ignored, then a PC
North turned to him.

"OK, then, what did you do?"

"Oh I - I cut the fence."

"What did you do it with?"

Conway, in his testimony to the court, said, "At first I said a
penknife, but that didn't work."

Later he said, "A sledgehammer," - and was arrested.

Interviewing White, Conway's Defence asked, "But didn't that strike
you as odd?"

"No," said White, resentfully.

"Perhaps I might rephrase my question. Didn't it strike you as odd
that he cut the fence with a blunt instrument?"

Later, the Prosecution asked Conway whether he approved of the
destruction which had taken place.  Conway attempted to avoid the
issue.

"No," said the Prosecution, "That is not what I meant. Did you approve
of the smashing down of the fence when you eventually saw it?"

"Well, in that context," said Conway, looking directly at the Jury,
"Yes. Yes: I was inspired."

A Question

At this point I would like to ask our readership a question. Can you
imagine the pleasure of bringing down an MoD fence? Of demolishing
this symbol of the impervious political strength which threatens our
very existence? Can you imagine the blood flooding your veins as you
hammer at the 10ft concrete posts, as they splinter and crack - as you
push, push at the fence until it crashes down to the sterilised soil
beyond?

The Ringleader

And now I speak of Barford. You recall the evidence against him: a
photo as he crouches with the sledgehammer in his hands (at a place
where the damage had been done much earlier in the day); the weak
testimony of White and Balcomb. Barford claimed that the hammer had
been passed to him as some one made a rapid departure. He had been
looking for its owner. This is evidence, yes, but when the defendant
must be proven guilty is it really enough?

I need only say that when Barford was cross-examined he spoke so well,
and with such resolve, that even the Prosecution became
confused. Barford said he was playing music to the Allies. He was
taking children for a joy-ride on the truck. He was an anarchist, but
he believed in peaceful expression, with music and song. He did not
approve of smashing the fence, but when he was arrested he expressed
his solidarity with the participants, and with the others arrested. He
told an amusing story. In late afternoon he arrived at a near-by gate
to find the area swamped by police, milling around said wiper-less
truck. Immediately he saw a man lying, on the ground, being kicked by
several policemen. "I flung up my hands in horror!" said Barford,
flinging up his hands.

"What? What?" mumbled the judge. "Why haven't we heard any of this
before?"

"Because it's not relevant to the case," said the Defence.

"Then why are we hearing it now?"

"He is explaining how he came to be at the gate when he was arrested."

"I flung up my hands!" repeated Barford. '"What are you doing?' I
cried. 'What has this man done?' Suddenly I was attacked by a large
dog. When I had beaten off the dog I was flung to the ground by two
policemen. Lying there I looked up. There was Bob, PC Bob, pointing at
me. 'We'll have that one!' he cried."

I am proud of Barford. I think he is a man of principle but a
conservative jury likes least those who stand up for themselves the
most, and the judge was looking for a ring-leader. It must be a long
time since he pulled an anarchist.

The Verdict

I have hardly mentioned Bond. Did I tell you how he swore by a
buddhist testament; how he had spent the time in question erecting a
sign which said 'Why work for your own destruction?' facing our
American friends? Did I tell you how he talked Satsang - the word of
truth - to judge, jury and prosecution? I was overjoyed when both he
and Conway were found Not Guilty.

As for Sneaffer - he too was a fine person. This was truly a trial of
individuals by twelve shadows of conformity. Weak-willed, they were
unable to find him Not Guilty, and unable to agree; he is presently
free, and may or may not be re-tried, depending on the police.

But 6 of the jury found Barford guilty of criminal damage, and 6 found
him guilty of encouraging this. He was therefore found Guilty
unanimously. He sat through the remainder of the trial with a quiet
and a dignity that all the officials of the court could not have
mustered between them. The judge refused him bail, mumbling that it
was worse to encourage violence than to do it yourself; but he was
prevented from passing immediate sentence by the defence. I think
Barford must be in some grey cell now, wondering if he'll get 2 years.

Kevin, the 19 year old who pleaded guilty, now faces 3 months in a
detention centre. 3 months may not sound a long time, but under the
ministrations of sadists even a week is too long.

The Jury

Mostly they were middle-aging. There were only 2 women. Considering
the uncertainty of the evidence, that they did not pass a verdict of
Not Guilty for every one of the defendants I consider scandalous. I
hope that one day they learn the true meaning of 'Guilty'.

Round Up

I can only sum up by saying all quotations are approximate; that I've
left out many details - but I'm not writing a book; that the judge
compared anti-nuke feelings to vegetarianism; that if Barford has not
been sentenced by the time you read this, I hope you will be there to
picket the court.

Luke

                                - - -

EVENING POST: INACCURACY AND BIAS

In our society, an accused person is innocent until proven
guilty. Sections of the press however tend to forget this little
nicety in their reporting of criminal cases. The Reading Evening Post
is just one paper consistently guilty of distortion and inaccuracy in
this respect.

Its reporting of the case against four men accused of criminal damage
to a fence at Greenham Common airbase during last years anti-cruise
Festival was a case in point. Sensationally headlined 'Peace Men
Threatened Police With Hammers', it went on to describe the first
day's proceedings in a totally biased and factually inaccurate manner.

Detailing only prosecution evidence, and presenting it in such a
fashion as to invite the reader to presume the defendants guilt;
moreover: neglecting to mention for example, that defending Counsel
had that day exposed important inconsistencies in the police evidence
- described by someone in the public gallery as 'a laughably bad
orchestrated litany of lies'.

Such obvious psychological ploys as always referring to the defendants
by their Surnames only, whilst other witnesses are afforded the
courtesy of a Mr, or whatever may apply, are part of the Evening Post
style.

Tactics such as these are clearly designed to prejudice the
defendants' case in the eyes of the reader, and to promote public
resentment in the event of an acquittal.

