RED RAG READING'S ONLY NEWSPAPER : 16 MAY 1982 RELIGION 'LIKE MEASLES' SHOCK Jesus spotted in Reading RED RAG CATCHES THE SHOW PLUS: Planners paradise? + Reading's best events guide + No nukes: peace protest, police riot, bombs and power Contents :: events guide, Red Rag's famous going out guide, the Pigeon strip, Jesus is alive today - Red Rag Investigates, Civic Society meeting, Arms Race, transport in the Reading Plan, alternative cabaret, nukes: several articles and letters. Getting in touch with Red Rag: News, Reading 666681, 662342, 861841. Information about events, Reading 473205, info about going out, Reading 663083, distribution, 61257, 666681 Next deadline is Thursday 27 May for events to mid June Red Rag is free. Each issue costs us 7.5p to print. We are financed by donations. Are you getting the message?? - - - RED RAG EVENTS DIARY - three weeks from Sunday 16th May Weekly meetings Mondays Anarchists. 8pm. Ring James on 473205 for details., Wednesdays: S.W.P. 8pm. The Red Lion, Southampton Street. Thursdays: L.P.Y.S. 8pm. AUEW Hall, 121 Oxford Road. Sun 16 Youth CND meeting (1st and 3rd Sun of the month) AUEW at 3pm. Also S. Region YCND meeting. Contact Dave on 416536. Prospect Park Bowling Club open day 2.30 - 5.50. Rally for Peace, called by the Ad Hoc C'ttee for Peace in the Falklands 2pm assemble Tower Hill (by Tower Bridge), march to rally in Jubilee Gdns, County Hall. Speakers from church, peace and labour movements. Gardens open: (see leaflet 'Gardens of Berks' in Library for details) Ashbridge Cottage. Forest Rd, 2m N of Wok'm. 2-6. bog garden etc Englefield House. On A340 W of Theale. 7 acres woodland gdn, 2-6 Folly Farm. Sulhamstead. Gertrude Jekyll layout. 2-6. Hurst Gdns. (Hurst Lodge & Reynolds Farm.) 7m E of Rg. 2-5.30 Woodside Cottage. Woodside Rd, Windsor Forest, shrubs, trees 2-7 Mon 17 'Playgroups in Action' exhibition in Hexagon foyer till 29th. Free. Gaysoc "Invisible Lesbians" -- talk by Sarah Veale of NUS Executive. 8pm C'ttee Room, Students' Union. Whiteknights. Non-students welcome Planning meeting for Internat Women's Day for Peace on 24th. Help, money, food wanted. 8pm. 35, Green Rd. Contact Lindy 61475, Liz 690793 Tue 18 Amnesty. (Univ group) shows the film 'El Salvador - the People will Win' in Palmer Building, Whiteknights. With supporting bookstall and speaker from El Salvador Solidarity. Free. 7.30pm Families Against the Bomb march and demo in London. (12.45 Central Hall W'minster - open 1 pm-9.30 for creche/eats - 1.30-3 mtg in C.H. with speakers, 2.30 lobby of MPs at House of Commons... NB ignore previously advertised transport details. Only c10 people now seem to want transport, i.e. 2 cars. If you do, ring Liz on 690793 immediately and maybe a minibus could be arranged. Wed 19 Unemployment Centre "Introduction to Unions" talk. 10am - 12. Reading Adult College, open evening and craft demonstrations. Wilson Centre, Wilson Rd. (Their programme of 400 courses in 100 subjects will be available in July.) 7.30 - 9pm. Free. History of Reading Fire Brigade - talk at Battle Library, Oxford Rd. 7.30pm. Tickets free from Library but space limited. Thu 20 Unemployment Centre - Guitar workshop. 1.30 - 3.3O. Not just classical. Reading Legalise Cannabis Campaign meeting. Contact Box 23, Acorn Bookshop, 17 Chatham St, for venue/details. May Day 1982 "Inquest". 8pm, venue probably 101 Shinfield Rd. Feedback for inclusion in the inquest, if any, to anyone likely to be present or to Chris Borgars, Reading 477073. (27 Carlton Rd, Caversham Heights) Reading Cycle Group meeting. 8pm, the Crown, Crown St. To discuss detailed ideas for cycling facilities. (There are 4 sub-groups covering the town - get in touch with West Rg Mike Tupper 56429. S.Rg John Booth 368260, E.Rg Linda Masters 669562. N.Rg: Derek Richardson 85111 ext 6177 (daytime).) Berks. anti-Nuclear Campaign - Woodley neighbourhood group meeting. 8pm, 81a Pitts Lane. Woodley. Contact Pauline Rance on 697866. Peter Watkins (wargamer) appears in Lecture Theatre 1 at London Rd University site, 7.30pm. Apparently he wants 200 people as extras for a remake of the War Game, to be refugees. Reading's just the place... History of Reading Society. Mrs Jean Debney talks on "Purley". 7.30pm at Reading Abbey Gateway. Co-op Annual Meeting of Co-op Retail Services Ltd, Reading Dist. Annual report of member activities. 7.30, Co-op Store, Cheapside, Rg. (entry opp. Odeon) Details of Woodcraft Folk, adult groups, Mother & Toddler Club, classes etc. Plus other co-op business and voting. All co-op members welcome - bring share book for entry. Fri 21 Bracknell Youth CND first meeting. Speaker from nat YCND. 8pm at Cooper's Hill Community Centre. Contact Bracknell 35282. Sat 22 Rape Crisis Collective: big meeting all-day at AUEW Hall, 121 Oxford Road. (10.30 - 4) With doctors, counsellors etc from outside. Any women interested in getting involved or helping welcome. Women's Centre: self-defence workshop. 2-4pm. Costs 50p, Last of 6, I think. Contact Rowena 599804. Berks Organic Gardeners: Grand Plant Sale +Bring and Buy. Wholemeal teas and guided garden tours. 14 Copse Avenue, Caversham. From 2.30. Pagans against Nukes: "Out of doors". Contact them at 69 Cranbury Rd first and for details. (Their paper 'Pipes of Pan' is 40p in Acorn) West Reading Festival: "All-night vigil at English Martyrs' Church, Liebenrood Rd from 11pm to 6am. A night of prayer and quiet to prepare for the Papal Visit." So no parties tonight please folks. Sun 23 Peace march: Hyde Park to Trafalgar Sq and rally. No time given. Ad Hoc Committee for Peace in the Falklands. Gay Vegetarians' outdoor feast in Kew Gardens. Contact K.Hale, Gaysoc, Students' Union, Whiteknights. ('Please don't eat the flowers') Dunton Pastures Country Park "wildlife day" 10.30 - 5pm (entry B3030 Winnersh-Hurst Rd.) Conservation & wildlife stuff. "Bring your own picnic". Free. Cannabis Law Reform Rally / Cultural Herb Festival. Brockwell Park, Brixton. 2-6pm. No music allowed, but the two biggest sound systems in the country. No drugs allowed either... See separate notice. Gardens open: (they all charge around 40p for adults) Ascot gardens. (Fauns Green & Courtlands) Cheapside Rd. Cold Ash gdns. (Greenlands & Ridgeway House) NE of Newbury Colnbrook Cottage. Inkpen. shrubs rhododendrons azaleas etc 2-7 Washing Place, Aldermaston. Large gdns, C12 church, 2-6 Mon 24 "Women's Work": film and video at SHP Bracknell. 7.30. Free. "The Smiling Mmme Beudet" (Germaine Duluc 1922, 45min) and "A House Divided" (Alice Guy 1913; short) + discussion. Gaysoc: "The Lavendar Muse", an evening in celebration of gay creativity. Brng your favourite poems slides crafts etc and share them in a supportive atmosphere, 6pm Council Room,Students Union, Whiteknights International Women's Peace Alliance Day of Action (other versions of the title exist). All day in United Reform Church. Broad St, 10am - 4pm, Exhibition of medical campaigns, coffee, tea lunch cakes raffle letterwriting etc. Contact Liz on 690793. Seems they decided not to show 'The War Game' as it might upset people... Tue 25 Friends of the Earth "Smallholdings in Practice". Martin Wagner gives guided, tour of the Small Scale Agriculture Research Group's experiment area, and discuss the potential of small scale farming. 7.30pm at Reading Univ's Old House farm, Cutbush Lane, Shinfield. Reading YHA: walk along Kennet & Avon. Meet Cunning Man at 7.30pm. BANC Committee meeting. Members welcome. Old Shire Hall, 8pm. YCND Disco. 8pm. No venue - any suggestions? Contact Annette 590231. El Salvador Solidarity Campaign: follow-up meeting to last week's film etc. 106 London Rd (side entrance by garage) 8pm. Clive 666681. Wed 26 Unemployment; Centre: visit to TV studio. Apply at centre for ticket. "Grand Fun Day" in Palmer Park. Puppet show etc. "Bring your own picnic". Tickets (sic) from Early Learning Centre, King's Road. BANC TU and Labour working group: 8pm, 56 Hamilton Rd. "Reading Ambulance Service" talk 7.30 Battle Library. Details as 19th Open Lecture: "Justus Liebig & the English Agriculturalists 1840-80 a study in conflict between opposing methodologies and different social perceptions in science" by Vance Hall of the OU (take it away Vance). Inst of Agric History, Seminar Room, Whiteknights. 2.30pm. Thu 27 Newbury YCND: First meeting (every 2nd Thurs hereafter). 8pm, Nag's Head, Bartholomew St, Newbury, Contact Paul Newbury 48797 6-8pm. Fri 28 Bracknell CND meets 8pm Cooper's Hill Community Centre (every 2nd Fri) Sat 29 BANC Woodley stall sets up. Contact Pauline Rance 697866. - don't forget the stall in Broad St every Saturday. Contact Pauline 27351. Sun 30 YCND march Reading to Burghfield to HMS Dartmouth. Don't know details. Or if there's a meeting too. See article elsewhere. Pagans against Nukes: meeting 69 Cranbury Road for "meditative workings". "Please let us know if you'd like to join in our workings." (Peace rally of some sort if there's been no settlement. In London) Gardens open: Brimpton Gdns. SW of Rg. (B.Mill on the Kennet; Stone Ho) 2-6.30 Honeybottom. 3m N of Newbury. Informal gdn, exotic plants. 2-6 Kingsmoor. Titlarks Hill, Sunningdale. 8 acres. 2-6 Little Bowden. 1m W of Pangbourne. Azaleas, bluebells. 2.30-6.30 Shinfield Grange. Cutbush Lane 3m SE of Rg.Univ teaching gdn. 3.30 - 5 only Mon 31 West Reading Carnival. Procession starts 12.30 from Cattle Market, Gt Knolly's St, up and back down Oxford Rd to Richfield Ave by 3.30. Music, sideshows, stalls etc. Organised by RCRE (583773). (Don't seem to have a "Women's Work" film at SHP for this week?) Wed 2 "The Police Service in Reading" talk 7.30 Battle Library. As 19th Stewards' Meeting for June 6th. 20 needed to deal with tickets money badges and seeing everyone gets home again. Don't know where. Sat 5 Women's Right to Work march in London (10.30 County Hall; march to Battersea Park rally - bus for kids so they needn't walk - big name speakers. Bands theatre etc. Workshops from c2pm on WAVAW, women in education, unemployment etc) - Lab party fails to come up with any help in transport as in everything else. Ring Toni (Bracknell 55867) to try to get something together. (Women-organised but mixed) Sun 6 CND Rally in London. BANC buses leave Alder Valley bus station (nb) 9.45. £2.50 return (£2 unwaged). Assemble Ladbroke Grove 11.00 approx. March to Hyde Park for rally 1.30pm. Speakers incl EPThompson, TBenn. Buses return from opposite Albert Hall 6.00pm approx. Tickets from Acorn Bookshop, 17 Chatham St. Please buy early so they can gauge number of buses required. Omissions: Mon 17: "Women's Work", contemp film & video work by women. South Hill Park, Bracknell, 7.30. Free. Mixed. Tonight: "Often During the Day" (Joanna Dow) and "Light Reading" (Liz Rhoades). Discussion. Sun 16: Coley Nurseries (RBC) open to public 2.30-6pm. Wensley Rd. Fri 4 June: BANC Jazz Night at the Griffin, Church Rd, Caversham 8pm. £1 (60p). Bar. RED RAG EVENTS sort of Weekly classes at the Centre for the Unemployed (East St): Mon & Thurs 10 - 1pm Literacy Tues 10 - 1pm Silkscreen printing Wed 10 - 1pm Numeracy Thurs 1.30 - 5.30pm Keep fit Wed 1.30 - 3.30pm Batik Hassle-smashing, services etc - very provisional list:-- Citizen's Advice Bureau: 38 Caversham Rd. Open 10-4 weekdays (10-2 Weds), l0-12 Sat. Or phone 598059 from 2-3.30 weekdays (12-1.30 Weds). Women's Information Centre, at the Women's Centre, Basement of Old Shire Hall, Abbey St. Open Tues 10.30 - 3.30, Sat 10.30 - 2.30 Rights housing health etc Unemployment Centre: 2-4-East St, open 9.1O - 4.30 Mon-Fri. Phone 596639. Advice and counselling as well as cheap tea and classes. Consumer Advice Centre: foyer of Civic Offices. Tel 55911. Reading Council for Racial Equality: 46 Caverhsm Rd. Open Mon-Fri 9-5. 583773. Number 5: 2-4 Sackville St. Open Mon-Pri 9.30-5.30 and 7.15-10.00; Sat. 10-4:30 Or phone 585898 (24 hrs). Facts & advice on law sex rights etc, "We'll look at it from your point of view. We won't tell anyone else." Reading Gay Switchboard: Tues and Fri 8 - 10pm, 597269 Samaritans: 154 Southampton St. Open 9am - 10pm. Phone Reading 54845 (24hrs) Pregnancy testing and advice: free, confidential, on the spot. At the Women's Centre, basement of Old Shire Hall. Tues 7-9pm, Wed 11.30 - 2.30pm. Bring early morning urine sample. Reading Gingerbread: meets every Tues at 8pm at Old Town Hall. Contact John Thorne 81896. Single-parent families. Alcoholics Anonymous: Reading 597494 for confidential info and advice. Electricity: 581133. Water: 55822. Gas: 581451. (All 24hrs) W.Berks Community Health Council: 10 Gun St Reading. 595678. Complaints about NHS Childcare: Thurs 10.30 - 2 Share-a-child collective at the Women's Centre. Women and children welcome. Wed mornings in school term: Co-op Mother and under-5 Club at Co-op Educ Centre, Oxford Rd (entry in path between Oxford Rd and petrol station). All mothers with pre-school children welcome. - - - PUTTING READING ON THE MAP Look in your national rad paper and you'll find listings of obscure events in all sorts of obscure places but never in Reading. We did have the idea of sending out the Rag events column - but the deadlines of the papers I looked at are so early there's no point. If enough people were interested I could try to get together a diary starting roughly where the current one finishes (events 3-5 weeks ahead) and send that out. Meantime in case anyone wants to use them here are the deadlines (Peace News has livelines) for three sample papers:- New Statesman: ("Social cultural, radical/arts, political") Details to: NS Free Listings, 10 Great Turnstile, London WC1 by Friday 8 days before issue date, i,e.: for issue dated 29May - 5 June in by 21 May " " 5 - 12 June in by 23 May " " 12 - 19 June in by 4 June. Leveller: ("rad events, meetings, music, film, theatre, art, pamphlets, campaigns & appeals", from 3 weeks of Fri of publication) Details to Fortnight Diary, The Leveller, 52 Long Acre Lane, London SW2 by Wed 9 days before issue date, i.e.: for issue dated 23 May - 11 June in by 19 May for issue dated 11 Jun - 25 June in by 2 June. Peace News: (precedence given to actions, and free events) Details (incl contact phone no even if you don't want it published) to: Peace News, 8 Elm Avenue, Nottingham 3, by Tues 10 days before issue date, i.e.: for issue dated 28 May - 11 June in by 18 May for issue dated 11-25 June in by 1 June. - - - DIRECTORY OF GROUPS IN READING Previous attempts to get this compiled having proved abortive, I'll have a go myself. Please send details of your group, what it wants, what it does, when it meets, or whatever, to: Red Rag Directory, c/o Acorn Bookshop, 17 Chatham St, Reading, Or maybe no-one cares. Did you know, for instate, that there was only one political organisation in Reading? Look it up in Thomson's Directory if you can't guess which it is... - - - RED RAG EVENTS I've recently taken over this diary - hence all the showing off by filling as much space as I can. If anyone wants to share the job, or take it over for an issue, or whatever, get in touch. I'll soon get sick of it. Meantime please can people send in events for inclusion to any of the Rag addresses or by phone to me (James) on 473205. The idea is that it's in your interest as well as ours... And thanks to those who did for this issue. (I'd like comments on the content, esp on whether it's a good idea to include services as well as strict events.) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ANNOUNCEMENT The Anarchist group has a copy of the pilot issue of the new duplicated bulletin "New Ultra-Left Review", which aims to be a non-sectarian newsletter for individuals and groups calling themselves anarchist/libertarian/council/ left-communists. Born from the ashes of Solidarity for Social Revolution and the International Communist Current, it's an attempt to meet the lack of serious discussion on the libertarian left. Has 32pp, with pieces on the demise of SFSR, long articles on 'The Revolutionary Party' and 'Class Struggle and Class Organisation', a sort of programme translated from 'L'Insecurite Sociale', book reviews, issues of 'Wildcat' (Manchester) and 'Subversive Graffiti' (Aberdeen), and leaflets on Poland. With more people involved and so a wider range of stuff this could maybe be the start of something. Get in touch if you'd like to see it: Box 19, Acorn Bookshop, or ring whoever. - - - OUTLETS You can pick up the Rag at: Acorn Bookshop in Chatham St Pop Records in King's Road - thanks for the ad in the window! Central Library - with the free leaflets outside the Reference Library. Branch Libraries too, supposedly. The Centre for the Unemployed in East St. You cannot pick up the Rag at: The Butts Centre Information Bureau. An irate phone call demanded apologies, retractions and dissociations - tho' we had been told they'd take some - "otherwise you'll be hearing from me again". We would like to dissociate ourselves completely from this "obviously political" kiosk. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should mischievous people go and ask them for a copy. They did say they'd take one, actually, to "keep under the counter" for themselves. Put they'll have to go find their own now. They could try our two new outlets not far away: Our Price Records and Quicksilver Records, both in the Butts Centre. - - - RED RAG'S FAMOUS GOING OUT GUIDE Sun 16 Hexagon-Mary O'Hara. 7.30 £3-£5 ex-nun Top Rank- Level 42 8pm £3.50 limpid funk Reading Cinema Club- Forbidden Planet (U) 7.45 80p The Eagle Baker Street-Jazz 8pm free Watermill Theatre Newbury-Pete Allen Jazz, Band 12-2.15 £2 -'The Echoing Green' 8pm £3-£4 Angie's Wokingham-Blue Condition 9'ish £l-£2.50 Fives-Jazz Faculty lunchtime free. Mon 17 Hex-Wrestling 7.30 £2-£2.50 Hex-Exhibition 'Playgroups in Action' till 29th May Progress Theatre-'Cabaret' 7.45 £2.50 + concessions till 22nd May The Plough, The Triangle, Winnersh-Kennet Jazz Band 8.30 free Art Gallery-Exhibition by Reading Camera Club free South Hill Park, Bracknell-Womens' Work in Videos and film 7.30 free Watermill Theatre, Newbury-'Twelfth Night' 7.30 (Sun 6.30) 1.50-£4 to June 5 Scamps Oxford-Doll by Doll late £2.50? New Theatre Oxford-'Sisterly Feelings' (Ayckbourn) 7.30 2.50-£4.50, 17th-19th Abigail's Play, 20th-22nd Dorcas' Play Tue 18 University-'El Salvador The People Will Win' 7.30 free Palmer Building Room 109 + speaker University-'Kramer v Kramer' 90p Palmer Building G10. " -Hi Tension 8pm-lam £2.25,£2.50 on door 'Bland' The Pheasant, Winnersh-Jazz 8pm free Tudor Arms,Greyfriars Road-Gay disco West End Centre,Aldershot-John James and Bob Walton(folk) 7.45 £1.75,£2.25 on door Arts Workshop,Newbury (Horthcroft Lane)-Centre Ocean Stream Theatre of Colour 8pm £2.50 + conc. Playhouse,Oxford-'Ruddigore' (Gilbert + Sullivan) 8pm probably expensive Wed 19 ABC,Friar Street-'Throne of Blood' (Kurosawa) 1.30,5 + 8pm 2.20 Japanese version of Macbeth, should be brill Reading Film Theatre,University-'The Lacemaker' (AA) 8pm 1.40,90p members. French Tudor Tavern-Jazz 8pm free Horseshoe Theatre,Basingstoke-'Oh What a Lovely War' £1.50-£3 to 29th May- Topical. Arts Workshop Newbury-Tony Craven Theatre Workshops £2.30 + conc. 7.30 Thu 20 Hex-500 kids and instruments 7pm £1.25-£1.75 sounds vile RFT,as above. Central Club,'Cleopatra Jones'+'Casino Gold'(films) 8pm free. Prince of Wales,Prospect St,Caversham,-High Society Jazz Band 8pm free Horse and Barge,Duke Street-Pete and Chris Coe (folk) 9pmish £? Fri 21 Hex-West Reading Carnival Queen Dance 8pm £2.50 £3 on door sounds by Urban Warrior, Hurricane Force Steel Band and King Solomon Sound System. RFT-'Halloween' (X) 6pm £1.40 90p members. Target-Tandoori Cassette 8.30ish free Tudor Arms-Gay disco SHP-Chamber Orchestra Summer Concert 8pm £1.10 + £1.20 Catholic Church Hall, Bath Road Thatcham-'Sinbad' (puppet theatre) 7.30 £1.50 cheaper for kids. Queen Mary's College,Basingstoke-'Harlequin' + '1945' (theatre) 7.45 £2, £1 unwaged Sandleford Priory,Newbury-Hugh Burden and Maureen Duffy (poetry reading) 8pm £2 West End Centre,Aldershot-Ital Survivors and sound system 7.45 l.40,£1.90 on door. Angie'a,Wokingham-KKKhan 9pm £l-£2.50 Church Hall,Circuit Lane,Southcote- 3 plays 7.30 75p 40p kids/OAPs. Sat 22 Hex-'All That Jazz' lunchtime free " -Apocalypse No; 1 starring Between Pictures, Motley Crew, Stills, Espionage £2 + conc. Target-Larry Miller 8.30 free SHP-'All Day Suckers' (childrens' ent) 7pm free " -Common Thyme (folk) 8pm £1 -£1.20 Bradfield College-'Persae' (Aeschylus) 8.45 £2 25.26 + 28 May,25,26 at 3pm Angie's,Wokingham-John Spencer Band 9pm £l-£2.50 Fulcrum Centre, Slough-The Drifters and BENE King 8pm Sun 23 Hex-Arion Orchestra 7.30 £2-£3.75 + conc. Fives-Jazz Swing Band 12.30 free Eagle Baker Street-Jazz 8pm free SHP-Whittaker's Patent Remedy (folk) 12.30 free " -Cliffhanger Theatre Co. 7.30 free Angie's Wokingham-Frank Abrams 9pm £1-£2.50 Apollo Theatre Oxford-Wishbone Ash 7-30 £3-£4.50 Fulcrum Slough-Rose Royce 6.30 and 9pm Kew Gardens-Gay Vegi outdoor feast (see Univ Gay Soc member for details) Mon 24 Hex-Goodnight Ladies and Ivor Cutler 7.30 £2.50 Ivor Cutler funny/dry " -Villains (sax combo) free, during before and after performance in foyer also 26 and 28 May Hex-Exhib Bernard Heslin recent paintings drawings and etchings. Plus exhib of artists from West Reading, both to 5 June Univ-evening of celebration of gay creativity. 8pm Council Room Students Union The Plough Winnersh-Kennet Jazz Band 8.30 free SHP-Womens' Independent Films and Videos 7.30 free Playhouse Oxford-'Blithe Spirit' 8pm to June 5 Scamps Oxford-China Crisis l0ish £2.50 Tue 25 Hex-as above Actors Touring Co. " -The Bowles Brothers (30's crooners) free, details as for Villains, +29 May Tudor Arms-Gay disco The Pheasant Winnersh-High Society Jazz Band 8.30 free Uni-Disco 8pm-l 70p? SHP-'Gallipoli' (A).7.30 £1.90 + conc, to 30th May Wed 26 West Reading Fest-disco 8pm 65p arranged by Reading Youth CND Venue unknown Hex-The Tempest 7.30 £2.25-£3 schools mat 2pm all seats £1 RFT-Man of Iron (A) 7.30 £1.40 90p members Polish Tudor Tavern-Jazz 8pm free West End Centre Aldershot-The Anonymous Sisters + John and the Beating Hearts 7-45 £1,£1.50 on door Town Hall Oxford-The Albion Band (folk) 7.30 £3 50p OAPs and kids Apollo Theatre Oxford-Contemporary Dance Theatre (Dances of Love and Death) 7.30 £3-£5 + conc. Thu 27 Hex- as above RFT-Raging Bull (X) 8pm £1.40 90p members Horse and Barge (Upper Deck) -John James (folk) 8.30 Price? Prince of Wales Caversham-High Society Jazzband 8pm free Central-'Pressure' film on Mozambique 8pm £1 50p Schoolkids St.George's Hall Oxford Road- 'May We Entertain You' (19th century type ent) 7.30 90p to 29th May. Shinfield Players Theatre Festival-3 plays by 3 different companies 7.30 30p SHP-Al fresco version of 'Merry Wives of Windsor' 8pm 2.30-£2.50 to 29th. Angie's Wokingham-Amity 9pm £l-£2.50 Apollo Oxford-as above. Fri 28 Hex-'Berlin,Berlin' (musical) 7.30 £2.25-£3 " -Bob Kerr's Whopee Band 10.30pm £2.50 Tudor Arms-Gay disco Roebuck Hotel Oxford Road-60's Soul Disco 7.30 £1.50,£2 on door Central-Tribute to Bob Marley 6-7ish poetry readings, video, live footage etc £1,£1.50 on door Shinfield Players- 3 plays 7.30 80p SHP-'Midnight Express' 11pm £1.90 + conc. to 29th May Corn Exchange Newbury-Hank Wangford Band 7.30 £2.50 West End Centre Aldershot-Le Danaan 7.45 £2.25,£2.75 on door Angie's Wokingham-The exciters 9pm £l-£2.50 Apollo-as above Sat 29 Hex-The Provoked Wife (restoration comedy) 7.30 £2.25 + 3 probably bawdy Shinfield Players-3 plays +adjudication + prize for best play 7.30 8Op SHP-Brighton folk club swap 8pm free " -Into film as above Arts Workshop,Newbury-Temba Theatre Co. 8pm £2+£2.50 + conc. Angie's Wokingham-Travelling Shoes 9pm £l-£2.50 Apollo Oxford-as above + 2.30pm workshop performance of recent works £1.50 Sun 30 Hex-as above Fives-Waikiki Serenaders lunchtime free (don't really know the band's name so I guessed, anyway it's supposed to be local humour) Central-African Liberation Festival all day-films,talks,poetry readings etc, probably music at night free. Eagle Baker Street-Jazz 8pm free SHP-'One Fish Too Many'(U') + 'Rangi's Catch' (U) episode 5?