RED RAG

Back Issues

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Established 1979
Free! Fortnightly! Fun!
(cover illustration)

These are the back issues of Red Rag. They'll be posted here every (usually) two weeks on or around the anniversary of their original publication. We're currently reissuing 1985; the latest issue is dated February 3rd (scan / txt); the next one is due out on the 17th.

Red Rag, or Reading's only newspaper, had a noble tradition of misspelling, mixed metaphors, wrong facts, confused political judgements and a readership of 4000. It was produced by an incredibly fluid collective, some of whom had never met each other. It printed practically everything it got sent ("except poetry and party political broadcasts, provided it isn't racist, sexist, militarist or otherwise supportive of oppression"). It aimed to provide a decent alternative coverage of local news and issues from a radical non-aligned position; to promote subversive and creative initiatives; to provide a forum for unorthodox views; to allow some sort of co-existence between a huge variety of interests. And in over five years it had never sold a single copy.

In this issue (scan / txt): the strike has by no means been lost, and even if the demand of No Pit Closures cannot be won, the Miners will not accept defeat, but will go on as will their supporters to fight this tide of destruction this Government has launched upon us. Most of us are stuck between the unslightly and the serene, floundering in a love like blood and can do without "Lifelines" from Nietzschean superwomen, unless it's to bring on the clowns in the twilight of idols; Veggie Dining becomes co-ordinator free and the Vegan Ramble will now have to deny that they check your sandwich box for salami sarnies; two rival teams appear to be running courses at the Centre for the Jobfree; and Acorn becomes a Workers' Co-operative, but Ian and Liz are leaving.