The Post reported that:

'Concrete posts were uprooted'. It takes more than a sledgehammer to
uproot a concrete post. The posts were fractured at the base, and then
pushed over.

That a lorry was used as a platform for more effective attack on
fencing and concrete posts, was also false. The posts were attacked at
the base(!); and it was only 'charged' that one defendant pulled wire
down from on top of the lorry.

The Post also failed to mention that the damage was done in an angry
response to the M.O.D. bulldozing a small wood out of existence in
order to get a better view of the Festival campsite.

Misrepresentation of cases by the Evening Post and other establishment
mouthpieces is distressing not only to the accused person but also to
their family and friends, and it particularly reprehensible when the
case is in an ongoing situation.

Mick

                                - - -

GOING OUT - ring 663083 with details for next issue

RFT - Reading Film Theatre. Palmer Bld, Whiteknights Park
Fives - Fives Bar: Butts Centre
SHP - South Hill Park, Bracknell
RUSU - Reading University Students Union, Whiteknights Park


7th Monday

The Rehearsal - Hexagon - 7.30, £2.50-4 till Sat 12th. Sat 5+8pm; 2
seats for 1 on Mon 7th

Folk Club - Bull Hotel, Nettlebed - 8, £?

Union Movement thru' Independent Film - SHP - 7.30. "Why we boycott" +
"For 20c a day" + "A time to Rise". Free

The Birds of SHP - SHP - talk, 8pm, free

Circus - Hills Meadow Car Park, 5+7.30 (Sat 2+5) £2-4 till 12th


8th Tuesday

Toucan Strollers - Fives - 8pm free

Gay Disco - Tudor Arms - 8pm free

The Good Doctor - Progress Theatre - 7.45 £1.90/2.20

Stravinski Concert - Palmer Building University 1.10pm 15p

An evening of music for Brass - Great Hall London Rd - 8pm £1 + conc

Kevin Turvey + The Young Ones - Students Union - SOLD OUT

Bedroom Farce - Woodley Playhouse - 7.45 £1.25 till 12th

The Ecstacy of Woodcarver Steiner (U) + The Enigma of Kasper Hauzer -
SHP 7.30 £1.90 + conc

Lennie Best Quartet + Tommy Whittley (jazz) - SHP - 8pm £1.90/2.10

The Oedipus Trilogy - Playhouse Oxon - 7.45 Sat 4pm+8pm, £1.50-4.09
till 12th (Tues 8th all seats £1.50)


9th Wednesday

Fitzcarraldo - RFT - Also 10th, 8pm £1/1.50

Organ Recital by Malcolm Rudland - Town Hall - Blagrave St. 7.45pm,
£2.50

Jazz - Grosvenor House, Kidmore Rd, Caversham - 8pm free

Priviledged + The Gentlemen Factor - SHP - 7.30 £1.90 till 12th


10th Thursday

G.T.Moore + the Outsiders - Angies, Milton Rd, Wokingham - 9pm £1-2

Festival Concert - Town Hall - 7.15, Free presented by National
Childreens homes

The Significant Zeros + The Great Mistakes - RUSU - Reading CND
Benefit gig, £1.25, 8-12pm


11th Friday

G.T.Moore + the Outsiders - Caribbean Club - London St 10.30pm, £2

Gay Disco - Tudor Arms - 8pm, free

The Betrayal - SHP - 7.45, £1.90/2.20 also 12th

THX 1138 - SHP - 11pm £1.90 + conc also 12th


12th Saturday

Dicso - Caribbean Club - 10ish £1.50

The Creation (Haydn) - Great Hall, Univ London Rd - 7.30, £2

Spring Concert for Wind Orchestra - St Andrews Church London Rd - 7.30
£1.30 kids 70p

Brothers of Beat - Brittania Tap - 10ish free

Nasty Thoughts + Potentially Disasterous - Angies Wokingham - 9pm £1-2

Elizabethan Evening - SHP  - 7.30 includes food + recital £6/6.50

Keith Marsden + Cockersale (folk) - SHP - 8pm £1.20/1.50


13th Sunday

Taxx - Fives - Lunchtime, free

Chamber Music - St Lawrence Hall, Abbey Sq - 7.30 £1.50

What's Next? + shorts + serial - SHP - 12.15pm - 75p

Even Dwarfs Started Small - SHP - 7.30pm £1.90 + conc

Johnny Rondo Duo - SHP - 8.15 £2 to 2.50


14th Monday

Exhibition: recent works by J.V.Kelly - Hexagon

Folk Club - Bull hotel, Nettlebed - 8pm £?

Independent Film, Vabank - SHP - 7.30 free


15th Tuesday

Iolanthe - Hexagon 7.30 £2-3 till 19th Sat Mat 2.30

The Undertones - RUSU - 8pm £3 3.50 on door tickets going fast

The Nozes - Fives - 8pm free

Gay Disco - Tudor Arms - 8pm, free

Aquirre Wrath of God + Burden of Dreams - SHP - 7.30pm £1.90 + conc
till 17th

Once a Catholic - SHP - 7.45 £1.50/1.70 till 19th

5 Leaf Clover - SHP - (jazz) 8pm £1.70/1.90


16th Wednesday

Southern Comfort (X) - RFT - 8pm £1/1.50

Jazz - Grosvenor House, Caversham - 8pm free


17th Thursday

The Art of Mynstralsye - Hexagon - 1.10pm Silver collection

Cristo E Fermato A Eboli (A) - RFT - 7.30 £1/1.50

Much Ado About Nothing - Progress Theatre - 7.45 £1.80 till 26th

Mono Pacific - Angies Wokingham - 9pm £1-2


18th Friday

The Nozes - Caribbean Club - 10pm £1.50

Gay Disco - Tudor Arms - 8pm free

Marillon + support - Top Rank - 7.30 £3 3.50 on door

The French Lieutenants Woman - SHP - £1.90 + cons to 20th

Southwind (recital) - SHP - 8pm

Panorama (jazz) - SHP - 8.15 £1.50 to 2

La Cage Aux Folles - SHP - 11pm £1.90 + conc + 19th

London Apaches - Angies, Wokingham - 9pm £1-2


19th Saturday

Poachers Moon - Hexagon - 12.15pm free

Domino Dance - Caribbean Club - 10pm £1.50

Tony Williams (Radio London) + Melody Rocka's + Singing Competition +
rafffle - Central Club - £2.50 8-late

Organ Recital - Holy Trinity Church - Oxford Rd 6pm Tickets on door
"girls before 10.30 free!"

Eddie Upton (folk) - SHP - 8pm £1.20/1.50

Jeep - Angies, Wokingham - 9pm £1-2


20th Sunday

Albert Cruiser - Fives - lunchtime free

Buddy Rich - Hexagon - 8pm £4/5

Daylight Robbery + shorts + serial - SHP - 12.15, 75p

A Bigger Splash - Angies, Wokingham - 9pm £1-2

                                - - -

FUN

"The Blob" A game of tag, only once you are touched you must hold
hands with the person who caught you, until everyone is in one long
chain. Alternatively, you are safe while your bum is on the ground,
and your feet off it. Alternatively, you are safe while hugging
another player.

Kid's games? Still very enjoyable to play, once you stop feeling
self-conscious and let yourself get carried away. A great way to enjoy
yourself, and other people's company, while keeping fit at the same
time. And it puts you in an irresistibly good frame of mind.

So why aren't we all doing it?

A few of us descended on the Unemployment Centre last Saturday and had
a great time. As soon as there are a few people, a few minutes, and a
bit of space, play games. They can be energetic, very energetic, they
can be soothing and relaxing. If the idea of fun appeals to you, try
out some of these unskilled, not-particularly-competitive, but
stretching and absorbing games.

Some of us would like to see an event based on non competitive games
take place in Peace Week, just after Easter. Contact Paul, 587381. If
the idea catches on well enough, a large open-air Tournament would be
great for a Summer Bank Holiday!

Circular Lap-sitting: All stand in a circle, close together facing
inwards. All turn to face right. Move your feet so all the left feet
make a circle, heel to toe. All sit down together, carefully. It has
been done successfully with thousands of people at once. But if some
day you see a crowd of idiots all falling over together in Palmer
Park, you now know why.

                                - - -

VEGETARIAN DINING

Hello vegetarian readers, and other interested parties! Some of you
may remember the article on vegetarian dining that appeared in Red Rag
28Nov-12Dec, which was backed up by a meeting on Dec 2nd. About 15 or
so people turned up - surely there's more than 15 vegetarians who read
Red Rag? It wasn't a terribly constructive meeting, for various
reasons the main one being that despite the enthusiasm shown about the
project - especially the dozens of phone calls I received (thanks)
there very few people who were prepared to tackle the nitty-gritty of
actually getting a dining faculty started. The general attitude has
been "If you start something perhaps we'll join in later". Don't get
me wrong now, I'm really grateful for all the general support, but
the lack of action vibes really did my head in. Anyway, not being the
sort who are easily discouraged, we have now got Vegetarian Dining off
the ground; this could in no way have been achieved without the
enthusiasm, great energy and efforts and sheer "joie de vivre" of
certain persons, namely Lesley, Willy and Jean (Free Life Foods), Mike
(Acorn), John and Mark. Thanks chaps, you were great - and I hope you
will be again after this free publicity - no seriously though,
Vegetarian Dining has happened twice now, the first tine on Feb 4th
and again on Feb 25th as sort of trial runs, and they seem to have
been greeted by most people with warm approval (especially by Lentils
Worthington - the fastest stomach on two wheels).

Now please allow me to explain how we operate, so you can consider
whether we are ideologically sound enough to warrent your
patronage. Basically we aim to cover the cost of the food and napkins,
tickets etc, the hire of the community centre. As incentive to the
cooks, they eat free. Attending this dining "function" is possible by
purchasing tickets beforehand. Any profits made are put into a sort of
collective kitty, and the money is being saved up to buy equipment,
because at the moment we use our own or borrow other peoples. We just
about manage, but it usually involves a mad hectic dash around Reading
about an hour before serving time to try and assemble 30 bowls and
other assorted cutlery and crockery. Oh for some of our own!

Now about the food - it's mainly if not completely vegan (the eagle
eye of our vegan chef has been a most valuable help). Here's what we
all ate first time round - both times we catered for about 30 people:-

Jerusalem artichoke soup - Mexican bean chilli, brown rice, pitta
bread, green salad, coleslaw, (the work of the Yoghourt Freak), corn
fritters (vegan batter) and jalapenos (Mike has a strange sense of
humour)- fresh fruit salad inc. pineapples, grapes etc- then a choice
of lemon verbena tea, Earl Grey or Darjeeling. Last time the menu was
as follows:- (completely vegan) French onion soup + croutons - pasta
with tomato-vegetabley sauce, green salad, bean salad with fennel,
tofu salad and freshly home-made onion bread. And afterwards, baked
apples with sultanas and honey sauce, then either rose-hip or assam
tea. A choice of soya or cow's milk is available for the teas.  Fruit
juice was provided at the first event, but most people seem to want to
bring their own drinks.

If all this sounds interesting to you, why not come along to the next
Vegetarian Dining on Friday 18th March at Fairview Community Centre
George St. (off Oxford Rd., near the Central Swimming Baths) at
7-30pm. Tickets cover the 3 course meal and teas and cost £2-00 per
person, and are available until l6th March at Acorn (general inquiries
- write a note to "Veggie Dining" and drop it in to Acorn Bookshop, 17
Chatham St. Rdg.)  For example, if you're into helping with the
cooking sometime, or you want information, recipes etc contact us at
the above address.  If anyone would like to bring along their musical
instrument/s to play after dinner, feel free so to do!

See you on the 18th!

Luv & happy munchies

Anski

                                - - -

BICYCLE '83

The Reading Cycle Campaign is still alive and well! We have had a
minor success with British Rail who are to re-vamp the cycle parking
at the station so that it is supervised during most of the day. Watch
that space!

We shall also be attempting to get Borough Councillors to commit
themselves to better provision for cyclists prior to elections in
May. Does your councillor know how you feel about it? Last but not
least are plans for an "event", probably a mass cycle through the town
centre on Saturday June 25th to mark the start of National Bicycle
Week (London to Brighton ride is June 26th)! Interested? Want to help
organise it? Contact Simon Watkins, 5 Manchester Rd, or telephone
04868-7217 (office hours).

                                - - -

MAYDAY FESTIVAL

Stalls are available for this day-long festival in the Old Town Hall
(on Saturday, 30th April). Not just Leninist bookstalls - last year's
was quite good fun. £7.50 per stall. Phone Ray Parkes, 27781, after
6pm.

                                - - -

MUSICAL CROBBLE-WORD

[Didn't go down well with the OCR - sorry - see the PDF]

                                - - -

LEGALISE CANNABIS QUESTIONNAIRE

This appeared in the Rag some three months ago. We got 42 replies,
producing these results...

Of the 42, 14 were aged 18-22, 14 were 23 or 24, 14 were aged 25+ (of
which, one over 35). 36 men and 6 women. There were 16 people in work,
14 students and 12 unemployed (self-employed subversives, etc).

A third were first offered cannabis in the late 60's, the rest in the
late 70's (very few in the early 70's), all but three were aged 14-21
at the time.

An amazing 32 were stoned when they filled in the questionnaire, ten
of these notably so from the state of their replies. Also, 14 got
stoned daily and another 21 several times a week.

16 scored in the previous week, 15 others in the previous month; 2 had
never bought dope. Amounts consumed varied greatly: 1/4 oz purchased
in a month was most popular (11), the ranges 3/8ths - 1oz another
16. Prices vary from the sublime to the worst of rip-offs (£65 for a
quarter???), which excursions for bulk discounts. 17 reckoned they
bought about what they used, 13 bought less, 8 more.

If they had wanted to score that day, 39 would have known where to
go. 28 had grown the weed, 21 had sold it. 33 had bought cannabis for
others, all 42 had shared it (eg passing a joint - still considered as
dealing by some courts, maximum sentence 14 years), 32 had given it
away. None objected to their premises being used for cannabis
consumption (a rather bizarre offence which applies only to cannabis
and opium).

7 had been convicted of cannabis offences (4 of these for
straightforward possession only). 17 had been searched or arrested
without being convicted. No-one had been treated as a psychiatric
patient as a result of cannabis use.

26 smoke tobacco anyway, 24 primarily consume cannabis in tobacco
joints (no particular correlation between the two). 21 use less
alcohol than cannabis, 8 about the same, 11 more.

Reasons for changed consumption patterns included: greater/less
availability, improved lifestyle, university terms(!), greater
custom(!!). Reasons for not changing were less coherent. My favourite
is, "Enjoyable... Non-violent... Sociable... Heightened
awareness... Good sounds... Good times... Keeps me together... Good
for mind and body." Yeah!

Thanks to everyone who went to the trouble of replying. The
questionnaires are now on their way to the LCC in London for inclusion
in their national survey.

xx Reading LCC XX

P.S. Save them seeds. LCC's own gardening column will appear in the
next issue.

                                - - -

WAR IN AMERICAS - EL SALVADOR (part 2)

This, the second part of an article on El Salvador, deals with the
military situation and the international aspects since the March
elections.

The Military Situation

Shortly after the elections the army launched an offensive against the
popular opposition, in one of the areas in the N.W. province of
Chalatenango which was effectively controlled by the FMLN. The
offensive, launched at the end of May, was hoped by the Salvadorian
and its U.S. advisers to be the start of the process of breaking the
Guerilla power within the country. It was spearheaded by three elite
mobile brigades, the Atonal brigade, the Ramon Belloso brigade, and
the Atlactl brigade, all of which had received extensive training
either in the U.S. or by military advisers in El Salvador or
U.S. bases in Panatea. The army had also been equipped with Huey
helicopters and sophisticated communication equipment by the U.S. The
operation in Chalatenango had to be broken off however when the FMLN,
which had greatly increased its coordination within the various
guerilla groups, counter attacked in the N.E.  province of Morazan,
forcing the redeployment of the brigades to Morazon. At the same time
the Honduran army launched an attack across the El Salvador border in
a joint operation reflecting the increased cooperation between the two
countries security forces. Even the help of the Honduran army could
not prevent the Guerillas inflicting heavy losses on the Salvadorian
army, with the FMLN capturing large numbers of arms and men by the end
of June including the vice-minister of defence, Colonel Castillo.

The strength of the FMLN was underlined when it launched another
series of attacks in October in which 19 towns were taken out of the
army's control and over 100 prisoners were captured, extending the
area in which government troops could move about only in large,
heavily-armed units. The inability of the armed forces to make any
headway despite being increased in size, and the increasing casualties
it is suffering, has led to a feeling of demoralisation and
disorganisation, especially within the infantry. While military
defeats can only be prevented from increasing by vast amounts of
U.S. military aid (El Salvador is now the third highest recipient of
U.S. Military aid in the world), such as the delivery at the beginning
of the year of 20 warplanes, eight Huey helicopters and 6 Cessna 43
aircraft. Especially worrying is the training of Salvadorian pilots in
the use of Napalm at the US Southern Command base in Panama,
indicating the increasing Vietnamisation of the war with the popular
forces increasing their hold on the ground while the war becomes more
technological and destructive of large areas of the country with all
the consequences that would mean to the people of El Salvador.

In addition to the El Salvador military the U.S.  is also pushing
ahead with the development of Honduras as the regions policeman, with
military aid rising from $2.3m in 1979 to over ten million in
1982. American green berets now train the Honduran troops which carry
out joint operations with El Salvador on the two countries border
regions while the Honduran airforce has been expanded to become the
largest in Central America. CIA agents and U.S. military personnel are
also training over 4000 'Somacislas' supporters of the now dead
Nicaraguan dictator and ex-members of the National Guard - whose
military camps lie near the Nicaraguan border across which frequent
raids are carried out against border posts and villages while frequent
violations of Nicaraguan air space take place as part of a wider plan
aimed at destabilising the Sandanista regime there through military
and economic means - Nicaragua is conspicuously left out of Reagan's
Caribbean aid plan, and economically blockaded while surrounding
countries receive massive amounts of aid to try and shore up their
crisis ridden economies.

Because of the level of aggression directed against both the El
Salvadorian and Nicaraguan revolution, and the importance which the
Reagan government is placing on the region, international solidarity
is essential in preventing the re-imposition of U.S. client regimes
the area.

Nick

                                - - -

"STAND TOGETHER" GOOD FRIDAY

CND is organising a human chain linking USAF Greenham with AWRE
Aldermaston and ROF Burghfield. This means a lot more work than you
could imagine! On the day people are needed as stewards, coach
directors, toilet attendants(!), walkie-talkie operators, helium
balloon inflators, litter collectors... Contact BANC. On the previous
day, signs have to be put up, possibly marquees, and a hundred and one
jobs done. This is at the same time as blockades are taking place at
Greenham and Burghfield. If you want to take part in those, now is the
time to get yourself organised. Final details have not yet been made,
but CND is committed to going ahead with it. The Burghfield Peace
Campaign will hopefully put together some educational events to
coincide. Any ideas to Box 17, Acorn Bookshop.

                                - - -

FUME-HAPPY

Some mornings, when I wake to the smell of exhaust fumes from the
traffic on Oxford Road, I am inspired by visions of a science-fiction
town.

Dozing in my bed, I imagine streets that are no longer grey and dirty,
but park-like, with a central aisle of trees, a narrow lane for
electric buses on one side, and a bicycle lane on the other. And I
imagine we had followed the example of that mid-western American town,
where bicycles are publicly owned, and one need only take a bike from
a rank at one aide of town, and leave it, for someone else's use, in
another nearer home.

At this point, no doubt due to an overdose of lead, my imagination
gets quite out of control. The buses could be run, it suggests, on
electricity generated using methane from the town's sewage.

Such a scheme, of course, would be hugely expensive, but it would,
ultimately, pay for itself. Sewage is free; and, of all our resources,
it is probably the most inexhaustible.

By the process of obtaining methane from sewage, pollutant-free
fertilizer is also produced; it could be sold to local farmers at a
low price.

And this is not all, my vision informs me. To maximise efficiency of
the bus system, mini-buses could be used in low-demand areas, and in
all areas throughout the night. In areas where car parks once
abounded, playgrounds and sports halls could be built.

For the business and industrial sectors, too, electric transport could
be supplied, perhaps as a continuation of the railways, on a smaller,
slower scale.

And who should build these things but the unemployed? Paid, instead of
supplementary allowance, a reasonable wage for ten or fifteen hours
work.

And who should oversee these workers but the traffic wardens, deserted
by their ugly wards in a new-found town of Eden?

And... and my mind babbles on until I finally climb out of bed and
close the window, and wish, in my heart of hearts, that someone else,
someone who could use it, had this imagination of mine, and not me.

Ralf

                                - - -

BOOK REVIEW

"On Terrorism and the State" by Gianfranco Sanginetti (B.K.Chronos
102pp £3.00)

The first English edition of this book is well timed, coinciding as it
does with the end of the massive 'Red Brigades', show-trial in
Italy. Sanguinetti, one time member of the Situationist International
and accomplice of Guy Debord, was once himself arrested as a Red
Brigade suspect (and subsequently released when the absurdity of the
charge became apparent).  Since the Italian publication of "On
Terrorism..."  an attempt has been made to burn his house down.

The book is a lengthy extract from his forthcoming book "Remedy to
Everything" and will be of interest to those who want some insights
into the revolutionary situation in Italy, as well as to committed
conspiracy-watchers (Sanguinetti makes a good case - by showing who
benefits and who loses - for laying the Piazza Fontana massacre and
the Aldo Moro kidnapping at the door of the Italian state). The book
should also be of interest to comrades who are haunted by the tedious
cloak-and-bomb portrayal of anarchists.

The term 'terrorism', as used in Britain, has a very wide meaning
covering nearly all acts of political violence. Such broad usage dates
from the days of the Angry Brigades in the late sixties. Without
causing any casualties the Angry Brigade bombed innumerable
Conservative Party offices and Army Recruitment Centres. In addition
they bombed the BBC caravan at the Miss World contest, Eiba's
boutique, a police computer and the homes (empty) of the Commissioner
of Police and the Minister of Employment. The Establishment was
naturally worried, but even more concerned to find that most ordinary
people couldn't give a toss or actually admired the cheek of these
'non-violent' bombers.

Umbrella

The umbrella use of the term 'terrorism' enabled the media to link the
activities of the Angry Brigade with the horrendous random bombings of
cafes, pubs and bus stations by the I.R.A.

Sanguinetti reserves the term for political kidnapping and acts of
random brutality such as leaving bombs in public places. Terrorism -
acts of violence intended to intimidate your opponent into changing
his policy or leaving the territory - is a technique used by both
states and political groups throughout the world. While the British
state is happy to lump most acts of political violence together, there
are some notable exceptions. The attacks on the homes of black people
and Asians are terrorism in the most basic meaning of the word, but we
never hear news items that start, "NP terrorists struck again in
Lewisham last night...."

The end result of acts of terrorism, within Sanguinetti's definition,
is that, directly or indirectly, ordinary people are always the
victims. S's thesis is that such terrorism is always
counter-revolutionary.

Statist Ambitions

When acts of terrorism such as the Piazza Fontana incident kill and
maim ordinary people they reveal the authoritarian, statist ambitions
of the perpetrators. Bosses and leaders have always been ready to
sacrifice ordinary people for the party or country or god or
sovereignty or whatever. All the terrorist groups that indulge in such
actions - the IRA, PLO, ETA, Red Brigades etc - are just alternative
governments fighting for control with the existing governments.

Legal fetishists will always try to draw a distinction between
terrorist bombings and 'legitimate' warfare - the IRA for instance
want so much to be seen as proper soldiers - but we, the potential
victims, cannot be expected to savour this fine legal point.

For us, be it by car bomb or cruise missile, the result is the same. A
line often quoted in this quest for legitimacy is that "a terrorist is
just a patriot without an airforce". We can accept that if we are
aware of the other side of the coin - that a patriot is just a
terrorist with an airforce. When an Irish terrorist sets off a bomb
knowing it will kill a nearby child, he excuses murder by describing
his victim as just another 'casualty of war' - and those who condemn
his view spend millions of pounds preparing to fry equally innocent
children in the Soviet Union - just more 'casualties of war'. Evoking
the massacre at Kronstadt (by the Bolshevik govt in 1921, part of
anarchist folklore - helpful typist) and the present decomposition of
the Italian state, Sanguinetti writes, "All states have always been
terrorist but they have been so most violently at their birth and at
the imminence of their death".

Propaganda

In making his case for state complicity in terrorism, S. points out
the tremendous propaganda value to the state of acts of apparently
mindless carnage. Such acts - like the Birmingham pub bombing - are so
meaningless that even those sympathetic to the stated cause must reel
back in horror. These acts escalate because if they do not, they
appear to be subsiding and opponents and potential victims take heart,
believing they are 'over the worst'. Neither states nor potential
states can resist the spectacular and in Hyde Park last year images
collided and brought the war to bandsmen, horses and chocolate-box
soldiers.

With these images before us we are asked by the state to take
sides. As Sanguinetti points out, "...if the workers declare
themselves to be against this demented terrorism, then 'they are with
the state'; if they are against the state then 'they are terrorists'
that is to say enemies of the common good, public enemies. And against
public enemies everything is permitted, everything is authorised."

When the state discovers the propaganda value of acts of terrorism it
is a short step from using such acts to instigating them. It is, after
all, easier to deal with a simulated enemy than a real one. When we
consider that possibility, the parallels between S's Italy and the UK
become apparent. The Birmingham pub bombing was a meaningless outrage
that allowed the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act to be rushed
through Parliament on a wave of public opinion. But who was
responsible? The IRA - never slow to own even their most gruesome
exploits - have never admitted responsibility. Those convicted, far
from demanding political status, continue to profess their innocence.

When the Anarchists in the 'Persons Unknown' case were arrested the
Anti-Terrorist Squad was about to be drastically cut in numbers
because of the drop in incidents of terrorism in London. The
trumped-up charges didn't even convince the rigged jury - but the
continuing need for the A-TS was established.

More recently there was the parcel bomb sent to the Prime Minister by
the so-called 'Animal Liberation Militia'. Over the past few years
various animal rights direct action groups have caused millions of
pounds worth of damage to laboratories, fur shops, factory farms, etc
and such incidents are on the increase. Many of these groups organise
themselves in a cell structure which is notoriously difficult to
infiltrate or break without a suspension of civil liberties presently
unacceptable. But if the police are looking for terrorists....

1984

Sanguinetti quotes a conversation from George Orwell's '1984': "In
some ways she was far more acute than Winston, and far less
susceptible to Party propaganda. Once when he happened in some
connection to mention the war... she startled him by saying casually
that in her opinion the war was not happening. The rocket bombs which
fell daily on London were probably fired by the government itself,
'just to keep people frightened'. This was an idea that had literally
never occurred to him....."

                                - - -
COUNCIL HOUSING?

Following the article "by Tracy in the Jrd Feb edition about squatting
she, her husband and 15 month old son were evicted, but not
rehoused. However, the proceedings leading up to the eviction were
misleading and very confusing. We were unable to attend the first
hearing as the address on the summons was unreadable. In our absence
the council were given possession. Fortunately we got a second hearing
after the court agreed that the address was 'a little misleading'. I
told the judge of the family's struggle with the council for
re-housing. They had been put into temporary accommodation & left
there for a year, where they had to put up with problems such as no
drainage, no heating, a missing window, lots of mice and a landlord
who more than once threatened them with violence to dissuade them from
complaining about their conditions, and getting the rent lowered. The
place was a shit-hole, but I forgot, it's points that count if you
want a home! The judge listened, and in his infinite wisdom did not
sign the order for immediate repossession by the Council.

This meant that instead of a week in which to find somewhere to live
we could have 2/3 weeks before the bailiffs came to evict us. What a
patronising concession, in the name of justice! However we then
learned that this hearing had been totally & utterly irrelevant as the
council had acted on the first hearing & we had less than a week to
get out in. The family now have 28 days in council accommodation, B/B
before they are declared homeless.

If the council will not reorganise their housing policy to cater for
peoples needs, then the people are forced to take their own action and
squat. But now even this seems to be made more and more difficult by
Reading Council.

                                - - -

Each man is in
his spectre's power
Until the arrival of that hour,
When his humanity
awake
And cast his spectre
into the Lake

              William Blake.

1983 IS A TURNING POINT. We have our chance to face up to ourselves,
the most violent creatures ever to set foot on this world. We are
faced vith the simple imperative: Change or face extinction!

The public debate over Cruise missiles and Trident is more than just
an argument over what is an acceptable level of deterrence; more than
whether the world's arsenals are full enough; more than how many
millions we are prepared to see starving in the Third World; more than
the arms race, a self perpetuating war machine; more than male
violence and domination of women; more than the rape of the earth's
resources. Yes it is all these, passionately these, but more than that
it has become symbolic of the human malaise, the catalyst of change,
the hope of putting human back into being. Despite a century of
continual war!  on earth, with 100 million dead, we now have the power
and the will to destroy every living cell. We have every reason to
ask; What has become of Life?

Now we face the twilight of humanity with monstrous certainty, armed
with moral absolutes, with peace dogma, with vile statistics. We
brandish sickening photographs of atomic victims like advertisements
for double-glazing. We speak of marches and rallies, we demonstrate
with slogans and chants. We seek confrontation. We want to be
arrested. We try to undo the knotted tangle of fear with boxing gloves
- to loosen the delicate nuts and screws of the mind with pick-axes,
bolt-cutters and chains. We blockade the paths of doubt. No questions
asked, it is what we have set ourselves to do.

We cannot set out to change the world. I am told that we all go
through that phase - part of growing up, but we can start from the
grain of sand. We start from home, from our hearts, our hopes; where
we are - ourselves. If we are to set out in search of our lost
humanity, we have to listen, we have to learn, we have to look back at
ourselves - to feel our futures start to breath again in the firmness
of personal experience and discovery - now. The ends and means can
only be synonymous.

Everywhere there has been a renewed emphasis on personal and direct
expression. The loosely-termed 'Peace Movement' is a rich mosaic of
private visions and aspirations embracing every country, culture and
social situation. This more than anything gives us reason for
hope. Join in with us - do it now!

                                - - -


RED RAG is Reading's Only Newspaper

- fortnightly, free, financed by donations and produced by a
collective. Anyone can write for it, and (space, time and money
permitting) we will print articles so long as they are not "sexist,
racist or supportive of oppressive religions". Send your news to us
c/o Acorn Bookshop, or ring one of the numbers on the cover. Articles
for the next issue should be in by Thursday 17th. Type them if
possible, to 12cm columns using a new ribbon. Give a signature
(needn't be your name) and some way we can contact you to discuss
things we don't like or can't read. To help with the next issue ring
Chris on 61257. Why not come to the collective meeting on March 13th -
4pm at 7 Manchester Road. Anyone interested very welcome.

                                - - -

LETTER

Dear Red Rag,

Wankers Of The World Unite!

Caroline's letter (17/2/83) gives rise to some anger. Apparently Red
Rag is now giving space to what we SWP members call "petty-bourgeois
moralism" - the use of "wanker" as a term of abuse. Maybe there are
supporters of the Greenham women who have Victorian ideas about
personal sexuality, but I see no reason why Red Rag should give them
any credibility at all. The SWP supports wanking and the Greenham
Peace camp; this doesn't mean we have to swallow every tactic adopted
by other supporters, like singing songs that go "ON... and on and on
and on and o - o - on.....". We don't have to accept the separatism,
the divisiveness and the sexism that some of these people promote. We
don't think dressing up as snakes, walking around with candles or
dancing on bunkers will be enough to stop Cruise. If we're up against
Mrs. Thatcher's state machine, committed to routine violence as it is,
we'll need the self-activity of millions of workers and wankers, women
and men, united in strikes, pickets and riots.

Once Caroline has sorted out her sexual politics, she's welcome to
join us in the fight to build that self-activity. Meanwhile, we'll
keep on selling Socialist Worker, we'll keep on wanking, and we'll
keep on shouting boring old slogans: Jobs Not Bombs!

Olive Crocker Reading SWP.

                                - - -

Echo: One rag collective member received an irate phone call on the
same subject: "Why did you allow this to happen?" On hearing that she
wasn't much involved at the moment, so he'd better talk to someone
else, "Oh, I'm speaking into a cave, am I?"

[Typist's note: SWP stands for "Socialist Workers Party."]

                                - - -

Why not spend two minutes and 12 1/2p lobbying your MP? Sign and date
the letter and send it to your MP at the House of Commons. Letters to
MPs can have an effect, especially when an MP receives a number of
letters on the same issue.

To:

MP for

House of Commons,
LONDON, SW1A 0AA.

Dear Sir/Madam,

PRESSURISED WATER REACTOR (PWR)

I would like to express my concern about the Government's proposal to
introduce the pressurised water reactor (PWR) into Britain, the first
of which would be sited at Sizewell in Suffolk.

I am concerned about the particular dangers that this reactor poses. I
cannot see any need for an expansion of the nuclear power programme
when there is such a large surplus of electricity generating capacity.
(33% in England and Wales on the coldest, darkest day of the year; and
90% in Scotland.)

Furthermore, to make way for the PWRs, 41 non-nuclear power stations
are being closed, often well before their active lives end, at a cost
of 5,000 jobs. (Sunday Times Business Mews, 6/9/81.)

I would be grateful if you would assure me of your opposition to the
PWR.

Yours faithfully,


                                - - -

TWO COURSES AT THE CENTRE FOR EXTRAMURAL AND CONTINUING EDUCATION

1. The Natural History Of The Garden

Tutor Miss A.McCord .Tuesdays, 7.30-9.30pm, 26th April to 11th July at
the London Rd site of the University.  Fee £9 (OAPs £4.50).

