Online Archive  
Issue 1 - December 1971
 
Editorial

A lot of people have started grumbling lately - at work, at home, at play. Honest anger lost forever..... or perhaps not quite. Muther Grumble has arrived; Her chief intention is to carry your ideas and feelings in print throughout Tyneside, Wearside. and Teeside. She's bored by what the other regional newspapers call "news". She'll print anything (the law courts permitting). To her it's only people that matter, not people dressed up as events. We are bombarded, shelled and outgunned by money-deals, sex scandals and sordid crimes everyday. Muther Grumble knows, like all mothers do, that life isn't black and white. She's interested in feelings, and intends to communicate them by obliterating that thing the "maninthestreet" and uncovering the You that is You that is You under the debris.

Muther Grumble isn't going to tell you what's happening because she's not stupid enough to pretend to knew. She wants You to tell her through letters and articles, what life in the North-East is an about, and especially how it can be improved. Most of all she wants to put isolated people in touch with each other. She's hoping to become a switch-board operator. Result - constant involvement in one another's lives. Muther Grumble is here. She's mumbling, grumbling, rumbling and beginning to roll.

**** SPLATTER ****

Muther Grumble Undressed......

With this issue we are £230 in debt (bad scene)!! The money disappeared into everybody's pockets but our own. We got the nicest, kindest, cheapest printers we could and they needed £185.

The office rips us off £4 a week, which works out at approx. £12 - £16 an edition. The typewriter from IBM (sitting pretty) costs us a further £18 a month (rent and ribbons). The rest of the rubbish, which includes typesetting, cardboard, paste, stationary, postage, etc. etc. adds up to £15. Getting the magazine to and from our printers in Oxford, plus distribution, means vast petrol bills. We ain't got a tiger in our tank but "Tomorrows World" shows chicken shit is sufficient (we're working on it).

The only end to this karma (a piggy-bank with a hole in it) will be increased advertising. This issue will bring us in £25 ad revenue. We're certain there will be more next issue because advertisers need persuading that there's something for their ad to appear in. Next issue we will boost our circulation to 7000 (6000 at present), and that's a figure advertisers ignore at their peril. The activities sheet be free for those who can't afford to pay. Large groups will have to be tapped for the token money, everything's free this issue. Hope you're receiving us loud and clear ad men, we can put a little more blue in your whiteness.

By the next edition we hope to have increased to at least 20 pages (with no increase in price). We are not totally satisfied with this issue; we need more local content. It's up to you.

Muther Grumble And The Community

Muther Grumble's yours. What does this mean in practice. It means that the office will be at your disposal for information and advice - the best times being between 10.00 12.00am, and 2.00 - 5.00 pm (Saturdays included). We aim to help people in any kind of difficulty or trouble throughout the region. We will provide help and information about council and private landlord tenant's rights, social security rights, legal advice, welfare rights, school action rights, etc. etc. We are certain that even if we don't know the answers we will certainly be able to put you-in touch with people who do. We are willing to take on any problem. We also wish to help with more sensitive issues. We feel that too often people are intimidated by "red-tape" or don't feel that the people at hand in their own community-setting are sympathetic enough. Here we include such areas as contraception; unwanted pregnancies; drug difficulties (busts, bad trips, hang-ups and addiction); and racial discrimination.
If we are to be effective we need money to install a telephone (this will cost £50 - £25 to install, £25 to rent) and build up a large library of publications, news-sheets etc. This will guarantee that we will help you more effectively. We'd be very grateful if you could help us financially by sending in donations (money, cigarette coupons, green-shield stamps etc.). Any money over and above our needs (approx. £100) will go to Bangla Desh refugees.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE