The Great Commotion FAQ
What is the great Commotion?
The Great Commotion is a completely free monthly newsletter produced in Norwich, England. It provides the people of Norwich and Norfolk with an alternative view of current local events. The first issue was released on November 15th 2005.
Where does the name come from?
The name "the great commotion" was given to Kett's Rebellion in 1549. Robert Kett, along with his brother William, led a peasant revolt against a tyranical government and greedy land owners. Kett was hanged at Norwich Castle on 7th December 1549, but his rebellious spirit and lives on to this day. Like Robert Kett, and the countless others who fought for justice alongside him, we at The Great Commotion see ourselves as fighting for the common man (or woman - we hate sexism). Although we haven't taken up arms against the local government (yet), we are doing what we can. To learn more about Kett's rebellion go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/england/norfolk/
Who is behind all this?
The Great Commotion is produced by Norwich residents. Many, although not all, are students. Most of the members are also anarchists or libertarian communists. Although The Great Commotion is not strictly an anarchist publication.
Communists? How can you support such an awful system, don't you know how many people were killed by Stalin?
Libertarian Communism is strongly opposed to Marxism-Leninism, which is the type of "communism" that all the countries that have claimed to be communist have adhered to. We beleive that communism goes hand in hand with direct democracy, that is, communities being controlled by local people, not centralised governments. We believe that everyone should have equal political power and that there should not be one supreme leader who makes all the decisions.
Don't anarchists just want chaos?
No, not at all. The word anarchy literally means "without rulers". We believe in creating a society based on direct democracy where everyone has equal political power. Contrary to popular belief, we do believe in organisation, however we believe that it is possible to organise without an unquestionable leader telling everyone what to do.
To learn more about anarchism and libertarian communism go to www.infoshop.org and www.libcom.org
Why are you doing this?
We are partly doing this for our own amusement, but mostly because we believe that there should be a local news source which presents an alternative view of the mainstream media. The mainstream media is mostly owned and controlled by rich capitalist business owners, or in some cases (like the BBC), by the government, who we believe, mainly exists to cater to the needs of the forementioned rich capitalist businesses owners. This means, that most of the information we get from it, however objective it may claim to be, will always, to some extent, present us with views and opinions that justify the existence of
capitalism. We believe that people should always hear both sides of the argument and that there should be news sources which present anti-capitalist views and opinions. While there are many such sources on a national and international level (see www.indymedia.org.uk and http://www.libcom.org/news) there are very few sources presenting such an opinion on a local level. That is where we come in. You do not have to agree with any of our opinions and many of you probably wont, but
nonetheless, we believe that it is better for people to understand the full picture, not just one side of it.
Why do you always present a negative view of politicians? They do good stuff too you know.
We believe that politicians do more harm than good. We are strongly opposed to the idea that a local communty needs someone to control it on our behalf. We believe that through a system of direct democracy, local people should have control over their own local community. Direct democracy stands in contrast to representative democracy, the system we currently live under, in which people merely choose who has control over them and their community. We are also trying to show the side of
the story that the mainstream media doesn't dare to touch. For a positive view of politicians, you just have to turn to the corporate media. While it will sometimes portray individual politicians in a negative light, it presents a postive view in general and never questions the existence of the political system which puts them in power.
Why do you hate police officers?
We don't hate police officers as individual human beings, we realise that many police officers are good people. However, we are extremely critical of the police as a social institution. While it is obvious that an institution similar to the police which deals with anti-social crime must exist in any society, we believe that the current policing system is unacceptable.
Policemen are given too much power and are unaccountable to the local community. We believe that in a society that truly serves the needs of the people, this must change.
Can I write for the Great Commotion?
Yes. Please email us any articles you have written. If you would like to become part of the writing team please email and tell us and we will let you know when and where we are having our next meeting.
Do I have to be an anarchist to write for The Great Commotion?
No, not at all. However, it would would help if your political views are at least somewhat left wing. Any submissions presenting opinions that justify the status quo have little chance of being published. Submissions containing opinions that we judge to be racist, sexist or homophobic will be thrown away instantly.
This should be going on the great commotion website once we get that up and running. If anyone can offer constructive criticism or more questions then I would greatly appreciate it.
