UC44 February-March 1981 by Christopher Squire

__________________________________________________________________

Undercurrents 44 February-March 1981

1 Eddies - News from everywhere 7 What’s When and What’s What 9 Cruising with Uncle Sam - Harry Hamill: The further adventures of Atwitch 10 Own Goal - John Fletcher: Will the Army play the War Game? 11 Pe,n Pushing - Dave Pearson: Community publishing in Peckham 13 4th World - Peter Culshaw: First encounter of a decentralist kind 14 The Unkindest Cut - Lou Ernest: The Arts Council Axe 15 Proletarian Notes - David Evans: The Federation wants you 16 Radios in Motion - Fin Fahey: A London open radio campaign revealed 18 Wireless World - Jim Beatson: Radio freedom in Australia and Italy 19 Flying Post - Nigel Pollitt & Anna Searl: Exeter community paper 20 Moving Stories - Simon Usher: Treasonable film plots 23 TV Games - Nick Hanna: Small screen censorship 24 Pinewood Babylon - Interview with Derek Jarman 28 Northern Lights - Alison Joseph: Media groups in the north 29 Jetstream - RAIN: A non - polluting woodstove 30 Ruff Tuff - Heathcote Williams: The inside story of a squatters estate agency 34 Shabby Solars - Nigel Dudley: How to spot the AT cowboys 35 The Undercurrents Review of Books 43 & 48 Letters - Your chance to get back at us 47 Back Numbers __________________________________________________________________

Published every two months by Undercurrents Ltd., 27 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R OAT. Full details of editorial meetings, distribution, etc. are on p. 48. ISSN 0306 2392

__________________________________________________________________

Undercurrents has always tried to present ways of using technology rather than being used by it. As they affect virtually everyone, it may be that alternative approaches to the media are significant and useful to more people than the usual AT bag of windmills, wood burners, etc., which in this country at least remain the preserve of a privileged and mostly rural minority. We are trying to develop a Digger approach to the media: they should be a common treasury for all and not the private property of a ruling priesthood. Anything from stapling together a broadsheet or fanzine to making a record independently helps to loosen their stranglehold. While many of the straight media, such as record and book publishers, are going broke, laying off their workers, etc., video equipment, CB rigs, cable TV and other hardware are getting steadily cheaper and more accessible. So this is a good time for smallscale low budget operations which can pick up new ideas much faster than the slowmoving dinosaur corporations. Radical ideas are often filtered through a ‘journalistic’ perspective or diluted in ‘balanced’ discussion programmes; inspiration and enthusiasm (except the plastiC DJ variety) have no place. To work for TV you have to be vetted to see if you are the right ‘material’; to watch BBC you’d think the only vets were in Yorkshire. Most of this issue is descriptive or theoretical, but we’ll be running more practical pieces in future issues to debunk the mystique of media technology; as Marshal McLuhan put it: “Education is the only civil defence against media fallout”. Peter Culshaw • Simon Woodhead

Undercurrents 44

Another year's struggle at Plugoff .

Plogotf, Brttanny, the proposed site for Europe's largest . nuclear power station, is a small cluster of grey houses, perched on the hills of Point du Raz, the westernmost tip of France.

Plogoff, Sritanny, the proposed combat dress arrived in a cordon site for Europe's largest nuclear of trucks. The alarm was power station, if a small cluster of sounded and the villagers leapt gray houses, perchadon the hills from their beds and assembled of Point du Raz, the westernmost behind their barricade acpss the , tip of France. road! The commandant of the Since the villagers successfully guards announced he had .prevented the officials of received orders to haw the road Electricite deFrance (EdF), from open by 9 am and he intended t o entering the area t o make their do that, at any cost. He was met geological tests, i n 1976, their with a barrage of stingshot fire. solidarity and militance have The battle lasted threelioure, becomeincreasingly resolute. until a column of two hundred The latest episode of their paratroopers was spotted heading year battle began, on November towards the.vil1age. The villagers 4th last year, with an occupation retreated, same escaping through of the site. clouds of teargas. Ignoring the villagersboutrage, The public enquiry did take E d F is determined t o proceed place, but was held outside the With building the reactor. The town, in trailers under heavy Bretons see this onslaught as the guard. The hearing lasted six next chapter of the long history weeks, despite continuous of colonieation of Britanny by demonstrations and a call by France. eighty -five scientists, from the Organised opposition t o Centre of Oceanography and the EdF's announcement began with Roscoff Biofonfcal Station, to the creation of Nuclear annul it onthe grounds of lack Information Committees in of information on the environseveral town; and villages in mental repercussions. The enquiry Britanny, and the construction, found in favour of the EdF by a locala@ricu\ture co-operative, I n March, 1980.50.000 ,

protest against the EdF's nuclear a woman who refused to allow power programme and suggested that supporters refuse t o pay e portion of their electricity bills. A highlight of the weekend was the presentation of forty sheep.to the village of Plogoff by the community of Larzac,in central France, where the local population have been fighting for ten years, to prevent the establishment of a military base in their area. Radio Ploaoff, a pirate radio station, broadcast the music and speeches from a clandestine base in the village. The government has tried t o portray the protesters as militant crazies, little more than a rent-aneco-mob. Slingshots have become the symbol of the fight. When beaten unconscious and 'demonstrators mere apprehended hospkalised. and their singshots taken as The villagers, anticipating a evidence against them, slingshots decision in December by the were immediately distributed toState Council t o give the f i n d every inhabitant, regardless of age. They a@ worn conspicuously go-ahead for construction, have stated their resolve t o again take and pitoudly,. Jean Maire Kerlock, the mayor t o the barricades. The reactor site has been occupied, roads of Plogoff, sporting a tricolour within fifty kilometres are uhde scarf and a slingshot in hts breast constant watch, a siren alarm pocket, declared, They want to system has been installed, and present us as ignorant, residents shooting practice is a regular who are refusing progress and Monday evening activity. h d e r n technology. . . They A recent leak suggested that wanted us to be portrayed as the EdF was planning use selfish, anti-social, showing a lack helicopters. Undaunted, the of concern for the national villagers have placed barrels of interest which demands the oil around the site, ready t o be construction o f a nuclear reactor set alight t o provide a smokeo f 1,000 mega-watts every two screen t o deter landing. The month. They h e w lostf defense committee is currently Because. :without being testing huge kites, for use o f f th scientists we know about the surrounding cliffs, t o combat dangers o f nuclear power. the invaders. becausesupport comes from It remains m be seen how th a everywhere to reinforce our tiny village of 2,000 inhabitants determination. . will fare against thecombined Women are at the forefront forces of the French state. i h of the struggle. They are this 1980s version of David and accustomed t o taking most of Goliath. They are well aware of the responsibility for their cost of losing. , village;as fishing is the primary ~industry~and the men ~ are often ~ , Contact: Jean-Louis Casset. away at sea. The police ere less 22 Grande rue Chere, 22122 than gentle in their retaliation: Pont Crbix. France. during interrogations of anti-nuke Tel: 98-704 773 sympathisersqt nearby Quntiper,

.. .

of a sheepshed on the proposed site. when E ~ declared F that a Public enquiry would take PI^in the village, the residents of Plogooff did all possible t o prevent it. During the night of January 31-31-1980, six hundred

weekend on May 25-26,70,000 gathered in the nearby Bale des T ~inrewon~ to the~ villagers'call for support. Speakers, including Annie Carvel, prasident of the defense committee, called for Wdespread

Minan Ellis'

abandon the treaty bit by bitand all go nuclear. Sad stuff, but a compelling analysis. Plug: the Bulletin is a much more interesting read than it sounds. The easiest may to get it is o n subscription, Â£1 a year, airmail, by sending a cheque for that amount payable personally t o the trustworthy Walter Patterson, . the Bulletin's internationaleditor, at 10 Chesham Road, Amersham, Bucks. HP6 5ES.

:dowti;hd are not expected to return, atleast in thenear future. 1,~. (Due t o raids, etc Green Radio have switched, ' from 4,433Khz t o 6,5S3Khz and have made some adiustments t o the transmitter resulting in a higher output, with one 30 minute test broadcast prior t 6 Christmas getting a reception report from the Channel Isles. Apart from Green Radio there have been no new stations on the air for quite a while, and wen some of the "newer" stations are closing down too, one such station is Radio Julie. the Y, first all woman station, which i pity, as the programmes were rather good! One quite serious item: It seems that some of our "boys i blue" cannot tell the difference between licensed radiohams and illegal CBersI - Even though the hams have protested to the police, very expensiveham gear is being ripped out and wrecked by the Police, but court cases against the law have resulted in heavy damages and bills for the repair or replacement of damaged transminers! MARTIN SCHOLES

...

'NATION'S FIRST SLUDGE IRRADIATOR PLANT SET FOR WUQERQUE; OTHERS PLANNED" rum the headline in US DÃ§Mrtmenof Enww's n n ~ n p a p wThe . twy ithisasmerryataleof a power and human wastes w we haw come woss in a long .im. ___Ed - - Â For a start, the story itself Â Dells the name of the town i n UQW Mexico as Albuquerque. And the lucky place - in a state which doesn't ~-.-.even have a nuclear THE TENTATIVE RETURN data The Bulletin of the Atomic lower plant - is set to be the for Radio Caroline has bean nta< Scientists has just celebrated its lome of the USA's first sewage Eartw Sunday 1981. It m m s that 35th anniversaty by putting its mrilisati~nplant t o work bythe new ship is alreedy in PI=, m o i n a the droooinas with doomsdav clock forward bv. its and test broadcasts have been iuclear waste. The plant will use a biggest jump ever. The clock received on 319 and 199 metre.$. nethod developed by Sandia reflecting the Bulletin's assessLaboratories which uses Caesium ment of how close we are t o being The new ship is reported to be much bigger than the old V.V. 137 to irradiate the sludge. The blown up by nuclear weapons Amigo, with a much higher aerial Sesium 137 comes from nuclear moved from seven t o four matt. and the station will minutes t o midnight, the closest eactors us+ t o produce fissile broadcast on two medium wave it has been since the alarums of nattrial for US nuclear weapons irogrammes. the early 1950s. The latest shift ,. outlet* and one f m frequency, with the p A b i l i t y of a short The US Department of Energy means that the clock has now WVe Â¥Â¥"i i n the future. :laims that the profess mducft been moved forward two years The return of Radio Caroline uHioaens to level Miich mnnina for the first time ever. will, no doubt,, ruffle the feathers M-mi&sludge to b e u s e d a s s s m WhyCBecause of Reagan, ' ' because SALT has been murdered of some right wing fr& radio xlditive and crop ferti7iser. It Jans, who have mounted a nay man be usable as a food i n its bed, because Europe is campaign against the station due filling UD with nuclear weaoons idditive. For animals. of course. t o its on-air support of groups like and because the poor are getting M a p s if the ~ e p a k m e nwere t Greenpeace, Rock Against Racism pobrer and more desperate. lot the rotten old US Atomic and Rock Against Thatcher. energy Commission thinly The January issue follows APART FROM the usual risks of Thankfully such people are in this gloom up with its fhst lisguised it would know that nuclear power, technicians at the minority, and some short Rabinowitch prize essay, by China has about severfmillion Iraq's Tammuz plant (mainly wave pirate stations who backed Michael Shulman. His solution to anaerobic sludge digesters which French and Italian) h w e a few the anti-Caroline campaign found the arms ram Dart of the problem do not need anv reactor wasm -.... other things on their minds: that almost overnight they had advocates some of the most which produce a solid, pathogenA Moslem assassination squad lost,almost,alltheir listeners, and desperate measures yet. He free substance which can be managed t o penetrate the tight were thus forced to close down I proposes that i f the superpowers spread on the land and is rich in security of the Tawaita nuclear won't get on with disarming Speaking of which, all of the good things like nitrogen and centre with the aim of murdering which they say they will in the stations on the 635 Khz network -,potassium, and which give out a the foreigners who had been (Radio Zodiac, ABC Radio, non-proliferation treaty -the healthy flowof methane which Radio Zenithand EMR) have shut brought in to hasten Iraq's can be used for things like heating third world should simply nuclear programme. The Iraqis , . , and liohtina. I n the meantime. ordered an immediate news the ~ibuquerquedevice will ' blackout to avoid causing panic swallow eight tons of sewage a and frightening off potential day, and is the first of five t o ten recruits. In June of last year the of the things being funded by the Egyptian physicist in charge of US DOE around the states. Any the programme was mu,rdered in bets on where and when the first Paris, t o the delight of the Israeli one will be built in Britain? press. I n 1979 (before the IrahlIrao war) the Toulon plant w h ~ equipmenffor the plant is was broken into and some material blown up. Suggestionsthat the Israelis rather than the Iranianscarried According t o the latest NATO out the rocket attack on the statistics, Britain spends only reactor last September have beel 5.2% of its GDP (Gross Domestic discounted by the British media P+uct! o n defence. This although the raid (by unmarked compares with the USA's 5.5%. Phantom aircraft) was carried'ot West Germany's 4.2%, France's in a much more skilled and 4% (although France is not determined manner then theus strictly a member of NATO), Iranian attacks. Israel and l+n a Brick Lane market on Sunday 11thJanuary. A loiprofile was kept by Belgium and Holland tie with the onlv Middle-Easterncountri the polic* as about 50 ELWAR wpportMt chanted "Clear the'iascists 3%. Canada spends 1.8% and poor out of Brick Lane and the East E n d " a e r o ~thÃ road at the National using the American built + oh) Luxemburg is lastwith 1.1%. , .PI Front and British Movement memben PHOTO NICK HANNA Phantom.

Caroline resurfaces

better

ndercurrents 44 powered radio networks (Bangla Desh). The Farm's founder, Stephen Gaskin accepted the award on behalf of Plenty. When asked tiow the money would be used, he answered:. . . one o f the things Plenty lacks is money, that we can do anything we want with. Usually the funds that come from Canada or Ireland or other countries that give us money are directly earmarked for projects. This is seed money, because we'll be able m directly use this i n raising more money. We hope to multiply this money. Building bridges between the many alternatives now growing is one of the aims of the Right Livelihood Foundation. The presentation of the award brought together Stephen Gaskin and Hassan Fathy, and they are now planning Joint projects. Nominations for the next award should go to the Right Livelihood Foundation, Viking House, Wvbourn Drive, Onchan, !Ă&#x192;Ë&#x2020;) of Man, UK. (George WoodIRight Livelihood Foundation)

I N PARALLEL with the Nobel Prize ceremony i n Stockholm on December 9th. the first Right Livelihood Award was presented. Established by Jakob von Uexkull, a wealthy Swede who sold his valuable stamp collection t o set up the Right Livelihood Foundation, the 280,000 award aims t o recognise alternative groups who demonstrate living responsibly and lightly on the Earth. The joint winners this . year were Hassan Fathy, an Egyptian professor who founded the International Institute for Appropriate Technology, and Stephen Gmkin, founder of the American spirituel community, The Farm. According to Uexkull, the 'official' Nobel prizes in science reward work that is irrelevant to today's problems. This year's winners seem t o have been handpicked t o support this view. Thus, Val Fitch (Physics Prize) praised knowledge for the sake of knowledge, declaring himself frightened by demands t o know the practical, if any, applications of his discoveries, and concluding, reassuringly, that the practical applications that he did see were too fantastic to be entrusted to the publid! Paul Berg (Chemistry) agreed, calling questions about I N SPAIN there are three nuclear the practical consequences of stations working at this moment. scientific investigation paralysing. However the Spanish government The three Medicine Prize winners wants t o give licences t o build stressed that ethical consideraso many projects that we will i n tions should not be allowed to the future be the foremost limit their research. L.R. Klein European country in nuclear (Economics) was full of praise power. for the traditional economic The Ebro river, one of the principles of growth and greed. most important rivers in Spain, By contrast, Professor Fathy has its own nuclear plant, which is has worked for forty years t o placed at the headwaters of the save and adapt traditional river. There it discriminates knowledge and practice in against nobody: Castilian, Basque, building and construction. He Riojan and Aragonese people are points out that Western all affected. architecture for the ~ h i r d ~ o r l d This station, near Miranda de is not just uncreative, but deadly: Ebro (Burgos) and Vitoria, has a due to the extremes of temperaboiling water reactor (BWR) ture in concrete, as opposed t o which began working in 1971: it's mudbrick houses, child mortality one of the most dangerous is much higher. To continue reactors in the world. building like this, now that we This nuclear reactor,sold by know the results, is premeditated General Electric, soon had some murder. (He also devised the idea breakdowns. I n 1976 it was of special tights, soaked in linseed closed for seven months; there oil as a protection against were breakdowns in the pipes and bilharzia, a disease spread by in the swimming-pool. Nobody water snails.) wanted to run the risk of The Farm was honored for its contamination. Who did it then? relief operation, Plenty InterThe army did it! national, which began working in I n 1980 the plant was closed 1974, following the earthquake in for nearly nine months because Guatemala. Farm volunteers have there were nine sleeves completebeen working directly with local ly broken. ('They" people introducing soybeans IBERDUERO and Co. -said uatemalal, reforestation there was only one sleeve esotho) and setting up solarbroken.).

Forty South African war resisters and supporters picketed the South African Embassy in Trafalgar Square on January 15th t o protest against the call-up for two yean military service and the denial'of prisoner-of-war status t o captured guerrillas of the African National Congress liberation movement. The protest was timed t o co-incide with the bi-annual conscription of 15,000 young white South Africans,

many of whom will be sent t o join the 70,000 South African troops currently maintaining South Africa's illegal occupation of neighbouring Namibia. Some conscripts refuse to fight for the apartheid system - war resisters are either forced into exile or imprisoned: the regime can repeatedly conscript and imprison them for two year periods until they reach the age of 65.

Production has never been over 60% and there have been a lot of difficulties reaching this. GARONA is also an atomic arsenal because nuclear waste is kept in the swimming-pool and buried beside the nuclear Plant. What will be the future of the Ebro river? The Spanish government favours the business of the electric companies instead of supporting the agriculture and the irrigation of the area.

Instead of being lost through cooling towers, heat produced as a byproduct of electricity could be used to heat public buildings. This would cut the Council's heating bills which come out of the rates. Kirklees asked the CEGB for its feasibility study on converting the power station to produce combined heat and power, but was toid there wasn't one, so thecampaign i s carrying out its own study. The power station is 25 years old and is due for renovation, which could provide an opportunity for the conversion, and for the installation of fluidized bed furnaces. These have been recently developed by the National Coal Board, and have two advantages: theyare extremely efficient; and they reduce smoke pollution at the same time.

10 burn

M is being ~ burned' ~ is ~ one of ~ the messages behind the Save Huddersfield Electric Plant Campaign. By allowing the power station to close Huddersfield i s losing an opportunity to keep local employment and cut the Council's heating bills. The closure proposed by the CEGB would cause the direct loss of 130 jobs but theeffects are likely to spread to coal, transport and engineering workers. Though many of those employed at the power station may be redeployed in other plants, their jobs will be permanently lost to Huddersfield. The CEGB states that the closure is because of over-capacity, yet at the same time massive investment in nuclear power i s going ahead. On the other hand the power station's central position makes i t ideal for a scheme of combined heat and power.

PHOTO NICK HANNA

/^^\

Underci

Beat tt- -'-1 FOLLOWING THE widely publicised "toxic shock syndrome" many women have been turning t o 'natural sea sponges'as an alternative t o using 'Tampax' for menstmation, however this alternative does n o t seem t o be an answer! The Emma Goldman Clinic, i n Iowa City, p u t toxic shock warning notices o n sponges o n sale at the clinic when it learned i n Ocotober that a sponge user had come down w i t h toxic shock. The warnings did n o t stop women from continuing t o buy the sponges, said Dr. Adele Franks, who works at the clinic. She estimated that the clinic sold 4,000 sponges a year, that sales had increased over the last two years and had been especially high following the first reports o f the tamponltoxic shock cases. T w o weeks later, the clinic -stopped selling sponges entirely when it learned o f the results of an analysis conducted at the University of Iowa laboratories by microbiologist Mary Gilchrist. , Dr. Gilchrist had read that ' sponges were being used as alternatives t o tampons and decided t o find o u t whatwas i n them. She purchased a package from the Emma Goldman clinic and subjected the sponges t o several weeks worth of analysis. Some she rinsed six times, as per the package instructions that six rinsings were advisable before use; others she rinsed fewer times, and some she didn't rinse a t all. The rinsing got r i d of some sand, coral bits. and cellular debris. But at1 the sponges, rinsed and unrinsed, contained bacteria, fungi, hydrocarbons and other chemical pollutants. Dr. Franks said the finding o f bacteria d i d not bother her as much as the finding of chemicals that might cause cancer. Good processing methods and an autoclave could take care o f bacteria. she said, but contaminants like hydrocarbons posed greater .difficulties and unknown hazards. The clinic immediately removed all sponges and sent o u t letters t o other women's clinics where sponges are available informing them that the Emma Goldman Clinic had stopped using sponges and no longer endorsed them. O F F OUR BACKS

P A T ARROWSMITH was given an absolute discharge at Bow Street Magistrates Court o n 12/1/1981 after pleading guilty t o criminal damage t o a perspex d o c k which had been o n display i n C w e n t Garden Craft Market. Pat t o l d the stall holder it was offerfsive and turned it over. A s she walked away t h e stallholder shouted abuse and Pat returned and smashed the clock. The magistrate agreed that the dock. which was shaped l i k e a woman's open legs, was a degrading object. I n mitigation Pat said that the clock "degrades women a n d encourages sexual violence a n d should n o t b e allowed t o exist."

O N DECEMBER 1 2 a group of women organised a peaceful protest against films depicting male violence against women which were being screened a t Leicester Square. Before they had begun t o hand o u t leaflets, plain clothes SPG officers abused and hassled them. w i t h o u t identifvinn . themselves (until later at the policestation! Scuffles developed and nine women were arrested. This brings the total o f women arrested o n similar pretexts t o 30 in London alone. Most of the women have been refused legal aid. The nine women appeared at Bow St. Magistrates Court on Thursday January 8th. A l l pleaded n o t guilty. They were remanded on unconditional bail t o appear at O l d St. Magistrates Court o n 18th March and 1s April. They desperately need money t o organise their defence and pay possible fines. So please send them as much money as y o u can afford to: South East Women Against Rape Box No. 1 0 190 Upper St. London N 1

PORTSMOUTH CNO recently had to t u r n away hundreds o f people f r o m a showing of The War Game because t h e hall was packed b y 7.30pm: t o accommodate the overspill t w o extra showings were p u t o n the following day. Peter Watkins' simulation. showing some o f the less nlamorous as~ectsof nuclear warshas now bee" o n t h e shelf at the BBC for 1 5 years, b u t still attracts capacity audiences wherever it is shown. In the North, Leeds E N D has been picketing BBC T V studios and handing out 8000 leaflets t o t r y and get a trial showing i n the area. L o o k N o r t h editor Roger Button explained t o END representatives that a local network couldn't transmit something that was banned nationally, b u t promised t o pass o n their views and the formal request f o r a showing. I f enough areas p u t pressure o n the Beeb, maybe we can see the the real thing. .. \', Y~., &

filmfasffa: .

HACKNEY

I n Hackney t h e local Borough Council and Hackney CND have agreed a seven point plan of co-operation o n nuclear and disarmament issues. The plan covers free showings of The War Game in the area, CND exhibitions in local libraries, a special edition o f the council's local information sheet t o be devoted t o peace and disarmament, the provision b y the council o f a free venue f o r CND, a licence for a prime site i n a local weekly market f o r the. group, and use of council poster sites t o advertise campaign activities. The council w i l l also be pressurising the Inner London Education Authority t o allow Hackney CND access t o schools, which will enable contact w i t h teachers and older students t o arrange debates and talks.

Ă&#x201A;ÂĽv

. , .,...

..,.,

S ( ~ 0X

ill\il/l'pil~~l~ ..

A NEW M A G A Z I N E called 'X' is soon t o be launched i n Exeter, probably i n March, at present it is only a news sheet, financed b y advertising. It w i l l present an alternative y o u t h based view of life i n Exeter, and is produced b y young people (aged 1 3 t o 18) some maybe older o r younger. They expect t o r u n i n t o censorship problems as their audience is 1 2 t o 1 8 and they want t o air 'taboo subjects'. Below is an excerpt f r o m their news sheet. A proliferation o f new groups are saying that i n post-industrial society the right t o broadcast is a necessary extension o f the righ t o free speech. A t the moment promising new organisations exist like SCHOOLS AGAINST T H E BOMB (King Alfred School ManorWood. North End Road, Golders Green, London). A n organisation run b y young peopl~ for young people it has t o comb: media monopolies and adult prejudice. Yet, it is true t h a t hope for these required changes resides primarily w i t h the young, The young are the only people who can claim w i t h any honesty innocence regarding world affair: We have yet t o be bribed i n t o ou assigned positions with the status quo. Throughout our growth the social restictions imposed b y the family cause boredom not enlightenment; the economic self sufficiency of each small family unit induces selfishness rather than sharing. The alternative social structure o f communal living is sneered on: no wonder we grow up like your parents. Comments1 inquiries about this newssheet, controbutions f o r next "X" phone Exeter 79607.

WOMEN OPPOSE the Nuclear Threat (WONT) iscirculating a petition to women throughout Britain i n time f o r International Womens Day o n 8 March. The WONT petition demands an end t o t h e manufacture and stockpiling o f all mass destruction weapons, an end t o arms spendin; at the expense of health care, housing o r education and n o conscription for men o r women. Signatures have t o be collected b y 1 February. Copiesof the petition are available f r o m the CORNER BOOKSHOP, 162 WOODHOUSE LANE, LEEOS 2 and they should be returned t o the same address. (PNSIPEACE NEWS)

any type of soil and can be sown any time between mid February

,, DURING THE RECENT European Security Confrenca in MKind, the Unitedstam continually MUflht to danounc* the Soviet Union for violation of the human rights provaiom of the 1975 Hrtrinki Afmnent. lronicÃ§llyin IÃNovmbw the preuigious R i n r l l TrIbumI 1 condemned tic United S t i l l for violating this same m i o m , and uvml othen, concerning the 1rÃ‘UnfitoffutivAlnaiam The Fourth Russell Tribunal was held in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands during the last week of November. More than 100 representativesof Indian and Eskimo tribes from South, Q%?E31 and N m h America testified before a jury of international celebrities about violations of their rights at the hands of the governments established by European colonists. The jury, which included Austrian psychologist Robert Jungk, releaseda final document condemning six nations the United States, Canada. Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala, and Paraguay for a seamingly endlew list of specific violations of different international agreements, among them the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, internationalagreements banning genocide, and the Helsinki Agreement. In many dases, the jury heard, government* have movedagai.nst native Americana because of minerals buried under their lands. More than half the uranium within the United Statesis on A Indian land. Both theJMavahoand Hopi Indians of the American southwest described how companies looking for coal and uranium had illegally taken tribal land. In Brazil FUNAI (which corresponds to the American Bureau of Indian Affairs) has begun to resemble a military organization, as it protects the mining end forestry interests which haw been allowed to move deeper and deeper into the Amazpn region. One tribe in Amazonie, the Nambiquara, numbered more than 10,000 at the turn of the century. Today, after inroads by outside interests, only 600 rerhain. The Native Americans in Rotterdam pointed out that they had long-establishednations before the European colonists set foot on American shores. ^Whet is Bo/ivia?"asked a member of the Bolivian Indian movement MITKA. "Bolivia's national anthem was written b y an Italian,

the constitution n w intpiradby Napoleon, the entire army has always baen dominatedby foreign nations. A l l of America is a colonial construction just like South Africa. They say they want to integrata us. The Indians maka up 80%of Bolivia'spopulation and they say they are going to integrateusl" The first Russell Tribunal was held in Copenhagen in 1972 end discussed US War Crime* in Indochina, listening to a number of witnesses from Southeast Asia,, as well as Americans such as Daniel Ellsberg's colleague Tony Rum. While the tribunals haw no power to take action in connection with their findings, they have en enormous amount of international respect, and the denunciation of the United States and other countries, i f not widely covered in the American news media, has reached a large audience in Europe and other parts of the world. The tribunal ha>called on the United Nations to take action to redress the violations of international agreements by the six countries.

forms a lona - too. root which helps improve soil structure and brings up nutrients from e greater soil depth. A particular c0nce.m of the conference and one of wide general interest was that of organic standards. When is a vegetable or cereal crop organically grown and when is it not? For example, o w farmer

No a r e for class A WORKING GROUP cMnd by

Sir Doughs Black, Pmidtnt of the Royal Collag* of Phyifim,

-nit Gtowm hi the UK h

lot to ham from both 0 t h Europ~n countrinand tho State. This was o m m n Ã ‘ that con* Â¥cnx during tha ncond confer*nce of Organic Grown* which took place in Cirencfr i n January. The Organic Growers Association (OGA) which was formed after the first conference last year (see DC 39). decided to make this year's event a 'workshop'. One guest from abroad was Elliot Coleman, Director of the Coolidge Centre for the Advancement of Agriculture, USA whose subjects were 'green manures' and 'weed control'. 'Grew manures'are besically crops grown to be dug into the ground to provide nutrients for the following crop, but Or Coleman provided more than half a dozen other reasons for using them in an organic system. Conventional green manure crops in the UK are clover, mustard, and grazing rye, but many others are used on the Continent. One of particular intsrest was a fodder radish which apparently grow In

may consider naturally occurring rock salts organic whereas another may not. What exactly does the consumer aet under the 'oraanic' label? An Organic standards Committee has been formed to try and answer some of these questions. A hard job, but the general feeling of the conferenci was that any set standards were better than none at ell. (Further information about the OGA be obtained from Charles W, Aeron Park, Llangeitho, Dyfed.1 Sue Stickluid

and including ProfÃ‘o J.N. Morrk. Profiler of Community Hedth in the University of * ' London, Dr. CyrilSmith. Secretary of the Social Service* Council and ProfÃ‘fo Peter TownÃ‘nd Protestor of Sociology in the Univenity of Emu, ims Krt up by Secretary of S t a r for H d t h Enrols in April 1877. and hn now reported. This Bhck Report, m tt will appropriately be known, w a initially run off in 200 wpm only on the office Rorno machine, with a frotty fore-word by the Tory Secretary of SUM tor H u l t h J d i n . Contidwing the repute of the working group i d the vitd importance of theirfindingi. this Tory mponw w ~ t in , the NCtraiiMd t e n g u Ã of the L tm (Sit. 6th 1SClpl. "unfortunate." The Black Report uncovers little that i s really nahdbut presents the evidence in a challenging and telling form: "Recant date show; .. .at birth and in the first months of life twice as many babies of unskilled manual parents (class V) die as d o b k of professional class parertts (class I) .I:. a class gradient can be obbrved for most causes of deqth, being particularly steep in the c Ã §of diseans of the

respiratory system. Available dz on chronic sickness tend to , parallel those on mortality." (Para. 3 of Summary). "If mortality rats of dam I had applied to chsws IV and V during 197092. 74,000 lives of people under 75 would not , have b w n lmt .estimate includes,nearly 10,000 children. A conclusion they reach is that "much of the evidence on social inequalitiesi n h& can, adequately uwtwsmod in t a m of specific AMtum of the socioeconomic environment, featurn (such as work accidantt, anr crowding, cigamp smoking) which am strongly class refatad, Britain." The Black Report and its programme for mitigating the effects of a harmful social environment, redistributing resources with particular reference to the needs of the community care services in selected deprived areas of the country, a programme of increased child benefit, infant CI allowance, free school meals as < right, comprehensive disabled 'allowance, etc., is a major challenge to the next Labour Government and a timely reminder to Socialist health. workers of what our priorities should be. QR. CYRILTAYU

, .

Nuclear 'mazement BRITISH NUCLEAR FUELS, the UK Atomic E n a w Authority bndothers harelet up a public mMons consortium called the Nuclear Power Information Group. Promptly christened NUPIG by Friends of the Earth, the group's literature promises t o help readers find their way through the

OkY DOOMSTER

"nuclearmaze", but turns out to be the same nuclear propaganda that each had been putting out individually. FOE have asked t o be allowed t o include some of their materials in the package t o complete the picture, but this request apparently hasn't been read yet,as there are no reports of mass outbreaks of apoplexy.

ON THE I ~ T H ~ Ahundreds N of Norwegian Polfa; helicoPtem. dogs and paramilitary vehicles were involved i n Noways biggest police action sine* World War 11. A threatened invasion? A

THE CENTRAL ELECTRIC~TY Generating Board, hiving no ideas of its own, has copied the. wording on the Smiling Sun b* with inappy captions like I n - A m ? Nn Thankvl and Dark

FOR A LEFT-WING NEWSPAPER BECAUSE THEY'LL SACK YOU Thffi WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS' was ppved again when the NEW,. STATESMAN decided to sack workers at a few hours notice. After their workers hastily joined SOGAT and resisted, ~ f l r editor ~ ~ BRUCE PAGE suggested that they sell their building worth Â£ million and move into a squat in Islington. Perhaps they will merge with those nice stalinists at the LEVELLER . . . Meanwhile the NS has finally not rid of turncoat traitor to the working classes PAUL JOHNSON from the bohrd. Chairman Lord Campbell said unless he resigned he mould be deemed 'OF UNSOUND MIND'. Johnson took the hint.. . To thedebacle at Bristol for the annual Schumacher lectures. A member of the audience made considerable disturbances, apparently having been unbalanced* his eviction at the hands o f DARTINGTON H A L L property speculators. The organisers, from RESURGENCE magazine, called the police. If Iever read anything in the magazine about 'community policing' or RD L a i n g - t y p e i drivel they like t o run about how th& insane are more sane than everyone else and we must look OD to them as visionaries. 'Iwill feed my copy t o my pet goldfish,Aleister . ~ookidg up RESURGENCE in the Willing Preis Guide, I could only find RESURGAM, the undertakers' journal. Per-

demonstration/ancampmeh i n the iconic northern valley of ALTA. The camp was set up nearly two years ago, it represents the last ditch attempt of Norways indigenous people -the Upps (or Samil in the face of the greatest threat they have yet encountered, a dam. The Norwegian government says it can't do without it, as it mould brovide cheap pomer for industry. The Lapps say it will flood the valley, ruin the salmon fishirig, and put at risk the reindeer herding. The Lapps have been oppressed and ignored for centures Norway is one of the worlds richest countries, it doesnt need the Alta dam. The Lapps are asking for support for their fight. Contact SAM1 SUPPORT COMMITTEE c'/o 6 Endsleigh St., London WC1, 01-609 1852. /

CEGB employees are being encouraged t o plaster their cars with the things t o demonstrate

Sssli.....

London.

DamnaDie Piwer Norwav " news ..

. ..

THE NEW GOVERNMENT'Scoda, for the instruction of social security officers (restricted information etc) is the expected turgid mixture o f bureaucracy and .oppressiveness. There are only one or two bits of comic relief; notabfy the section headed 'People approaching 100th, 105th or subsequent Birthdays' Section 12552 says before sending a telegram from the palace check 1. the person is still live 2 his current address 4. whether messages of their faith in atom power.The congratulations would stickers are available free from be wpreciated. CEGB Press and Publicity Office, It Points out quite rightly that Sudbury House, 15 Newga,te St., 'considerable embarrassment London EC1. A one foot thick would be caused to the Palace layer should be enough t o insulate and to the Sacretaw o f State' your loft. iftelegrams were sent when the

kept in a state of cryonic suv-

' pension until the momenthe

world are correct . , In a forthcoming issueof the SPECTATOR you will beable t o read all about 'BARRY'of T H E PREACHERS'. Barry is a megalomaniacwho wants to take over the commune movement for his own ends and is thoroughly unpleasant.The description bears no remmblance whatever to KEVIN of THE TEACHERS.. . . All the top brass from DOE, DHSS, Home Office etc turned out at a recent seminar organised by the NCUYS (National Council of Voluntary Youth Services) on a compulsory community service for the unemployed. You will be irderested t o Rear that the first thing the millions of unemployed layabouts will have t o do is rebuild the canal system; something UC readers will heartily approveof. .... More on community policing. UC readers who are muggers are advised t o avoid the independent republic of FRESTONIA (also known as Freston Road, Nottf* Hill Gate). Golf clubsare being kept behind doors for braining undesirables; a debate is in progress a$ t o whether a wood, iron or putter is most effective. Perhaps for socialist muggers, merely believing in a little redistribution of wealth, a wedge . . 1 ran into Our BENN. the flowerpot man, at the recent launch of the State flesearch book (see reviews). Iasked him i f his phbne was tapped. 'IF I T IS' he said 'ITSS,THE ONLY DIRECT LINK I HAVE WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT' Perhaps the Wedgatollah is not quite as loopy a$ we had all presumed

person had died. The Secretary of State has quite enough things to be embarrassed about already, I'd have thought. Ooops, oh dear, it seems we've broken the Official Secrets Act again ...

A.T. GETS THE BIRD NEWS HAS reached us of the latest i n A.T. for animate. Hal-rods have been felling a "budgie shower"complete with hot water tank, shower attachment mirror, and curtains (for privacy from enraptured owners?). Its on Sale for a mere Â£17butdont all Undies budgie fanciers rush down t o Knightsbridge, as owing t o overwhelming demand, Herrods have s o u out.

NATTA CONFERENCE ORGANISER Dave Elliot was reported t o have 'Qufte enjoyed himself". No other opinions were forthcoming1

.. . . .

SOUTH-WEST CO-OPS FAIR: Saturday 7th February at the Corn Exchange, Bristol. An all day event starting at 10.30. The morning workshops will concentrate on Unemployment, Workers' Plans and Co-operatives, speakers will include Tony Benn, Hilary Wainwright. Jenny Lynn and David Pelly. Lunchtime can be spent finding out what real co-ops get up to by visiting the exhibition with entertainments, films, music and stalls. The afternoon workshops will be as requested but will probably include an introduction to co-ops in the south-west and workshops on collective democracy and the broader politics of the movement. After tea, during which entertainment will be provided by Liberty Bodies, a local feminist theatre group, there will be an evening of music and theatre so bring along your own instruments and join in the sort of ceilidh. Kids are weicome, and there will be a creche from 10.00am to 6.00pm. Everyhing i s being organized by the outh-West Cooperatives Group who can be contacted at the Film-makers Co-op, c/o MacArthurs Warehouse, Gas Ferry Road. Bristol 1. tel. 0272-24714.

The CENTRE FOR A T has a full programme of weekend residential courses planned for the spring and early summer: Finance for Small Organisations (Feb 13-15); Self-build (Feb 20-22);The Future of Work (March 13-15); Trees for Food & Fuel (March 27-29); Water Power (April 1012); Beekeeping for Beginners (April 24-26);Methane (May 810); Wind Power (May 17-20); Organic Gardening (May 27-31); and MidWales Ecology (June 15-19). Cost is usually Â£3 (â‚¬ unwaged) except Wind Power (â‚¬60/â‚¬ Details (sae please) from CAT, Llyngwern Quarry. Machynlleth, Powys; tel 0645 2400. 20-22 February: PEACE AND NON-VIOLENCE WEEKEND to look at violence on personal, local, national and international levels, and at peace issues. Experimental workshops and discussion. 6.8 March: WOMEN'S HEALTH-. Informal weekend for women t o explore health-related issues. 27-29 March: YOGA, MEDITATION AND MASSAGE. Hatha yoga, moving and still meditations, Zen yoga therapy, shiatsu, intuitive massage, mantra and satsang session?. 3-5hpril: WRITING. Informal weekend for anyone'who likes trying their hand at poetry or prose. All the events will take place at , Lower Shaw Farm, Shaw, Swindon, Wilts. tel. 0793-771080. For more details send a SAE.

A NATURAL APPROACH TO HEART DISEASE is the titleof a one day seminar sponsored by PEACE DANCE: 14th February. the Community Health FoundaThe Wigton Peace Group which is tion. Many distinguished speakers affiliated to Cumbrians for Peace will be included in the'discussions and CND, is organizing a Peace on the ways heart disease can be Dance to raise funds and give prevented. Heart disease is people a taste of what they'd be Britain's number one cause of missing. I t i s in Caldbeck Village death. The seminar will take Hall from 8pm to midnight. The place o n 21st February, further Ellen Valley Band are playing so information is available from it will be a real knees-up ceilidh 'Bretta Carthev, The Community and there will be another spot and Health Foundation, 188 Old a bit of wit-prop. Tickets are Â£ Street, London ECl, tel: 01-251 and can be bought from Westmor4076. lands Bookshop, Wigton or at the PSYCHICS AND MYSTICS 1 door. FAYRE: 7-8th March. This is the YORK: 20th-22nd February. first event organized by the Nonviolence and Nuclear TechnoFestival of Mind and Body for logy gathering. See Peace News 1981 and is in Birmingham. for further details write to Box 7, Further information can be 73 Walmgate, York or contact obtained from the Festival of Dave Birch of the York NonMind and Body at 159 George violence Group. Street. London W1.

THIRD WORLD FIRST have, organized a day school in Edinburgh on 7th March on the topic of Power/Energy/Arms. The report of the Brandt Commission will be discussed. This report stated that World Poverty and global inequalities are the greatest threat t o mankind's survival. The dad ., school costs Â£1.50 cheoues should be made payable t o 3 ~ 1 and sent to Third World First, -232 Cowtey Road, Oxford. The National Conference with the theme Whose Survival will take place in the Newman Rooms, St. Aldgates, Oxford on 10-12th April. There will be major speakers, workshops and a specially devised simulation game. This costs Â£1 including food and floor space. If you are feeling rich andare interested in wind energy, why not attend the Third BWEA Wind Energv Workshoo at Cranfield. cost i s a mere 9-10th April. approximate Â£6 but this does include accommodation for two nights and the mandatory conference banquet. Details from Dr. P. Musgrove, Dept. of Engineering, Reading University, Reading, Berks. I t is of course cheaper i f you find your own crash pad and do not eat. 1 FOE EPIC, THE GREAT BRITISH BIKERIDE will be wending a thousand mile trail between John 0'Groats and Land's End next August. The basic idea is that riders will come on the three week jaunt not just for the challenge or the scenery, but sponsored for every mile, with Friends of the Earth as the beneficiary. Alternatively i t can be seen as a successful mass cavalcade of bikes, heading south, sweeping irresistibly down the length of Britain in a triumphant demonstration of pedal power. Any would be heroes should contact FOE at 9 Poland Street, London W1. Any quiet car drivers are advised t o leave town whilst the cavalcade passes through.

sponsored by the Black Hills Alliance. It pinpointed two corporations which are particularly heavily involved in uranium/ production worldwide. These are RTZ and Union Carbide. I n Britain, the task of co-ordinating plans for the week of action has been taken on by a group calling themselves PARTIZANS. Further information can be obtained fror" PARTIZANS, 218 Liverpool Road, London N1, tel: 01-609 1852 or by going along t o a planningmeetingon 31st January 11 a.m. t o 5 p.m. at Pax Christi, St. Dominic Priory, Southampto Road. London NW5.

S.E. COOPS MEETING 12th FEE A T LADBRDOK HOUSE, HIGHBURY QROVE, LONDON N1. 7 3 0 in the bar Organisersmeeting todiscuss the possibility of a one day regional Coop fair in London. WEEK OF ACTION AGAINST RIO TINT0 ZINC: 4th-11th May. This is the beginning of a coordinated international campaign t o block the destructive forms of development being inflicted on humanity by multi-national corporations. The campaign has arisen from the International Survival Gathering last summer in South Dakota which was

LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL NEW AGE FESTIVAL: 27th June. The festival is happeningai St. Georges Hall, Opposite Lime Strey Station in the city cent For further details contact Di Lindsay who is secretary of PCAP (Protection and Conservation of Animals and Plantlife) at the Festival Office, 1-11 Hardmai Street, Liverpool 1, tel : 051-708 8248. FOO E NUCLEAR ROADSHOW: 25h July-29th August. This is a campaignfig roadshow organized by FOE and is aimed particularly at stopping the construction of a new range of nuclear reactors in Britain. The route will be frc Cornwall t o Sizewell in Suffi and travel will be purely by peoa power. Anyone interested in participating or simply to be kep informed of developments shouli write to Peter Robinson, Old Hal East Bergholt, Colchester, Essex. Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope marked Roadshow Ill.

THE NURTONS are again running a number of courses this year. Of particular interest t o UC readers are those entitled, How to start and run a small farm. 13th-15th March and3rd5th April, Ecolorfcal Fieldwork, 7th-10th April and Spinning and Dyeing, 18th/19th-21st June. Details of these and other courses can be obtained from The Nurtons, Tintern, Nr. Chepstow, Gwent, NP6 7NX. Also do not forger the Nurtons is open for guest house holidays and is beautifully situated in the Wye valley.

PENNY STREET CAFE has lust opened in Lawaster and provides wbolefoodhegetarian fare. The biJdinga* 78A penny St. now hOuwsb 5c0"ect'ves. They are -k'md evening meals on Fridaysa's0d0 and Saturdays.

Own

NATIONAL ABORTION CAMPAIGN. The successful campaign against the Carrie Bill means that NAC is now involved in a wider range of activities than ever before. One problem remains money. NAC struggles t o survive i n sales, donations and fundraising events, but this just isn't enough. They need a regular and reliable income, so they've launched a drive for banked orders. They would t i k e j o u t o promise Â£ per month. I f you want more ihfo on NAC's activities and a bankers order form write to National Abortion Campaign, 374 Grays Inn Road, . London WC1.

I have been ,n existence for 18 months distribute mainly to schools, c o l l ~ e sand wmenss grows, have 2l films, both shorts

and full length, on a variety of subjects from sexism in szhwls t o women in prison, from American feminists t 6 aborigine women. Send a V E for their leaflet to COW films, 156 Swaton Road, London â‚ 4ER.

CONCORD FILM COUNCIL'S Â¥latessupplement to their 1978179 cataloaue lists about 90 new titles in the; range of 16mm films on Design with the Sun (colour, 28 min, Â£11 and Harrisbuw (BW, 20 min, Â£6.801 The 1980/81 ABORTION I N BRITAIN BEFORE THE ABORTION ACT ' catalogue should be available soon at Â£1.50 but there are free lists is i n historical look at abortion on specific topics like nuclear up until the 1967 Act. It refutes power, race relations, ecology, etc. the anti-abortion lobby's From 201 Felixstow Road, argument that abortion hardly Ipswich, Suffolk (phone: 0473existed before ~ t e e l e ' s ~ c t . w i t t e n by Madeleine Sirnms it . 760121.

costs &p line p&pl from Birth Control Trust, 27-36 Mortimer

London W1.

CRECHES AGAINST SEXISM (London) is a group of men who want to do something practical about the'oppression of women and children and who enjoy childcare. Running creches is, as anyone who went to last year's Co-op Fair may recall, a hot topic in radical circles; they areasking for other men to join them, for toys and non-sexist books. They also tell us they they are trying t o raise Â£60 from anti-sexist men towards the cost of the leaflets and posters about male violence against women being produced by women in Leeds. CAS, c/o Bread & Roses, 316 Upper St, N1; tel 01.673 0091. LEEDS POSTCARDS produce sets of postcards covering many current campaigns and also some mote li hthearted work. They are i t / c o l o u r e d and well produced, and are snips at l o p each. Write to Leeds Postcards, 13 Claremont Grove, Leeds for a ' listing of what is available.

FRAME (Fund for the RÃ§placÃ ment of Animate in Medical Experiments) publishes a monthly newsletter entitted borindy "Technical News". Its valuable for its listing of forthcoming events and can be obtained from F.R.A.M.E. Head O f f i i , 312a. Worple Rd., Wimbledon, London SW20 8QU. A three-volume Register of Research, Development, and Demonstration i n the UK of renewable energy projects is being compiled by the Government's Energy Technology Support Unit at Harwell. (TWOvolumes have so far appeared covering more than 300 projects covered by the headings of energy conservation and energy research in the social sciences. The third volume is now being assembled. It will cover Renewable Energy and ranges from a classroom project in a comprehensive school t o the Severn barrage. Anyone wishing to be included should write to Jim FiJrnival at ETSU, Building 156, AERA, Harwell, Oxfordshire, OX11 ORA. '

GRAFFITI AND @ALL PAINTINGS required for new art book. Send photographs, preferably In the form of colour slides, of your local artform t o Karin Kramer Verlag, 1000 BerlinNenkolln (441, Postfach 106. I f possible also send details of the sociallpolitical ideas which inspired the artist, otherwise your own impreesions would be appreciated.

The CO-OPERATIV.E.DEVELOPMENT AGENCY has produced a manual for local authorities who wish t o promote industrial or setvice co-operatives, or who need to deal with enquiries. Cooperatives: a guidance booklet for Local Authorities points out the advantages of co-ops t o the communitV, their structure, how to sbt up q co-op as a response to the threat of closure or relocation and the financial and ofganisational aid that is available. details from CDA, 20 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TJ. CAITS and NELP are also appealing for further funds to develop and publicise their roadrail vehicle project, which has reached the stage of testing on the West Somerset Light Railway. Donations (to CAITSINELP Road Rail Fund) will be gratefullm received at the above address.,

NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS Half M w n Photography Workshop exhibition by Peter Kennard, Ric Sissons and Mike Abrahams will be showing at BrightonCND for the second two weeks in Feb.at

Nowhere Bookshop i n Liverpool in April. This show is available for hire from early June. I f interested contact Marguerite McLaughlin, HMPW, 119 Roman Road, London E2.

5 -*

STOW (The Society of Teachers Opposed t o Physical Punishment) a 6 making a special effort to disseminate their 'Abolition Handbook'. This contains the case against corporal punishment in schools, advice about courses to take the legal position and a recommendedform of statement for parents who do not want the state school system t o beat their children. The handbook costs 80p (+17p p&p); single membership of STOPP is Â£2joint membership (two pfeople at one address) is Â£3 students 50p. The address is: 10, Lennox Gardens, Croydon, Surrey CRO 4HR. I n the last issue we forgot to give the address o f MAGIC, the Mozambique, Aapgola and Guine Information Centre. It is at 34 Percy St., London W1. Issue No. 2 of the INTERNATIONAL COMMUNES NETWORK newsletter fUC39 was No. 11 has just come out; it contains news from India, Australia, Japan and elsewhere, and details of the proposed World Commune Meeting in Israel this autumn. The British contact, Linda Mallett of Laurieston Hall, Kircudbrights., has a number of copies for distribution (send 2011 in stamps t o cover postage). She asks us t o point out that she hasn't got any sort of internation'al directory of communes and that enquiries should be accompanied by an SAE (hear, hear!) 'Single people need houses too " is a report just published which outlines the problems that this increasing section of the population facesin each area of the housing market and proposes some imaginative solutions. Copies are available, price60p, from Self Help Housing Resource Library, Polytechnic of North London, Ladbroke House, Highbury Grove, London N5 2AD. LONDON COMMUNITY WORK SERVICE NEWSLETTER on 'Housing Co-ops i n the 80%' sets out how you can form a co-op and why you should do so. For further information and 1 advice contact either Society for Co-operative Dwellings (SCD), 209 Claphap Rd., SW9 (tel 737 20771 or Solon Co-operative Housing Services, 233a Kentish Town Road, London NW5 (tel 267 2005).

----- .-

- -

Sera has-pbduced a leaflet on ideas for labour in the SO'S. It presents the current range of Sera policies and contrasts them with conventional right wing POLITICAL ECOLOGY solutions, illustrated with REPORT GROUP LTD of 34 Cartoons. Â£2.5 for 100, Â£1.50 Cowley Rd. OxfordTheir cost 50p each. For further info for 50 ( p & p included) from Sera, 9 Poland Street, London ring Oxford 725354. W1V3DG. *

GREENPEACE have pr0duced.a series of factsheets on pesticides, the chemical industry, chemical and biological warfare, andione on 'Useful Arguments for Ant/Nuclear Activists'. Available for an SAE and a donation if possible from GREENPEACE 6 Endsleiah " Street. London WC1

!rcurrents

John Fletcher revisits Operation Squareleg, the recent military ixercise to act out what would happen in event of a nuclear war. The Government would have to decide whether the real enemy was the Russians (or Chinese'etc.) or their own people. alert, within a few hours conditions inside our major cities would be extraordinary. Effectively, government, cowering in i t s rural dugouts, would have c e A 4 all authority within them. The leaf to cover their nakedness would be a few local government officers grinning apprehensively from behind their desks. There would be nothing in cities worth defending. Every single member of the security forces would be pressed into keeping the tides of urban humanity within their city walls, not in defending suddenly obsolete bastions of power within the about-to-be-bombed cities. Operation Square Leg reveals that our rulers have l i t t l e faith in the general public's self-discipline and willingness to stay put in their cities and allow themselves to be sacrificed for the Greater Good. Rather than studiously reading their copies of 'Protect and Survive', most individuals in the first few hours of such an emergency would . act in a totally instinctive fashion and attempt to link up with the rest of their scattered familyÃ‘a happens in all such social emergencies. This task i s going to be made immeasurably more difficult by the suspension of normal telephone facilities. Eventually, after a few panic-filled hours, they will pretty much join up, into their family units, their attitude to authority soured by their experiences. Their thoughts will now turn to survival.

Fanciful Prediction Firstly, they will think of food. Despite Square Leg's fanciful prediction that looting would be confined to a supermarket in Stafford, looting in cities and suburbs will be t~tal~disciplined, and there will be nothing the authorities can do about such mass activities. The food will give most families a week's grace. Such looting will be a group activity, and it will start to throw up larger groups of people than just families -streets and communities will start to see themselves as units and organize themselves. Such group behavior is a phenomenon widely noted in social emergencies from the American West to the Hungarian Uprising, the New York Power Blackout, and the recent events in Poland. With food secured, thoughts will now turn to

By Operation Square Leg's own estimate, a majority of citydwellers are going t o forgo the false womb of security beneath their kitchen table for the supposed safety and bracing rigours of the countryside - after all, their betters will have done the same! We should now try andlook at things through the eyes of those who are to try to stop this exodus, the security forces -as much from the point of view of police constables and corporals as generals and politicians.

times as long as the Northern Ireland one. When the police and army stop the refugees on the M I and M4, they are simply going to fan out. London doesn't end at Watford Gap Service Station, but in a million country lanes and footpaths and fields. A t night especially with all the electricity and street lamps off, conditions for the security forces are going t o get more and more difficult.

Vague Post

However, t h e mass escape of millions of starving, homeless urban and suburtan dwellers, is not something t^- covernment can allow. As revealed in the 'New Statesman' its vague post nuclear plans envisage (3.10.80). there are plans for the detenthemselves, ensconsed in theit stately tion of the left and troublemakers in bunkers, ruling a docile slavelfeudal general. Frankly, once it appears to authorities that nuclear war is inevitable, rural society, which can just produce enough to feed itself alone. I can see no reason why they would the So, the line must be held. Prenot immediately kill us. To put it bluntly, sumably, cross country roads like the the food that would keep a hundred A404 from Maidenhead t o Amersham thousand lefties alive for a day, would will be chosen, across which none shall feed a hundred politicians and top pass. It will be extremely difficult. brass for a thousand. A relatively few Army and police units will be stretched hand-picked members of the security to extremely thin lines of platoons, forces could presumably dispose of us strung along the road, individual quickly. I doubt if it would effect soldiers perhaps just being within morale in the general ranks of the secushouting distance of each other. At this rity forces -even if they heard about point, over fields and footpaths and lanes it- since for years we have effectively large groups of city dwellers will been projected into the public's mind approach thes isolated, and genarally as troublemakers and traitors. officerless soldiers. Well, presumably The real crunch for the security the soldiers will say something like forces will come after about twelve hours (from the start of the alert) 'Get Back' as the crowd approaches when large and small groups of ordinary, him. If, as he i s saying this, fifty yards visibly non-seditious refugees start to further down the road another group of arrive at the check points and barriers people happens t o cross the road, what on the outskirts of cities. The security does he do? Now, and I consider that 1 forces will face two insuperable this will be extremely uncommon, but problems -one physical, the other psysupposing the soldier is well enough chological. 'trained' t o open fire on this second Firstly, Operation Square Leg -pergroup of civilians, how many will he haps due to the large number of map bring down? Will he panic and fire freaks and planning officers (who love indiscriminately into the first group? motorways) in i t s ranks -assumed that Either way, assuming him to be a if the railways and motorways and major total autnmaton, some will fall, many trunk roads are blocked, then the masses won't. He can use his whole ammunition supply up and there'll still be an awful will return baffled to their urban lairs. lot of people about. Many people are After ten years, with the massive going to get across the road in his resourcÃˆ ?nd manpower technology section, whether he fires or not. I f it behind them,tlÃˆe'Britis Army is night, many more will. Once across freely admits it is quite incapable of the road, what happens to these people? controlling the passage of terrorists Do they become 'us' rather than 'them' over the border between Northern and and are ignored -as in childhood Southern Ireland. The 'border' around

Hand Picked

sooner Britain's nuclear forces are w b a c k and keep them off, letting yet British Army and has been noted in nore people across the unguarded road? many defence journals. 'neutralized' the better all our chances of survival. They will have 3peration Square Leg merely envisaged of yutiny 1 major motorway intersection, where, the weapons, communications sysWe mustalso not-gorget that one tems, and above all the organization iresumably under the watchful eyes of fact alom will be dominating the minds to undertake immediate and effectenior officers -who wouldn't tkke too of all people -even the minds of ive action. dndly to a refusal to obey orders- troops those soldiers who ^ The knowledge of the whereabouts ~ t t ea d few refugees to discourage the the cardinal + of mutiny-and that is of the government bunkers, cruise .est. In reality, lowly individual soldiers a very short time, unless that would each have to face this awful something somehowhappens, Britain missiles and nuclear airfields will be common knowledge inside the armed jecision by themselves. is blown to pieces. forces. One arm of Britain's nuclear Soldiers and policemen do not arrive The morning after bm,s insane deterrent, however, i s immune to PI the face of this earth from out of rescue mission, when the iowhere. Overwhelmingly, they come threat of world war seemed very close, popular insurrection (and this is obviously precisely why the go ahead from the urban.working classes. The I heard Radio Bristolls phone in, was given on Trident) -the nuclear r a d t o n a patriotic recruiting appeal was amazad not only by the submarines. This knowledge would i f the armed forces -pin up and defend anger of the to carter,s actions, only intensify the assault upon /our home and family and culture- has the widespreadassumption, but also their controllers -those in governalways been very strong. However, in this alreadyrepeated,that ifmatters got ment bunkers- to stop their start~niquesituation of nuclear war, the any worse, then ordinary people ing Armageddon. While they might mwers-that-bewill;in effect, be would have to march on nuclear bases not be immediately 'accessible' winmanding their rank-and-fileto do and try and close them down, These their communications systems the precise opposite, to destroy their own sentiments were also widespread homes and, by their own actions of would be extremely vulnerable both amongst people I talked to in the t o external and internal sabotage. turnin9 back civilians, to condemn their village. In the event of a full scale awn fafnilies and relatives to certain nuclear alert, there can be no doubt that Extremely Dodgy death. a large number of ordinary, sensible Crowds of only a few thousand people -Oh Left, thou shouldst be /Disobey Orders stormed the Bastille and the Winter living a t this hour!- would be Palace, the loyalty of troops sent Many, of course, will have already against their own kind is always jeserted, making the instinctive decision thinking the same. Operation Square Leg certainly assumed such reasoning extremely dodgy. The motivations of to attempt to rejoin and save their own would occur. But it must also be Families -especially amongst the urbanthe hundreds oPthousands mobilAssumed that such reasoning will be based police. Others, however, will have ized against the government would, widespread amongst the armed forces, stayed, and alone, in country lanes, will not be mere frustration and suffering especially those of lower rank already be approached by large groups of cohe-as in revolutions in the past- but a 'infected' through over exposure to desperate, manic desire to survive. rent, determined people -their own civilians. After all, people are preOperation Square Leg would rapidpeople, appealing to their conciences, ~aredto accent the arguments of ly become Operation Own Goal, asking them to disobey orders. I think very quickly the chief preoccupathe vast majoritv of junior soldiers, tion of the Top Brass would cease to unobserved, will not shoot, and that, be the Russians and become their within a very short time of first meeting own revolting people. They, in private, a large group of civilians, will have have prob~blyalready faced the fact decided to ignore their orders. Such t h a t their own security forces would experiences will be happening to many largely mutiny (but, of course, never lower rank soldiers simpltaneously, and admitted it). The fact is that in a word of this will pass extremely quickly country so geographically small as -and unofficially- through the forces Britain, there i s no way that own communications systems. Junior either nuclear forces or.commanders officers will attempt to intervene, there can be sufficiently physically, will be angry words, shots will be fired. distanced from their own population Mutiny, with junior ranks vociferously to avoid their wrath. broadcasting their reasons for mutiny to From the start of a nuclear alert, their fellows Gnt againsfthFm, will I would estimate that the government break out. would be lucky to have 2% days to Some, having mutinied and not get their war started, before it was wishing to face the consequences ! 'i. suing with it's own people for peace. would simply scarper. Others, howl ever, 1 am sure, would choose another It is time that those responsible for a situation it will have most visibly course. However the lampoons of the planning for nuclear - war faced the and catastrophically failed, and one left might depict the security forces, inevitable question -are their real does not best defend ones country they do contain many individuals enemies the Russians (or any other by embracing obliteration, Any alcapable of thinking quickly and foreign enemies we happen to conternative, including slavery and guerclearlv for themselves. tronicallv. tract in the future), or the British rilla warfare under a Russian & have Northern Ireland and sir people themselves. It is at any rate occupation is palpably preferrable to Frank Kitson to thank for this, since certain that the only way a British 'low intensity operations' demand many total extinction. Thus, within a very government could succesfylly short while, it will occur to many small units of independent men, prosecute a nuclear war is by first people, including large numbers'of usually commanded by corporals or eliminating it's own subjects. the armed forces anxious to defend sargeants. This phenomenon -of John Fletcher their families and country and alrearelatively independent, quick-thinking

sin

Undercurrents 44

Dave Pearson discusses Community Publishing. T i e ~dwardianC o u n t r y Lady would never have approved. They'll be doing it in the streets next and tnat might frighten the horses. \

Pushing I

A BRIEF INSPECTION of the bestselling books in the U.K. last year reveals nothing about the dramatic impact of community publishing :'Mountbatten a hero of our time'. Weidenfield & Nicholson Â£8.5 a throw will not Be found on many coffee tables in Peckham, South London. On the other hand, one of the best sellers in Peckham is 'The Ups & Downs of Florrie Roberts' Peckham Publishing Project, 30p, For the local working class, a book 1 of their own. This kind of publishing can be seen .as a reaction against, and challenge to the large commerci I publishers' concept of producers (authors) and consumers (readers). Anyone can ge a consumer, why not a producer too? Community publishing seesitself redressing this imbalance, by producing autobiographies, poetry, and fiction BY & FOR the local community it serves. In the prophetic writing of Jack Common, a Tyn'eside'writer in the preface to 'Seven shifts' 1938. 'My friends include members of the literary bourgeoisie and lads from the unprinted proletariat. Both parties talk well, and you'd probably enjoy ' acrack with them as much as I do. But here's the pity. The bourgeois ones get published right and leftespecially left; the others are mute as far i s orint goes, though exceedingly I vocal in public-houses. Now I've often felt it would be goad to swop them round for a change '.

MASS PUBLISHING The ideology that keeps authors apart from the community is a strong one, reinforced on TV and romanticised by Hollywood. Some bronzed figure (invariably male) relaxing on the French Riiiera talking into a dictap;'.bne, which in turn produces a best-selling book then film. Topics include, spies, sex, war, . violence, space-fiction, disasters etc. (take your pick.) He makes millions of Â£Is Above all there i s no work involved in it. Community publishing is above all, about demystifying 'process' and giving more (why not all) people access to being published. The proliferation of alternative and community bookshops provide avenues for. distribution. The

-----

- .-- - -

ad ances in offset litho, in the last ten ye rs, together with the setting up o f communtty/co-op printshops, provide easier and cheaper access to print. Books produced by community publishing differ widely in style and content, autobiography is ever popular, poetry and short stories, from individuals and writer's groups. AlsoJocal history written from collective exper? ience. It is easy to see why books created for a local or ethnic market can make such an impact, compared with commercial publishers who try to create a market to fit a book. In community publishing, the book is only half the story. The text may be written or typed in the first place, or tape recorded from conversation and . transcribed. From this point it may be humbly typed and duplicated, which produces npt such a professional book in appearance, but a cheap one. Many oecisions about a book after this stage revolve around'hard cash'. Litho-printing using typeset text and photographs on decent paper can be expensive, and involves taking a risk.

The publishers must be confident that the book can be sold in sufficient quantities to recover the outlay. Grants and loans can t elp to start publishing, but depending on the state in one way or other'brings in the inevitable 'stringsattached' funding which can be frustra'tinfe. Some projects rely more on . personal loans and donations. Despite finartcial restrictions (and Tory hatchet attacks on grants) community publishing is flourishing, both in term's o f sales and the numbers of people becoma ing involved. Peckham i s in South-East London, but it could be anywhere, with innercity symptoms of declining industry and rising poverty. You wouldn't expect to find a bookshop here, and before late '77 you wouldn't have been disappointet Influenced by the pioneering work of Centerprise in Hackney, East London, THE BOOKPLACE opened in Peckham High Street. In 1978 it also became an educational project providing basic classes of reading, writing and maths, and the Peckham Publishing Project published i t s first book.

and an anthology of West Indian writing 'Milk River'. The first few books published generated the interest, enough poetry was brought t o the project to publish the first anthology, 'Peckham Poets', a s l i h duplicated volume selling at 15p. From this the Peckham Writer's Group emerged. Their next publication 'A poem for All Seasons' was litho-printed with.a ,mloured cover and illustrations. A WRITERS LAMENT Sandra Brown Plastic and paper my personal store, 1 sit and look out and dream. How must it feel to be utterly real; To speak without wanting to scream?

Meanwhile for Xmas '78 with the aid Fa loan 'Looking Back-Photographs of Camberwell & Peckham 1860-1918' now in i t s 3rd printing and over 4000 copies sold, it helped generate interest in local history. 'The Ups and Downs of Florrie Roberts' being one result. A short autobiography spanning the century by a Peckham woman. 'During the First War my mother work

units in whatever field to smaller ones, and in the appropriation of power at a local, community level. The philosophy behind the assembly is a mixture of Schumacher 's 'Small is Beautiful', Kohr's 'Breakdown of Nations' and the more recent 'Human Scale' book by Kirkpatrick Sale (see p.48).

tribes and sympathizers will be present at the assembly. Perhaps the most urgent point to be made is the way in which superstates threaten global peace. Convenor John Papworth likens the situation to lighting matches in a room where more and more petrol cans are being opened-. We cannot rely on the sanity or competence of our leaders to step the ed at Bell's in Tower Bridge Road, drift towards nuclear war. Kirkpatrick making gas masks for the soldiers in the trenches. I can remember she used Sale, one of the patrons of the assembly takes a historical example of when to fetch a pile of dusters home from work to wash every week. As she walk Germany was divided into dozens of ed in, my brother used to say 'Bloom- little duchesand principalities between t e 12th and 19th centuries. Whatever ing dusters again!' . lany other books have been published t! e political inadequacies of living in since, tt Pfckham and other community them were, at leastthe wars were local squabbles. It was only when Gehany publishers, most are members of the FEDERATION of WORKER WRITERS unified that the World Wars of this century became possible. Many people and COMMUNITY PUBLISHERS. will argue that an organization like the So with the prospect of 3 million on the dole in 1981 there could be a flourist EEC has meant that war with Germany ing of working-class Writing and culture, is unthinkablenow, but the EEC has become a superstate itself. As Schuor more lush illustrated biographies of macher wrote: 'People who live in the royal family, the choice i s yours.

highly self-sufficient local commutiMes are less likely to get involved in large Interesting Books scale vhlet ce than people whose exist'Writing' Anthology from the Federation ence depends on world-wide systems of trade '. of Worker Writers & Community

Dave Pearson

Publishers

The 450 billion dollars spent each year

on arms could feed, educate and house ocal Publishing & Local Culture. An account of the work of the Centerpris every member of the human family several times over. This decentralist publishing project. 1972-1977'. 'rint, how you can do it yourself

Jonathan Zyitlyn, Inter-Action Inprin Ă&#x201A;ÂŁ1.90 VOICES'. Quarterly magazine of work frdm the FWWCP 60p. Federation of Worker. Writers & Community Publishers, 69 Heaton Road, Newcastle-upon-TyneNE6 1SA Keith Smith:'marketing for Small Publishers'.

.*klsp

perspective can be used on virtually any field of human activity. Of course, the problem is, if one accepts this view, howe to make the vital and difficult translation into action. Accordingly, the assembly has set up several forums to discuss and suggest positive action in various areas. Some o f the forums are , on dismantling particular countries, on economics, agriculture, multinationals, unions, co-ops, feminism, population, A.T. How to take action against nuclear power etc. etc. . Some of these a

that the forums should not get too large, perhaps a maximum of 30140 people i n a single one. Papers promised for Forums include Dervla * Murphv (author of 'A Place Apart') on Jreland, Jimoh Omo Fadakah on Nigeria, John Seymour on Agriculture, and Kirkoatrick Sale on giantism. ual donations. John Papworth, the convenor, has come to see the village parish or Soviet as 'the blood cell' of society, and the necessity of taking over local Government as the primary political objective of the 80s. Nick Albery i s General Administrator. He helped foun Frestonia' whichhas attempted to be as autonomous as possible for a street in Netting Hill Gate, London. He also took BP and Shell to court last year for causing brain damage by having lead in petrol. He lost the case but gained some useful experience at fighting the giants. Ue reckons the maximum size of a country should be about 10 millio~ inhabitants, and favours the idea of Ronald Higgins (author of 'The Sew Enemy' and a patron of the assembly). of spreading change through 'cells of seven' working on a particular theme and spreading like a welcome disease throughout society. Some group or individual map t~ t 'take it over' or else it may break do over some question such as whether . use of violence is ever acceptable. Sonn of the invited Basques might well think it i s whereas the convenor John Pap"worth is 'violently opposed to violence A t the very least, some of the papers written for the conference will be informative and interesting (which I hope to be involved in helping publish) The whole event i s in David versus Goliath, but after all, David won in the end. The assembly might just help tilt the balance towards a more human and humane society, and away from the . remote control of superstates and m nationals. If yon want to helpor get more information contact the 4th World Assembly at 24 Abercorn Place, ,England. Phone: 01-286 4366. Peter Cutshaw

r, The Unkindest C U ~+,- ~ Undercurrents 44

Roy Shaw

'his was going to be an article about the Arts and Centralization, but when the axe came, somehow all that seemed secondary. Reporting from the debris. . Lou Ernest.

THE THIRTY-FIFTH annual report of the Arts Councilsubtitled 'Progress and renewal' must now seem like a mockingcontradiction i n terms t o the 41 Arts Organisations that have recently received one of Roy Shaw's special Xmas cards. For thissmiling Santa, along with the rest of the reindeers at 105 Piccadilly, has seen fit t o drop the axe, mbst unfairly and unsquarely on the defenceless recipients without even showing them it was raised. A hearty seasonal stab in the back. What dc these unprecedented cuts imply and how on earth were they auived at? Principally the cuts (a saving of Ă&#x201A;ÂŁ1.6m reveal that the Thatcher Govt's obsession with the rigorous limitation of public*pending has gradually smeered into the subconscious o f the Arts Council; despite the 14% increase in the grant for the next financial year-everyone feared it would be 5% and slow death to all. We are shown, too, an Arts Council that has apparently capitulated to i t s critics, Not only the Teddy Taylor school of 'what's this government-doing-funding-an-artscouncilwho-see-fit-to-pay-fpr roups-that-are-little-more-than- , Labour-Party-fundraizrs?' (inaccurate, but is it a coincidence that Broadside has gone?) but also to the critics who object to the so-called creative stagnation brought about by keeping 1200 groups on an annual reserve grant at the expense of any new input. This complaint i s quite valid and such cuts are, of course, legitimate so long as they are fairly and gradually applied. A t one fell swoop, though, they almost amount to cultural genocide and have left the Arts World reeling with horror and puzzlement.

Foetal Why the National Youth Theatre, orchestra and brass band? Hardly in line with Arts Council Training policy. The cutting of regional groups like the Crewe rep., Great George's community cultural project (Liverpool) and the Wyvern Arts Trust (Swindon) i s a far cry from the spirit of Keynes' 1945 inauguration speech to the foetal Arts Council against 'the excessive prestige of metropolitan standards and fashions'. And whilst one can see the sense in letting go of organizations that can survive on their own-Artlaw and Prospect (although Macbeth at the Old Vic was a nonsense, the box office olayed to packed houses. .)-and those that lose to6 much money (Buxton Festival, for example) o r those that ae just downright lousy (but who^ to judge?), some of the cuts are mystifying to say the least. I refer to the decision to cut Combination before the New Albany in Deptford has even opened; abhor the loss of 'Unexpected Developments Ltd.' who have been responsible for some of the wittiest arid most inventiye street theatre known to concrete; lament the slashing o f Broadside, one of the few companies to interpret point 2 of the Arts Council's Charter('t0 increase the accessibility of the arts to the public').

Horses For Courses

A recent demonstration of the Arts Council's attitude was when Kenneth Robinson, the Chairman, discussing the rela-1 tionship between arts and the working class, said 'you can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink . .' Companies like ~ r o a d s i d ~ a c t u atake l l ~ water t o the horses (following through Robinson's unfortunate 'truism') and have built up a vast working class audience outside of the conventional theatre going sector. The axe falls, one supposes, as the logical extension of a currently fashionable analogy that sees the Arts just like any other nationalized industry. Even in these terms', the cuts are hardly fair-play. Corporation chiefs would never get away with this kind of treatment of employees. That there i s neither the right of appeal nor reason given i s a scandalous barbarity. The timing of the announcement just before Christmas was undoubtedly supposed to sneakily preclude the possibility of a successful lobby. The idea was that by the time the Christmas break was over, blood would have cooled and arts workers would be turning their attention towards how best to survive rather than how to protest. (Incidentally, Arts Council inefficiency created a situation in which Broadside found themselves breaking the news to the Old Vic .) The big question is, of course, what will replace the closures? Doubtless, the 12 Regional Arts Associations will be left to clear up the worst of the mess and to develop fresh initiative, which, thank God, has never traditionally been an Arts Council prerogative-priding themselves as they do on being merely 'responsive'. As there i s a stigma of losing a grant, the cuts will also wreck the possibility of getting local government money, if the Arts Council fail t o exhibit confidence in smallscale works who else can be expected to?

Anarchist art Arts groups and others who see their existence as an essential part of society are not likely to take the cuts as supinely as the Arts Council and Government might wish. There i s no shortage of energy and imagination to mobilize, protest and take direct action against the cuts. In the long term, if the cuts continue on their present suicidal course as it seems they will, the answer may lie i n somehow developing arts groups that are not dependent on the whims and censorship of the government and industry, as the Tories, especially, would like them to remain. Perhaps an Arts more directly integrated and supported b y the community, a more anarchist art, rather than being increasingly marginalised and presented to an ever more narrow class group out for their monthly dose o f 'culture'. That's a dream for the future, right now the arts are going to fight back. Roy Shaw's cowboys may be trigger-happy but they will not have it easy. The ambush is being prepared in cafes, basements, garrets and deserted theatres where once the walls echoed with song, dance and drama.... Lou Erne;

Undercurrents 44 ,

.-.+... ;,*

> e..,'

THE FEDERATION of workerwriters and cornmunity Publishers is successfully challenging the mytli tiibt'creative writing is the preserve of the intelligentsia. A report by David Evans.

to the,

Proletarian Notes

A SPECTRE is beginning to haunt the literary establishment-the spectre o f community publishing and working class writing. is causing some discomfort t o those who ' believe, even ifthey don't like to say so publicly, that the writing of poet'ry, imaginative prose, plays and history is the prerogative of the educated middle class. A t the same time it is bringing out the creative talents of an increasing number of working class men and women. ' It is still a smallish spectre and a modest haunting, fairly consistently ignored by the national press, though there, has been good coverage from the Morning Star and The. Guardian has noticed individual writers and even one or two groups while omittingireference to the national mpvement. No one in the Federation of Worker Writers and Community Publishers-an alliance which links about thirty publishing and writing groups in both the northern and southern parts o f England-would claim that it represents an impending protetariari cultural revolution pr even, to use, the ageing jargon of the sixties and seventies, a radical alternative to capitalist publishing and the bourgeois dominance of literature . . ,yet. How could it?We are' looking back on a recent period which has been discouraging and divisive for working class organisations, socialists, community activists and even, just lately, feminism. It is something to be able to claim life and growth-and the workerwriters' movement can claim both. The Federation was formed i n early 1976 when nine groups got together t o discuss common problems and examine areas of possible cooperation. But its roots reach back to the early seventiesand touch various centres. There,. was th?qir John Q s s School seeding, for instance, when Chris Searle, a young teacher in Stepney defied his'school governors and published a gritty and frank collection of , his working class students' writing: some of those students were to begin a writers' workshop a few years later. About then in the Liverpool dockside area of Scotland Road Iwas approached by a group o f residents who had , had their awareness widened by two tough grassroots--: campaigns: they wanted to begin a workshop; now, seven years later, the Scotland Road workshops has expanded to include local history and adultliteracy and i s run by three working class women with government partnership funds. In Hackney there was the publishing project which. came out of the Centerprise Community Centre. The essentially collective approa'ch to writing and publishing has helped the movement bring a wide variety of work to an ever-wideningand predominantly working ,. class audience. There can be no doubt about the popularity of worker writer publications: they sell by their thousands in areas written off by commercial booksellers. Of course the Federation's growth has meant new problems and the deepening of some old ones. It has meant increased cost?; organisational difficulties and some loss ;, of the easy intimacy and political empathy which united the founders. A paid coorditiator has been necessary,, luckily one was found within the movement-and the : search for his wages and funds for administration is a stra has among other things brought the Federation ~

. ... - . ., doorsof a si ~

:s council which between 1978 and4980 tried.to justify its reluctance to make agrant by dismissing worker writing as lacking in solid literary value. This particular judgment, though unjust, has nonetheless had productive consequences. It has sharpened the debate inside the movement about the quality of worker writing and i t s direction. And it has brought support from some eminent outsiders, among them Raymond Williams who wrote in the TLS that he would rather see ahundred magazines of the worker-writer type-^'a really useful 'number would be in the thousands'- than three or four upper-middle-classglossies o f the sort published from London and New Yorkl. The quality of worker writing has been eloquently defended by Gerry Gregory in The Ewlish Magazine2 and the Arts Council's own specialist adviser, Blake Morrison, in an unpublished report, has described the movement as generating 'one of the few growth areys'in contemporary 1iterature:S Perhapsas a result the Arts Council has now offered the Federation a grant of Ă&#x201A;ÂŁ5,00 for a literature development officer. A permanently worrying question i s the tendency for executive and managerial positions to be occupied by miJule class radicals, though the Federation's chairPerson is working class and a f ~ m b eof r ai$rou~s,like ScotlandRoad's' workshop have deliberately proletarianised their control. A linked problem of growth i s how working class the movement needs to be and how tight a definition prevails: there has already been sharp debate on this and it i s likely to continue. Noone in the movement can be sure how i t s principles will be affected when; as i s inevitable with success, commercial interests begin to trawl for theparticularly talented writers. The movement's publications sell well and there have been some successful public readings. But the Federation has yet to have a mass impact or win really influential backing from the labour movement. Probably the greatest challenge in t h e eighties will be to convince the British masses that cultural politics a@ a central aspect of their struggle. Let me end optimistically. The Federation !ias^problerns . of financing, organisation and theory. But it enters the new year as one of the most promising, comradely and , , energetic movements of the left. It matters and will matter more. David Evans 1. Raymond Williams, 'The role of the literary magazine', Times Literary Supplement June 6 1980 2. deny Gregory, 'Working Class Writing, Breaking the ~ o n g S i e n ~ ' The , Engli* Magazine 4, Summer 1980 3. Blake,Morrison, Report to the Arts Council, December 1979.

. . .. , . .

A D1o I MOTION . . . ..

THE STORY SO F A R . . . It's over half a century since the introduction o f radio as a mass medium, yet radio in the UK i s s t i l l i n the same position as the printed word before Gutenberg. The production and transmission of radio programmes is i n the hands of a small priesthood answerable t o monopoly interests and the state. Radio isnot accountable or accessible t o most of the interests and groupings which make up a modern community except in a grossly divisive and tokenistic way. London Open Radio i s a newlyformed group who believe that change i n this situation i s inevitable and well overdue. I t sees without saying that radio has been superseded as a means o f mass communication (and control) by television - demoted to the status o f a cool' medium together with books, magazines and newsprint. However, this very supercession, together with the unique properties of radio itself, renders it the ideal channel for the transmission of community culture, ideas, debate and imagination. Radio costs little in proportion t o i t s audience - equipment costs are falling relative t o those in other media. It's easy to use - producing a radio programme requires far less technical knowledge than printing a magazine - i t offers immediacy that the printed word cannot, yet doesn't demand concentrated attention as T V does, suiting i t to an active and/or working audience. Yet this perfect channel for popular creativity i s a morass o f repetitious blandness, run by interests separate from and usually inimical t o the community it supposedly serves. Why?

Some Technical Objections There exist a massive number of stumbling blocks erected by the broadcasting establishment against even experiments in community radio. Existisibtechnical standards are very stringent. fven University Radio, designed t o cover campuses only, squeezes through with difficulty. For a community station intended t o cover perhaps 100 sq. km., not only i s a full Home Office licence required but the trans-

Don't touch that c'ial! Redio Activity is yood for you. ,Fin Fahey reports on a new wave for radio and subversive noises over Neasden.

mitter must be rented from the I.B.A. at a huge and unnecessary cost. Some standards are necessary listening t o cluttered airwaves isn't pleasant - however i t can hardly be argued that the best use i s being made o f the airspace currently available. Radio 2, for example, i s littered prodigally all over the Jial. The Wise Report, prepared for the Community Communications Group ('Com-Com') has identified a plethora o f slots where low-powered Medium Wave community stations (Effective radius roughly 6 km.) could be fitted in. Given the difficulties of acquiring a licence, more and more people will go 'pirate' and broadcast

COMMUNITY R A D I O ESCAPE FROM THE SPECTACLE 'The spectacle presents itself simultaneously as society itself, as a part of society, and as instrument o f unification. As a part of society i t is specifically the sector which concentrates all looking and all consciousness. Due to the very fact that this sector is separate i t is the common ground of the deceived gaze and false consciousness; and the unification i t achieves is nothing but an official language of generalised separation'. GUY DEBORD - The Society of The Spectacle. without one - making airspace planning next to impossible. Other technical standards deal with the quality o f the broadcasts themselves. These standards are ever-changing. Equipment which would have served a major station 10 years ago i s available at a fraction o f the cost now. On a noncommercial station, the listener can be the only final arbiter o f quality and in any case, radio is rarely listened t o in an ideal environment - most radio listening i s done in busy households and workplaces.

o f society. Given that there i s sufficieni choice o f station, which there clearly could be, there i s no reason why a radk station should be vetted for content an, more than a newspaper -and they're both covered by the libel laws. (Investigative journalism o f course will be unde threat from the state in any medium the ABC trial for example).

Utopian Radio Given that technical and other objec tions are overcome, what will a commu ity radio station sound like? It's easier I say what i t would not be like - conven tional radio is part o f the great spectacl o f received ('consumed') culture. I t demands from the consumer a passivity and separation from the two-way flow of community culture. As an agent o f external financial and cultural interests i t imposes i t s own metaphysical dialect upon everyday life. And i t ' s boring too A true community station will be an integrated part o f the day-to-day cultur al transactions o f its locale. To try t o define the content o f a station too much i n advance stifles spontaneity, but there have been some precedents set by U.K. stations already (and plent\ in Italy, Australia and elsewhere - see the accompanying article). In Cardiff, the local i L R franchise has been won by a group responsible to the Local Community. Although no co-operative - 50% o f the Ă&#x201A;ÂŁ shares in the system have been sold to financial investors - the station i s conceived as being influentiable by and responsible to listeners in its local area. Radio Basildon i s currently a cable radio station and has been operating since September 1978, servicing an audience of 60000. It i s a company lim ted by guarantee, and although noncommercial - most funds come from advertising - i t fulfills a Home Office requirement that i t s programming must have a community basis. Radio Basildoi i s currently campaigning to be allowed the use o f a wireless transmitter and i s supported in this by the local District Council.

Legal, Honest, Decent . . . .? Pirate Radio Apart from technical considerations, And o f course there are an increasin) there i s the issue o f editing or censorshio, whichever term is preferred. Convention- number o f pirates (see the extensive survey in U.C. 42). Unfortunately man) al media editorial decisions reflect the pirates emulate the values of the establi,.. values and sensibilities o f one section

Undercurrents 44

ment stations and confine themselves t o a bland mixture of pop and patter - but others show genuinely innovative tendencies. Certainly the pirates show an increasing individual need for broadcasting access, and constitute an enormous ' fundnf expertise and enthusiasm. It's hard to think of an area of conventional broadcasting that can't be improved. For example, pop music i s almost entirely controlled by radio playlisting and selection - a complete field of supposedly popular culture wrecked by the feedback from media dependence. The only real outlet for the burgeoning numbers of new independent record labels i s the John Peel show typically tokenistic. The fprmat used on radin additionally imposes a 5ectarianisation of music, both within pop itself and between it and other cultural enclaves. The proliferation of independent record labels provides some of the pressure for community radio, and reflects increasing access to, and facility with, the necessary audio equipment for programme production (Tape decks, mixers etc.). Radio drama, currently the monopoly of Radio 4, has hardly changed since the '505, whilst Fringe has made huge inroads into West End theatre audiences. Radio plays could be, and will be, exciting and controversial.

Glamorous The major area of change, and the most contentious, i s the presentation of news and current affairs. Current radio news i s based on the same values as its more glamorous TV counterpart. These enshrine the idea of 'balance', the belief that a medium can act as a value-neutral reporter of yews. Yet it has been shown that 'balance' with i t s selectivity of items

-I

for newsworthiness and evasion of the true problems, constitutes a powerful prevailing ethic of i t s own, and one that favours mystification of social issues and supports the status quo. Community stations will be biased also - but the slant will be explicit and obvious, as with any magazine and newspaper.

London Open Radio L.O.R. i s a campaign to set up a non-commercial London Radio station. It will be run and programmed by all who work for the station and will be registered as a co-operative in 1981. Our airwaves will be available for access by the community at large and we will be willing to help withand demystify programme-making. Apart from positive ideas for programming, we are acutely aware of the dangers implicit in following accepted programme structures, and believe that Community Broadcasting will require wholly new styles in radio journalism, drama, music presentation e t al. The station will also be supplemented by a reliable

free information1people where to get a home, an abortion, how to claim supplementary benefit etc. The first phase of our campaign i s to convince the establishment that community stations are possible, and needed - this we expect to be tough but possible. To thisend we need as many active members as possible - there's always something to do. The second phase will be the establishment of the station itself. To serve London fully we estimate the setting-up cost would be Â£300,00 with Â£30,00 annual costs but a station with reduced geographical coverage and/or less facilities could be set up and run for considerably less. We need people/support/money for both phases - we expect to raise money from group affiliations, subscriptions and benefits (The first of these will be late January) L.O.R. will also be publishing a cassette shortly containing extracts from Community stations here and abroad, to tr,y to give the flavour of Community Radio - we also hope to include some material of our own making. Fin Fahey

Aims

What You Can Do

A national campaign, 'On Air in '81' has been launched to provide a useful vehicle for existing and potential community ralio stations to publicise then ambition to gain broadcasting licences. The campaign, which can be prefixed with the name of your area (ie Telford on ail in 81) proposes the following aims: 1 T h a t everycommunity has the rightto&peiateits own radio station.. 2. That experimental frequencies should be allocated now to a number of community stations. 3. That part of the VHF waveband should be allocated for use by community radio stations, and individual sgttans shouldbe allocated a frequency b y 'the community sector', .as opposed to the BBC or the IBA. The aim is to generate a national campaign which allows maximum flexibility to the local group, while preserving a broad 'media' image. Following the conference in Telford on 617 Sept 80, it was felt that the battle was now a political one, and that a loosely co-ordinated campaign would have the best chance of persuading Parliament, the Home Office and others to grant these broadcasting licences.

You are therefore invited to join this national campaign,and to adopt 'On Air in 81' as the working titlefor the campaign in your local area. To assist this effort, a co'hrdinating committee will be meeting regularly to sort out a number of group activities. Our first co-ordiiated effort is to organise a meeting for Conservative and Labour MP's who represent areas with potential community stations. For Conservative MP's, the organiser is Warren Hawksley, (Wrekin). For Labour MP's, the organiser is John Cartwright (Greenwich). Write 01 see your local MP and ask them t o c o n t a c t the appropriate member. Also consider requesting your local authority to support your campaign with a motion of support, and a letter to the Home Secretary supporting your application. We also suggest that if you have not already done so, vou write t o the Home Secretarv askine for a licence to broadcast. Needless to say, itis essential the Home Office know community stations are being formed and that they intend to broadcast! Access: write to'On Air in 8I"c/o CRMK, Milton Keynes, 161 Fishermead Boulevard, Fishermead: tel. 0908 678428

undercurrents 4

littlegovernment funding and about half refuse sponsorship ( advertisements) funding. Both public and commercial stations gain three year licences at competitive public hearings open to mutual and public cross examination. Initiative and priority for licence hearings comes from an informal assessment o f demand rather than to fit a national plan. Licence renewals occur in public under rules similar to licencing. Originality, size o f audience, and structural open&;^. a*. ness to the public are the criteria on which the &&^Jz*, licenchg authority concentrate. i.e. a 'promise' o f performance 'to which stations'are answerable at renewals. Community groups can receive permission to conduct [ow piwer weekend test transmissidns to test and experience themselves in radio. ffS

World

THE OVERSEAS experience o f radio offers some interesting developments. JIM BEATSON looks at t w o o f them.

.-^ &>&

' '

Italy

PUBLIC, COMMUNITY or pirate radio as it i s variously called overseas has experienced a rapid, though unreported, expansion, over the past decade. Development 'this sector, either legal or illegal, has occurred i n all anced western countries. Most western governments are considering or planning the sector with varying degrees o f enthusiasm. European development appears Weaker than in themew world, probably the product of a traditional state monopoly in broadcasting, the European frequency wasting practice of simultaneously broadcasting in M.F. anaV.H.F, a traditional print orientation by progressives; naone bothering t o try. Australia and Italy offer two of the most interesting developments-Italy because of a total lack of government control and Australia because of its rapid growth and equality of a t u s w i t h commercial and national radio.

Italian broadcasting i s guaranteed to raise the temperature o f any discussion about free access to the airwaves. For proponents of pluralism it i s the New . Jerusalem; for defenders o f centralist control it is the New Babel. The reality is a society where anyone with atransmitter, radioor television, may broadcast on vacant frequency. Before 1975 Italy's broadcasting s like that o f France today, with strict trol and the exclusion of all but 'ap But in that year the Supreme Court ' illegality of the State broadcasting monopoly under constitutional provisions protecting the right of free speech. The result was an explosion of 'private broadcasting'. Thousands of new stations, representing all strands of commercial and political initiative were established, , vying with each other for available frequencies and, in some cases, the limited amount o f advertising revenue. Milan, a city o f two and akalf million people, today has more than sixty radio stations, Many are commercial, ' with the objective of maximising advertising revenue at the mhhnat programme cost, and others are owned by political parties. These broadcast a range o f programmes broadly representing the appropriate p a r t l y 7 policy. \ ,A 6& @as : J%,-i e! But it i s the 'democratic'stations, throughout Italy, which have produced some of the most interesting models ' for participation. Whether addressing themselves to geographic communities or communities of interest, most are controlled by elected boards of station workers or listeners and are funded from a variety of sources. These include appeals, benefits and, in some cases, 'acceptable' advertising. Although many stations, both commercial and democratic, have closed through lack of finance or energy/ others have taken their place, There remains, therefore, strong competition for frequencies and a variety o f proposalsfor some new regulatory mechanism. While these I art deliver' by the bureailcratic hurdles of the Italian legislative process there is concern that many weaker democratic "sons are being swamped by stronger commercial interests. Attempts are now being made to'establish an effective national organisation to strengthen non-commercial stations. But those democratic stations which are rooted in local communities or which have strong links with trades unions appear t o thrive and continue to offer a model of popular, participatory broadcasting which remains an example for the rest of Europe. f

, ublic broadcasting was introduced'by Labour in 1975 md expanded-by successive conservative governments and now consists of around 30 stations united within the Public Broadcasting Association of Australia. Most state capitals have 3 or 4 high bower city wide 24 h6ur stations with rock and politics/community affairs/ e~nte/education/classicalmusic formats, e.g. Brisbane (pop.! million) has: 4ERsubscriber funded, 3 studios, participant controlled ethnic,station which broadcasts some government produced ethnic programmes, for Â£1oer hour: 4MBS-FM:-two studio classical and newsstation; subscriber and foundation funded; Q2Z-FM-3 studios participant controlled, rock & politics, comedy, hassles politicians on air'by telephone never censors, employs 3 journalists, annual budget Â£70,00 (1,500 subscriptions @ Â£1p.a., annual radiathon Â£0,000 benefits Â£20,00affiliation fees from student unions Â£20,000) About fifteen of Australian towns or cities have single @ations(usually FM) broadcasting a mixture o f k a t l y originated material. Public stations receive

'%"

JIM BEATSON

ONE BASIC reason i s economic. The

paper was fortunate in having financial backi i g tor the first three years. Buying basic ofcce equipment-including a golfball typewriter i t also helped finance a small full-time staff. But i n spite of steady advertising and sales revenue the paper could no longer afford t o pay its staff and switched t o volunteer labour in 1979. A t the point of changeover the paper could easily have folded, but somehow enough energy and enthusiasm were found to keep i t going. In fact a public meeting to discuss possible closure brought over sixty people along. Now the paper comes out monthly and i s staffed entirely with volunteers. Politically the paper i s non-affiliated and its columns are open to anyone in the community 'who has anything t o say'. This makes i t different from any other community papers having an overt or declared political bias. ButLit would be difficult for Exeter with its safe Tory council and MP couldn't host anything as committed as for instance the

Ex Post

Tlie hundredth issue of the Exeter Flying Post will be published in February. Starting life as Exeter's only community newspaper five years ago, it's still yoing strong. Why has it survived? Nigel Pollitt and Anna Searle explain.

Dates-a comprehensive monthly What's on. Many people admit t o buying the paper for this alone (also the main reason people buy Time Out in London) Another service is the paper's publicising the needs o f volunteer organisations. Until the advent o f local radio there are few other outlets for volunteer organisations t o gain the publicity they require. The paper also provides serious arts coverage-not provided by other local papers. The Darer also provides serious arts coverage-not provided by the other local papers. Lack o f political definition (although the paper is mostly run by socialists) helps considerably with advertising and distribution. Familiar wholefood/record shop ads appear along with ads from many 'straight' local

quiet and the paper's victories, if any, are less obvious. It was recently instrumental i n the creation o f a local CND group showing the importance o f communication in oreanisine. esueciallv where the established channe,lsoffer brick wall! and deaf ears. It has a record of speaking out for free education: Tory Councillor Ted Pinney, chairman o f thecountry's education committee, is one o f the Feminist paper's most cherished targets for abuse. Issues are also given a good deal o f coverage-deodorant tampons do not come in for much criticism elsewhere i n the local press, dependence on large and powerful advertisers for revenue. The acid test of a community newspaper is whether i t i s used by the com-

be there if the paper were more overtly radical. The paper does in fact manage t o poach some custom from the territories o f establishment local papers, the Express and Echo and Exeter Weekly News. Average gross monthly income from advertising amounts to over Ă&#x201A;ÂŁ20 and takes care of the print bill, leaving money from sales t o pay rent and other costs. Distribution, so often a problem with such publications is not a real problem for the same political reason. WH Smith and Surridge Dawson, main wholesalers in the city, both handle the Flying Post and take sales far outside the cosy circuit of wholefood shops and radically-minded booksellers. But direct distribution by staff (ecologically with bicycle panniers) has its advantages. From a cover price o f 15p the paper only receives 8p per copy sold through the wholesale network. I t would be fair t o judge some socalled 'community: papers by the number o f campaigns successfully fought. In Exeter things are anyway rather

Post shows quite favourably with many articles submitted by readers being published after a minimum of editing. The biggest problem that i s that of staff. Not having a regularly manned office cuts down the possibility o f access actually occurring. The lockec door and unanswered telephone are a constant feature o f volunteer help. (Before government cuts the paper was fortunate in naming MSC sponsored works-but t h i s i n o longer the case). A paper that does not cater to the mass market will not achieve massdistribution and this unfortunately means that finances are necessarily squeezed. But the paper has reached an equili'-irium, which, provided that there is neough volunteer help available, will ensure that it can continue providing for the needs o f Exeter for some time t o come. (Further information-advice etc. can be obtained from The Exeter Flying Post, 9, Richmond Road, Exeter, 0392-58070).