-12.15pm " -Rhubarb the Clown (childrens' ent) 12.30 free Angie' s Wokingham-Juvessence 9pm £l-£2.50 Richfield Ave Reading-Free 'Rock' festival A1 Vegetables,Access,Shrinking Men etc 12ish-9 free Mon 31 Hex-The Family goes to mime 2.30 £1.50,£1 kids Hex-In the Footsteps of Frankenstein 7.30 £2.50 alternative mime quite good Rank-Altered Images 8pm £3.50ish sickly twee The Plough-Winnersh-Kennet Jazz Band 8.30 free SHP-Berks Youth Jazz Orch 12.30 free SHP-'Chariots of Fire'(A) 2.30pm £1.90 + conc. " -'Chariots of Fire' + 'Gregory's Girl'" (A) 7-30 £1.90 + conc.to 6th Cinema for week beginning Sunday l6th: ABC Friar Street (53931) l)Private Lessons (X) 2)Cabaret (X) + Take the Money and Run 3)The Secret Policeman's Other Ball Friday Late night films:Confessions of a Window Cleaner + Confessions of a Driving Instructor (X) ABC Bracknell: l)Dead and Buried (X) + The Orchard End Murder (X) 2) On Golden Pond(A) ABC London Road Reading (61465) as Bracknell screen l) Odeon Cheapside Reading (57887) l)An American Werewolf in London (X) + Phobia (X) 2) The Long Good Friday (X) + Scum (X) - - - WEST READING FESTIVAL 14 May to 6 June The official programme its worth getting hold of. Two hands clasped on the cover - both white. It starts with a message from the Apostolic Nunciature (!)- Festival chairman Fr J'ohu Methuen is one. 'The festival reminds us all - Christians and nonChristians alike - that we are part of God's wonderful, creation etc etc'. On Saunday 23rd there are two Salvation Army 'Songs of Praise's: Everyone welcome, so lots got together to enjoy singing our Favourite hymns.' Religion apart, the key to the festival is 'fun'. eg 29-31 May: 'Go! A Young People's Pilgrimage... an exciting opportunity for young people in the diocese of Oxford to meet together and share friendship and fun.' Not to mention, on Sunday 23rd: 'Reading Joggers' Fifth Annual Fun Run' in Prospect Park (you actually have to pay!), or 'Grand Fun Day' on 26th... In case anyone should start enjoying themselves (not just having 'fun') at the Carnival or the Rock festival: 'Reading Police Station is open for visits throughout the festival period (and at other times)... - - - BUSINESS NEWS Once again time to tell you that we are broke. We have about £50 in the bank, which will be absorbed by this issue. So send us money, please. Cheques to Red Eag c/o Sue Clarke, treasurer, at 181 Shinfield Road Reading. Red Rag now costs about £50 an issue to produce, and this time we had to leave some stuff out, which we don't like doing. By next issue (if there is one), we should have access to a proper press, which means we will no longer be the world's most illegible newspaper. But this will be 20% more expensive to produce - so we are coming to the point where we need to raise £100 every fortnight to continue. Any ideas? - - - CULTURAL HERB FREE FESTIVAL CANNABIS LAW REFORM RALLY Reggae Extravaganza! Jah Shaka Coxsone Outernational King Sounds DBC Rebel Radio ekome dance troupe SPEAKERS - to be announced Poets++Clowns++Tibetan Ukranians++Dance++Mime++Food++Stalls+Good Vibes++Etc...... freedom showcase BROCKWELL PARK BRIXTON London SE25 SUNDAY 23rd MAY 2pm - 6pm LEGALISE CANNABIS CAMPAIGN: C/O 1 ELGIN AVENUE LONDON W9 3PR. (01) 289 3883 SOOPER DOOPER PROMOTIONS. - - - RED RAG REVIEW JESUS IS ALIVE TODAY - OUR REPORTER INVESTIGATES Come to the big tent -------------------- You've surely seen the ads on buses and in house windows, and the write-up in the Evening Post. "Don Summers International Crusade invites YOU to 'Come to the Big Tent' on Kings Meadow, 7.30 every night for a fortnight" So I went. They shook my hand, gave me a hymn book, sat me down and smiled at me a lot. There is seating for about 1200 people, about 500 were there on Weds night, carefully shepherded into the centre block of seats. They buzzed with excitement; many seemed to be there for return visits, I heard lots of snatches of chat about earlier meetings. Show ---- The show kicks off with a choir, rousing stuff, introduced by a genial emcee character who acts as link man throughout. There follows a series of minor delights; prayers, hymns both choral and congregational (everyone else seemed to know the tunes and words already), solos from a devotional Baritone, piano recital on the theme of 'Rock of Ages' and brief messages from lesser preachers. During this warm-up they recorded a 13 minute program to be broadcast on Radio Monte Carlo (world's most Powerful Transmitter), and we had a foretaste of Don's evangelising, but we had to wait an hour for the main event, by which time the audience was ripe for the word. Magician -------- The lighting was subtly perfect, ex stage-magician Don was not apparently spotlit, but all the lights overlapped where he stood and he became the only focus of attention, not least because he is simply excellent at his job, perhaps the best orator I ever had the experience of listening to. He starts off cool and easy, gaining rapt and mostly sympathetic attention from the audience of lost souls; he warms to his theme, he develops his lesson unerringly toward the point where any listeners with a speck of belief in god must confront their lack of total commitment to the faith. He steers the throng through this confrontation, via guilt, then hope of redemption, to the conclusion that they must give their lives, to Jesus Now in order to have purpose in this life and rewards in the hereafter. Neglect ------- His text was "How shall we be saved if we neglect the great salvation" from a book called 'Hebrews'. He talked a lot about neglect, saying quite reasonably that problems at work, in the home and in relationships stem from neglecting to nurture and develop a positive commitment. The greatest and most dangerous neglect of all is the neglect of ones faith and ones Bible, and this neglect will turn your Christian experience into a shabby and stale travesty. Reality ------- It was at this point that the rhetoric came into line with the reality of what was going on, because it was obvious that the audience were mostly already nominally christians and churchgoers, and despite the Crusade's stated aim of converting pagans, its actual role is to radicalise and give new momentum to the faithful. United Front ----------- The Crusade can probably offer some lessons to the Left as far as the running of a United Front Campaign is concerned. By paring the message down to its bare bones (i.e. You are a Useless Little Shit but Jesus loves you and if you give your life to him then you'll be just great AND you get to go to heaven afterwards), dozens of local churches have been able to co-operate over the very expensive running of this show (£17,000 for the 2 weeks), and all of them will benefit from new improved membership and the occasional fresh convert. They also co-operate by providing 'counsellors' for on-going guidance to those who give themselves. Hidden Purpose ? ---------------- But to what purpose? Although Don spoke a lot about the emptiness of peoples' lives, the lack of hope, the need for salvation and all that, he never-said a dickie bird about HOW all this faith is going to make the world a better place. It's all very well attributing war, hunger, dissent, promiscuity, alienation and pregnant schoolgirls to the lack of christian commitment in the world, but just what steps, here and now, does he suggest the new improved super-flock take to change things? I think there's a good reason why he doesn't specify these steps. His attitudes are by implication reactionary (viz. the unquestioned definition of 'promiscuity' as a 'problem', and the complete avoidance of speaking out against the specific and identifiable perpetrators of torture, famine and war), and if he stated them, he'd get into public argument that would distract from his 'united front' image and he'd lose a proportion of his converts. Insufferable ------------ At one point, Don told me, (looked me right in the eye and pointed the wrathful finger at me) that if I didn't take this chance to heed the word of god and give myself to jesus, then not only was I being foolish (who knows when the chance will come again), but I was also hardening my heart and had no love in me, or something like-that. This is the one thing which is absolutely insufferable about many of the current brands of christians, they simply refuse to acknowledge that you can have love, compassion, commitment and purpose in you unless you've found it through God/Jesus. Measles ------- In an interview with the Evening Post, (May 11) Don says "Christianity is like measles - its easier caught than taught" All I can say to that (apart from 'how the hell do you teach measles?') is that, its also likely to bring you out in an uncontrollable fever and keep you away from your friends until you're better. Chris Skilbeck. - - - REVIEW CONTINUED - CIVIC SOCIETY CAUCUSSING UNVEILED Pure Satisfaction for Berkshire Landowners by Konkrete Karl For those unecological readers who have nagging hopes that there is still the capacity for just a bit more concrete in our fair borough, good news. This comes in the welcome shape of Ian Morgan (County Councillor for Maidenhead) who revealed last week, to a meeting of the Reading Civic Society, some of the council's plans for selective destruction of the environment over the next few years. As a Conservative Environment Spokesman he ought to know. For a start, next time you go down the Kings Road have, a look at that large site next to the Abbey ruins. It's owned by the County Council which, in spite of objections from Reading Borough, has awarded itself Planning Permission to put a new Office Development there. The council intends to build the entire 350,000 sq.feet that it's so democratically allowed itself, so that, although the decision of quite how to fit all this onto the site has been passed on to Reading (thanks), a ten-storey block overshadowing the Abbey and the Forbury seems inevitable. You see, if they only cram 250,000 sq.feet in, or (heaven forbid) make it not just offices, the ratepayers could stand to lose two or three million pounds. Anyway, tower blocks can look quite nice" from a distance, the meeting was told. "We have to be purer than pure", claimed our Ian. Never mind. The talk moved through Hesseltown and on to the competition between Alder Valley and Reading Transport. Current secret negotiations to reduce subsidies "will" result in less cost to the ratepayer, they "should" result in an improved service .... Concluding with remarks on the "sad and sorry" cancellation of further I.D.R. (Inner Distribution Road - typist) plans, Ian took questions. "If you will forgive me the purpose of my question is bridges." Well, it's the moment we've been waiting for - a third Thames Bridge. (Red Rag Competition Time: what would YOU bulldoze to make room for it?) The bridge is "hopefully" due in the late 80's. "What we would like to achieve," Ian remarked, "is total satisfaction." Well, someone suggested, how about a toll bridge? "Very interesting, " And so on ad nauseam - I left before the end. "To solve Reading's problems would involve spending more money than we could ever contemplate spending." But making Reading cost-effective and saving money for ratepayers is quite a different contemplation. - - - THE FORTUNES OF WAR ? Those of you who read the Evening Post may have seen an article a few eeeks back where local firm Sperry were boasting of how Argentina and British navies were both supplied with their products, and how wonderful it was. Since people actually started to get killed with the help of all this wonderful equipment they've been strangely silent, not wishing to boast about how well the stuff works when it comes to Killing and maiming. So, when you sit bored in front of the TV news, spare a thought for Decca and Racal and Ferranti and Marconi and Sperry and Rolls-Royce and Vickers and all the others who are laughing all the way to the bank having supplied both sides in this, as in so many other wars. Mike. ps. Detail info on arms trade from Campaign the Arms Trade, 5 Caledonian Road, London. Acorn have recent factsheets. - - - REVIEW: DRAFT CENTRAL READING TRANSPORT OF DELIGHT? In the last issue we reported that we would be giving our reader(s) previews of the above plan. For those unfamiliar with the planning process, let me explain that the district plan is merely a guide for mainly private investment in the town centre for the next ten years. It is not a legally binding document. And it has to fit in with the Central Berkshire Structure Plan, a County document approved by central government. The district planners have virtually no power to implement their plans and do not necessarily have much influence over other local services or County departments, such as Highways. But the plan is a means by which the local authority can make consistent informed decisions on day to day matters arising in the town centre. And, through a public consultation process (and possible local inquiry) it can provide a means for the public to voice its ideas and concerns about their town. The draft plan has to accept that central Reading will continue its commercial growth at the general rates outlined in the Central Berkshire Structure Plan. Thus it has pinpointed the key issue for the next ten years as how to reconcile this growth with its accompanying strain on housing, transport, and other town centre facilities. A lot of attention has been given to the transport implication's of this growth, particularly as the County has been reluctant to allocate funds to the improvement of Reading roads. So our review begins with transport, at the 'hub' of the draft plan. HIGHWAYS To quote:'highway investment represents the most pressing need in Central Reading and the most effective means of achieving Borough Council objectives', and 'major investment in transportation (is needed) if severe congestion and environmental deterioration are not to threaten commercial decline.' The main recommendations for highway investment are: 1 the completion of an inner circulatory system (not the IDR but modifications to the existing roads creating better circulation, particularly in East Reading in the Queen's Road/Kings Road area); 2 improvement of the radial routes into Reading 3 completion of a third Thames crossing. Of these, the first is 'considered critical to (Reading's) commercial viability' and it lays the basis for most of the other proposals. The plan also points out that pressure on inner residential streets and conservation areas (such as Russell St and Elson Square) would be severe if the highway system is not modified and fed into major roads. The plan says the preferred Thames crossing is behind Sutton Seeds from the A329(M) extension over to Caversham. This route is outside Borough boundaries. It also suggests that public bodies retain their right of way from the A329(M) along the North side of the railway over the Kennet Mouth and Kings Meadow into Vastern Road. BUS SERVICE The draft plan accepts the importance of public transport in Reading and says:'The quality and attractiveness of public transport and its promotion as an attractive alternative to the private car is directly related to the level of capital and revenue funding that is put into it.' It points the finger at the lack of County supported at poor coordination with County services. And it points out that the Borough Council may have to consider a higher rate contribution to public transport. The main recommendations are to do with better bus routes into town with more bus lanes and with the creation of a bus loop around Broad Street, eliminating through bus traffic to allow for pedestrianisation. Both of these recommendations can only go forward if the inner circulatory system comes. There is no mention of frequency of bus service, or of bus charges to the public. PARKING: Given that a number of the present car parks are on prime development land and that onstreet parking is to be discouraged, a lot of attention is paid to creating parking spaces. But the plan says no long stay places will be provided after 1991! CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS: Last but not least? Broad Street, Friar St from Station Rd to the Old Town Hall, the Market Place, and the west side of St Mary Butts are proposed for pedestrianisation (plus usual landscaping). Also new footpath links and better crossing facilities at busy junctions are suggested. Again, these depend on inner circulatory system. Cyclists will be allowed to use certain inner streets restricted to cars and new cycle routes are proposed in pedestrian areas, along the Kennet, and in the Courage redevelopment area. Some junctions will even give cyclists priority! So there you have it. If you have any thoughts, or suggestions, to us for publication or talk to your councillor(s). Main thing to remember is that all the little proposals stem from the main one - the completion of a new inner area circulation system. And that depends very much on Borough/County co-operation (need we say more?). - - - REVIEW ALTERNATIVE CABARET "When was the last tine you made love and it was so good it felt dangerous?" If that's the kind of one-liner you prefer to T.V. "Comedy" you'd do well to catch Alternative Cabaret next time they're in the area. As I understand it, the name is an umbrella for a bunch of radical entertainers - you never see the same combination twice - based in London but travelling round occasionally. We saw them in Windsor recently, in the Old Court Arts Centre, which really is an old law court (weird place for a night out!) This time we saw Tymon Dogg, a rather frenetic singer with amazing rhythm; Seething Wells, a skinhead who writes poetry (not a skinhead poet) with vicious diatribes against "new improved News at Ten with added ingredient, real violence" and Bradford working class "Tetley Bittermen". That one particularly went down a little too easily with the Southern middle-class audience. There's a problem of treating stuff like his as "art" and therefore not threatening. Or at least in Windsor. The act that stayed with me after was Akimbo, a duo of white male pianist and black woman who sang and rapped with the audience and actually got things moving a bit(are you getting the impression I don't like Windsor trendies?!) with a song called "Trying to Communicate". They range over drugs busts, repatriation ("you mean go back to Hackney?) ageism, women's worth and more. Powerful stuff. The person I actually went to see was Tony Allen, a comic who informs you as you laugh. I mean, did you know the British governor of the Falklands was ambassador to Egypt when the Suez Crisis broke out? Like he said, what a karma that guy's got! Having seen Tony Allen before, heard his tape and read his articles in Undercurrents I knew some of the material and felt let down that it wasn't all "new". But why should it be? He certainly made me think about breaking down lefty consumerism, as well as laughing. O.K., so it wasn't a Reading event, but it could be in the future. Hence this review, cos these people are good - real people, not stars, who communicate with rather than at you, and are critical of those from their ranks, notably Alexi Sayle, who have joined the mainstream. We've just had the Mayday Festival here, but it seems a shame to wait a whole year for some more entertainment that's political. Given a less classy audience than they had in Windsor, Alternative Cabaret could have quite an impact. And we can manage that, can't we? Liz. - - - NUCLEAR REVIEW PAGES GREENHAM DEMONSTRATION -- INCREASING T.U. INVOLVEMENT FOR PEACE by Andrew Harrison, local CND TU & Labour Group Convenor About 150 people attended the all day Trade union demonstration outside the works gate of the Greenham Common cruise missile base on Weds 12th May. The demonstration, called London Region CND Trade Union Cttee, followed a resolution at the London CND Labour Movement Conference earlier this year. Union banners adorned the perimeter fence on both sides of the entrance to the construction site. Represented were Harringay NUJ, EETPU Press Branch, NUJ Book Branch, Croydon Trades Council and most significantly, delegations from the regional councils of London and Southern Region UCATT (the building Workers' Union). The first shift starting work at 7.15 am were leafletted, and throughout the day demonstrators stopped and spoke with the drivers of sub-contractors vehicles about the work going on at the site. Main contractors, Tarmac, rely heavily on local sub-contractors for equipment and materials. The most important aspect of the day was the gate meeting at 1.00pm. Tony Wood, Southern Region Secty of UCATT, explained his union's position on the work at Greenham - UCATT have taken a principled stand against work on nuclear weapon sites and will therefore not organise at the Greenham Common Base. He argued that he wanted to see Construction Workers using their skills and endeavour to build houses, schools and hospitals, and to this end his region will be putting a resolution to the National UCATT Conference in Gt Yarmouth, instructing UCATT members not to work on nuclear weapons sites. The 25 workers who left the base to take part in this meeting also listened to Ian Lewis of London Region UCATT and to Claude Harvey, UCATT full-time official with responsibility for work at the site. The gate .meeting was immediately followed by an informal meeting between the construction workers and the UCATT officials, where the workers explained their position. As one worker put it:- "We would rather be working on homes, roads or hospitals, but there is a lot of unemployment in the construction industry and this is a job. We all have families to keep." There are some important lessons that can be drawn form the day's activities, o The demonstration was a success because rather than being alienated by it, the workers were confronted with a form of protest they understood and felt able to take part in. o This was the first independent TU action against nuclear weapons since the early 60's. CND should surely build on this to link up with the TU's and the Labour Party to organise specific Trade actions that can draw working people into the growing anti-nuclear protest. CND, whose attitude to the Labour Movement has long been sketchy, should recognise the enormous potential support it offers, and campaign nationally and locally to include more working people in our rejection of nuclear weapons. o CND cannot rely solely on moral argument when talking to workers involved in work at nuclear sites. We cannot, during the present recession and with such massive unemployment, rely on appeals to workers to personally disassociate themselves with work on these sites, we must recognise the strengths and weaknesses of the TU movement on this issue, and make the according practical political arguments as well. The demonstration must not remain an isolated action, it can be built on in the twenty months left before the missiles are due to arrive. Part of this is the forthcoming SOUTHERN REGION CND LABOUR MOVEMENT CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT to be held in Reading on 26th June, which will attempt to deepen the involvement of the Labour Movement in disarmament both regionally and locally. The Trade Union and Labour Sub-Cttee of Reading CND meets regularly - - next meeting 3pm at 56 Hamilton Road on June 1st. - - - NUCLEAR REVIEW PAGES BURGHFIELD PEACE CAMP Who would have, thought that here in the slumbering Berkshire countryside, a few hundred yards from the M4, and northwards the grey sprawl of Reading, is the hub of the Great British Nuclear Deterrent? This is the Royal Ordnance Factory, Burghfield, through which every British Nuclear warhead must pass to be assembled tested and serviced on its way to be sited ready for use when a flock of birds unknowingly triggers off the greatest show on earth in the European Theatre. In case this distant shadow docs not bother you, nor the possible dangers of constant contact with low-level radiation, nor the waste poured untreated into the Thames, perhaps you did not know that all bomb components go into ROF Burghfield by road, and the finished product, small but lethal, leaves by road. A few days ago a very innocent looking lorry bearing a small radioactivity warning on the back left the ROF and drove along the Burghfield Road into Reading. In front and behind were two large Range Rovers festooned with a collection of large aerials, and leading the convoy a traffic control Police car. We are in no doubt as to what the convoy was carrying, are you? This peace camp was set up three weeks ago. So far we have kept up a 24 hour vigil outside the MOD blockade. We need visits, letters of support, publicity, ideas, offers of practical help and donations; do come, this is your camp. Every day workers enter the factory from 7.30 - 8.30 am and leave from 4pm onwards. Help us get the message across. Contact Box 17, Acorn Bookshop, or phone Burghfield Common 3732. We will be holding a walk round the perimeter on Sunday afternoons at 2.30, starting from the vigil. Please come and join us. - unsigned contribution. - - - READING YOUTH CND - YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED by David Ingledew - chairperson. There are about 35 of us at the moment in Reading Youth CND, and we're still growing. We have a committee of eight (which somehow is also growing!) but there is no hierarchy of members. The purpose of it is to organise, inform and help. All of our decisions are taken democratically by show of hands at meetings. We are all different, with different feelings, ideas and views, but with a common aim. Our meetings are informal and usually funny (eg the squeaky chair at the AUEW Hall) We don't mind who attends our meetings to inform or argue. What axe we about? Well, we believe in unilaterally disarming Britain of its nuclear weapons (in other words - getting rid of the nukes). We are also opposed to politicians warmongering, eg Thatcher and the Falklands, Reagan and El Salvador, Brezhnev and Afghanistan. We believe in obtaining disarmament by protest, e.g. demonstrations, direct actions and awareness, leaflets, posters and arguing. A mass movement must be built, to show those in power that we don't want this threat and we ain't going to take no more of this bullshit. I must say (and be damned) that we are not a pacifist group. This is because the members have a wide range of views, eg Anarchists, Socialist Workers, Labour supporters, liberals etc. What do we do? We're trying to organise gigs, marches, discos and jumble sales, but our main stumbling block is finding a suitable hall ( i.e. Cheap) to accommodate the various things. We're trying to organise a Dance Against Destruction for May 25th but need a venue, if you can help phone Annette on 590231. May 30th - Youth only - march to ROF Burghfield and HMS Dauntless. May 31st - we hope to have a float in West Reading Carnival, we need a lorry. Our meetings are every first and third Sunday of the month at the AUEW hall, 121 Oxford Road, at 3pm. - - - note to Reading youth cnd from rag typist, sorry about your poem, but it is VERY long when the rag is so full. note to readers, we have omitted a contribution for the first time this year. - - - REVELL RESIGNS Brian Revell, chair of Berkshire Anti Nuclear Campaign and Reading CND, announced this week that he is resigning from that (those?) position(s). Mr Revell cited pressure of work and other commitments. - - - 24 ARRESTED AS POLICE RIOT London police this week attacked protestors peacefully picketing the High Court where an eviction order against the Greenham Peace Camp was being heard. The riot started when a policeman rugby-tackled a Buddhist drummer. Then violence erupted with police dragging pacifists along the pavement by their ears. For the record, it was the victims who were arrested not their assaulters. - - - Dear Red Rag, There was a cryptic note in the last Rag referring to 'someone' who rang several Collective members threatening legal action after the last issue. I think readers and those involved deserve better than, that: as a member of the Rag Collective and a source of the report, I would like to tell you a story. It is a tale, I am afraid, which shows nobody in a very good light and it raises some issues which many people would rather not face. First the actors. They are: l)Brian Revell, chair of the local CND and an activist in other Left arenas. 2) a person who I am afraid must be known as 'X'; a member of the local anti-nuclear movement. 3)Mike Miller, Gill Lerner and myself; all Rag Collective members who know Brian. Now for the action: 'X', who is worried about the drift of the local anti-nuclear movement away from its previous concern with the dangers of nuclear power and into purely weapons-based action, writes a piece in the Rag of two issues ago. It is headed 'Some atoms are more equal than others'. It says that a BANC rep has told Trades Council (the local Trade Union alliance) that nuclear power is no longer an important issue for BANC, It says that the (unnamed) chair of BANC has been in the past vociferously opposed to CND, but is now a member of the CND national committee. It hints at 'another story' about how Mr. Revell was elected to that committee. Normally, articles in the Rag are clearly labelled as 'News' or 'Letters' or 'Platform'; in the rather hectic production of this issue the article was not labelled. Nor was it signed. On the day the Rag was published, Mike Miller, who as a Rag events diary compiler often speaks to Mr. Revell, received an angry telephone call from him. He wanted to know who wrote the piece, and said it was full of lies. He said it was clearly libellous. Mr. Miller did not know who wrote the piece. A few minutes later Mr. Revell rang me with much the same message. He also called Gill Lerner, a BANC activist. He was extremely angry. He told me that if Red Rag were a capitalist medium he would be talking to his lawyer. He said it was absurd to say he was opposed to CND; he had given it much time and money. The Trades Council meeting was misreported. Who wrote the story? I said I did not know, This was a lie - I did not want to further anger Brian while he was worked up. I said, accurately, that I didn't know anything about it, but that I would check and get back to him. I did so. The story which we ran was accurate. Brian Revell has been a member of CND for some time. But he has been extremely critical of the organisation at the same time; particularly in CND's failure to oppose nuclear power as well as nuclear weapons. His arguments are shared by many, and his attitude can be summed up by the phrase 'critical support'. In my opinion the article over-stated the truth and understated the facts. The report of Trades Council was taken from a reading of that body's minutes. The suggestion that there was a 'story' behind Brian's election to CND national Committee is accurate: it is an involved tale (more so than this), and while it is interesting to connoisseurs of the muddle and personal feelings involved in any campaigning group, it is does not, it seems to me, reflect badly on Brian Revell. I believe, then, that it it was an unjustified slur on Brian Revell to include a passing reference to it in the story. If 'X' wants to write the story, let him or her do so properly. It was put to me by another Rag Collective Member that it was unfortunate that the author of the piece insists on remaining anonymous. I agree. The article was shoddy, and this in combination with its anonymity gave the effect of a poison pen