To study a range of wildlife found in gardens, how to identify it and
attract it. For gardeners and naturalists. Includes practical work but
no previous experience required.

2. Reading Trees.

Tutor Miss C.M.C.Olver. Tuesdays, 7.00-9.00pm, 26th April to 28th June
at the London Rd site of the University. Fee £9 (OAPs £4.50).

This course is to look at different areas of Reading to examine the
different species of trees and practice identifying them. Most of the
course will be a series of "tree walks", also visiting nurseries and
the University library, all with a view to knowing more about the
local "treescape".

Also, a Saturday School on 11th June on local trees with Miss 0lver,
9.30am to 4.30pm. £3.50 (OAPs £1.75). Lunch provided or bring your
own.

A morning session on twig and branch identification, followed by an
afternoon of tree identification. Basically a day of recognition
practice for beginners. Pounds like the way to find cut once and for
all which tree is which.

Enrolment for all three things at the Extramural Office, London Rd
University site, by post or in person (To find it, go in the main
covered entrance, round to the right, round a corner and through a
door. Easy!)

                                - - -

SMALL ADS

"They work!" - Satisfied small advertiser.

For Sale: Ladies bike in good working order, for £30. Contact Jen at
Brets, tel 590130 or 666681

For Sale: Bass Guitar - Fender copy. £70 new - barely used. *£50* Tel
867955.

Wanted: Clothes, carpets, hangers, mirrors, paints, etc. For Women's
Centre Nearly New Shop.  F

For sale: 52 Sci-Fi Mags Analog/Galaxy £6 contact Luke 106 London
Road.

Hallo Eve! stop sorry stop love Ana

Wanted: Moped/70cc bike for around £50.  Ring Paul:597381

Wanted: Cyclists to help co-ordinate the C.N.D.  Easter chain (Details
and info, from Lindy whose phone number I've lost or Paul: 597381)

Wanted: People able to help steward the C.N.D. Easter chain. Any time
spare is most welcome. Lots of different jobs need doing. Phone Sue
for details on 690813.

                                - - -

THE QUESTIONNAIRE

7 replies (one from 2 people) are hardley going to be typical, but
here are some points for what they are worth. Occupations ranged from
'unemployed' and "bleedin' student" to "civil/structural engineer,
property developer, tennis coach etc"; ages were 19, 19, 21, 23, 29,
32, 34, 48, female(2) to male(5). Interests included the peace
movement in various forms, womens issues, "squatting, the police,
anarchism", "civic society, FoE, BANC, Eco Party, art, theatre, music,
lectures" and "anti-racist, anti-sexist , anti-nuke, anti- vivisection
, anti-tory , anti-oppression, anti-police".

4 have it delivered, 2 got it from Acorn, 1 from friends. One
suggested various new outlets. Do you know of anywhere you could
usefully leave the Rag (such as waiting rooms). What are your local
shops like? We can provide you with extra copies - ring distribution
on 666681.

Some of the comments follow: Ban "schoolboy humour", in-jokes, obscure
references, racism (eg references to "Paki- shops"), poetry
arts/events critiques. Spell out in full initials of organisations for
the uninitiated (sounds suspiciously like a schoolboy pun to me -
typist). Include suggestions for combating racism, sexism etc at work
etc, on a personal level. Suggestions for economising, do-it-yourself,
eg: clothes-making, furnishing, cooking aimed at the penniless. Too
overtly biased to the Left. Apart from occasionally being offensive
(even to sympathisers) it ensures that the people who read to read the
good ideas, opinions, etc never do.

(From a letter)

I don't read the famous going-out guide much but I read anything there
is on party politics, BANC, Greenham Common & notices of events
connected with these. I also take it into work, where they look at me
strangely. Put out by the same clique every time. Too
self-indulgent. Articles & comment slightly wet.

I'd like to see RR cover a broader spectrum of news to encourage a
more varied readership (young people, old people, Tory people). Also,
some more light articles with a sprinkling of humour - without
cynicism.

I prefer black on white, it's easier to read. You could start charging
a small cover price... go a bit more for regular contributors & a
"style" of contributions. Get a friendly band or two to do a benefit
at a youth centre or something - get the Rag known with VI formers,
schoolkids... I prefer a more newspapery format... The whole thing has
to 'look' more acceptable to the possible sympathasizers outside the
"left ghetto"

                                - - -

RED RAG / PEACE WEEK JUMBLE SALE! 5p

Fairview Community Centre (bottom of George Street - off Oxford Rd.)

2pm, Saturday 12th March.

(Offers of jumble and help, PLEASE, phone 867955/587381)

                                - - -

Outlets

Get your copy of the next issue from any of:

Acorn Bookshop 17 Chatham St.
Pop Records 172 Kings Rd.
Centre for the Unemployed East St
The Emporium, Merchants Place (off Friar St)
Central Club London St
Our price records Butts centre
Lazar Records Butts Centre
Kens Shop, Students Union, Whiteknights

Brets has fallen(temporarily) under a fascist despotism. But if you're
in the Cemetary Junction area, you can now try:

The Sugar Bowl 26 Wokingham Rd
Mace Grocer 2 Crown Colonnade.

Or ring 666681 to get a copy to your door.

                                - - -

Finance

The position is fairly healthy, with c £160 in the bank after the
last issue has been paid for. This will be a much bigger rag than the
last few. To go on doing this we need a regular income! There are
boxes in Acorn Bookshop & Pop Records where you can make a donation;
or send cheques (to 'Red Rag') or p.o.'s to us c/o Sue Clarke,Flat 7,
66 Wokingham Rd.

                                - - -

$Id: //info.ravenbrook.com/user/ndl/readings-only-newspaper/issue/1983/1983-03-06.txt#3 $