Rags To Rags Islington Gutter press or Bristol Voice. The paper gives many minority groups and individuals access t o print without alienating them through political domination. That makes i t a lot 'softer' than the campaigning Durham Street Press, but then there's nothing of the scale o f Ccnsett in Exeter. Tile paper's strength lies in its policies o f free access. The open editorial meetings try to encourage people from different groups to take part (although i t is true that those who do tend to be a fairly regular crowd o f activists inevitably giving the paper a certain slant). But the appearance of articles from so many different grouusAnimal Action, Gingerbread, Pre-School Playgroups, Anti-Nuclear Alliance, Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Legalise Cannabis etc is of great importance for a paper whose readership is politically diverse, and which sells t o schoolchildren and pensioners. Another possible reason for the paper's survival is that i t provides scveral services not available elsewhere. Of these the most important is City

%: k

Perhaps narrative cinema by radical film-makers can be more subversive than minority 'political' or 'art' films, and help heal the current forced class fragmentation of film audiences. Simon Usher looks at the cons and pros.

Stories

THE CINEMA IS a particular concurrence of technology and dream, ideo- Class, sexuality etc. help determine such a choice, but there is still a margin logy and image, sound and silence. But it i s primarily an unwritten index of narra- for real decision-making. Every day, tive spaces, and places. The avant-garde in terms of the fragmented film cinema wpuld have to be indexed against audience, someone i s missing something if he or she has not seen X or Y. the dominant pattern of narrative film, Marketing i s all-important. Why i s it which is my main concern here. The that reading 9 film review in a major repetition on which narrative cinema newspaper one feels a sensation depends-its constant need t o assert an similar to being told at length by an ordered social world-cannot help but acquaintance about someone one i s create room for a register of anguish, never likely to meet? Big films are doubt anu distance-It i s here that the film i s m-st subversive, traversing the marketed as phenomena, as all-inclurims o f dominant, narrative cinema. sive; realist art films as modest, true The Dance of Death in Sirk's Tarnished reflection of life, sexual-political Angels is an example. I want to argue fantasies as apogees of brutal genius. here for a return to the underlying Criticism follows these patterns, forms of narrative cfnema, to the points because every word or image expendof starting out, in order to begin again. ed from the moment of a film's For the cinema audience at Rrge, inception to i t s exhibition in cinemas films arrive on screens from nowhere, represents a return or a loss of capital. as if by some technological magic. But Every film must find i t s intended it i s this entrancing-magic that keeps audience. It must be cut, reshot, reit alive, even now. Most peoples' favour- cast, rewritten, wrecked if necessary, ite film i s one they saw in childhood. to this end. Most films are a series of To see a film i s to be connected with accidents, from production to exhibichildhood memories. tt im to be present tion, and i t shows. at a ritual and receive messages of The mac! ine runs primitive force. For some people this i s now the most intense experience that The cinema has different associalife can give. Though, of course, contrary tions for everybody: my own preferto the will of critics like Bazin and ences are for ~enoir'sobstinately Rohmer, i t has very little to do with humane indexing of human character life. The realist strategies of Rosselini and emotion ('How to meet, how to or De Sica are less natural than we belong'), the tender distances between suppose. It i s rather an intensity capconvention and desolation in Sirk's able of internalising anxiety, anger and melodramas, the hermetic resolution fear in spectacles that solace, and of Bresson, the clarity and flefinition finally, close experience. of most American cinema, etc, etc. The aesthetic and political questions TV: Emptinessand Confusion posed by cinema are acute and painful. They will not go away. Although it i s becoming increasingly Theories and interpretations of the difficult to mark off cinema from telea.. cinema have multiplied in the last vision, as both are inscribed in the ten years, but their effect on dominant sociallv determined circulation of practices has been slight. The mechanimages, going to a film retains a wonder isms by which films are produced and that television must have had only in received have altered very little. And its earliest days. Both are forms of seeyet even now there seems to be no ing, of looking, but yougo to see a language adequate to describe these film and merely watch television. entrenched processes. There i s more Television i s an undifferentiated 'independent' production than ever medium: .spend an evening watching before, monopolies like Rank are everything between six o'clock and beginning to wear away, but, in terms midnight and you will feel only of mass audience participation or emptiness and cdnfusion at theend of intervention in the production of it.-Goingto the cinema involves a images, nothing very much has changmeasure o f choice. The choice might ed. Attitudes have changed, yes, but be between a new West End release, the machine continues to run in an 'art' film, an old 'film noir' or

silence and secrecy. Some argue that too mqich knowledge o f where films come from diminishes the very pleasure that I have already assumed to be the real material function of the cinema. True, but to be content with too little i s madness. For example, thinking about the position of women in Deception (melodrama with Betto Davis and Claud Rains), where the definition of one sex by another keeps tilting dramatically, i n fact increases rather than sunders pleasure. The reflexive movements of the film embrace the contradictions o f sexuality and articulate the spiralling deceit on which the plot turns. It i s in this conjuncture that cinematic pleasure really exists, in the dizzy space between a closed structure and the painful openness of living. This is the space with which the viewer completely, fitfuily identifies, the enclosure in which . narrative and character ceaselessly overlap. A face framed by a windowpane, with rain outside, collapses genre, plot character into a pure reflection of our own anxiety. These are moments o f total identification, in which the viewer becomes 'transcendental subject'. The film audience i s irredeemably 'The cinema has show us how beautiful we are, in the anguish of our shadows'.

(Frank O'Hara)

7 om an image, me, 1 ,

the part of yo0

. . 1am the other, I am the other you'.

fractured, then. The industry's confusion is registered by the division o f old ABC's and Odeons (some of which were beautiful buildings, genuine 'picture palaces') into three or four smaller screens. But seeing Apocalypse Now or The Shining at ABC1, Fulham Road, is not the same as seeing it at the Empire Leicester Square. A t best it is a dwarfed, scaled down, crackly approximation of the original. Do people ask whether the version they are going to see i s a sixteen or akhirty five mm. print, or whether the sounci i s stereophonic or one track. It i s vital to remember that commercial features are made with these practical matters in mind, and that usually they are shown under conditions different to those originally envisaged. A t least producers like Coppola and Lucas, and some of the o!dw Hollywood tyros,

Jhcterearrents n the sami are about their product said o f the mediocre men who run :MI or Rank in England? Or even of hose who convene the BFI Production h a r d (It i s well known that Bill Douglas had an unearthly,struggle to )rise out the money to complete his 'orgeous, painful black and white trilogy My Childhood, My A h Folk and My Vay Home, perhaps the best British film >fthe last ten years, though unfashionb l y direct formally.) And even this film las had only a few perfunctory showngs at the NFT and a solitary run in Academy 3, a cinema so tiny that one has the impression of watching a home movie). So the separation between the commercial industry (American) and the films w'.ich, say the Production Board Inances (mostly art-school-garde) grows lailv more extreme. In between are a number of struggling independent filmmakers (JamesScott, Derek jarman, 3 r i s Petit and others) and projects Ron Peck and Paul Hallam's Four corners, wornens' video groups etc.). 4nd yet the influence of independent ind European films on Hollywood and he majors is intense and crucial. Brian Ie Palma (Carrie, Obsession, Dressed o Kill) wanted, by his own admission, o be the American Godard. In the , nargins and spaces opened up curious ind solipsisticfilm-makers like Terence klalick. a ohilosoohv maior from MIT. i ~ ~ e he a r maior distributors had veiv (tile idea- what to do with a film like ' %ys of Heaven, so it was given a limited Nest End Release (Warner Three, one i r two classics perhaps, and ended up ilaying successfully at the Little Bit Ritzy in Brixton). Matters are further ;omplicated by the knowledge that what what used to be called the Art Circuit 'The Academy, Paris Pullman etc) has ieen expanded (screen on the Hill, Minema etc.) t o accommodate a more ximmercial and privileged circulation i f films which had previously been the preserve of only a very small section af the educated middle class. Now iemand has been created and this I middle class audience has been coniidera6ly enlarged, though marketing 1 and publicity have made no attempt to read. a wider, less class-oriented audience. Films like Fassbinder's Marriage of Maria Braun run and run. What about his earlier masterpiece, , the Straub-inflectedadaptation of Fontane's Effi Briest? What usually happens under these conditions that an underachieved film by a famous director i s the one which breaks them commercially in this country (~erzog's Nosferatu, Kurbsawa's ~agemushaetc.) The disadvantage o f this kind of programming, habitual at the Screen on the Hill and other cinemas, i s that , perhaps more interestingfilms

mms at iesiivais tnai aeserye an exrended screening (an example that comes to mind is the superb American independent film, Northern Lights, about the struggle of North Dakota farmers in the thirties, shown at Edinburgh last year, but often they disappear forever.

Ă&#x192;

The Fractured Audience

Part of the reason for the diversification o f film exhibition and the forced fragmentation o f the film audience is, o f course, the need t o compete with television. Television, over whose images we have no control, has sidetracked and to some extent subsumed the cinema, where at least we still have some, or at least some choice. (As a film goer you are socially constituted, but it i s possible to remain onlv nartiallv violated bv the will and whim o f themedium). ', It i s impossible to influence the political content o f the television news, whereas, in theory at least, anyone can make an eight mm. or video short with a political'subject and begin by showing it to friends. Usually this i s the last resort of film-makers who have been continually rebuffed by the industry or the arbiters of State Subsidy (The Arts Council etc.) Most people, even those least satisfied by what they see on both commercial and subsidised screens and

oftei Ids, f e x c ~ ~ d efrom d tne processes OT proam tion, cut off from those on the other side o f the camera. The myth o f the individual creative force (Anderson, Reisz etc.) still prevails in English cinema. But what are' they doing? Reisz i s in l-)ollywood, or in New York or London or wherever Hollywood i s now, and Anderson wor, mainly in the theatre. Many of our best directors now work exclusively for television, so TV drama has becom,, in some instances, a form of lost cinema. The recent Denis Potter play, Cream in my Coffee, directed by Gavin Millar, opened with looping, Ophulsinflected camera movements, but soon withdrew into the province of staple TV drama devices (Mid-shot, pensive close-up, stagey grouping of character; etc.). The audience must be pleased, but its expectations are hopelessly circumscribed and habitual. Simultaneou ly Woody Allen's new film Stardust Memories, comes complete with Godardian punctuation, close-ups that remain prudently external, a jumccut!ting essay on Charlotte Rampling's face, caught in the momentary beauty of i t s flickers and shifts, frozen in a jumpy, self-questioning male gaze. The cinema can index its modes and conventions with ease less agility. Minus Zero, a recent film by the youn; American director Michael Oblowitz.

Technicians looking up to i

Undercurrents 4 is a terminal remake of Godard's

and the despair of the viewer, run very deep, and in our society especially. A gives us, for example, a Bressonian magazine like Time Out, which for som dialogue in a Samuel Fuller camera years has been the chief dictator of tast set-up. The film is at once romantic in film, seems blind t o i t s own parochia and analytical, and, I think, marks a ism and snobbishness. Everything in possible direction for independent its covers i s over-excitedly fetishised, film-makers. An aleatory narrative but particularly its film section. It reall' pressured and finally allowed space by is about time someone broke its hold the ghosts of cinematic production. on the filmgoing habits of two or three No one authorial vice can be immedgenerations. ..This would be a start. lately detected. Television, however, Godard again: sending. out an image, perhaps But instead radical film-makers and does not permit this play of the cinephiles flock to it. Cinemas like the we should ask what Image, or an signifier. As Godard has remarked, Electric and the Scala depend on it. what?' 'If I'm making movies it's only because Perhaps cinemas like the Gate could 'Before appointing a minister of posts, it's impossible to make TV, because a lead d open studio cineperhaps we should ask if one needs it's controlled by governments every^ (twenw or thirty seaters) that where'. Television is fundamentally or wants to write a letter, and to would be devoted to showing a range whom and why do what) and different from the cinema because it of new work so that a relevant as oppos against what?' brings the world, a world, into the , ed to nostalgic film culture can be home..Good cinema makes the world built. strange and is capabJeof first distantisolation and remoteness of independent Rather than being tested on televising and then transforming Our relationcinema is a cause for despair. But in terms ion, as i s becoming increasingly commo to it. of exhibition and a more direct relation new films from festivals should be testbetween film-makers and their audience ed under the proper conditions, in cinemas. Put as yet these cinemas do Pet snake here, I thir k something can be done. not exist, or very few do. Consideration Government and the BFI, traditional As Stephen Heath and Gillian sources of finance, have proved hostile should also be given t o what kind of Skirrow nave argued (screen ,977) . and immovable. They should still, of new films, in England and elsewhere, each television programme-takes i t s course, be lobbied, but people must look might create a need for more and more place in trajectory of an evening#s for alternatives, There are bodies like the varied cinemas. My own view is that the viewing It cannot be divorced from IF^, (Independent Film Makers' Associa- small budget narrative film, probably hat come before and it is, as it tion), but only avery small group of black and white with astrong subject were, held in place, by the announcer, people seem to know what is going on. and well-definedobjective, might be pal of the drawing room, by thefamiliarity of the answer. Films o f formal rigour and other conditions. Television's and space, with good plots, and accessmode of direct address prevents the ible to a wide audience. This may seem fragmentation of any image and preto be a return to older values, but what empts reflection onthe circulation o f 1 am in fact proposing i s another form specific images. The thowing of feature of narrative, that accepts itself, i s selffilmson television fits comfortably into generating, and does not impose on the t h i s pattern.The images are smaller audience unnecessarily. The BFI, the rather than larger.than life, and this NIIC and other bodies must start lookalone demands a different set of relaing seriously at scripts for such projects tions with the viewer, but more Or they might grow out of youth video importantly these films are grouped schemes. There are many possibilities in particular ways. Take the current for this kind of work. And itneedn't be series of recent American movies on a compromise, Their success would, of BBC2, presented under the heading course, depend on new methods o f 'The Great American Picture Show'. production, distribution and exhibition The implication is that somehow we are quieter, plainer, less hysterical. Don to be thankful. This i s an abstractigratiBoyd's many failures to produce films tude which i s reinforced in all forms that could stand up t o the commercial of television. Seeing, seeing particular cinema, such as Hussy, Sweet William, images, is presented as a gift. You need ' are momento moris as vivid as bloody only see an old landlady talking about road accidents. Derek Jarman's The her pet snake on Nationwide to underTempest is an exception, and possibly stand the extent to which most people an example o f what I mean. More films see television as a gift, and appearances of this kind would be the best form as almost divine privileges. All forms of of protest under the present intolerable institutional programming suffer from conditions. And it is up to everyone the same contradictions. T ~ ~ ' N FisT Unfortunately many such groups are as who goes to the cinema to influence runninz a season o f Other Cinema films secretive and exclusive as the Majors whathappens. Or we shall all end up in i t s new programme, But it was the and money-spinning independents. as ennervated zombies whose world withdrawal o f the BFI grant which does not extend beyond the covers o f forced the closure o f the Other Cinema, Time Out. Perhaps, as Robert Bresson contempt for audiences the only exhibition site in London for declares in his Notes on Cinematography A young p rson in London with a socialist and o'ppositlonal cinema in the future of cinema rests with a new London, two years ago. We are now left passionate in erest in films may go to a breed of young solitaries who will put SEFT weekend or London Film Co-op with only fragments, so increased care must be taken in the selection of films meeting, but the chances are that no-one their last franc into making films. Simon Ushw and images to oppose the dominant will talk tahim. Contempt for audiences,

- Alphaville, but within this structure,

tructures o f industry and television. So the question remains, what is to be done. What can be done? The gap between independent and dominant filmmaking isincreasing, while the two feed blithely from each other's leftovers. And, as Paulin Kael pointed out,television stars are now hotter property than film stars. Movies are theirs to buy and sell. The

Ă&#x201A;

ÂĽ

rto

{

Undercurrents44 T H E SEARCH for balance by the media is stifling. pubtic debate and nowhere is this clearer than in their approach to nuclear issues. Nick Hanna looks a t what is going wrong.

I T IS NOW fifteen years since Peter Watkins' film 'The War Game' has been banned from our screens. It i s now dear that in September 1965 it was the government, and not the BBC, which took this decision. Last December a 'Help!' programme by a group called 'Schools Against The Bomb', which, as well as looking at the way that antinuclear campaigners work, would have carried an eloquent appeal for 'The War Game' t o be vhown, was cancelled by Thames. Also in December the BBC cancelled transmission of a lecture by the Open University's most senior scientist Professor Michael Pent. entitled 'Towards the Final Abyss? A Scientist's View of the Nuclear Arms Race'. They only finally agreed to go aheadif it was followed by counterarguments. These three examples of the stifling of public debate on the nuclear arms issue are evident cases of censorship from the top; the justification put forward by the media mandarins i s that the programmes were neither balanced nor objective. Ian Martin, controller o f features at Thames, said that the IBA'srules on partiality would be broken if the 'Help!' programme was shown. But the 'Help!'group made it clear that they were studying a particular campaign.

Crucial

One independent film-maker recallsa programme about the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington and the'residents who were upset about council plans for it. 'We interview- , ed dn Islington councillor and when the crunch question was asked the guy just stood there stuttering and stammering, and Isaid 'that's it, that's all you need to show. The guy can't answer the crucial question and that's the bit you want'. But they wouldn't.show it'. Many people argue that 'neutrality' on TV i s neither possible nor desirable. Peter Watkins says of 'The War Game'that it.'forcefully Pressed debunked the 'objective reality'on which the apparent authority o f television rests'. There is a growing consensus Not surprisingly, when 'objective'questions requiring clearamong film makers that as the guardian of the existing cut 'factual' answers might prove embarrassing t o the . systems the media has a stranglehold on potentially establishment view they are quickly re-classified as biased. committed programme making, and that this has afarorimbalanced. In the Thames TV. documentary 'Target reaching negative effect on peoples' belief that they can Britain'about nuclear war ex-Defence Minister Pym said participate in changing society. The media creates an I think it i s a very important thing to constantly repeat alienatingdistance between the public and the subject. and to speak publicly about our defences and how it works. The media's rple as a pacifier in instances such as the And that's ' hat I try to do in the most open possible way". nuclear debate adds weight to Mcluhan's proposition Pressed abo t the US underwater surveillance base at that the medium i s the massage (as well as the message). Brawdy, however, Pym said 'Can we stop this here please? It is qdietly rubfcd into our minds by the very act of Can we, do you mind? I'm sorry. . . I'm simply not going watching thousands of hours of T V or just passively to be drawn into something like that. . . if I may say so to reading tiiousands of printed words every year, that we the question, I don't think that's really fair because you are only fit topceive. The ability to act in other ways know it oughtn't to appear'. It didn't. Radical film-makers is stifled by the one-way process of receiving information inside Thames think that this i s exactly the kind of scene from the centralised elites. This, Peter Watkins believes, that we should be seeing: 'This is what TV really should 'weaves a severe off-balance into,the fabirc of our society'. be. It should encourage debate, and this debate should The nuclear arms issue i s symbolic of the all-pervasive become a very publicone because of the seed sown by a - domination by the power elites and i t s treatment by the programme!. Balanced documentaries, sdcalled, are worse media confirms that monopoly. But it is clear that thdn useless, they say: good TV i s when the interviewer censorship takes more subtle forms than the persistent and his guest 'come to blows and beat each other around refusal to allow air-time to an opposite view. 'Balancec the head, but management i s not interested in content becomes a weapon for authority to hide it's secrets because Thames i s a machine to make money not produce behind. With state control of the media, as Orwell said, television'. As well as overt banning, more discreet forms " 'the truth i s great and will prevail' i s a prayer rather of censorship are fostered by thefact that researchers are than an axiom". , all Oxbridge graduates pretending fo be interested in a / totally spurious notion of 'balance'. Nick Hanna

Undercurrents 4

The British Film Industry is in a bad way. Peter Culshaw interviews Derek Jarman, one of the very few commercial (anc ful indeuendent film ~roducersbased in this country, to find out some of the reasons. . ~ A,", f.~~k - ~S ~ +7 ,^ ~ ~ f l : ~ ~ ; , ~

Finance: There are enormous difficulties. I haven't run into the worst ones yet. Stephen Friars said to me that making a film i s an act of piracy. In my own experience it depends on who gives you the money how much freedom you are allowed. When we did Sebastiane JamesWhaley, who was the producer, organised the money and we had relative freedom. The only constraint in fact was to make a film of 85 t o 90 minutes. When 1 got onto doing The Tempest with Don Boyd I had complete freedom. The-same with lubilee. He gave his advice, but it didn't have to be taken. But the sums of money weren't enormous. Sebastiane was thirty thousand, Jubilee 70 and The Tempest 150.150,000 was half the amount he was spending on his other features. . . As soon as you go into the world of EM1 there are huge constraints. They start to want stars and so on. The real problem i s that English film i s orientated so completely towards America, rather than towards Europe. The people who run the industry here are involved in the star system and they're like secondrate Hollywood. Looking at what's happened in 'Germany in the last ten years would more likely lead to a much more interesting cinema. What happened in Germany i s that television went into film production which I think some of the film-makers found very constricting after about ten years. Nevertheless they were much freecithan they would have been i f they had to turn to America, for funding and finance. Herzog who made a wonderful film with Heart o f Glass made a really rather bad film with Nosferatu. It would be interesting to see if he actually manages to cope with Hollywood when he makes the new film which has stars in it, Mick Jagger and Claudia Cardinale. The money for Nosferatu came from Fox and it had a much bigger budget than any of his films up until that moment. The films which Fassbinder, Herzog and Wenders are making in America look as though they're going to be weaker than the ones they made in Germany.

The people in the big companies want to last year, in three different cinemas, 01 make a lot o f money. They're not going of them on the Champs Elysee. It got to make any money from a film costing i t s money back. It made a profit for 150,000. What are theproducers going the person who opened it. It was succt ful in Germany too, and I suspect The to be able to rip off? If you make one Tempest will be as well. for Ă&#x201A;ÂŁ50,00Q00 you can pocket a really very large amount of mo~ey.Thewhole Critics and culture shock system is orientated that way. The amount of work you have to put into a in~~~~i~~ my films havecome Up filmfilm 50,000 is nearly as against an absolute wall. Jubilee was much as you have tp put intome deliberately cut to turn it into the mo fifty million. But; when you've atuall~ violefit sort of film they could make. ; made the film the Cost of advertising i t the Elizabetheansequences were cut. and exploiting it commercially i s the American audiences are totally unable same for tf e Tempest as it i s for Star understand English. Usually films havt Wars. to be subtitled, like Scum.The referer Sitting Ducks to London and punk in Jubilee were absolutely beyond them. It was not a Films like J a g l o m ' s ~ k i Ducks, n~ success at all. Films are classified so which i s on at the 1CA at the moment, have a relatively limited audience because strongly in America. For example, Set the audience is so conditioned to seeing lane was given a rating in the papers which meant it was classified as porno films made in a certain way. I f a film graphy. The people who turned up to comes along with the rough edges that were looking for hard core pornograpl that film has got,a West End audience that goes out to big cinemas wouldn't and were disappointed. The Tempest I s i t through it. They'd leave in droves. into problems in America for the The big distributors don't want the corn- liberties I'd taken with the text. Vince Canby devoted a large section of the t petition so they're not likely to take that sort of film. It was only after a long Times to saying how unforgiveable I v struggle that we got Sebastiane shown in and how rotten the films were. (Wo a the university towns, Oxford and Camno fun'). He described Yolanda's designs as 'concentration camp scenes bridge, because it was in Latin. You can't afford the blanket publicity that It was a very violent review. It folded i s necessary to open the ^ilm in a lot of the Tempest within a week. American critics have much more venues. Every print i s coming out at over power than here. The critics in this a thousand pounds. The whole system is working against you. It's economics. country have really nopower. The on1 The audiences can be found very easily, one that you really have to worry abo but the economic situation precludes us I suspect, i s Time Out if you're makiri finding them. One of the main require my sort of films. It's in London when ments if making film i s to have distribmy films are either going to succeed 0 ution before you actually make it. You'll fail.YOU can't really start a film off ir get so much more money if you've got Bristol. It would be wonderful if You could. Sebastiane and Jubilee have distribution set up. Sebastiane went everywhere in Italy. There seems to be already been made into 16 mill. films free for all in Italy and if you get any for film societies in the provinces and they're played endlessly. The boys wt money back from a film in Italy you're damn lucky. Films usually open in Italy run the Essex University Society said before the film-maker has finished editing they were the most popular films. MY it! My films have had different experien- super eight films'don't get around ver much because they're falling to piece' ces in different countries. Jubilee was very succesful in three cinemas in Paris and all run at different speeds.

nts 44

- Sebastiane: the film that provoked a riot

A t the moment we're trying t o blow them up t o 16 mill,-get them striped and ready for distribution. I t ' s very difficult t o get any money from anywhere, which i s very dispiriting. The Arts Council representatives virtually went to sleep i n my Super 8s. The reaction i n England t o the films compared t o the reaction in Germany is just so different. Here they sigh every time I walk into somewhere like the Arts Council, partly, I suppose, because I've thrown in the towel and become a commercial filmmaker. And there i s this extraordinary pecking order in England, which actual. ly works against English films being interesting. Many of the films in Germany are so wonderful because people working for the equivalent of the Arts Council are able to move into the commercial industry and made films, which I think is the way everyone should actually move. In England, and this goes very far back in English culture, commerce and business are not quite on. The English

are the last people to believe they've actually got a film industry. I n Vienna and Berlin the critics talk about British film as something which actually exists seriouslyand was worth studying. People like Lindsay Anderson and going back to the sixties. Though Lindsay Anderson is, thank God, finally making a new film with the NFFC at the moment. And there's Michael Powell , an extraordinary film-maker who hasn't been working-only England would allow people like that to be forgotten. Technology and Accidents I didn't come into films the way other people did. I came into i t by mistake, by a series of accidents rather than planning it. I'd lever actually decided t o make a film beyond the fact that everyone wants t o make one. W!;cn I was working with Ken Russell it just seemed that what had happened was that I'd lost my own centre. A year working on The Devils from 5 till 8,

sometimes seven days a week completely eradicated my painting and the world that I was involved in. During tha time a friend o f mine arrived from America with a Super 8 camera and saic why don't you start making films. So it seemed the ideal way because l.'d always been frightened o f technology. I can't drive, and a 16 mill camera lookec so complicated, even the super 8 carneri looked unbelievably complicated, but I put a film i n it an&o my total and utter surprise it actually came out! I n focus as well, it was extraordinary. So I started working with the Super 8 earner They were just home movies. I wasn't really involved in serious film-making although film-makers, people like John du Cane, started t o come down t o the studio where I was living t o show their films. Sometimes we'd show things like Cocteau or Max Reinhart or The Wizarc o f Oz. Or David Larcher's films. The transition to Sebastiane was complete chance, as Ken Russell arrivin in my studio had been. There were a lot of other projects that never came to fruition at this time, films o f Gargantua and Man Friday with Russell. 1 met James Whaley and he asked i f I'd ever thought o f doing anything bigger, myself, so 1 told him about Sebastiane and one or two other projects. He said he wanted to make Sebastiane and got the money together by literally getting a mortgage on his house-of 8 to 10 thousand pounds. He rang up various friends o f mine, who I'd done paintings for and got them all t o chip i n with 50C pounds here, there and everywhere. We went away t o Sardinia with Ă&#x201A;ÂŁ5,000 and it took another year to finish the film o f f and get the rest of the money. We had no idea where it was going t o end up. We thought i t might end up at the ICA, but i t wasn't really seen as a commercial venture in any way whatsoever. We went away to make the film and a year or so after we'd finished we had the first prints. Moritz de Hadeln chose the film t o represent England at t Locarno film festival. It opened one afternoon t o a riot of people making a horrible noise and walking out. I sat at the back horrified, only afterwards did see the funny side. We brought this ver) simple, rather unpretentious film to Locarno and it caused an uproar. I didn know what they were on about. I don't speak Italian or French. Afterwards the asked Moritz de Hadeln to resign. They never mentioned the content o f the filn they just said it was so badly made. Bul suppose it was very badly made. It was made for absolute peanuts, by what essentially was a load of amateurs; though the people behind the camera, the co-director Paul Humfress, were all professionals. That side o f the film, sho by Peter Middleton, was'technically proficient.

Undercurrents 44 take extreme liberties with the Catholic

TV.The end of the world and mrnflakes

Ihave offers from TV, but I never mtch TV. That was the real problem. I last watched TV seriousl~in about 1960 with my parents. Since then I've never had a television. Partly Icouldn't afford one, and also Ididn't really want one. It seems more sensible to spend one's evenings reading, or going out to the cinema, or having a good time. I've always been worried by TV because Part of the fascination of cinema is that you 'have a captive audience and the lights go off, and there's nothing t o distract them. With the TV W u make a CUP of tea, or there's a vase o f flowers and you look at , that, andeverything's going on. It doesn't seem such a serious , , medium. It's all muddled up, the end o f the world might be mixed up with cornflakes. Everything's finally reduced to banality. I'd love my films on TV, I ^wuldn9tmind working for TV. I had an offer just before Christmas, and if 1 . .don't get another feature film off the ground I've got tostay alive and it will be the thing to do. I haven't really worked for eighteen months, so one hasn't had an income. The television is very controlled in a way that even the cinema isn't to that extent, but it could be extraordinary. What goes on in television is very carefully sorted out. I suspect the fourth channel will start o f f in chaos and be very exciting forÃ§while and then solidify like all these things into an organised bureaucracy. , a

Shakespeare: the WASP tradition The BBC Shakespeare was nothing to do with television. They wanted the .texts done absolutely straightforwardly, ideal for export to America and American universities and that's where they were going to get the money for it. The difference between their Tempest and my Tempest i s like sun and a cloudy day. If I'd gone to the BBC with that idea they'd have turned it down because of-the structure within which it's working. It's very sad. The Tempest * is more subversive than, say, an ecological film about whales. It was a great irritant and I suppose that's what dm wants, to be a sand in the works. Because America i s extremely conservative thev we totally fost. Shakespeare's one of-the lynch pins of the Anglo Saxon WASP tradition. Therefore to tamper with Shakespeare is one of the most awful things you can do. So you get reactions like Vincent Canby's; whereas in England Shakespeare is so entrenched you can take liberties the Americans would find unnerving. It's Bke God, in Italq. You could probably

, Church in Italy. tf you tried t o do that i n mid-America you'd be lynched. All the Born-Again Christians would be after you.

Elephant Men ,

T h e * ~ l e ~ h aMam'san nt appallingfilm with a totally reactionary view of . British culture, which is the one thatthe Americans want. itasUpstairs Ddwstairs. It's a Trollope novel. It's got an unforgiveable and ugly forking cia& drunk on gin and a hysterically boring middle class who're having Allen second though& the whole time, about whether they're doing the right thing by the Elephant man. The Elephant Man is a dreadful obsequious person y h o keeps saying thank you all the time insteadof kicking them in the shins. it's also a t6tal misconcep unions. you can make a film The tion, it's not in any way historically Tempest, which is fully unmnised, for correct. Even the in whichprincess 150t000, therearen't"ally any probIems with the but ^ have Alexandria turns up is completely incorrect as British royalty never appears their own problems. One problem 'Ive found i s their lack of mobility. For out o f the blue as an arbiter i n a example people can't swap from one quarre in a hospital even now. It's toanother. Also there's proper job fiendis ly wrong and that's to do with so people David Lynch's naivety. The photography, way to get into the leaving drama school find themselves of course, is wonderful That's just in all Sorts of yroblems with Equity. covering up the fact that deep down Ken Russell's designed they didn't know whether they were but 1 never SÂ¡an ACTT ticket. The trying to make a social document or ,real problem is how t o get talented a horror film. It's full of traditional people into the union. This would British acting which, of course, isperinvolve liberalising their structures. feet for American TV Alastair Cooke, You've got t o somehow prove that the no doubt, will give a little spiel in his cinema can exist on this level before phoney accent before the Elephant ~ ~ , this , iis ~ pi^^^ ~ ~ drama; i ~ ~the unions will accept it exists. (As far as recording original music, for example, is concerned). Obviously the for all: community film innovators are those people who are and video making the films, EM1 are not going I think it's a distinct possibility, it's to commission a film like that and the the only possibility. In America, unions are not going to know that a where there are independent channels, film can lie made likelthat. I think it's channel 13 in New York, it's I didn't know anything about unionreally quite interesting how things can isation when I started. I come from get on and they've done in a very free home movies. I f you haven't made a way compared with here. But it's very film you don't know these problems. controlled here. English life's always The English cinema's always been been very controlled. It'sone of the ancillary to the theatre and Equity has obviously been formedfor the theatres most carefully controlled societies in the western world. (Here JamesMackay, as opposed to the cinema. This is the result of a particular historical situation another film-maker, present, pointed Â¥ -out that such a free for all can lead The cinema has always been a different, medium, but there's always been this to even greater exploitation through muddle. It would be very nile ifthere sexlstriptease shows, endless reruns o f was a separate actors' union for films. The Professionals etc. and blanket Some of the best film actors are don advertising, as has happened,in Italy. (On the other hand some of the revoactors. Pasolini, Fellini, all the more lutionary radio stations, such as Radio interesting Italian directors have used Citta Fu.tura and Radio Donna largely unprofessional actors. With one (womens' radio) have provedextreme- . or two professionalactors scattered IYinn~vative(eds.) ). All this is specula- amongst them. Fellini comes to Londor ' where actors are trained, to look for tion, beit statellite TV . . is a pbssibility. English TV can already be picked up those professionals. This kind of acting in Holland. Britain i s or* o f very few gives English films a certain style, which countries without a satellite. may be their strength.

sequence

unbnsj

Undercurrents44 I

It'sdifficult to come out against that sort of thing without being seen as h e o f the wrong political complexion, siding with the strikebreakers. The real problem people,are the people who run the film industry, and the men with the money, not the unions. You can do something easily provided you are seen to be doing it in an honest and honourable way. You will meet with smiles along the road. The problem is that they have to deal With maveric ks who are out to cut corners with big budgets., 50 million dollars. Any power structure needs reforming all the time, and needs constant analysis, the unions included.

State control and subsidy The state should intervene more than it does, I'd hate to see the state as the only source of funding, because you'd run into another bureaucracy. Nevertheless, i f the grant was somewhere in the region of Â£1 million then you might find yourself getting 20 films a year, which would mean a British film opening every week in the summer, which would mean we had the beginnings of an industry again. The answer is mixed finance. The Tories idea of getting money from industry is just them shrugging off the responsibility, it's irresponsible. I think you've really got to ignore American money, I'm afraid. The Arts Council has no money, their money is for small Art films or documentaries. The BF1 made 'Radio On' and I think they're making another feature this year, but 1 feature every 18 months. or two years i s not very much. The NFFC have hardly any money, about Â£ million, which i s completely ridiculous when you think that the Opera House gets Â£ million frqm the Arts Council. This goes back into English culture, because film was never taken seriously, it was always an offshoot of Hollywood. There's a class thing involved as well; the theatre i s where business men will put their money, or the Opera House because it's socially acceptable. The Cinema was the place when I started! watching film in the fifties where people went to make love in the 1 and nines, i t was on a different level. It's only i n the last 20 years that a literate audience has grown up, like the Gate Cinema and so on. Film-makers at places like the London Film Co-op have had to become esoteric, in the sense that given this wall, who wants to bother to try to climb it. It's such a sweat that you might as welt carry on making your own smaller films. I f peoplesaw that there was a way of breaking intothe film industry, there would be a lot more movment from that area into films. ,

7 .

JOftOAM

LtTTUII

O ^ W a i W MURJMtMW MSJAezsWMJUJTV

The future and entropy

PS&& SUZI PIN-

But with someone like David Bowie one i s up against agents who control Things are so bad they could hardly what he does and are involved in the be worse. There isn't a British film world of million dollar film-making. industry any longer, it's as simple as I f Idid get him it would be easier'to that, quite a lot of people for several, raise the money; but there would be years and it looks like the film industry contraintian fie subject matter. itself ft beginning to realize. EM1 have Neutronis already owned by someone run into-diffiaulties, and I believe Lew else. If you start in a quiet way and Grade has. stick to your guns you can have conObviously-the ideal thing is to have trol over your films, like Bunuel as many "eople making feature films and brzog. But I think large systems, as you possibly can. You don't want to like m~ilti-million dollar film-making, set a limit on that. The embarrassment always break down, and we're in a very i s to ,find myself having rtiaqle three films and ones friends having only made interesting situation. Cimino's Heaven's Gate was closed for re-editing after one one. One would like to see a whole screening, and tfiat was a forty million infra-structure; I've got nothing against dollar film. Alien, and films like that, but it would Because of the economics of the situi t>e great i f there was a real re-investtion it might change in the right direcment in low-budget features in this tion in a strange way. The big corporacountry, which could be brought about tions will either have to pull out of proin a general way with liaisons with Television. Steven Frear's made 'Bloody duction totally, leaving a vacuum or they'll have to rethink the, way they're Kids' under the auspices of Lew , Grade, which also is made like a f cature investing. Alexander Walker was saying recently that in the 30's films made a . film, and I've seen i t in cinemas as a decent profit. Then i n the 70s they mad feature, if's absolutely wonderful. It's the megabuck-people became very, a very beautiful film. very greedy. Sebastiane and jubilee ave There needs to be a restructuring so made their money back, but the mo%ey that TV companies, maybe the 4th Sebastiane's made would make about or channel, go into co-production. All the robot for Star Wars. I didn't make talent is he&, certainly. anv monev out of Sebastiane Or IubJIee although they have made money for the Onebbot for Star ~ f t r s distributors, I'm on a percentage for To make money I'd have to have stars The Tempest but that hasn't gone into and proper distribution. I don't preclude profit yet. I've actually made very little all stars. Perhaps with someone as money out of any of the films. sensitive as David Bowie working on a I'd prefer to be able to make another low budget film, such as 'Neutron' film. 1 don't kndw whether Neutron (Jarman's probable next feature film will happen or not. The last film I made about the millenium, motorcycles and was a Super 8 on Christmas Day. life after the bqmb dropped). One would be able to find a way roundthe problems. Ediud by Simon Usher and P f r CuMnw '

Undercurrents4 4

It's a frequent misconcel~tionthat t:ie media's home is in the south,especiaiiy London. /\lison Joseph disagrees and brings us newsof groups active in the

north.

Lights

YORK INDEPENDENT FILM is a group of women filmmakers based near York.

, WE CMVlfc together,i n ~ u g u 1979 k with the common

aim of forming a nucleus of experience and expertise in film-making. Atthat time, our experiences in films werevarious and minimal, and did not amount to more than a couple of Super 9 films and a brief acquaintance with video. None of us had any formal training that either practically or theoretically related to film: the only cdmmon denominator hi our very disparatelbackgroundsis a real interest in the process of film-making, and in the ways in which independenbfilm culture can actively challenge the dominant systems of mainstream cinema and television meni. When we darted, York had no facilities for filmrepresentation. York Independent Film is w an' active film making, no other production groups and no venue for wo*ho~, and we are working indifferent 3s-3 the reg"1ar screening and.discussion of independent film. of independent film-while also having to take freelance and inM~~,.., 1980 set up zyork ~ which i l is~ an organiutemporary jobs to support ourselves. tion open to anyone, and at present meets monthly at the The organisatjon of the group reflects our attempts t o Arts Centre in York. Through a coordinated programme of . challenge the mystique which seems tosurround film , , events (includingfilmexhibition, discussion with other film, production and to question the normalcategorisation of makers on different aspects of independent cinema, robs within that process.,We work cooperatively: all memworkshopsetc. ),York Film aims to stimulate an awareness bers agree on projects and scripts undertaken by the group of film not simply as but as process: from concepand are involved in all stages of a film. Our roles are defined tionthrough production to exhibition and debate. This differently with each new project, and we do all our own that at the same time as settidq up a resource centre technical work. in York and an open production group, we are also explorIn November 1979, we completed a short, mute film ing ways o f extendingthe boundaries of interest and I 'Puppet' (16 mm, colour, 6 mins). W e made this under the understanding of film through trying to create new and ' simplest possible conditions as a kind of training film, wider situations for audience response. The need for-a , and financed it ourselves. From this we moved to amore' positiveinteraction between audience and film-maker complex project, 'Arpeggio' (16 rom, colour,20 mins), is vital: the challenge is to find ways of engaging and in... which is being financed by the Yorkshire Arts Association. volving the spectator in the process, and thus breaking ' The film was originally inspired by the Place in,which we. down those absolute categories that seem to exist between live, a cottage on a arable farm outside York, and it exthe creator and the codsumer. Sally Anderson , @oreson en abstract, non-narratfve.lefel relationships .. JeanStewart between the human and the natural elements within that , , Janet Tovey environment. Through the interweaving of image and 'Toni Anderson (at present in W. Germany) I sound, we examine ways of using a non-narrativestructure to create a visual poem. The music fofthe film is THESHEFFIELD FILM CO-OP, a group of four women, being composed and performed by Peter Toolan, has been in existence since 1975. Starting with a very andwe are now in the final stages of production. small budget for their first film (io 1976), they have since' We work essentially as a 'closed' group, and are ourrpanaged to raise production money from a variety of selves responsible for all stages of the film's development. sources, such as the Manpower Services Commission, the We have however been given Continual en'courageqent Equal 0pportunities.Commissionand the Yorkshire Arts and help (especially in terms of technical advice and loan ' .' Association. Film Panel. > 1 , . . of equipment) from i f number of people in the region, . . SINCE 1975 they have completed three films and have a@ in particularfrom the Yorkshire Arts Association and' 1 also-builtup a .wide distribution network; as well as members of the Sheffield Independent Film Group. . established film venues, eg Regional Film fieatfes, Arts ' The problems, which particularly include financial diffi:.::,Centres, BFI weekend and Summer Schools, they have a culties and a feeling of'isolation, that beset any indepen.^~wi#~audienceamong schools, women's groups, community dent film-maker have been somewhat ameliorated for us . dy!%z4 e unions; Their most recent completed ,, : s.. by film project 'fobs for the Girls', where .. this support. . Since 9 have been working together as a film prod~i~,.'"~~r~'!: ,, ! th a group of teenage girl pupils of a ; t$n group, variouselements have affected our developSheffield comprehensive school. Thiswas screened at the 1

Edinburgh Film ~estival61979:~urrent Ventures

THE YORKSHIRE MEDIA GROUPwas formed i n May 1980 from the Yorkshire Broadcasting Group, which itself came out o f a group of people who were interested in contesting the franchise for the new Leeds ILR station. When the Yorkshire BroadcastingGroup lost the franchise, they did not wish simply to drop the work they had started in examiningthe role Community Radio couldplay, what audiences would want from it, etc. So the YMG was formed.

. include the possibility of working with women organisel, ' of the National Association of Youth Clubs on a-project of

Â¥a/r/s'wetends' where girls are introduced to the practical skills and activities normally associated with boys, %.a?.pentry, motor bi!<e maintenance, etc. Their next film venture examines the part played by a group o f women (three school cleaners and a lollipop lady) in their community, against a background of low pay and Government cuts. The? is a possibility ofraising some of the production money from the women's trade union. . The Sheffield Film Co-op feel their work has begun to bridge the gap between what is seen as 'Community arts' and what is seen as 'art'. Jenny Woodley, speaking for the ' Co-op, told me that the British Film Institute does not\ share the Co-ops concern for the developing of film as a process, and for the quality o f the product that comes from each project. She says that they and other alternative film makers are having to fight the BFlls.academic approach t o film in that they see film production itself as something to be examined, described, but never

-- .-.- --.

A*v~lnn~d

^fc

Over the past few years, the work of the Sheffield Film Co-op has slowly been gaining recognition, not solely as the final product of a specific women's project or campaign, but also as film in its own right. It seeps that it will always be an uphill struggle for alternative film producers to make films, but the work of the Sheffield Film Co-op and many others like them has proved that "+&%&tv; there is a very wide area which the mainstream film industry can never reach, but which alternative producers, in treating film as accessible and in not assuming any necessary difference between 'audience' and 'performer' can enter. Community Arts

I T HAD no formal structure, but was divided into a series~fworking groups -education, local radio, research and a Television franchise group, (the latter no longer exists). The radio group began to work with a group in Harrogate which uses BBC, Radio Leeds' airtime to broadcast community radio programs t o Harrogate audiences alone. The education group has succeeded in setting up evening classes (starting next term in Wakefield) on subjects

Probably t h most constructive branch of the y M G now is the link ithas forged with the national campaign Â¥Oair in '81'-launched in September 1980 in Telford. The campaign has the following aims:+ .,that every codmunity has the right to operate i t s own radio station, that experimental frequencies should be allocated to a number of community stations, and that part of the 'an.* 1 VHF waveband should be allocated for use by community . radio stations. of course, it is up to the Home office to grant these broadcasting licences, hence the need for a '-Â¥ political, campaign. On Air in '81 is based in Milton Kewes, at Community

<'%%y~

of Appropriate Technology ,.

f< *

The inside story Of Ruff Tuff -% ;; Creem Puff, t h e only estate **Â¥" agency for squatters. Heathcote Williams tells all.

THERUFFTUFFCREEMPUFF ESTATE AGENCY was founded in 1974 by 'Mad Dog, Fluke and Flame', Gods' Groupies, stimulated by their squatting of the 'Meat Roxy', a former Bingo Hall in Lancaster Road, North Kensington, where every Saturday three or four hundred people gathered for a free ball. Electricity was rerouted from asquattedhouse at the back, a large double bed put in the middle of the auditorium for people to accompany the music in their lubricious fashion, and above the stage in letters four feet high there was written: CIVILISATION HATH TURNED HER BACK ON THECREJOICE' SHE HATHANUGLYFACE. At the end oT the day, half the people seduced into coming had nowhere to go. It being winter, and3ur social consciences being intricately plucked, the Meat Roxy was established as a place to live as well, but gradually, perhaps through the toudness of the music, the roof fell in. Other accommodation had to be found for these errant space gipsies. Tuinal freak%lushes and werewolves clamouring for shelter from the wind ma the rain and the cold in the Ladbroke Archipelago.

, Route 666 A set of house-breakingequipment was purchased, and a small survey of the neighbourhood carried out. Empty properties sprang up like mushrooms and were cropped. The first bulletin advertising their availability was Gestetnered and published in an almost unreadableedition of 150 copies, and the Ruff Tuff Creem Puff Estate Agency (named aftera Robert Crumb cartoon character) was registered as a working charity (Astral registration number 666). Since then 23 bulletins have been published, ranging from one foolscap side to eight, and listing empty properties available in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Italy and Yugoslavia. -T1.e

Hip Vatican

~ _ ~ c l e ofseven us or so people worked under (he umbrella of the agency: whoever lived in our house became involved. The house was often watched and the possibility of prosecution for incitement or conspiracy to trespass frequently lurked on the back-burner. Office hours

man being bad but I caught him when were round the clock. People were sent to us from almost he was a bad man being good'. And ther anywhere: social services departments, there followed an indecipherable word highly funded pressure groups such as salad based on his connections with the Shelter or the Campaign for the Homeless spirit world. tt made us feel that and Rootless, occasionally Harrow Road handing out houses to people for nothin Police Station, and BIT, the hip vatican was all right but that it often wasn't and self-help centre down the road. It was enough. a house rule that anyone could stay for a Another man, who'd just come out night in the house until we found them of Parkburst where he'd been serving somewhere permanent. On average, 15 nine years for armed robbery involving to 20,people'came round looking for Â£30,00 worth of platinum, crashed s~mewhereto live each day. through the door in a feverish state and We opened up places for people but said: 'You're social workers, aren't you? often found that many of them regarded in an almost atcusing manner. us as the landlord. They would come back The accusation was denied. half a dozen times complaining about Hangbn, hang on, look how 'bout I roofs, drains and windows and it was a get a wee bottle of something. What yoi long time before it occurred t o them that drink? Wine? I'llget some'. they could do anything about the place He reappeared with six bottles of themselves. Fluke often fell back Mateus and a two foot square box of sardo tiimlly in these circumstances on chocolates 'fur the kiddie'. He said, the ancient Arab saying: 'If you rescue 'You wondering why I'm doing all this a man from drowning, you have to look aren't you? Well, I'll tell you, I need after himfor the restof your life'. In your help. You have drugs here don't most cases we told people where the you? YOUpeople have drugs?' house was, what i t s history was as far 'Only the look in our eyes, that's as we knew, explained the score in law and lent them any available equipment. 'No, seriously, you have drugs here? You're hippies aren't you? Hippies Whiskey-sodden always have drugs. I'll pay for for it. .' Not to let the chance of a deal go The surface ~roblemwas homelessbegging, Cocke Lorrell who'd just done ness, and in many cases when that was solved everything was cool. We'd see the a run o f three weights, pulled out his person we'd fixed up and find that their scales and said: 'How much do you days were glowing again, and they would want?' fondling a large polythene bag filled with the stinking soul-smoke. promise to keep us fed with any empty 'What's that?' places that they had noticed. but in 'Best Buddha Grass'. many other cases hornelessness had He was mystified. The theft of those created far worse problems. People who nine years of his l i f e had meant that had no house built houses inside their He'd missed Weed Power. heads; people who'd been chronically 'Dope', said Cocke Lorrell, 'it's rejected over a long period lived in a shell and sat in the office without being grass. Dope for ever, for ever loaded'. 'Oh, no, I don't want that.' I dant able to speak. Getting fixed up with a some cyanide'. place got transmuted into getting a fix. -Being warm had changed into a whisk'eyCheap- Window sodden rush. herew was a deathly hush. It transOne man sat in the dilapidated chair pired that he couldn'tstand being in the corner of the kitchen-cum-office for two days without saying a word and outside. He just dfdn't know where to put himself. He tried to 'buy a,few then suddenly leapt up and stuck a friends', as he put it, but 'no one wants knife into Fluke. The knife fortunately to know'. was fairly blunt and came out without He went on raving about the cyanide, any bro\vr rice on the.efid; Gentiy askconvinced that if the cost was cleared ed for some explanation, it t r ~ p i r e d with a large backhander we'd supply it: thathe'd had nowhere to live for two 'I'll pay you for it. I'll make it worth years save a mausoleum in Highgate Cemetery. The spirits had apparently your while, believe me,' and he spilt a commanded this act: 'Fluke is agood wad of Â£2 notes on the table.

From: Squatting, the rulttory. Bay Leaf Books Â£4.9 (PBI, te be p i e w e d next itsue.

CosmicJot er

Cocke took him to the window h i c h wason the third floor) and , iM: 'Look you can have this window heap'. 'What you thean?' 'You can throw yourself out of iis window for lOp^and gave him a iant cuddle. His face began t o crease ito a smile. Cocke hugged him s6 hard and ibbed him and insulted him: 'YOU; fe's not yours to take, dummy', and ien settled him down t o his wine, ~ l him d the cream o f his police jokes nd then got him so stoned that he as wandering around the house all ight i n his knickers reciting Gaelic @as. His life was a little safer than efore. One visitor called Julia (fame mking for a place t o live, scanned }e bulletins along with a large map f London that had colour-coded ins stuck into it: *Red: 'Squatted, but might be w m' *Green: 'Ripe for plucking' *Blue: 'Empty but needs a lot f love', Julia said: 'I think I'll try Freston .oad it's near where Iwork'.

On rare and extreme occasions the Cosmic Joker evicts the Social Worker in the tactics o f the Agency. A German once entered the office, dressed in a gold lame suit, and followed by his family all in fresh sheepskins from Afghanistan, lavishly embroidered: 'I would like please a place with bath, and garden for the kinder, and m4 to transmit the tea-time concerts o f .' telefon. I am from Endless Music. We ' Max Jaffa and the Palm Court are biggest Rock and Roll band in Orchestra. Germany and we have many contracts They found a strange haunted place with Island Records. You give a place to uis now biffe?' by the river, strongly barricaded with Mad Dog stood up and surveyed the two-by-four joists nailed down to the ' little scene. 'Well', he said, pretending floor inside. It took about two hours to crack as they had to wait for traffic , to consultthe latest bulletin. 'Yeah, I noise to cover each snap of the jemmy. think we got just the place'. The Palm Court Hotel had been a 'la?gut, gut'. giant pigeon loft for three years and 'Yeah, you takethe tube to Green was recycled as a little palace for 30 Park. Turn right out of the entrance'. battered wives and their offspring. , '/a, /a'. The bulletins listed anything f r o 6 'And you'll find a huge building on a hovel to a palace and had a style of the right hand side. We'll let them their own: '36 St Luke'skoad. Empty know you're coming'. two years. Entry through rear. No 'How will I find it again please?' roof. Suit astronomer'. Some houses I (scribbling greedily.) in Norfolk belonging to the Royal 'It's right on Piccadilly, near Family were squatted after featuring St James' Street. It s 1 t been squatted. in the bulletins, Mick Jagger's unused There's a man from' R f Tuff on the door, dressed in a huge black frock , country house found some occupants, and the Cambodian Etpbassy was "coat, with gold braid, just like your lata Hari a squatted when abandoned after the wit, and for a joke he's got a badge 'Where is that?' said Fluke, pa& overthrow o f the Buddhist oligarchy on his cap with the words 'Ritz Hotel,! ig the time of day. of Princ6 Sihanouk. Two Mercedes cars Just tell him you've come from the 'Oh,Hammersmith Town Hall were found in the garage of this weird Ruff Tuff Creem Puff Estate Agency house-cum-temple and the only way thi I the Housing Department'. and your rooms will be waiting for the squatters could be evicted was if thi Fluke looked slightly - . . stunned: 'How you'. . lould your wllea&es feel about your Khmer Rouge had decided to move intc ,' quatting?', the L o d o n Property Market. They wer Palm Court Orchestra 'Oh, I don'tthink they'd mind., still in occupation at the beginning of Through the\good auspices of xcept for the ones who're members 1980. Buckingham-Palace with i t s 614 Patrick the postman, a partner in the f the National Front'. rooms often featu ed. agency, six houses were found and And despite the existence of five ; iembers o f the National Front working cracked for Chiswick Women's Aid who Squatters are vermin seemed to need a house per week. Ithe Housing Department of asoi~ the l l time while bulletins were One windy night Tony from Rough "isant socialist council, Julia was able' being pumped out and houses being Theatre bopped in with a van, scored to half-inch lists of empty properties cracked, the gutter press kept u,p a shril Gareth, Mary Jane, Mad Dog, and from the wuncil files. She became the and hate-filled descant. Squatters are Jonathan Marconi, and they all tooled Mata Hari of Ruff Tuff, forcing the vermin, proclaimed the Daily Express. off to Richmond where Tony claimed size o f the bulletins up from four pages They have lice, shrilled the Evening Net to eight. Other useful informants includ- there was a derelict hotel once used which employed a spy to insinuate him ed a telephone engineer, a postman and by the BBC in the thirties and forties self with squatters and obtain free boar a Gas Board official. and lodging only to trash them later in kito on Road i n fact, became his paper for an enormous fee. The almost entirely squatted through' Ruff squatters are an 'Army of Vagabonds Ie Tuff activity and was turned into an by dangerous left-wing agitators', squav almost ideal version o f Squat City,' ed the Sunday People; and it ran a thre< much beloved of gutter cartoonists part series on squatting, leaving the The walled-in gardens were gentle reader with the impression that dried together into one large comthey were all armed, dope-infested laya nunal garden which almost fed the bouts who should l;>egarrotted. ntire street. A squatted shop opened, One o f the partners in Ruff Tuff wa' elling wholefoods at (mock-down fried 5 y the Sunday Peqple on their prices, and there was a kind o f synergy . front paof: 'The old Etonian house grat present where people bopped in and her: he jemmies way i n for squatters', out of each other's houses, doors left "WMJ ~,walgcdMtfbfr If <*Ă&#x192; presenting him ai a near psychopath wt open to the street. If any problem ' I pmpl*slwildtowrimeorfour would prefer to crack his way through tewu wUk& Jkmc aiJ^ tw." arose, the load was immediately spread a block o f houses on his way to the around. . ' 3

. rnent: ..

;ather than&,,'r&& .the,..:.

. corner. The reporter had subtly g a i * n ~ ~ ,

an interview in the Ruff Tuff office by pretending to be from Cardiff Friends . of the Earth who kre,.he claimed, . doing a survey on squatting.He was . duly given an extensive rundown on the homelessness situation in London- 100,000 houses empty, 30,000 . people squatting, etc-together with a brief but poetic soliloquy about Wat , Tyler, Gmard Winstanley (The worldis a common treasure house to . , all ..there is no my thing, no your thing'), and Proudhon;all little gums . %, "ifthis yippie Cabal.' , Mad Dog saw the paper the next . . week and while everyone else was 'having apoplexy, muttered: 'Revenge i$ a meal best eat* coldl.Four Weeks ' . laterthe reporter found that as a . resultof his own house being put on ! the bulletins and described therein '

etc. especially welco invaded by lone de

Undercurrents 44

.:~x,

.. ..,

Cosy Liberals The.cosy liberal pape silent. The Guardian p of moody pictures of a chi of a corrugated ironfence. Th reporter at the battle of Elgin disclosed that he'd be i n y of his stories about the last two weeks. 'It's he told us. At the same ti was quite gaily publishin ordinary letters in its correspondence columns, oneof which suggested that Ă&#x201A;ÂĽalsquatters should be evicted from third-storey windows On another occasion the stencils for a new bulletin were hanging from a bulldog clip on the wall for all to survey the new mass of available . . . houses before theywent to

,,,.

search f o i about t h r e e k k i . T h i s i s the Eveningstandard. 1 have

'Great! The wider circulation it gets, the better. Join the Legion of Joy. Free. . " dom . is a full-timecareer;. . 'Well, you can put it like that if you ,,~. like. But c air Iask you this.., I'm, looking throughit now: You recommend . a certain kind.of implement for breaking into hous+,wi'th mortise locks on . .

Undercurrents 44

a t the antics of windsor the black tom

from time to time commentink 'Isn't she butch?' and then drapes our jemmy elegantly over his arm t o crack a recommended flat in nearby Powis , Square. I A silent woman with a large scar on her' head asks about some houses in OrsettTerrace, Paddington. She's escaping the violent vagaries of her husband by stayhit, with a friend in a council flat where she has to creep in and out because the couple on the ground floor suspect her friend of subletting and are in constant contact with the council's Complaints Department. She's never squatted before. She works as a night cleaner and seems desperate. 'Can you fix me up in that street?' she asks. They got lights in the window at night. They seem nice people'. She's fixed up with an introduction and a little later, her own place.

If it doesn't make you laugh Ajunkie seeps in: 'I don't want any ptace where the postal district i s an odd number. I don'fwantN19 or W1 for a start'. 'Paddington? WZ?' 'No. God's told me Paddington's bad for me'. After,siqilar objections to almost every place on the lists he starts metronomically rubbing the trackmarks On his left arm. 'Why are you doing that?' says Cocke Lorrell. IGo has dtold me that my leftarm ' is bad for me so I got to keep stabbing

'In St Albans? Forty-two pounds? : Where the fuck i s St Albans anyway? . just south of Greenland ain't it?Well put on your snow shoes and get your asses down here touts vite', And then they come a few hours later, bedraggled and burnt out from rent slavery and score themselves a whole house in. Richmond. Letters also pour in demanding the bulletins: 'Dear Sir, Madam, Hippy or Freak. I am doing important mind work and need a quiet place . .' 'Dear Rough Tough Creamers,

the world, we are tired o f somewhere. 'Dear Agency, Iam living in a furnish'ed room with my two children and pay,ing Ă&#x201A;ÂŁ1 a week. Plea% can you help me? Please answer soon'. There have also been death threats on the ohcne. .One was just a tape-loop endlessly repeating: "Hello, hello, hello. You're a dead man. Don't laugh'. Well, to quote the Illurninatus, 'If it doesn't make ycy laugh, it isn't true'. It didn't make us laugh and fortunately it wasn't. But who was it?Enraged property speculator?A hit-man hired by Megalopolis? The National Grunt? Ah well, forget it, paranoia i s the gout o f acidanointed youth. ~~~~i~~~ it has been very boring. sometimes very exciting. People would say: 'How can you afford to do it?Is there any charge for these bulletins?' Nope. It's time for the Gospel of Free to lurch back to life. It's time the yisionaries got it on and the realists dreamt. All we want i s a Garden of Eden where none of the fruit is forbidnever staaed-it,s den. private property that was the new idea. In most cases we thought about as much of squatting a house as picking up a butt-end off the street. Why? treated a products insted of kings, in rows and rows of rmms where *all m!ant to the sveee where thare Ne 30,000 gas stbes, 30,000 TV sets, 3,mba*s, fridga adcars, when

with a little co-operation (which Kropotkin showed in Mutual A i d was the strongest force in nature), maybe one or tw of each would be enough. jmS

a squatter

Some squats have broken throughand Freston BristOl Cornwall Terrace-with walls down that You could walk along the street inside the building. Imagine a huge refectory table on the ground floorof every street, and a huge bed Whether youIre a yipped-ug hippedup communalist or not, the reduction , in fwe hazard i s strong in i t s favour. Jesus was born a squatter though the Church Commissioners London's largest slum owners and Property speculators) would Iwver acknowledge it. When squatters are presented as inhuman, someone's .trying to feed into the tapes: 'You don't exist. You don't Own anything, who are you? How can we.recognise you?' When people are evicted someone js playing God and saying that their life in that place i s worthless. When we were being evicted from one Ruff Tuff house we said to the landlord: 'You want you1 house back? Then come here and live ' with us'. s Squatting i s acupuncture for the death culture. Freedom i s not yet quite free but the squatting community can give you a good wholesale price. Heathcote William!

Undercurrents 44

Shabby

Solars

OVER THE last few years, solar panels have become rather a mixed blessing to the alternative technologist. On the one hand they represent a beautifully simple device to collect solar energy, well within the reach of the most amateur craftsperson, while on the other they provide a fantastic selling gimmick for every unsci~~pulous dealer that wants to make an easy slice of money. And the cowboys have certainly jumped on the bandwagon. Precisely because solar panels are so simple, they are an ideal product for the small manufacturer with l i t t l e capital, yet they hold a mystique for many people that persuades them to invest large sums of money in what is often shoddy equipment which will scarcely pay back the energy needed to make it, l e t alone the money to buy it in the first place.

The Solar Panel Business Solar panels should be an ideal manufacturing proposition. And indeed they have beerrfor many years in some countries (like Israel) where they can provide almost all the hot water for a house, and solar panels were being used fairly extensively in parts of the USA at the turn of the century. However, it was not until the sudden energy price increases of the mid 1970's that solar power began to interest the more temperate countries: then there was a dramatic growth of a solar panel industry in the UK. Since then the panel busi- . . ness has boomed, and there are now about 200 firms operating here.

Bad Sun Rising Unfortunately, the growth of interest did not always coincide with a similar growth of professionalism. Worse, badly made panels are backed up by extravagant claims by the makers, and vastly inflated prices to help make a quick profit before the bottom droos out of the market. Among a long ,string of discretable actions, solar panel manufacturers have: 1. Made very inefficient solar panels which do not work well. One tested at the Centre for AT had the pipes scarcely bonded to the collector plate (hence unable to pick up any

ciS-a

heat) and had an efficiency of about 15%. 2. Sold very badly made panels, which would not last long enough (less than one year in some cases) to repay either the money or energy invested in them. Common (and inexcusable) faults include: using dissimilar metals for the box and screws (so that they corrode), using a fibreglass or plastic cover which soon discolol'r<i (and doesn't l e t as much heat through the panel), using polystyrene for insulation (which melts) and putting the panel into a badly made box which falls to bits. 3. Made extravagant (and sometimes downright dishonest) claims about the panel's performance. One manufacturer's rep that we know of quoted a figure for the amount of heat his panel would collect which, when checked up, was the amount which would be received with a 100% efficient panel placed beyond the earth's atmosphere (ie before any heat had been filtered out by the air). In a recent court case, the academic in charge o f the observatory at Birmingham University was convicted of fabricating results for the panel his firm manufactured, which made it out to be much more efficient than it actually was. 4. To back up all these wild claims, manufacturers are quoting prices that are just as way out. As a very rough rule of thumb, a 4m solar panel will provide a family o f four with 40% of their hot water for a year, and save them about Ă&#x201A;ÂŁ4 per annum. Many panels cost several thousand pounds to install, and by anyone's calculations, this leaves a very long pay-back period, and as we'have already discussed, many of them do not last very long at all. Reputable firms claim a 20 year pay-back period.

Exploitation Economic arguments are compounded by the status symbol factor; people want solar panels because they are fashionable, and do not always count the cost too carefully.All in all, a pretty dismal picture o f the industry. However, this isn't an article against solar panels; I've used them for years at the Centre for

enough hot water for TWO cups of tea"

Alternative Technology, and I think they are great. Nor am I attacking all panel manufacturers; there are a growing number of good ones around. What Iam against is the widespread exploitation of a useful device by unscrupulous manufacturers. This doesn't help anyone in the long-term, and damages the entire alternative technology field as rumours about the failures of solar panels get around. Conditions may improve in the future, as a British Standard is introduced (albeit voluntary at the moment) and some o f the worst offenders go out o f business. However, there are still several basic steps that need to be taken to improve solar panel technology and accessibility in t h i s country.

Rationale for a good Solar Panel To be effective, solar panels should be robust (because they have t o sit out in the weather for years) and cheap (so that everybody can have them and they don't just become a plaything for the privileged rich). Sophistications like heat absorbing paint and high efficiency glass are fine i n principle, and will probably'be important in the future, but are scarcely worth the extra money today.Panels built at CAT use ordinary steel radiators put inside a wooden box and covered with cheap greenhouse glass; notwit'istanding that they came out as one of the most efficient when compirea to many commercial makes. A WVch report reported that bought solar panels were not cost effective at the moment, but that DIY ones were. It's a sad fact that, for all the talk of solar technology, as far as I know there is nothing like a major cooperative venture to build panels, or a community workshop set up to make panels, yet in the foreseeable future this could be easily be the best and most economic way of making them, as well as creating useful employment at a local level. It could be a great focus for a community business; but if you're thinking of doing it -please find out how to make them before you start! Plans for DIY panels are available from the Centre for Alternative Tachnology, Machynlleth, Powys, Wales; price 35p plus an SAE. Nigel Dm

British or world politics. So the. material in it tends to be related to a slightly Fleet Street image o f 'current affairs' rather than a calculation about what i s actually important. But it Western intelligence i s suchthat he i s in Review o f Security and the State 7980, does not have that disease on anything effect doing so for the CIA as well. compiled by State Research, Julian This sort of state activity is the manifes- like the scale of, say, the Leveller, Friedmann Books, Â£10 where tile same syndrome has at times tation of the 'strong state' in Britain, becom" so strong as to mean complete THIS THIRD annual review from and at the moment this is not the most political paralysis. State Research follows the formula important aspect of the state. Most of Like, say Undercurrents or the of its two predecessors. I t consists of the things the state does happen not by Leveller, State Research commands a year o f State Research bulletins subversion but by possession, o f everyvirtually no resources of finance or paid gathered together with an index and thing from money and property t o ' personnel. But it does have the goodan introduction, in a format designed confidence and communications. The will of capable people, and i t s publicato appeal to libraries and institutions real pillars of modern, falling Britain tions manage to sell widely enough to which would not subscribe to the are the City, Whitehall and Fleet cover the direct costs of producing them. newsletter. Street, in Benn's view. Useful radical But as it is, State Research could go on Anyway, State Research is an politics is only possible if clear thought for a decade with about as much effect important radical medium taking a first takes place about what i s wrong on the Ministry of Defence or the capable look at all aspects of 'the with all three o f these, and what can , Home Office as nearly a decade of strong state', however you define it. be done to replace them which would Undercurrents has had at the Departmenl So it i s well worth subscribing (Â£ a be in the real interests of British of Energy - in other words, far less vear for individuals from 9 Poland people. than the ups and downs of the market Street, London W l ) , and recommendforces which have crippled nuclear power ing ths book to any libraries you use. Dominant media more effectively than ~oliticalobiection The introduction to the 1980 So what exactly is wrong with the could. In lggl,'though, Britain's Lapiyearbook is contributed by. Tony dominant media in Britain, and what are talist media are stuck for money, while Bens. I t has already gained some the weaknesses which will allow us t o are usedto appearradical notoriety because it includes the first replace them with something we actual- ing without too cash a d generally account of the security services' IY need? From our rulers' point of view, have low overheads. So they can keep attempt to recruit the youthful Benn it is obviously important to have media going more or less whatever happens. as a art-time informer. Interestingly &;ugh, Benn wept off to ask his father, which points And the Western economies and cultures "Y, the then Viscount Stansgate, what he are in such a mess that ordinary people or the Third Power#East-West But it is also o u g h t b u t the idea before turning ought to be more interested than ever them down. What i f dad had recommend- imp0rtant to have an accurate supply before in no-bullshit publications telling of facts On what is actually going On ed accepting? But in addition, Benn!s them just how the world really is. need it- Out of these thoughts on what is wrong with capital- the people Thismeans that the time i s right for priorities emerge our present media, part ist Britain's media provide a useful radical publications, just as the of a and control systemwhich time i s also right for bad ones to stop approach to thinking about just what its Other appearing. At the moment, official the aims of radical media in this country is inseparable business involvement in the like ed~icationand much of party politics. *crecy ought to be. Because Power i s highly concentrated . means that the level of available in British society, the number of people The mysterious colonel judged to be in need o f serious facts about the world i s small. The machinery It all starts, of course, with Ben designed to supply the rest of society father, and the Colonel who offere with rubbish instead is powerful. This him the Â£100 a year to become what machinery is als'o, partly by accident, the Prestel people would term an inforrnation provider. Berm refused, but it is useful for ensuring that radical views and solid political information about a safe bet that plenty of the Colonel's what actually happens in other interviewees did- not. People who is at best poorly take the money must be widespread in us back, after considerable detours, British life, in trades unions, publishing to State Research. It i s a good example and broadcasting, party politics, of a medium which provides noacademic life, and everywhere else nontense facts about an important where the state perceives a threat to subject-the heavy end of the stateitself, or the possibility of a threat. in a comprehensible form. It has done Compared to the USA and other 'ots of good things (I have had a hand countries, it strikes me that Britain n a few o f them, but naturally my does not take spook-spotting nearly , jud ement remains unclouded by bias) seriously enough. I s that man with catoon is from Dad bkh,s me fallen arches covering the council . and7 3ecome well established among Frontiers of Secrecy (Junction Books Â£5.,-, the radical media. I t s biggest failing meeting for your local rag doing the which well review in UC 45, along with is probably that it is not driven by a same job for MIS? If he is, the degree Crispin Aubrey's account of the ABC affair, very strong image of what is what in of international coordination of Who Is Watchinr You? (Tenwin Â£.SO).

'Y v~LCuc.LS L".**

view

Undercurrents 44 actually functions is very low: and there is no point in trying to free official information from official control without the right publications to put it in, once it becomes available. The point is that, as Benn says, Britain's rulers are trying to run thecountry like a colonywhere the natives' only function i s to devil on the plantations-and have made an information system to match. So Fleet Street ( p l u s w , The Economist, and whatever) are completely out o f sync with thecapacity o f an educated but reality-starved people to assimilate political facts which affect their lives. And the political gainif that. logjam could be brokenby good radical publicationswould b e immense.

i s thebanking system, nuclear weapons, or the importance of the Brandt report. Nothing less will do. The subject matter for these sorts o f publications ought tu be obvious but inherently i s not, oiven that even the left gets most of its news and even values from our rulers' sources. Poverty, wealth, and business and industry are examples of things which the left spends too little timethinking about- what pricea radical version of the Iftvest& Chronicle? - and so is the whole knotty question:(Bennis.gopd on this) o f the national and international distribution of power. People who have power know about it;Pedple Who have none assume, ingeneral, that it doesn't much matter, since the. present'lot of rulers,can only Money and. talent be replaced by 'a fiewsit.. . .. Can this be done? With good politiNow..the British state has fantastic cal analysis plus money and talent, of powerfinancial power, military power course it can. US publications like and the power which comes o f being MotherJones, especially, have shown . 'linked into the world oower system that strong and well thought-out the same people get away wit but as&nn say%,,the people who make same trick again. political positions really can make ' i t . u p ~ r 6 p b j ~ f l v e useless, ly since they better journalism than the stuff which Caning actually do,i$ctf:fittje andmake even our rulers want us read. Now we It seems obvious that a less,^ genf$$ utic(erstandingvf who ~simply don't Know:whether.there i s ., 4..:cdtural, political and ec has what:,pi~@&i*'i~j~~derÃˆ Britain likely to be a ma?ht for this grt of . . ,. ought a,so to be a time from Mt5 $t&ia'l&&rice Research journalismin the UK, butmy6ivn . : , in political publishing and political Couffiil'-'iwauld,TfKWieriili available, theory i s that there is. People are. .,?I *ate in general with . alsobe a rtasiivb i t t i & oh that Dower. perfectly capable of realising that the realignment of all kinds. Given how - Stacks of other topics from spa& bulkof what appears in the cheap it is to get into printand how weak exploration history to the arts should als media is s i ~ p l yirrelevant to their lives. the grip of the established mediais on also be part of a genuine revival of In the same way as science fictionthe bulk of people, it seems a shame not serious radical publishing in Brigin. science fact papers like Omni have to try. And the message for people who Equally, there is little problem in nambeen able'to estabtish a new publishing radical publications-in other word ing radical publications which, by that form which magazine buyers (and w o r d s almost anyone, in principle, admittedly demanding standard,. seem advertisers) involved in radical politics of any kindsimply aren't making it, just as there a new benerationof good political is that the start of this process has to are whole fields like whit the establishpublications ranging from be more good radical publications. The ment calls 'internatibnal affairs' about (like S w e K e s a ~ h )through ' pamphlets time islong past when which thftre isnot eiiough critical, and magazines all the way UP to daily opinion on its own was enough. The writingavailabk inBritain to cover a papersreal'y ought be distinctive base of radical journalism, pinhead. Anyone-want to lenwnderThis leaves a lengthy agenda for and i t s hallmark, ought to be fact, curre& a pillion pounds to take over British publishing. One vital struggle, and politically clear and thoughton distribution, is already being fought. t h e world?.: .~ >, Martin Ince Another, on official secrecy, looks; their friends would use, even i n the, pretty unwinnable at the moment and pejorative sense thatno doubtis' .' will probably have to await a future intended; presumably what~orester~~. left-wing Labour government, despite dislikes i s that they Q e imagination, the political andmanagerial hopelessThe Mickoelectronics Revolutionedited .,aquality not often found in industrial by Tom Forester Blackwell 589 pp. pb. ness o f official secrecy. What radical correspondents; Â£4.9 hb Â£ 6. . . All the pape,rsareeither American publishers ought to be doing i s to think through just what sort o f - . . TOM Forester used to be industrial '. &E1nglish, sothe excellent Nora material i s o f importance to people :Report is not even mentioned, which' ' correspondent for New society, now, publishing it in anaccessible as quite apart from i t s accounts for the heavy 'nuts and b o l t $ " ' *'re a!it~, form, and trusting peopleto use it .. . v i s i o w sections, which might not . emphasis of this collection of 41 appeal Forester, it contains some properly when. it is available. As Benn . papers. It i s billed as 'thecomplete excellent discussion o f howa strong ~. says, Fleet Street and i t s kin is one . , guide to the new technology and i t s starecandirect and drive forward the ' of the weakest arms o f the British. impact on and comes. 1 modernisationof a Society, which' state-if it went away, the only effec complete with nine $guidesto further .. on the real world is that tramps wou '."&tainly . ,.... would. reading' but there i s in factrather In sum, this i s a handy.collection have to think of someother form of. littleinitabout the political ofuseful essays at a reasonable price, blanket in the long winter nights.It quences of telewtics, apart from would be hard toimagine an instituwrightand John Garrett's Micro ..:, but rather dull. It reads like what i s is: a general reader for an (unspecified) tibn more ripe for replacement, and Is Beautiful from UC 28. introductory course on the new in an a& when technological change Geoff and John', Forester tells us, technology, a Telematics 101. means that it has got t o be replaced are 'romantics', certainly not a term anyway, it would be perverse to let Chris Hutton Squire ,

Benned On The Left iny Benn 'ArgUments for Socialism' Chris Mullin Penguin Â£50.6 pages. >NYBENN is caricatured by the right a totalitarian, threatening to impose viet styled communism on us all, d by the far left as a mealy mouthed brmer, destined to sell out the ~rking class, The truth must lie nnehwere in between these extremesthiscompilation of speeches tempts to show. Benn is essentially mlitician-someone who was decided operate in the world of parliameny and constituency politics. But ;interests range wider than thatr he clearly recognises that the work3 class power base is mainly outside parliament-in factories and o ces, ips and housing estates. He see s ite genuinely democratic-in the ise of offering himself as a leader represent theinterest of those who :ct him. He reacts to shifts in rinion in a fairly sensitive way-wen this makes him look inconsistent, over Concorde. That said, it still takes time for him change his views. He needs a clear monstration of a sound case and a ilitical constituency . . Take nuclear power for example. nn is still estentially pro-although has obviously become increasingly me of the hazards, and of the need r careful countermeasures to mpensate'for the inherently antimocratic nature of the Technology:There is no issue more urgent that the democratic control o f nuclear 'If Iam very doubtful power'. about the fast-breM6r reactor, as I am, and believe that any proposal to build one should be delayed, as I do, i t i s because Iam not yetsatisfled that our democratic machinery is strong enough to control this new development! 'en so he seems unable to accept that e technical, social and economic oblems of nuclear power outweigh ,, advantages: is not possible to abstract the nucleur component without running a serious risk which no Energy minister could recobmend'. And although he seems sympathetic to 'renewable' energy, he seems to have little grasp of their potential 7 can't sele it playing an enormous role within the next tyenty years! His technical perspective thus seems to be very much coloured by the ~epartmentofEnergy, some renewables might make small 'supplemerttary' contributions, but really it's all rather marginal at present. And of course

Tony Benn: A political Biography, by Robert jenkins, Waiters and Readers, Â£6.95,29 pp.

that's a self-fulfilling viewpoint, i f you continue to allocate peanuts to renewable~and hundreds of millions to nuclear. It seems strange that someone who so frequently rails against powerful vested interests, and admits that 'In my political We Ihave never know. such as weft-organised scientific, industrialand technicallobby as the nuclear power lobby ',should a cept it! definition of the viability of the alternativesand of appropriate funding levels. But pertiaps things have changed since he made the speeches which this book is made up of-most date back two yearsor more. In a recent speech at the press launch of the Labour ' "Party's ~onsulbtiveDocument on Energy, Senn commented that 'In this country with our oil and coal then is no doubt that we could manage without nuclear power! He added thai the real 1ong.term alternative was to turn to 'benevolent and benign

sources!

Ah),well everything takes time

...

Dave Ellio

for what* is.--a r djcal dissenter, wilp. all the strengths an only some of the weaknesses of that endangered soecies. The radical dissenters web in the vanguard of some of the great movements for change in the past -parliamentary re form, freedom of the press and of relfe. ion- or, further, back, the English Revblution. Beinn himself looks back to that revolution (see UC 20) precisely because his socialism comes from a utopian belief in the goodness and endless potential o f 'ordinary* people rather than ii in the inevitable scientific victory of 'history'. He began his parliamentary life(MP aged 25) as a radical intern@on alist, in direct, descent from the campaigns for a democratic foreign policy and 'collective security' in the 1900s apd 1930s. He developed during his campaign to renounce his peerage, which was fought by the stuffier bits o f the EstabIishment, and durin his experience at th( Ministry of ~echnofogyas "Wedgebenn of MinTech". Through the years following the 1970 election defeat, he became increasingly left-wing, culminating in the spell at the Department of Industry and', the press campaign that went with it. During his whole career, however, Benn'j public concern has been to liberate people. In his Wn-Tech phase, this was to be done by Technology. He changed his mind on this later, making statements about the dangers of undernochtic technology and demanding political discussions on matters viewed by others, especially civil'sewants,as 'technical'like nuclear power. Benn's ideal Britain would be the opposite of totalitarianmasses of infortpat' n, democratically run industries, Gove w e n t , press, everythlrtg. Power to the people! Jenkins' biography charts these evolutions, sou1 is also able to show a ve humah likable character, a man "gktously angry" with hisenemies. Doubts persist, however. A recent interview with Spare Rib showed how little Bern (in common with every other mainstream politician) has yet appreciated the politics of the personal. There is also his speech at the 1980 Labour Party conference, when he declared that the next Labour Governmentwould, within @ first few months of office, abolish the House of Lords, withdraw from the EEC and democratise industry. Of these three major objectives, the first two at leastait merely means not ends, removing obstac; les before seeing if they can be surmount ed. There is, it seems to me, something off-key about this, perhaps a distortion of priorities. It also appears to promise too much. So despite admiration for Benn, for a lot of his ideas, for the breath of fresh air he brings to the st& cigarette politics, Istiil feel like a s k i s could you buy a manifesto from this; .s man? Stephen Joseph

women ... who have gone on t o tape mixed-sex discussions i n their own workplaces. Their results have been consistent. Â¥m They have found men talk more, interrupt more and control the topics o f con'lan Made Language, Dale Spender, versation, and they have demonstrated toutledge & Kegan Paul, 250pp., these findings t o other women who have '4.95. also been incensed and who havt'ieterm' ",M MORE and more into politics ined t o change this pattern'-? do like it, but still. . . I'm so afraid I n the section on women writing i t is o lose my human side i n it. A wise o1 ' written o f Mrs. Gaskell: "As early as riend lectured me on it, a while ago: 1849 she 'looks back nostalgically at the hope that will keep me from losing unthinking lack o f responsibility of the ouch with the earth' - s o wrote a friend submissive wife as a state t o which she r a m Holland this Christmas. Now can never return' ". So married or not, ipender is political too -yet she i s a femi- responsible and not submissive you will list who Crires about other women and enjoy this book -even if you disagree! he is remarkably honest. This book i s * UC Collective+take note for linguists, feminists and also en as she covers such a wide specFiona Cantell rum o f ideas, feelings and facts. Her main uoint i s that men have led language and not allowed women we their own: that language i s sexist. J I go ~ beyond that and say language to us through wise women and wise From Hiroshima t o Harrisburg: the nen in the past and that women are unhbly alliance, J im Garrison, SCM esponsible for man taking i t over. We vent to sleep - i t i s time we woke up, as Â£5.50 275 pages. ipcnder shows us. 1 Chink i t i s a pity THIS IS at once a complex and hat she has put all the emphasis on men simple book. Simple, because it strings /auld have been so much more together familiar but useful accounts of ive t o have called i t Woman Made the development, use and aftermath o f -anguage; t o have cut out all the accusa- the atomic bomb and various civilian .ions against men; t o have gone back to nuclear accidents, culminating in the he roots o f the language where we all Three Mile Island near disaster. Complex, m e much to learn. because it tries t o explore the psycholoHer coverage o f the women's movegical and moral implications o f these nent i s very comprehensive and very events. pod found myself nostalgically Essentially nuclear technology, civilemembering conciousness-raising meetian or military, is seen as the devil incarn i t the beginning o f the 70's; remem- ate--or more accurately, as a visible de,g two fine American women. One monstration o f the evil that can be lad to be forciblv restrained from going wrought by human kind. But humanity o her crvine child -she had t o learn t o is not evil in itself: i t can triumph over i t s nuclear creations. And that means a moral commitment to the 'soft energy' path and a non-violence philosophy. ;>a we are brought back i n this book to an essentially religious prescription both for overall moral criteria and for practical strategic action. But not one that denies conflict. "If" says Garrison, paraphrasing Einstein, "the common people Fsid knew the truth about the situation, there would be agroundswell o f opposition so intense that the governments would be forced t o respond". Well with ANC and CND that seems to be happening -slowly. And J i m Garrison's book may help. Certainly it's good t o see civilian and military techno logy analysed together. But I'm not convinced that either moral outrage or individual 'religious' commitment will Her quotes from women speaking be sufficient. I n the end given the about their experiences with men are strength o f the opposition we will have ones most women can identify with, can to develop the collective political power learn from. Mixed-sex meetings must be to bring about a new social order. transformed after women read this: "I Dave~lliott have had reports from some o f the

nspeak

. .

Holy Smoke

Red River The destruction of Nature in the Soviet Union, Boris Komarov, Pluto 150 pp. Â£2.95 SOME few days in each midsummer or midwinter we would see the distant western hills beyond the great industrial city when the smoking factories closed down for their seasonal holidays. On our slightly rising ground i n the east the many streams run dark with coal debris, except one multicoloured marvel, which would by turns be blue as the Nile, or an Orange River or Red River, or a'~ yellow as the Hwang-ha, depending on what colour they had been producing at the paper mill upstream. When my uncle tolL me that this local Colorado had one- run pure and clean and that, as a boy he had tickled trout i n it, I listened unbelieving. Meanwhile my prairie cousins, like their counterparts in the dust bowls o f Oklahoma, were trekking after their farm as i t blew away across the plain. Hollywood even made a movie about it, so i t must have happened! So I, at any rate, have no difficulty in believing Komarov when he tells us that chemical smogs now pollute distant Siberia or how the light granular chernozem soils have blown away from entire collective farms in certain region' (perhaps Lysenko's 'schooling of the plants' was insufficient?). He tells how industrial effluents foul rivers and lakes, poisoning great fish-stocks. Soviet bolshevism has proved t o be no more succesful than western capitalism in balancing the biotic equation. Other Russian scientists share Komarov's concern, but they, and the existing State laws, are powerless against the overriding requirements o f 'National Defence'. Indeed the more devout apparatchiks consider vast Siberia and all i t s natural wealth a valuable strategic advantage in the global power struggle. We have heard of sheep killed in Nevada by radioactive fall-out: now Komarov tellsof irradiated deer in Siberia and o f the human victims of the Kyshtym disaster (UC 42). The Americans nearly let ott a 2U megaton bomb 'by mistake' the other day at Damascus, Arkansas: how long before one actually explodes in Siberia? Komarov's message is not (pace Trotsky) that the revolution has failed but that it has not yet begun. For the time he may be a prophet without honour in his country but he must soon be joined by other comrades. This i s a seminal book. Buy it. Gavin Steele

litter Harvest, Joyce Eggington. ecker & Warburg, 366pp. Â£9.9 iardback)

The second section deals with the events occurring after PBB had been declared the culprit -mass burials of cattle and other animals, insurance claims by the ~ humans, farmers, the effects of P B on etc. The final section deals with how people themselves reacted to the corporation concerned, to their health problems, and to sending contaminated cattle to market.

This book is worth reading i f you don't mind wading through some irrelevant iiaterial such as the life-histories of some of the farmers and a chapter on the chemistry of PBB, and if you have several weeks in which to read it. But ask your library t o order it, as Â£9.9 i s expensive for what it is.

4 THE spring o f 1973, some workers Lowana Vea om Michigan Chemical Corporation ere loading a lorry for Farm Bureau irvices, their agricultural subsidiary, ith magnesium oxide for cattle feed. here was a package - shortage - at the time I,instead o f using pre-printed, colour- Compost, Fertiliser and Blogas Production from Human and Farm Wastes In the ided bags, the company were using Peoples Republic o f China, International Development Research Centre, Box 8500, Ottawa, Canada, Eds. M. McGarry and J. Stainforth 1978, Can. $6 rdinary brown paper bags with the ade name stencilled in black ink. *THIS is a collection of translations by Lee Thim Loy from A compilation o f 1 the case of magnesium oxide, the data on the experience and sanitary management o f excreta and urine in the ade name was Nutrimaster. -village, published originally by The People's Hygiene Publisher, People's Republic Michigan Chemical Corporation of China. They describe in great detail how the various rural committees re-cycle lade many ot: er products as well, wastes in the village and render them harmless fom the human health point of view. Recycling human wastes onto the land 1s a traditional Chinese way ot icluding poly-brominated biphenyl fertilising their fields; the methods described here are simply improvements to 'BB), a fire retardant with the trade make it more efficient. ame of Firemaster. This was made There is no fancy equipment here, just simple and well designed works that . the same plant as was Nutrimaster. are shared i n public with the pigs and other animals. Most of the systems described n the day in question, the workers are for use by a whole village and are organised on a village basis through the advertently loaded some bags o f revolutionary committees. Waste collection and re-use, even the composted stuff iremaster onto the lorry instead o f that requires plenty o f spade work, i s therefore taken seriously and not left to the utrimaster; the lorry went o f f t o the lowest o f the low as a recognition o f their social condition. How many alternative arm Bureau Services at Battle Creek, technologists would be prepared to take a spell shovelling excreta, or, like the lichigan, where a semi-literate person udy in the picture have it stain their trousers? nloaded the bags without noticing Simon Watt M i n g wrong. The result was inevit>le-the toxic PBB was mixed into igh quality feed for dairy cows, the w s fell inexplicably ill,,and eventally much o f the land of Michigan i d the people who lived there were so contaminated by PBB. This is all very worrying and it's nportant that the story has come out, dibeit seven years after it happened. However, the book would be considerably better if it was shorter -it could be condensed by half without any .oblem. That said,Joy& Egginton (an Observ ccrresuondent) does provide an insight into the &rkingsof agribusiness farming (for many of the affected farmers were agribusiness farmers), large corporations, Government departments and the like She also gives a damning indictment of the professional ethos, asrelated to vets/doctors/lawyers not disThe Good Daughter-in-law cussing their colleagues/other clients. by Hsieh Chang-yi In the case o f the PBB mix-up, if there had been more communication between the affected parties the problem would "Early in the morning, the magpies cry, The newly-wed daughter-in-law is carrying excreta on a pole ave been solved much earlier, a point Liquid from the excreta stains her new trousers i.hat Egginton doesn't fail t o point out. The hot sweat soaks into her embroidered jacket The first section of the book The commune members praise her and mother is pleased culminates with the discovery that it All tell her she has got a good daughter-in-law." was PBB that had contaminated the feed.

Muck and Maoism

Another man. Heterosexual men are driven to abuse-womenbecause they can't directly &press the lovethey ha\ - - - -. 9 for each other". ment. Now these well-producedbooks The book which excited and taught 'The Men with the Pink Triangle', from recently founded Gay Men's Press me the most was 'Homosexuality atid Heinz Heger; show the strength ofgay men' thinking. Liberation' written fromthe militant 'Army o f lovers' Rosa von Praunheim; 'Men with the Pink Triangle' i s a and flamboyant Italian gay movement 'Come together', ed. Aubrey Walter; moving personal account o f the Nazi by a Marcuse in drag, a Tantric acid 'Homosexuality and Liberation, Marie queen politico called Mario Mieli. Mieli, all from Gay Men's Press, London persecution o f homosexuals, by a gay conceitration-camp victim who survived. It's written with clarity, stunning per% 1980, Â£3.95except Heger Â£2.25 Tens o f thousands died from hunger, al frankness. and outraeeous eav humour. cold, torture, and medjc~.'experiments', it's also thestrongest male contribution "PRISONS ARE built with Bricks of sometimes too fram by thered to sexual politics theory Iknow of. -politicians* had failed to shame" -Oscar Wilde, while in Reading Mieli deploys evidence from Kinsey's jail on an infamous sodomy bust. With stop the ~~i~ by vqueer-baitingn over 1948 survey -only 50% reported no gay another big show trial happening,(of the ~~h~ and ,-o(purged as 'communist experiences. He draws on ethnological PIE executive) it's likely that the moral perverts*in 1934, the same yearstalin studies of the naturalness o f homosexpanic will result in further sackings, rounded up gays as 'fascist degenerates'). uality in primates, domestic and farm attacks and harassment. Not just against grmyo f ~ o w r scontains l sensitive animals, and other species. One chapter 'paedophiles'but against gay men, interviews with figures from all corners surveys the rise of Western Christendom lesbians, then the women's movement, of the vast U.S. gay male movement Old and the shift of labelling from heresy to then.. . . timers tell o f being gay in the 30's and sin and crime (capital offense, in ScotAh yes, need to protect these SO'S, respectable Integrationists tell of land until 1889) to the 'toleration' o f minorities over there! Equal rights? tea on the White House lawn (gay as the sickness and abnormal constitutional All for it! Don't mind Jews in our anti-1; ~~h~ ~~~h~ c~ampions sex in 'types '. fascist leagues. so long as they streets, parks and toilets as revolutionary Mieli demolishes the various osvchoorganise as Jews. Blacks wekime. . but (gay is different); gay leftists and anarch- analytic put-downs of gayness, but in leave the at home please comrades. is& denounce businessco-optation and We even have gays at our socials. . do christian a ~ ~ ~ l ~ you-mind? . . .there are children present! gays of general Poor straight Left! Every time it exnormality of gay love in non-westem tends a benevolent hand of 'tolerance' (imperial&m as towards 'the gays', there i s always some and an ,^a ^lover crazy faggot ready t o bite its fingers .. . hepsexperience* whole neighbourhoods or grope for its flies. in the heartlands o f (working-class) It's the difference between a 'minority', hh he ,natud, for boys to i as in People with Red Hair (can't help .fwm my rh*ns ^ other and 1 it) -and 'minority' as in People with ' older men. Arses, say. 'Come Topthet' reprints articles ' I It's taken me tenmyearsto finally come graphics from the crMia~ gayLiber, come to accept where gay liberation is ation proht period of the U.K. gay moveat -and *'" analysis itself. Two quotes from Freud: ment, 1970-73. Editor Aubrey Walter of Us. I'm fed UP IivÃˆÃ under a cloud cont*butes a fine Introduction (1) 'the basis of taboo is a prohibited shame and guilt, fed On action, for performing which a strong _marred only when he future trips about one leg, running frorp myself, fearing inclination exists in the unconscious'. test-tu be babies! that ecstacy . . 1 need man-love in my The heady excitemeritof,iex~lution- (2) 'in all of us, throughout life, the life. ary breakthrough is admirably conveyed, libido normally oscillates between male In an uptight hetero world belnaga~ and female objects'. the enor by cbrnftg^ut means being 'different', being forced to For Freud and the Body-Freudians and together. In many ways think. L@*imshave w c h of is clo%st thing have Eros is 'polymorphous', i.e. bodily love in the Women's move- ageneralmodetvf beginning with desire for our Mum and how revolutionary ourselves, tending naturally to embrace energy is.genekayI. everybody else. This 'trans-sexual' desire Waite'rYtyments the range of underlies surface splits of innerlauter, a h organisatF6nal inventions -awareconscious/unconscious, self/community, ness, local and functional groups, cornself/Nature. munes, think-ins. The articles chosen But 'forced to repress his 'feminine' reflect various, discussions and chronicle component in order to identify with his a range-of combative and fun interventfather, the boy is obliged t o repress, too, ions (sit-ins against pub-landlords and his own propensity t o be giving, tender, the Notting Hill police, guerillatheatre sensual, maternal'. Mieti then spells out at a Festival of Light rally, gay days in t h e grievous costs of this 'Normal* London parks). exclusive development and its concomWhat came over strongly for me was itant of the anus. realising yet again how gay activists He makes cogent and original connectwere-still are-streets ahead o f most ions with a vast range o f symptoms and 'anti-sexist men'. Take this from March behaviors which I can only list: '71 for example: "Every expression of chronic guilt and shame; manhood is a reassertion o f cock privil- ' o f women. alienated sexege.. .straight men abhor homosexuality objectification, genital fixhtion; because o f their inability and inadequacy - when it comes t o expressing love for (c) obsessional neurosis -fear of-,

Come - ----- out. come out

H w

Undercurrents44 leads directly to his suggestions for strategy (apart from alliance 4th the (d)'competitide jealousy arid envy, women's movement whose lead he ackinability to live in communes; nowledges while insisting on the specific(e) submission to Father figures, ity of gay expression as part of the worship of superstars; dynamics oflPatriarchy-a word he (f) - Â¥worethic, consumerism, the doesn't use). voyeurism of the Spectacle, porn; He acknowledges the depth ot straight (g) compulsive swearing and macho men's fears -but stresses also the power cdmradeship, alcoholism; of their fascination: 'we homosexuals (h) aggressive male bonding in sport, can recognise the secret lover in those patriotism, politics and religion; who mistreat and chastise us' (c.f- the general paranoia -look out behind (i) ambivalence of: 'I'd like to get my hands you! no backsliding! Everywhere Mieli looks he recognises On him'.). I"'"every taboo, of shib gayness, whether explicit or more often conceals rich delight beneath repressive sublimated, extraverted, denied. It's disgust. He stakes his life on the possithis awareness o f a m h l e n w which , bility of drawing on these locked .

, , touching, hugging;

Dave Reeves organises Dudley Poetryf centre, a group whose main function is putting on evenings of poems, pints and music in bars in the Dudley area, taking their work to a wider audience. Dave himself has worked in pubs, clubs, art centres, colleges and schools with a one man show, the 'Poetry Vaudeville' using verse and satire with props and masks. In such ways i s the anti-nuclear message spread! ^.-"%-?./E.'Â 'You we my sunshine, (version) &?@$$ Ãˆ...., 'Atomic b w e i ? .. Isaid 'No thank you' Now look around ydd the world's a * grave This couldn't happen. I know they told me, And this has corneas suite a shock wavi My body's blistered, I must have acw For 1 know there's tight control On radiation, to stop the nation From becoming a rather large hole. I combed my-hair and it left me forthwith I keep my nails in an old snuff tin, My eyes are running, there's pools of pupil And ash shadows where mv friends have been. Dave Reeves 4,Sr-f,.

..-.a,*:

'You get exposed to asmuch mdiation sleeping next to^someoneas you do from the whole o f the nuclear programme' quote from radio 4 she slept next to an atom bomb primed and ready to explode she lay in the arms of a nuclear waste b u t me she wouldn't hold her built in geiger counter would peak at my approach you could see the pain scorch through her brain, her eyes red Overload then she must have slept with a neutror bomb -I.* .. iished leaving all that she owned.

off energies, having them availableas insight, courage and passionin a piearable and wily way of attrition: gay de^H versus machismo brutalism and paranoia; Hence his strategy ('anti-strategy') is directly therapeutic and theoretically elegant, if terrifyingly bold: Raise the stakes, lead with our arses, seduce the straights and spread the contagion! 'We need ihen, who today are so phallocratic, to accept that ej % I too are pregnant with a lillje that is not be aborted, a #femininityvthat must not be crushed by the deadly destiny of this male dominated society'. Come on in, the water's lovely! Keith Motherson

Rig-out -

, understanding of the technology they w is reduced; the whole 'labour process' of energy production i s further sub-divided; fe. ; wfc'ataw whilestrategically important groups of.:' Nuclearpower- the ringed debate, workers (e.g the coal minersrare outBritish Society for Social Responsibillflanked. ty in Science, (Polland St., W.C.1) 60p, The anti-nuclear movement, for its 36 pages. I part, focusses unduly on the 'technical* BSSRS has been debating the nuclear problems, ignoring the political reason; for nuclear power. issueinternally for several years. This Similarly the alternative technology pamphlet and the ntinuing ',Politics of movement: Energy' seminar se i e s is ~ a valuable contribution to the task of developing a poli- ....I 'Proposals for 'alternative sources of. tical analysis of nuclear power. Mind you energy' misleadingly identify the probftli it's only a start -the analysis Is still only as the centralisationand capital intens-. half complete, tortuous in places and, at ive character Sf ftuclear technology rather than the capitalist relatives of times, a little weak. The emphasis i s on the state's role in supporting ~ ~ p i t a l i s m production which its technical division of labour embodies". -with nuclear power seen not so much Ah well, we'll just have to try harder: in terms of a way of providing energy, but rather as a technology for increasing as BSSRS says " 'alternative technology' won't become 'radical technology' the power of the state and the multiI wi nationals. I Dave Elliott Increasingly worker<control over an

EL- Ã‘_,..-..-. in anutshe// is a cheerfulcartoon introdiictionrecydedfrom Stephen Croali and Kaianders Sampler's Nudear,?oner for Beginners into a SERA ~iarnohlet160o oast free from 9 Poland St.. ,London W1>. -A new s-it-~arrisbuiedition of NPFB is &ing soon from @nners Book* ~

Gn'S iove',at the ashram, or ba6k fci,tHe West. It is a glimpse o f a different world, moving to the extent that one does nbt find it far-fetched. The motives given bv 'seekers' fall into two categories -the desire to change The transformation prescribes sounds oneself#and the search. for God- Most like an unireamed-of bargain: give up felt a form of calling towards Bhagwan, being a machine and attain the presence through a photograph, a book, a taped o f God. -personal magnetism from afar? This talk of the #presenceof ~ ~ .d lecture * Many felt that being with Bhagwangave highlights one of the problems of the them something to live for, a reason for book -such dnceptsas Life, Truth, being. Many felt thatthey had 'come Love, Bliss, Reality,' not p mention B h a g ~ being n aliving manifestation of home', virtually all loved Bhagwan, and. God,we are really freely, without invert- felt loved by him. Life, as most of us ed comma's or definition or qualific&tion,', live it, is obviously inadequate. . . Bhagwan's methods o f effecting i n a manner as straight forward as the use of more mundanevocabulary. Here, - 'transformation' are unorthodox and it must be admitted, the goats and the often dramatic. Apart from his discourse.(l 112 hour lecture he delivers, sheep must part company -even the withoaltnctes. every morning, without benevolent sceptic is unlikelytoaicept such terminology i t face value, whatever fail). he h&s evolved a unique synthesis . of contemp6rary radical'psychiatric that face value might be.: ., The language of thebook reflects- , ' ,therapy, with various forms of meditation -some contemplative, others more the author's commitment to Bhagwan. She does not hide her.feelings of warmth and emotional involvement with the events, experiences and fee ings she describes. While her style is lucid, and her material well-struct she .is frequently carried away by enthusiasm. "The sight o f so many dressed in their bright people. . local Indian population. The techniques colours [disciples must wear are merciless, often brutal, 4th the was like watching the flowers in a gard, justification that the pain and damage en come alive and dance their way around the lustif9liage o f the surround- caused b y ones Past must be before 'growth' can take place. The ing landscapep. he book a , pr0tecti.m is Bhagwan's 'God-ness'; t to of the Poona ashram's way oflife as it - he knows e x ~ t l ~ w hisahappening every0ne* appears to various newcomers, traces The personal accounts d a t e d by Ma their reaction's, feelings, acceptanqd m a r t i are nothing if not extrasannyas (ditcipleship) and the numerous . . ordinary. The warning given in the meditation and therapy groups recommended-by Bhagwan, The charact- book's introduction, could also serve as a warning to a Hammer Horror film. ers described are not 'de facto' persons, 'the effect can be shattering1. One would but amalgamsof various people inter1 presume, therefore, that if you feel h q viewed for the book. ~ ~ ; B traces the 'journey into theunknown' from the Bhagwah is calling You, You will eventfirst stirringsof an impulse towards' ually go. If not, and y o u d o n o t dismiss

Bhagwan,anyone? 'The Ultimate Risk > Encountering Bhagwan Sree Rajneesh, by Satya Bharti, Witdwood House Ă&#x201A;ÂŁ7.5 I

SITTING on the fencewhere myst;m is concerned is extremely: .. comfortable. Confronted with the idea that the 20th C. now has i t s own .Christ, living in Poona, India, facilitat.' ing the 'enlightenment' o f thousands of disciples, the maj'ority from the West, and creating a 'Buddhafield' of positive energy capable o f transforming people on a global scale, i s rather a huge lump t o swallow. ' However, the attempt made by Satya Bharti to render the uncommunicable pmehow accessible to the non-commit-~ ted reader, is a brave one, and the . result fascinating, if not always credible. ' Bhagwan is supposed to be a 'Master', that is, someone who has attained 'selfrealisation' or 'enlightenment' and if , 'now in a position to guide others in the same direction. (Eje puts himself inthe elevated company of past Masters such as Christ, Buddha. Lao-T%. @c.). . '-'.'Theway to follow his path is the eastern tradition of a Masterdisciple relationship, involving total surrender of the latter t o theformer; an attitude aliento the West, with I t s emphasis on individual responsibility'and going-it-alone. ,' Bhagwan states that the mind o f Western m d i ~has becom6ofer-developed at , the expense of the heart (and soul?), therefore surrender must be of the whole person, to a superior person (Master). Only that way can a 'trans/.formation of the self' take place, with 6 the tricks andsubtleties of the mind by;' passed. . the 'ultimate risk'of the title is the disappearance o f the ego, which must go'in order for the 'true s e l f t o emerge . (apparently it is always there, but we are blind'to it). Bhagwan's methods . lead to 'a form o f suicide' b that the r e a l self can be born. Rather drastic, one might think, but according t o . . Bhagwan drastic remedies are needed for astic problems. We must be >shoe ed out o f the prison we have create d for ourselves. Alone, we cannot do . . i t-hence the surrender t o Bhagwan, from which point onwards 'things begin to happen'. ' What if we don't feel imprisoned, or & n e e d o f 'transformation'? Apparent(y, not to know that one' i s imprisoned isa greater sickness than recognizing . t h a t one is. I n our normal states we are :&ply machines (to borrow an expressi o n from the Russian 'Master' purdjieff), ..$ d the spiritual turning-point is the feeling o f horror at being a machine,

A .

...

description

CHEVIOT HILLS BENEATHÃˆTH SURFACE

your conesppndent, we do NOT divide the world simphtically. You with your softy left world view are thus always forced to categorise anyone whom you cannot understand (you do NOT even understand us well enough to "disagree" with us) as "reactionary" or the like. It takes us several years to TEACH people to think,rather than to react in simple cliches as with your correspondent: e.g. "left wing socialists", "the liberals", "the working class", "christians", "CND", "the trade unions", "the upper class". We concern ourselves with INDIVIDUAL people, NOT CATEGORIES. Unfortunately to think thus takes work; work which the soft left will NOT apply - the slogans are an easier route than thought. As for the Alternative Communities Movement being out of the "mainstream". We receive some thousands of enquiries each year and NOT just from the oh so narrow milieu of what you wish to label "the mainstream". I suggest that you took at the real world beyond the two or three unstable, disorganised, inward-looking commmunes who claim to be the a "mainstream" of the "commune movement". We do NOT make any such claim but we do offer by far the most efficient source of information on communes in this country and probably worldwide. Perhaps you would prefer to ignore mere facts in your pursuit of rationalising your prejudices. As for our own eccentricity, we run one of the most effective non-marriage based, non-religious communes in the world. We have built this from scratch while all , around us similar efforts flounder. Again we prefer to let the facts "speak" louder than words or mere theory. Kevin of The Teachers 18, Garth Road, Bangor, Gwynedd

I was puzzled by the reference in your news piece "Spot the Radical" (UC 43) to the Cheviot Hiis inquiry. YOU say it, was I N DEFENCE OF "dominated by the Ramblers TELEVISION Association and countryside I have been reading UC for a groups". If you mean they are long time now, and I find myself the groups rich enough to be able in agreement with a high to play the inquiry game and proportion of the articles which naive enough to want to, then I appear in it. Occasionally, su pose they dominated jointly However. an article appears which wifh Northumberland County makes me despair for the future Council and the Cheviot Defence of radical dissent in this country: Action Group which also had such an article was Life Without lawyers. Television? (UC43), Tyneside Anti-Nuclear Forgive me if I am wrong but I Campaign boycotted the inquiry had always understood that the because it believed that to ultimate aim of radical dissent varticiuate was to lend credibility was to achieve a freer and more to a total farce. Anyone who ceful society. Does it really drew conclusions about the ave to be spelt out to Jerry inquiry from only odd days Mander that freedom springs from would have missed the TANC, increased knowledge, and that FOE and othedgroups' fast day increased knowledge is dependent picket, the spontaneous on open channels of communidisruption and song (by "other cation? To speak of "eliminating" groups"), and the leafletting, television is about as enlightened three separate occasions when the as burning books writtefi by inquiry was disrupted by people whose opinions differ invisible radiators" four of ' from our own (as wellas being whom were arrested and the last completely unworkable in day wreath laying ceremony in practice in anything other than a the snow. They will also have totalitarian state). missed street theatre at the I am not so naive as to believe Cheviot rally and in Newcastle that all is well in television: at least emphasising that the inquiry is a 90% of the material broadcast is farce, and a documentary by Ian designed to induce stupor, Bleach. obedience to and acceptance of Nationally the press have thestatusquovia escapist fantasy; emphasised the "country folk of certain allegedly impartial Northumberland who want to be documentaries are deliberately toft in peace" but locally other biassed to misinform the public. viewsarbbeing heard. TANC However, as someone with five believes that not tp participate in and a half years of experience the inquiry was the right course. working in a busy public library, We are trying to communicate our I can assure you that by far the experiencesso that hopefully the most popular books are those next inquiry has a tougher time which cater for escapist fantasies than the Cheviots inquiry. (eg. CoUiis Crime Club If UC does not notice the mysteries). On this basis should grass roots campaigning that is a books be banned? of course, not. feature of anti-nuclear group; in The book has the potential to Newcastle then other group? might be discouraged from liberate individuals instead of "alternative responses" by the continuing to enslave them, assumption that only the visible because certain peopleare at work in the medium of print who face of the inquiry counts. care about freedom. In the same way, people are working within Jane Gifford (TAN0 OBSESSED WITH ~ ~ ~OBSESSION? ~ ~ , the BBC and ITV who care too. 6 sununerhill T Such~eopleshould be given every ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ t l article ~ on deprogramm~ About the encouragement by the radical ing in UC40: community at large: without We would like to carry more How important are all these them, alternative ideas stand less news ofgrass-root campaigns apparently nutty new cults like chance of reaching a wider public. we do. H ~given our ~ ~ ~ Obviously ~ ~ the Moonies? they Boycotting such a powerful limited resources and o w seem to suck in people who want medium is only cutting off one's inevitable London b l i n k s , we ' t0 be told what to do: probably, nose to spite one's face. and helps rely on groups like TANC they also re-inforce this desire the ideals of the status quo to the initiative and sendingus with conditioning techniques. pass unchallenged. reports of their activities, with a But there are 'lder "ganisations In conclusion, I believe that black and white photo if possible. which also suck in such people, television is a neutral, benign like the Pope's and the evangelical instrument, and that comparisons THE TEACHERS AND Christians! One can hear in the with narcotics or with nuclear CLICHES so-called "mainstream" Christians weapons are so absurd as to be exactly the same kind of blind We are aware that it is extremely hilarious. Surely our job i s to certainty one gets from Moonies, make the medium work not only difficult for you or your conesHare Krkhnaites and some kinds pendent Rose Manson (UC43) to for a certain segment of the of M*x*s. community as at present, but for grasp easily our eccentric views. But, more disturbingly, one ~ o s Manson's e total experience of all df it. can also notice it in rail freaks us was during a crowded Stephen D. Morgan Alternative Communities Movearguing that the traditional steam engine is "really" more efficient ment meetin ,your own "Edd ystone", than a diesel engine, also in wind experience of us even less, 167, Sandy Lane, comprising h e m y and prejudice. power enthusiasts and followers Upton, of any ether human activity. I We are NOT right wing or left Poole, have even seen it in BOYScouts. wing. Unlike both yourselves and Doiset , .

pea

The problem IS that people are liable to turn almost any activity into a religion. Why is this a problem? i.e. what is a religion h~ this sense? The problem is that a p e r m in this state is unbalanced in his development. I suspect that this is what the traditional caster] teachings are really about. What they call for is balanced development without obsession. From this point of view almost everyone is a sort of cultist (including the psychiatrists, of course, but because they an ordinary human beings). I alsd suspect that this is the real reason why anarchism, cooperation, free association and so on don't become the normal way of behaving; not because there is a repressive state outside but because there is a state of unfreedom inside most people. Some choose the scientologists ta give them orders, others the Moonies, others the ordinary processes of the society. In the past ex-communists used to become Catholics. Some became fascists. No doubt quite often ex-Moonies become attached to some other similar organisation. One may also note that niost obsessed"veo~lehate other people's obsessions. But what we have to do is avoid obsession as such. George Matthew 29 Brookside Road, Wfdrne, porset BH212BL

REALITY AND THE EIGHTIES After rereading my own article i UG42 much improved after rewriting by Comrade Hutton Squire, I happened to notice an article by Geoff Wright modestly entitIe&Uanifestoforthe EÃ§hti It strikes me as a stream of personal prejudice and wishful thinking happily unaware of either reality or logic. Just to take one sentence: "The British Labour Party has passed some appalling legislation influenced by the profoundly authoritarian and puritanical ~nature ~of traditional ~ Marxism." ~ ~ Well, for a start the Labour Party has never been, is not and hope never will be, a Martdst organisation. here is an , assortment of people who call themselves "Marxist" in the Party but they are very much in a minority. What do you want anyway, Geoff, a McCarthyrte purge? I have always gone on the theory that anyone who claims ti have read more than half a dozen x pages o f ~ a r continuously without falling asleep is probably lying. What is this "appalling legislation" that Geoff Wright refers to anyway? The National Health 'service? social security? Sex Comprehensive schools? ~ i ~ ~ i ~ i~me n t ~ ?t i ~ ~ Employment protection ~ a y ' suggest 1 that eith r Geoff Wright is specific when he makes such accusations of that h<

not to have a telephone? action - bottled& aregreat There is no sense of limits in for focuaring pubK%attention on Gooffs article, either economic , or ecological. There is no sense of the problems but at the end of struggle, of conflicting interests in the day it will be a change in government policy and the law a finite world, of the harsh that will make the recycling of political and'economic realities sticks to subjects he knows . of the 1980s that we have to cope waste mandatory. If FOE'S lomething about? with campaigning is so ineffective .---. The rest of the article strikes . There are no supreme saviours, why has the nuclear industry me as a series of pious good bffin reduced to advertising neither'God, nor Castro,nor intentions with little or ho "nuclear power is a friend Tony Benn. If we aregoing to Strategic conception of how to create the libertarian, ecological, 'the earth '?? feet there. socialist society we will have to For example his society of Maggie HaU do so ourselves. The most any "genuine democracy and Kensington and Chelsea FOE * government4however radical, freedom" would include "A right 52, Landsdowne Rd. could do is to facilitate, with t o work and to create wealth. London Wl1 helpful legislation or at least Who is oing t o grant us this refrain from interfering too much. ''right"? Mrs. Thatcher? Cod? FOESTRIKES BACK What we must do is get away The "authoritarian and f d m "demand politics" both in The enclosed information sheet puritanical" Labour Party? the Keynesian sense of if you 1 includes a list of staff (updated). I Then there is "A guaranteed have a problem then throw tax' would appreciate if you could let minimum income foreverybody working or not-in the form of the payers'money at it and it will go us know how you managed to calculate that k employ two or Negative Income Tax". This could away, and in the sense of putting "demands"on others: the state. three administrators for every mean 3 different things: the employers or even the local campaigner. ,i ) that social security payments councils. We have to learn to solve This is not a rhetorical should be as of right and not ~roblemsourselves. and Hearnine question; we would l i e a reply. ,discretionary as at present to solve them coll&tively as w& '&}that employers are compelled J m i Read as individually is. for me. what to pay a minimum wage socialism is about. FOE iii) that low wage; are subsidised Once I saw on the wall at 9, Poland Street, up to a tolerable level bv means London Wl V 3DG of the progressive taxation system freedom Press a notice which said, "When we have strangled , . This could become a sterile being extended downwards so to the last capitalist in the guts of speak which is what "Nezative argument: how about a list o f the last bureaucrat . we shall &me Tax" means. F d ' s full and pat-time staff, still have problems." All 3 are differezt and they all with d o r y levels, to settle the I have never seen or heard ahave ~roblems.For example. matter? truer word. .&t 'if people would ratlier work OXFAM HANDBOOK < for less than the minimum wage? ' John Bradbrook ' Another of Gooff's proposals In your last edition(UC43) , struck me as rather odd; namely , 23, Offord Road, you published a review by Penny "severely limit the powers of London N1 J Clouite --- .~of the Oxfam Field local bureaucrats so as to make Directors'Handbook. Having BATTERED FRIENDS the creation of "backyard worked for three years in the I have been moved to reply to. industries' possible". Education Devartment I find your "FOE BATTERING" Is that not precisely what pernicious -Pennv - ---- floutte*s -- (UC43). article Michael Heseltine is tiying to summary of 0&rn9s education Of course there is dissension achieve with his "free ente m a a m m e s unacceptable. What and argument at the coordinators zonqs'? Well, 1am for ' ' b a g g d shedescribes ...--.- hears no relation conference (and at all subgroup jnduatriesl'if it is meant by that whatsoever tothe thinking meetings); that is what they're ~ u i n cooperatives e or behind our materials and our for. dmmunity workshops. Yet ohiloso~hv. . . In fact it is totally A FOE meeting without loud 'sorelv we should think twice contrary. Penny Cloutte's critique and healthy debate would belike ' before scrappingall controls byis damainng, false and nasty. We the proverbial Tory conference 'local bureaucrats such as the would liketo issue her with an with the bland leading the bland. ~lanninc.health and safety. invitation to come and talk to us. I'm pleased your statement pollution control, fire regulations Joan Wright andsoon. that "thereare 2-3 administrators1 secretaries for every campaigner" Clearly a balance needs to Oxfam (Education Dept.) was prefaced by the word be struckhere but it would seem 274, Banbury Road, "sunposedly". to me that Geoff Wright's brand Oxford OX2 7DZ Did you dais the directors as of pragmatic anarchism is closer " Penny replies: Over the past 15' administrators? They are most ' to modem Conservative thinking years I have variously collected definitely campaigners. And what for, worked with and struggled than it is to socialism - of any about the 3 people at FOE ' tariety. aeainst Oxfam.and I find Joan Trading? Are they neither or both? &$tt t hterquite typical o f an Yes, we should look again at the black economy but not Oxhm reswnse to,en'ticism. The The administrator?answer uncritically. Yes Labour councils hundreds of emmmes from or&nisat&n is rarely criticised in lometime8 do act in a ham public except from the Daily individuals, schools etc. each handed authoritarian fashion week and supply information Telegraphendof the political but is there not some need to mecham: their ies&se is re~ularlvto 250 active camnakn- control sweatshops and exploitsine oips around Britain. & a l l y 3Gronged: tiÃˆ workingconditions which w i t c u t this service localgroup I ) Adopt a tone of outraged campaigns would be less effective. innocence: 21 Sbflv smear t h e ' still exist today? I don? want to be totally FOE staff work around twice the motives, a'ndpaiticu~ariythe accuracy ofyour critic, while at 4itmissive of Geoffs article which normal hours per week for half the same time avoidingany discontains some rood ideas, Yet it the nationalaverme ware It cussion of the substance of the did h*w a pervasive ail of @If&" amazes me that they remain as unreality about it. &yd3 ' available for informal chats and as criticism;31 End with an invitation to an intormal emotionally stable as they do! He says that: "A basic condition [for what?] would have o f course, we need &re discussion, on their territory. campaigners but the recession t o be that everybody [his This pattern is almost exactly has hit the conservation the same as that adouted bv the empKasis1 sh0 . movement too. tt-s a sad fact that senior management o f ~ a & y s telephone as a % % % a n Bank to dial with shareholderd t " And this in a world the money belongs to the e who critidsed the Bank's suwmrt half the ~ ~ ~ U l a t ldo ' O not n mluters and destroyers of this Have access to fresh water! ' world. for the South ~ f & a nsystemof What about the human right apartheid, it is typical of their As for your comments on-

Letters

~~-

..- -. --. .

V i e uno-litgdversiofmfwif ' review illustrated every w i n t with qbtations from

he i-l+iwk

or other Oxfam publications. If she wishes to continue the discuxion as to whether or not the effect of her Depahent k materials is 'subtly racist ' I am happy to meet her; it was never my intention to malign the intentions of Oxjam staff,only to draw attention to certain undesirable effectso f the organisation k practice.

is.'lJ

,,'

DINOSAURIANA

.& When reviewing books one'has a cho'ce One can take an objective vie* which is hard and unless one is a specialist rarely done, or one can take the subjective path where a good reviewer will avoid with second nature all the traps and pitfalls therein. However UC43 we see Chris HuttonSauire. normally an.astUte observer, take quite a tumble Kirkpatrick Sale's Z 2 i % a l e . milst I agree that the theory behind Human Scale i! shaky in part, still worse is an attempted refutation based on a still shakier theory. Mr Sauire is offended by sales sense of natura history where he asserts that the downfall of the dinosaurs can be explained by their excessive size. However Mr Squire offers as a refutation 'Vdikoviskian catastrophe theow*c d e that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by a meteorite strikin; the earth 100 million years aso. and that the resultingclimatic . changes ended their reign. This Mr Souire claims is the 'modem -view' yet he has fallen into the trap of ignoring the fact that we can onlv define a 'modem view' by consensus and there is no consensus where catastrophe theory is concerned, its proponents being few indeed. A more accurate summary of the 'modern 01 consensus view' tc which Kirkpatrick Sale is a great deal closer than Chris HuttonSouire is that whilst small creatures adapted to particular niches can mimic the strategy of ecosystem development, larger animals such as the dinosaurs wit1 less genotypic diversity and greater phenotypic fragility who have evolved more linear4 cannot. In the case of the d i o k u r s size is indeed a relevant factor in limiting their adaptation and hybridization in a world of constant evolution. Frank & 86a, Falkland Road, London Nil Â

GETTING ITRIGHT We were distressed to read in UC42 a letter bitterly attacking u; for an article we were supposed tc have contributed to a previous . issue (UC39). Writing that letter. Ina May Gaskin from The Fann 11 Tennessee, is understandably upset at the tone of the article which she felt was critical and sarcastic. In turn, we are upset, that the article was primed in ihc

naercurrents

Letters first place; it was never our intention that it should be. Last vear we visited a number of cominunitics in Amerifd which were open to visitors. We liaii both lived at Lifcsp~n Community in Yorkshire >ind warned to enrich our expsricn~e of communal living hv \isnine other groups and learning from them. We chose groups of particular interest to us, among them the farm - mainly because they advocate a wholesome vegan diet, educate their children themselves, and because they h-ve succeeded in building up a ique community of some 1,000 ople which has thrived for over lecade. Unlike at other places. visitors 10 the Farm are able to stay only UD t o three days. Impressions &ned in sucha short time are limited but nevertheless valuable. Our first impressions were mixed and we've been able to discuss them more fully with others who also have experience of the Farm. As for the offending article; it started life as a quickly written private letter from Dennis to a friend of Lifespan who thought fit t o print an "edited" version in Communes Network. There it was seen by Undercurrents who asked for permission to reprint it, didn't receive that permission but printed it anyway. On returning t o Eneland we saw this private stream-of-thoughts and first impressions parading as a serious article, supposedly written by Muffy as well, in this magazine. If we'd been asked in the first vhce we might have felt able to k i t e an article that conveyed our considered opinions and one that would have been less us.

We don't wish to answer Ina May's letter through these columns, nor to defend or apologize for Dennis's letter, but we are sorry that it's been published and has uoset them down on the Farm.. "Get it Right" is the headline given to Ina May's letter. We trust that UC will follow this adivce and in future take more heed of its own copyright procedure. Muffy Brown Dennis Ash

266 Barnsley Road Sheffield 4 We're sorry for any distress we may have caused by reprinting Muffy and Dennis 'letter, which was sent to us as part o f copy for the International Communes Newsletter No. 1. Obviously we didn't know that it was a private letter published without permiision; yes, we should have asked. CJLHS.

PATRIARCHY EXPLAINED I have never written twice to anyone in the same year before, but the confusion displayed by Rosemary Randolf (UC43) is enough t o break any tradition. Her confusions which could onlv have been produced by a committee (not a collective!) are all contained in the 3rd paragraph of her letter. I don't think it is sexist to suggest that our creative energy is sexual either; but it is extremely reptessive t o suggestive sexual creative energy follows anv vattem other than the sexual responses of its creator. Yes. an understanding of sexual repression is essential in creating a different type of society: the first item in this understandine is that sexual repression is something men do to women. To talk of forces derivine from vatriarchv is t o indulgein a dangerous mystification. Patriarchy is a system of action in which men collaborate t o the advantage of their sex. Men are the actors (and beneficiaries) of patriarchy. Sexual repression, as a force deriving from patriarchy, is something men do t o women. I hope this is clear. Just for the record, despite being autosexual and writing this letter myself, I did not gel an orgasmic cycle. Grumbleweed Green and Orange Tent, 6 Acre Field, Kepples Farm, Abingdon, Oxon.

WATER POWER? I am looking for information on the invention of "the water engine". (I mean from water in your tank getting hydrogen t o run your car.) I'd like t o know if vou have heard about this kind of nvention or done research on it in Ctical Britain? It' a m o n e ha'i i n i o n i u t ~ o non this cuuld they sendit to me? I can pay for photocopies. Bernard Estavez

33 st. ~lphone-Luceville, Co. Rimouski, P.O. Canada: GOK IEO I have t o tell you the same thing I told "Vole": the Ecology Party is not Jonathan Porritt who, thanks to the 3 year rule, no longer holds any office; nor are his views either party dogma or even dominant. The vartv mav still be a tangled webbut it deserves your serious attention; the various strands are being teased out and the major ones identified. You ought to note that the annual conference again chucked out the proposal to elect a leader; chucked out a second attempt to lift the 3 year limit on holding office: rejected all the National ~ o u n r i proposals l to amend the constitution; look away from the Ndtional Council thc rieht to make proposals t o conference. The party is also unilateralist,

for withdrawal from the Eb:C against nuclear power, for zero economic growth, for a universal right to a living wage without a wage stop, for legalising cannabis use, decentralist etc. etc. I t also has plenty of faults. Don't we all? Dick Frost N.W. Regional Coordinator Rose Cottage Lowgill, Lancaster 2 Alan Farleigh's hasty dismissal of the Ecology Party (UC43)is vremature. It is almost two Years since 5 minutes television time was bougln at the cost of 53 lost denosits in the ~ e n e r a elcclion. l his tactic, however, paid handsome dividends. Since then, a considerable effort has gone into policy formulation including land reform. But, more important I believe, has been the work done on the philosophical basis of political ecology. Much of the credit for this goes to Jonathan Porritt. That grain of truth which, happily, Alan finds in our position can best be summed up, perhaps, in the two words: choice-and necessity. If industrial society chooses to ignore the impli&tions of statistical studies, we should all necessarily suffer the unpredictable consequences of an excessive perturbation of the ecosphere. I don't believe my own indulgence is futile. I know that often it is fun. Would-be messiahs drop out as fast as they arrive or come t o their senses. In fact, the Ecology Party is growing so fast and developing so quickly that Alan Farleigh's ignorance of it is inexcusable. D.J. Merryweather 3 Lea Road, Enfield, Middx. EN2 OJZ

REAL FOODS F R O M SOUTH AFRICA As a non-carnivorous family, we buy the bulk of our food from the only suppliers of such foodstuffs known to us in Scotland, Real Foods" of Edinburgh. The advantages of their service are mainly that it is not necessary t o buy goods in bulk, which we are in no position t o do - you can buy any quantity of anything they keep in stock, provided, of course, that it makes up to a total quantity of goods big enough for economic delivery, . e . about 1 cwt. Earlier this year I decided to buy a box of raisins, which I included on my order. You can imagine my disgust when I found that the raisins came from South Africa. Naturally I wrote back to them, pointing out that the oppressed people of that sad country have for many years been asking the rest of the world to boycott South African goods. I received a very angry reply from Marv Dmmrnond of Real Foods. saying "We arc in business to sell foods and we are not political! We are selling

produce from all over the war11 which mean> business for us an other countries. We arc helping pay wages by buying their products." I have since made considera efforts to find an alternative supplier in Scotland but to no avail. I'd like to ask your readei in the north of England or Scot land if they know of a similar supplier to "Real Foods" but o which does not deal with Soutt Africa. The supplier should also be able to supply retail quantiti Alternatively, readers who find themselves in a similar position may like 10 eontJct nn so t l i ~ t\vc Liin comhini.' to put some pressure on Real Foods tc change their ways. Nick God\ 4 Hurkur Crescent, Eyemoutli, Berwickshire, Scotland TD14 5RE

UTOPIA A N D PROGRESS Who will keep the books. I wonder, in Godfrey ~ o y l e ' s Utopia (Greentown UC43). It i onething to accept that one m cut one's wood with a handsaw conserve the pint of fuel that a chain saw would consume; it's quite another to turn one's bac on cheap computer systems (ar pocket calculators, too?) becau they are "high tech."They've been invented, they're cheap, durable and non-polluting (unli for example, wood stoves). Wh not use them? If you don't, problems will arise: the book-keepers, filing clerks etc. will either have t o b< paid the going rate; as now the cost of job creation will be bor as a tax by everyone else; or, t\ clerical work will be a social du sharidby everyone, done no doubt in the time we alienated atoms in straight society waste watching Dr. Who or Ms. Work Either way, this is Luddism and it won't wash. The rising generation, who share none of us oldies' hang-ups about computers, would subvert God. frev's eood intentions bv smuggling personal computers into their bedrooms, along witt VTRs and the other forbidden f r u ~ t s o fthe MK shopping plaza. ' UC has got to come to term with the onward march of technical progress: obscurantisi and good intentions are not enough. George Spen The Cottage, Tangley Manor House, Tangley , Sleaford, Lines.

We like t o get your letters and hope that the magazine will provoke debate: but we prefer it if your letters are short and t( the point. Then, we can print more letters. The deadline for U C 4 5 is Wednesday March 4th.

SMALL G' Sell your pedal-powered bulldozer here! Still only 4p a word; box nos. Â£1.25 Copydate f o r UC45 i s March 4th. All ads must be PREPAID please. "If the government of England were t o be handed over to the oarishes. thus would a beautiful and new republic instantaneously arise in full vigour" Thomas Spence 1790.

COURSES HOW to start and run a small farm. March 13-15 and again April 3-5; tutored by Patrick Rivers, is one Of the short courses held at The Nurtons. Others include spinning and dyeing, weaving, painting, birdwatching and ecologv. Our setting is splendid, overlooking the River Wye. our food organically grown and delightfully prepared. and vegetarian, vegan, or raw.~oliday makers are also welcome, and small groups for private conferences etc. Furtherinformation and our 1981 programme is available: Adrian and Elsa Wood. The Nurtons. Tinton, ~ w e n t ;NP6 7NX. A' stamp is appreciated, or tel. 029 18 253. CORONARY heart disease: A one day seminar on natural treatment and prevention. Saturday 23rd Februaw 1981 at the Communitv ' Health Foundation, 188 O w Street, London EC1.01-251 4876. THE Quaker approach t o life. A series of five public lectures, 5th March Unity and Diversity. 19th March Alternative Christianity. 23rd April Conscience into Concern. 7th May Quakers and a Loving God. AH at 7.30 om at Friends House, Eus'ton Road, London NW1. HANDWEAVING. Pembrokeshire residential courses on oraanic smallholding. Small groups, individual tuition. Beginners and experienced. Rugs, hangings, belts, tapestry, spinning. SAE Martin Weatherhead, Penwenallt Farm, Cilgerran, Dyfed. CHESTER COLLEGE of Higher Education offers BA and B Ed degree courses in various subjects including mathematics, biology and Liberal Studies in Science to those with almost any two 'A' llevels and suitable '0' levels (alternativessuch as ONC will be considered carefully). The Biology is environmentally oriented and Liberal Studies in Science is mainly devoted to the social implications of science and should interest Undercurrents readers. Sewing teachers may apply for a one year full time course in these subjects. There is also a BA in Health and Community Studies. Details from David Hooper, Science Dept., Chester College, Cheyney Road, Chester.

COMMUNITY CO-OPERATIVELY run smallholding needs new members. We are usually 4 to 6 people living and working together with the aim of teaching ourselves some skills in gardening and livestock care. Pietals, Springhill Farm, Dinton, Aylsebuw, Bucks. CARTWHEEL aims to grow into a village community based on co-operation, common ownership, consensus decision-makingand caring for people and the earth . Our national contact address is now 6, Crescent Road, Kingston Hill, Surrey. COUPLE with child are looking for others, to buy, lease or join communal household near Glasgow, interested in wholefood. childcare sharing, ecology, antinuke etc., hope proiects will develop from household, but 40 fixed ideas as yet. Oily Evans, First Floor Left, 181 Deanston Drive, Shawlands, Glasgow. (041 649 5014).

WORK I WANT to learn to print posters. Which silkscreenllithography workshop needs another, parttime worker? Sue Donnelly, 31, Ullet Road. Liverpool 17,051734 0751. VOLUNTEER VACANCY in Brazil. To instruct the leorosv handicapped in metal work, ' carpentry, or the repair and assembly of electrical eauioment . . in workshops of Bauru rehabilitiation centre, Sao Paolo state. For 2 vears on modest allowance. UNA International Service, 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1. (01-930 0679)

WORKERS

NEEDED for nonsexist creche collective, phone David on Brighton 692367. HOMELESSNESS is acrime activists needed. Full-time volunteers are needed to help run a Day Centre for homeless people in Cardiff and to campaign for housing rights. Six month minimum - separate volunteer flat -free food + Â£1 oer week. Full details from cardiff Cyrenians, 90 St Mary St., Cardiff. KILQUHANITY HOUSE. a small (30 boys and girls) very &ll established (1940). lively (all the arts and crafts for real) progressive boarding school in S. Scotland requires a person of imagination who eniovs cookina healthy meals. write john itk kenhead, Kilqhuanity H Douglas, Scotland.

EDINBURGH Cvrenians are looking for full time voluntary workers a t their city hostel and at their farm outside Edinburgh. Both communities house men 118301 of various institutional backdrounds. Pocket money. termination grants, and time-off accommodation are provided. Write to Bob Stewart. 128 Forth Street. Edinburgh. orohone Tony ~ c ~ o w ~ i 0 3 1 - 7067. 229 (Six mbnths minimum period is $200 a day! Send Â£2 for details. addresses etc - 'Tree Planting Canada". Pen-Y-Bonc,Bangor, N. wales: ('Donation for dropin centre.)

PUBLICATIONS ~

J st published: Street Video 2 0 . Video with Young People

Â£

Â£3.40 Basic Video Â£1.8 poet free. Cash with order to CATS, 42d Theobalds Rd, London WC1 RADIO NEWS! Alternativi broadcasting, how t o set up local community radio station, FRF contains many usual (and not-sousual) articles of free radio. olus how free radio and alternative technology can be linked1 FRF is only 15p, but its fully litho-printed. (15p isa minimum price, higher donations accepted with great thanks.) Senc 150 olus a laraish SAE t o PO Box 35, el ling ton, Telford, Salop.

CONTACTS

WHOLE Meals I n Minutes recioe book 60p ( 4 5 ~ & ) Nuclear Power? No Thanks! booklet 45p (34p) including p&p. 30 or more booklets at rates in brackets -cash with order t o Cambridge Friends of the Earth, Bath House, Gwydir St. Cambridge. Â£1,50 40 acre riverside retreat. Over 500 more properties Â£30 Â£15 per acre. Farm, river, lake, island and coastal. Red tape less 8-1 1% financing. Most areas Canada, USA. Adding Australia, NZ. and lower-priced UK from December. Four current CanAm catalogues, Â£6.25 Sealand, Ivy Cottages, Tockholes, Darwen, Lanes 863 ONA. RURAL Resettlement Handbook. Second edition revised and enlarged. 220 pages of practical financial, legal, social and ~ersonalinformation about rural resettlement. An essential reference book for rural dwellers, aspiring small-holder, armchair resettlers, and everyone concerned with the countryside. Only Â£1.8 post free from Rural Resettlement Group, 5 Crown Street, Oxford. IN THE MAKING: 'The First British Whole Earth Catalogue" and a revised "Alternative England & Wales" (Scotland). Probable combined publication. Commerits. suggestions, reviews. recommendations, clippings, updates, etc, please to: Earthwork, c/o 1 2 Garnet St.. Lancaster LA1 3PN. PREDATORY man is destroying the world: Help pioneer aware and comoassionate living the healthy,kustainable vegan way. Send 65p for recipe booklet with self-sufficiency gardening hints and full supporting leaflets. Vegan Society, Dept F, 47 Highlands Road, Leatherhead, Surrey. CALENDAR 1981. Illustrated conservation theme for each month on A4 recycled paper. 7%. SurreyIHants border Friends of the Earth, 30 Florence Road, Fleet, Hampshire GU13 9LQ. Bulk enquiries Fleet 3144 evenings. THE COMING AGE: Magazine of the living matriarchal tradition, 45p, Lux Madriana (U), 40St. John St., Oxford.

THIS is a beautiful area, but conservative. I find difficulty meeting local women interested i n alternatives. Anyone seeking the possibility of developing a sharing relationship, keen on anarchism, education, children. communities, and other studies1 action - would be very welcome to communicate with me. I live with Ron and Annette, sharing most of the rambling facilities we have built uo here and I'm active with youth projects, writing and Alternatives. Emotionally getting a bit lonely and need special friend at this time? Write: Ken Smith, Staple Farmhouse, Staple, Canterbury, Kent. DISSIDENT PANDORA, 25, (not mirror), seeks aware nonsexist 'knight of infinity'. Understanding of Krishnamurti's 'empty tea cup'theory an advantage. Failing that, good home offered t o young Alsation bitch. Box PB.

ETCETERA WANTED Information about where to obtain gas-taps suitable for attaching rubber tubing to for Bio-Gas project. E.G. Matthew, 20 Brookside Road, Wimborne, Oorset BH 21 2BL. UNIQUE HOLIDAY on organic small holding with 77 acres of wooded nature reserve within Exmoor National Park. Sea 4 miles. Eight camouflaged caravans, modern toilets. SAE please: Cowley Wood, Parracombe, N. Devon. Parra 200 HEDGEHOG EQUIPMENT for carders: Spinning wheels; natural fleeces Â£.lo-Â£1.90/lb Carded wool sliver E2.25-E3.00/lb. Complete handcarder repair kits Â£4D.I.Y. Drum carder construction booklet Â£3Tussah silk E5.BO1250gm. Upper Hartfield. East Sussex, England.

currents 44

THE BOOKS listed below are availableby mail order from UC; prices include postage and packing. All orders must be prepaid. Practkal Solar Heating

Kevin McCartnev E2.80 a e l & DIY text. jargon-free Engliak technology fully defnytlfled; a bit of social context; construction details ao compile barely a twiat of a spanner Is ofnftted."

. .

Radical Technology

Godfrey Boyle 6 Peter Harper Â£4.5 "The Importantthing I* toworkon all frontoatonce, the home, the neighbourhoofi and the workplace. We m q t be realistic and MI of fantasy, attend to public need* and individual oon*c(ouon~,croate a balanceof mental and manualwork, a mÃ‘sur of cttv and country life. focus on immediate probteiro and build for the future, live Ih earnest andjust for tun,confront and compromlae. Haveour cakeandeat it?Why

Banfoot Psychoanalyst

-w,m-dF-TrnmeZm A DccUcal manual of exercises derived from the Karen ti&noyÂ¥<diool set outincartoon stripformat withan emphaaia on ol*v)Ã‡Dorrf explanation. intended for use by groups of two or mom.

"EETE~~ETERA

SPRING SALE Any ten of the back numbers numbered below for only Â£3.50 Or, even better, all thirty for only Â£9 surface mail, worldwide. Single copies 45p. We regret that Nos. 1 to 7, 9-14, 13, 19 and 20 are completely out of print. Centre for AT; Orfanic tiling; Pirate radio; Bullding with ninraÃ§ 8earth; Wind theory; Henns-; ~ i t e 74; k BRAD; ~~ndon'itunnete. Lucas AÃ§rospa~t Cmlnppb; BinfetdhÃ§c Community Technoloo-, 12 Comtek 75; Alternative Culture (3); Alternative Health Service. & AT; Jack Mmdty: O v e r s ~ xAT: Hillside Cot-; Building 14&1,ucas natural enerxy, Shutter d e o i i ; Alternative Technology in India. Nukn7': Biodymmic mrdeninr. Wind paemtar 15 'WhoN**<to progressreport;Inverterdmiin. Innubtion&Job~;Productionfornwdi H a b i t : NATTA; Cihrn'Ã Hand; (;aden vilk#*Ã§ Tn* 16.-PÃ§0ple' f DIY nmtowiu;Sftf.dfiiiemt~& h o u ~ iWeipu; ; PbiMW. S i n yourownneed; Computerloyhuntini; 17th 17 lnnerl'echnology: century m d i c a l ~ ~ n c Dominc e; Kiriian photokit; Women & A T . AT k t h a Third World: I m k v a m trchnolory; 2nd claw capiUll-K 18Chinese ,- SuponnackÃ§rGreen ban. Hydmponki; LÃ§luiMi Muat guide Dmgers of cwnlerculture Brudcutkic UeÃ§ 2 1 ~Good u c l e apolicy; r arm;burwiinn: ~ m c c6mmion; e D1Y print, 2 therapy, A doctor write* lrthnd; Paranoia pmwr (1); SIonelmc; rid Cod Fish termin; (I): Ripple revolutionism Free ridio. WOG

ASTROLOGER offers birth chart and guidance to a question o r problem Â£8 For full character analysis, and future trends, send for details: John Wilmot,, Millbrae- Bunessan. Mull.. Aovle. -.

RADIOACTIVITY fades your genes T shirt i n s/m/l/xl. Â£2.8 including p&p from Earthwise, 15 Goosegate, Nottingham. Many other goodies - send SAE for catalogue.

REICHIAN THERAPY Recognising the indivisibility of body and mind, I work to restore oroastic health b v oentlv encouraging freebreathing and emotional expression with associated thoughts. while relaxing muscular tension and . character attitudes. Some methods of major neo-Reichian

BREAKDOWN OF NATIONS. First Assembly of the Fourth World i n next July 29-31st 1981, but Forums are starting u p now o n many diverse topics such as ~ e a l t h , ~ r a n s p o rAgriculture. t, Nuclear Power. Co-operatives. Education, etc. Forum sponsors include ~ i h Seymour, n Kirkpatricksale, Mildred Loomis, Herbert Girardet Dervla Mumhv, Christian Schumecher. Contact:

Seabrook; N u k e & unioilf, Fish fuming 12); WÃ‘tenver LonM &ve& ChÃ‡rieaForSolscollectorVHFmmitlti-PÂ¥renowfaunl2 Chicken's lib. Namibian holth; Windwale; VHF trtiumittor (21. DunmnCampbeUomieE.w.dropp.n,, !Â¥Â¥oreÂ¥~r,Ch.Me&cidwmtld Emotional pl*Ã‡MFiidbom; ~ o m p o f& t &muniimi (21; W t f r p c 2~AnturAi~0<roomiw~i^io;hnk~luibnd;~witive~ibol AT & the Portugum revolution; The Ruuionn aren't cornins h a t

23 24

Orimeycmftus.Growingdope:PuluitaieEW. 26 Â¥tp"m;NewAgeAcn~ . Soft energy: bud pollti% Fust breeders; Toola for null ftmu; 27 BrookhouKAmp.ra.nd co-op. Fiahftnmng: The S b w DIYWood.ttxm. T v i i Atlantis; Mondraton. AT& the S f U ; Cmudiul AT. Behaviour 28 Windscale; . Mod. Bicycleplmning, Urban~Ã§Ã§ltlÃ§od;C~WilÃ‘luk o m e n k Energy:Windfole: New Clear E m w , FaministÃˆcuu 29 Wnukes: ~o~~n&S<Ãˆlte:Wonwthou<huAbn-&ATiBU:Smou)iu 30 MulchpowcndiwolulxinryuBudki;G~wcidiim.PÃ§UipdMa Windsale; EcohmSolarcil. AT & the Britbh State; ABct;

Ecopolltlcs; British Eoxopia; I~rue N u b s & tho 32Workers' pluu. UKAEA: DIY VHF transmitter. Micm road 10

If the Earth we're only a few feet in diameter, floating a few feet-above a field somewhere, people would come from everywhere to marvel at it. People would walk around it, marvelling at its big pools of water, its, little pools and the water flowing between thepools. People would marvel at the bumps on it, and the holes in it, and they would marvel at the very thin layer of gas surrounding , i t and the water suspended in the cas. The people would marvel at all the'creatures walking around the surface ofthe ball,' and at the creatures in rhe water. The people would declare it as sacredbecause it was the onlyone, and they would protect it so that i t would not-% hurt. The ball would be the greatest wonder known, and people would come to pray to it, t o ' be healed, to gain knowledge, to know beauty and to wonder how i t could be. People would love i t , and defend i t with their lives. because they would somehow! know that their lives, their own roundness, could be nothing without i t . If the - ,. ll-..-?Earth were only; a fewzi~,pJx^,v feet in diameter. 7 ., : ,,, !., :&g ;, , <.k... ,

33 34 35 36 37 38

mooÃ‘

Shotlam Planning; Gudon cities Urban wuteluxl, Natwiul PÃ§tSIrtluKi; Country life; WWOOFiw ATkorkshop; Energyoptiont& amployÃ‘M co-op ICSWIIK crab*pple; u N c s m . Euthcirr, ( o w ~ e r ~ r i ~ f a l j ~ Wrt&; F n u n i x anti-nukeiHii, Ian Lloyd: E n c h w h c R d d k y . C o m t o k 79: Wive power. Tomwork T m i n k T r o t ; C m p l i m far the North: DIY Woodstov denim; - becentratiminc AT:GmontoWB. Children k tho Environment: Fi~iureperfect: CKy ju&& AlkÃˆ Flysheet camps MÃ GMK Community tehoolit & Â¥ervic Fmo s c l m d ' Third world emny, F A 0 food confarencr; SUM! firhtin' mm DIY bio{Ã§!tcoinpoet; Ecotopoly: Environmenul r d u ~ KÃ§nnSilkwood a ~ Anti-nuclearCampmIgn: D e m ~ r kSeabrook:GueriIktÃ§cbeÃˆ;T . EnglishEanhquakt:The RuÃ§snosanSicoh Tea&; AnimÃ§lowEtim Communes: Co-operativtworl>. FairgmundChristiani*: Coiimiums & anarchism: Peirce's polemic; l'S Windpuwer Inc.; ScandimmnAT. Fusion: Wive power. LQngoMit: Viewdsw OepcoÃ§nuiuiu~;E Third World Rip-off. C a d s Jobs& Socid Ounw.French AmiixUÃ‘ Co-operators F a l r ~uma:Winds ol' change: Wnrkin* collectively. Orjiismic labour. Machonalions:CapitalismandCfrop~Del?T;Co-*k Protopla: Convivial computing, ~anifesto for the 80s; END; Kyshtym NATTA, Testa: Darrieus windmill design: Pirate Radio.

40 41

by Undercurrents Ltd., a company registered under the l a m of England (No. 1 146 464) ar limited by guarantee. Tenth year of issue. ISSN 0306 2392. EDITORIAL OFFICE: 27 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R OAT Tel: 01-253 7303. ACCESS: The UC editorial collective meets every Wednesday evening from 8 pm on t o cobble the magazine together, pay tbbi of the and gossip, adjourning as early as possible t o the back Crown Tavern. These meetings are open to all friends of the magazine. The office is not staffed at other times but Simon Woodhead, our subscriptions coordinator and factotum, is usually working there un Wednesday afternoons; on other days there is often a member of the <Ă&#x192; collective i n the office around 2 pm opening the mail. Outsirh these times times urgent enquiries may beaddressee^to ril Chris Hutton Squire on 01-261 6774. DISTRIBUTION: within the British Isles by Fulltime Distribution, 27 Clerkenwell Close, London EG1 OAT, tel01-251 4976. I n the US by Carrier Pigeon, Room 309, 75 Kneeland St., Boston, Mass 02111. Our US mailing agents are Expediters of the Printed Word, 527 Madison Avenue, New York NY 10022. PRINTER: Western Web Offset, 59 Prince St., Bristol 1. COPYRIGHT: The contents of Undercurrentsare copyright: permission to reprint is freely given to non-profit groups who apply in writing, and sold t o anyone else. RETURN THANKS: We would like t o record our thanks t o a member of the Collective A t Large whose kind donation helped u: t o skate over some extremely thin ice recently. He wishes t o rema anonymous, so let's just say he came riding up on his white horse 1 just the right moment1 CREDITS: Undercurrents44 was put together by Simon Woodhef and Peter Culshaw (Features), Tam Dougan, Dave Kanner and N k l Hanna Mews),Stephen Joseph IReviews), Mike Barber (Letters), and Bill Flatman lmiat's On), aided and abetted by Bridget Hadderly, Dave Elliott, Godfrey Boyle, Helen McEwan, Chris Hutton Squire. Lowana Veal, Martin Ince, Peter Glass. Vicky Hutchings, Val Robinson and some persons unknown. Typesetting by Jenny Pennings (01-226 1258) and Community Typesetters (01-226 6243). Cover drawn and designed by Rob Mason. Our thanks t o the Collective A t Large for advice, encouragement, spontaneous contributions, etc. COPY DATE: Undercurrents46 (AprilIMay) will be on sale on Saturday April 4; closing date forlast minute items is Wednesday March 4.

Letters A

Idid not find Kirkpatrick Sale's hook Human Scale either "depressing" or "unconvincing". Unlike y o u jaundiced reviewer Ifound i t exhilarating and full o f the dng o f conviction as well as an invaluable additionb the cunent radical literature? But what on earth has happened t o Chris Hutton Squire'sliver? Here we are o n the brink o f the chasm o f global war Bid unparalleled social dissolution tot Usa been created b y the curse o f giantism, discoveringhow In one field after another i t has created far more problems than it has solved and showing again and egain incountless exciting ways how small scale forms o f organisation not only work but work better, and reporting it t o as and all Chris Hutton Squire can do is spit. This book is a mine o f information which ought t o be at every radical's finger tips. For Chris Hutton w e to dismiss it "unreal pot-

of an

us reviewer.

LONG LIVEGWYNFOR Iused to like gossip columns, but being the victim o f yours, UC43)makesme ("Froth" realise it's like sharks looking for traces o f blood. As Fourth World Assembly administrator, Iwas helping t o coordinate a mini-campaign t o link up the struggle o f Plaid Cymru and o f 6ur President Gwynfor Evan; for Welsh T.V. with the struggles o f Bretons, Basques, Catalans etc. t o rescue their languages and cultures. The campaign was due t o be* launched before Gwynfor's fast and (in a slightly perverted way) I accept Idid joke about regretting the aborting o f this campaign, but that's a long way from wishing Gwynfor had "starved t o death" as you put it. Talking about sharks looking for blood, Chris Hutton Squqe's ridiculously n tive review in the same issue o f % n u n Scale b y Kirkpatrick Saleis another amusing example o f your aggressive house style, but not much o f an introduction to the book, which I thought was a fascinating encyclopaedia fun of useful information for, those seeking to dismantle the giant institutions of our mass societies. Nicholas Albery

It is possi ble that you ' Assembly Administrator, iCTtewa (has he'wandered in Fourth World Asiembly, from The by any 24 Abercorn Place, chance?)jut does not understand

the meument o f Human Scale and that it might have been wiser to have riven it t o a reviewer who does,i l l b y event he has petfbnned a singular disservice t o your readers if his sneering denigration o f a wide-ranging compendium o f carefully researched and vividly reported radical scholarship persuades a w e one o f thenf t o miss it.

26-Sq

London N1

bndon N W ~

Irubbishcd Human Scale with same else because Iconsvler that Sale iswrong: size does not govern all as he asserts; the world is a whole lot more interesting than the "smdies"can imagine. That he delivered himself into my hands by fillinghis book with errors of fact, logic, arithmetic and scientific method is hardly David Millman my fault. "Small is beauti may be an inspiring beiie&t that doesa 't stake it wi. Yet trulh is, whst WISH,& CffJfS,

WHATs WRITTEN Undercurrents is an open forum for radicaland alt&mfive ideas; we have only acouple of regularcontributorssowe depend on a steady flow of unsolicitedarticles and ideasto fill up'the [Magazine. Here are some guidelines to encourage prospective writers to get busy, MONEY\ Undercurrents does not pay forcontributions but authorsget a free one year sub for each article printed.

FORMAT: Articles should if possible be typed double-spaced with generous margins, on one side of the paper only. LENGTH: The normal maximum length is three pages (3000 words plus pictures); longer articles will be reluctantlyconsidered for publication on their merits. STYLE: Articles should be written in plain English, with short sentences and plenty of paragraphs. SPARE COPIES: Always keep a spare copy of anything you send us; both our editors and the Mails are fallible! ' PICTURES: Photos should be blackandwhite, prints not transpare& ies; line drawings should be in black ink on plain paper, cartoons are always welcome - we can redraw them if nkcessary. e

are.alww.yelcome; also suggestions of titles for review and.offers,to write in future issues. NEWS, AND GOSSIP: are also needed, particularly from outside Londonand

SCANDAL

SOCIAL ALTERNATIVES The International Magazine Focusing on Social Change and Alternative Strategies ISSUE 6f7 Include*: ~hristian Biy

~equl>Ã‘ Ubdw to Sow Mant Pfunkett OuÃ‘mUM Nonriotent Ompdgn to RIl)hMl>*Ã§fChran Htydtn Ã‡ ttn ~ m d h E ~crbk I ~ o u gEwlngham Wotkj Clllamhip; Oddd Biggins EInimn n ttn IdMtegy d S c W ti C Coombs Aboriglful TrÃ‘ly Sknn 0 Ralge A Nonriotant PolMul Setem* M J Saunaen P a w McmnnM Â¥n AU8Mi'l

W I t h d n Ã ‘ linn VIMum; C Rooms LMng d l h Tfioritm; 0 M M f l

BoMlliinta g i i r l NuelÃ‘ Wtr; flwtain by m n l s Altman and Tony Sisphwis, also pa^^

and lion alortÃ‘

ISSUE 8 (current Issue) URBAN POLICY aka Include Â¥rtlct by Hugh Strottan AtanrtteflirtM>lÃˆ:TomHaydmTtaDisHmdttnAnMricmfiwMw.Ji Ward M a m h n n w In U n

Maya Costeflo Wanun's

'nd M M ~ hnnis , philips A" ~lteriutm VIÃ d -A SKlHtty; Paul SUnw ~yrtctam;also ~ ~ l ~ pou t nti es. m i l as phologrqta. molngiand Ciloon*.

individuals

$10 for I yexr

Sm for 2 years

I wish to bnin with fa

lmt81u1&ons and Libraries

$14 for I year

SlU for 2 years

lakue drtte no. d w l y ) 12113114) 15116 / 71

S l i n k Coma TEAS. pens-.

t2 75

dde

W for 1 year

Subwnpuons cover the cost of surfÃ§cw l m g of four issues 0-, ,,r null. ad4 11 C ~ C T Bor~m y d ~ t lr l x k ~Â¥ri ~ ÃˆÃˆ 10 SOCIAL ALTERNATIVES,

AN corre~po~dence~cortcernhit coninbutions or subscripiioni ($10 00) per Â¥nnum

ihould b< Bddrnitd lo The Editors. Social Alternatives, Depanmeni of Extcrirl Studies. Untvenity of Quecrnland, 4067

AUSTRALIA

STRINGALONGS Price Â£14.9 diwrtrinB dunf inc. p & I> to eagidcr and lavestlgate possibilities

r m in 100%twill w a w cotton from

Amnesty It

No guarantee an the ~b

'" 1.3 "

? .'

BALHAM FOOD & BOOK ~ - O P Culmore Cross, SW 12 Off Balham Station Rd 01-673 0946 A

n o n - ~ r o f i t - m a k i n aworkers' c o - o o e r a t i v e

Swtw.Good looking, cemfor*+Ill vary tough. Anitabte in B l d c mldchamut *sku:Small.

DON'T COMPUTERISE YET! j

LearntolakeControl of Your Life

Study Alternative Technolog , Biological Agriculture, Organic Aquaculture, Holistic Health, Feminism and Ecology at Goddard College's Institute for Social Ecology. At Goddard College from June 1 to August 21 you can learn how to build a life and society in which human needs and the natural environment are brought into balance. Our 12-week program for undergraduate and Master of Arts students in social ecology and environmental science has achieved world-wide recognition for its integrated approach to problems too often approached separately Human life as part of - not apart from - nature is at the heart of

Site of the program is CateFarm, a corner of Goddard's 425-acre country campus in rural north-central Vermont. The area is rich in natural and human resources, in a state noted for its pioneering environmental legislation. Goddard is a landmark in progressive and experimental education. The summer pro ram was founded by MURRAY B~OKCHIN, author of Pent Scarcity Anarchism, Our Synthetic Environment, and The Limits of the CItv and is

The program exploresalternative anthropologist, whose speciality is ways of living with ourenvironment, the cultural implicationsofalternative no-growth economy, urban technology. Among the visiting decentralization,organic agriculture, lecturers tentatively scheduled are aquaeulture,designandconstruction 13 respected experts in social of experimental models for wind ecology. For detailed, illustrated and solar-powered energy, holistic catalogue, write to: GODDARD health strategies, and feminism COLLEGE, Box U C - 1 Plainfield, and ecology. VT 05667 U.S.A. 1981 S u m n ~ rEcology cm Jbne 1 10 Aiigust 21 1981 15 ~ n d e itao~alecreomls a

COMPUTERCRAFT LTD. 129 NEWINGTON GREEN ROAD, LONDON N1 4RA.

12 M.A credits otrwr Goddard College summer pfogiams include the summer ~ n s Comm~nityan0 summer-cased degree programs Socrai Ecology M A Special Eddcation M A ana M F A n Visi-a Arts Other residential and lo~-tesiaencv programs are available on the B A M A and M F A emis Goaoard Colleae aom 1s st~oentsw~tnout regard to sex, race, age or handicap

"a. $1

RADIANT 1:

Call for higher incomes for peopleaged over 75

cuts lll'tro~prices

Futureimportance of natural water power

cheap vegetable prices hit

L,ke

,no,,l,addl,,!e< lhke ,,,*he re,,S,,

the wort0 we

,ech"ol,*"

on spent nuc~wr

Ib"E

% , "I,

!"LI~"A,esctm"ceand

,nG,p,>,>,eo, s",","q

,lie

p r o h l e m ~w~~~v le r t v~<,"ttld!#<>#~ , d # > t lmvollh ,,on thd,,+,,eu ",,rsoc,et"~

",>,,,I,?

,",e,c%,",,

," ",,,hlems

Ihk* ,he<?

BScd B& sinSociety

"Ot :'

....L:..;6L *,*.,. . ,

..fit<$ *,.&

? IF YOU CAN MAKE A DONATION TOWARDS IT PLEASE WRITE TO US AT '2 .:^