letter. As Mr. Revell said to me, it must make him doubt the sincerity of his colleagues in BANC. But this is not the whole story either. There is much to attack in Mr Revell's political conduct, partially but not entirely because he does so much, so effectively. In part this is displayed by his attitude to political organisation, I think exemplified by the way he reacted to the Rag piece. And an important issue has been fudged. This particular issue is that of nuclear power in the work of BANC: what does the now common use of 'CND' as a description of what was BANC mean? And has opposition to nuclear power been abandoned? If so, why, and as a result of what debate? The general (and personal) issue is in ways of organising. When Brian originally called to complain, only Gill Lerner had the presence of mind to tell him what other people do when they read things in the Rag they think are wrong: write a letter. The Rag accepts contributions to the point of tedium. When I, having checked the story called him to explain, I suggested he write to set the record straight, and that he at the same time answer the call to put his position on nuclear power. It might, I suggested, start a debate in the Rag on this important issue. He appeared unwilling to do this, and no letter has appeared. Why is this? It was not a trivial matter or he would not have been so angry. I speculate that he is a busy man. I think that perhaps he is chary of having his name linked with Red Rag in any way. But I do not know. I do know, however, that his approach to this matter - telephone the publishers and sort it out - is symptomatic of Brian Revell's approach to political matters. It is an executive approach. It is often effective. This kind of approach made possible the Reading Centre for the Unemployed. It provided the thrust to set up BANC, which (despite the hard work of many others) owes its existence to him. He is a good organiser. As a full-time trade union official that is his job. We need effective people in this movement. There are damn few of them. But we also need accountable people, who engage honestly in public debate. The politics of 'smoke-filled rooms' are the old politics: we need more democracy. And the old tactics of expedient 'front' organisations in which people with developed political views guide popular feeling into action towards the ends of the organisers has been shown to fail. Brian, to many people, represents those old politics and those old, failed, tactics. He represents that to many in Red Rag (though it should be stressed that this letter is not 'the Red Rag line'), which is committed to participation, open debate, and the maximum of information for the maximum audience. In this we will often find ourselves opposed to him on particular issues or ways of organising. But we must engage him in open and informed debate on the issues. From us this demands a higher standard of reporting than that of the article in question. From Brian, it demands a willingness to debate in print. Mark Barrett - - - LETTER: BANC/READING CND I don't know what their de facto attitude to nuclear power is - but its abolition is mentioned in the list of objectives on the recruiting leaflet they've sent out to union branches. Also, a motion put to the February meeting of Reading Trades Council asked RTUC to affiliate to Reading CND. The mover of that motion, a delegate from an affiliated TGWU Branch, said that the activities of the BANC nuclear power working group has been suspended to enable BANC to concentrate on the threat posed by nuclear weapons, and that their merger with Reading CND had been the result of their realisation of the need-for unity to fight the threat posed by nuclear weapons. The question as to the merged organisations' attitude to nuclear power was raised in debate and skated over in the movers reply at the end of the debate. Those who were listening carefully would have heard that BANC was not actually doing any work in the field of nuclear energy/power, but no mention of whether the abolition of nuclear power was or was not part of the aims of BANC/Reading CND. Council is in the process of seeking clarification as to Reading CND policy on nuclear power... Incidentally, there was a slight error in an earlier mention in Red Rag to that debate. RTUC was NOT addressed by a representative of BANC - we heard a delegate to Council, representing a TGWU Branch, move the motion and reply to the debate. It may be that in other places the delegate wears a different hat and sometimes acts as spokesperson for BANC. It may even be that this alternative 'hat' made him particularly well-fitted to move the motion on behalf of his union Branch. I hope this letter leaves you as clear as I am on Reading CND's attitude - in theory and in practice - on nuclear power. Yours, C C Borgars (in a personal capacity, but I was present at that meeting partly wearing my RTUC Assistant Secretary hat!) - - - NUKES: LETTERS LETTER: NUCLEAR POWER - NO THANKS BANC has had a working group in nuclear power since its formation in June 1980. The group has met regularly and of the four current members two have been involved from the beginning. It takes an amazing amount of time just keeping ourselves informed about electricity costs, PWR safety, plutonium, the ICRP, uranium mining, spent fuel transport, reprocessing, alternative energy sources and so on but we have been able to pursue some projects, viz: 1 We have collectively written a l4-page leaflet on the case against nuclear power which will be published very soon (and I'll send you a copy); 2 one of us has been collaborating, by letter, with Martin Kyle on the revision of a chapter of his work 'Towards the Nuclear Holocaust' for the next edition; 3 last June as part of the nationwide campaign against the dumping of radioactive waste at sea we went down to the Gloucestershire coast and joined in the march from Berkeley power station to Sharpness docks; 4 we organised a picket of the entrance to Amersham International and handed in a letter of protest against their contribution to the material dumped at sea (this got some gratifying publicity in the local organ); 5 we have prepared a case to present to the Southern Electricity Consumers Council and at the moment we are waiting for them to make up their minds whether they want to hear us or not; 6 We have been promoting the ANC Electricity Consumer Campaign by which people withhold 11% of the amount paid to the SEB and send it to the ANC instead, who keep it in trust until you are threatened with disconnexion and need it back. The idea, is to remind the SEB that it is their statutory duty to supply electricity at the cheapest rate and the nuclear adventure had made our bills 11% higher than they should be. If anyone would like to help with the Consumer Campaign phone 931-23236 (after 6 only) and we can explain what to do and give you a list of 20 useful things is to say when you write letters to the SEB. I have kept 11% back for three quarters now. Apart from this several other BANC members have been studying the problem of spent fuel transport. Undesirable anywhere, this could quite easily become a burning, (whoops!) local issue as well. The work of the nuclear power group does not make a lot of splash, but then with 23 items on the agenda there is not often time at committee meetings: to get round to working group reports. Anyway BANC's first priority is to campaign actively against Cruise, Trident, and US bases, and it is obviously difficult to get people onto the streets of Reading to protest about nuclear power. Members of CND are not of course necessailly opposed to nuclear power but in practice most of them are because of the plutonium connexion - since 1957 all the country's plutonium has been made in reactors that generate electricity (see Howard Clark: Atoms for War; CND 50p). Cobalt Sextus --- $Id: //info.ravenbrook.com/user/ndl/readings-only-newspaper/issue/1982/1982-05-16.txt#6 $