Body & Soul0 min ago
C4 A Miners' Strike "revelations"
53 Answers
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Could any ABers who were there at the time explain to me why this article has such a tone of outrage? It seems fairly obvious that the govt was opposing the Unions - by the time of the Miners' strike they had become extremely destructive.
Is this article clutching at straws to try and make us angry?
Could any ABers who were there at the time explain to me why this article has such a tone of outrage? It seems fairly obvious that the govt was opposing the Unions - by the time of the Miners' strike they had become extremely destructive.
Is this article clutching at straws to try and make us angry?
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it was a continuation of the running sore.
The Three-Day Week was one of several measures introduced in the United Kingdom by the Conservative Government 1970–1974 to conserve electricity, the production of which was severely limited due to industrial action by coal miners. The effect was that from 1 January until 7 March 1974 commercial users of electricity would be limited to three specified consecutive days' consumption each week and prohibited from working longer hours on those days. Services deemed essential (e.g. hospitals, supermarkets and newspaper prints) were exempt
Television companies were required to cease broadcasting at 10.30 pm during the crisis to conserve electricity.
The Three-Day Week was one of several measures introduced in the United Kingdom by the Conservative Government 1970–1974 to conserve electricity, the production of which was severely limited due to industrial action by coal miners. The effect was that from 1 January until 7 March 1974 commercial users of electricity would be limited to three specified consecutive days' consumption each week and prohibited from working longer hours on those days. Services deemed essential (e.g. hospitals, supermarkets and newspaper prints) were exempt
Television companies were required to cease broadcasting at 10.30 pm during the crisis to conserve electricity.
This is my stance, posted on another thread:
As the stepson of a miner of 37 years and great grandson of a miner who died in the Gresford Disaster (266 men and boys killed) I am yet to hear anyone from the NCB/NUM or mining industry prove to me that coal mining in the 70's & 80's was a profitable industry.
Power cuts and the 3 day week ruined this country and the cost was felt a decade later.
My stepdad never agreed with the strike, he knew the bigger pits would never have come out in sympathy when the smaller one's were being closed, but they had to when the roles were reversed.
Scargill did just as much damage as Mrs T supposedly did and he still continues to milk the NUM now.
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To add to that, I was in basic training in HM Forces at the height of the strike and would send home £5 a week (no benefits paid to striking miners) from my £15 per week allowance.
To this day, I believe Mrs T did the right thing. My stepdad saw the writing on the wall. He bore her no ill will, he despised Scargill however.
As the stepson of a miner of 37 years and great grandson of a miner who died in the Gresford Disaster (266 men and boys killed) I am yet to hear anyone from the NCB/NUM or mining industry prove to me that coal mining in the 70's & 80's was a profitable industry.
Power cuts and the 3 day week ruined this country and the cost was felt a decade later.
My stepdad never agreed with the strike, he knew the bigger pits would never have come out in sympathy when the smaller one's were being closed, but they had to when the roles were reversed.
Scargill did just as much damage as Mrs T supposedly did and he still continues to milk the NUM now.
http://
To add to that, I was in basic training in HM Forces at the height of the strike and would send home £5 a week (no benefits paid to striking miners) from my £15 per week allowance.
To this day, I believe Mrs T did the right thing. My stepdad saw the writing on the wall. He bore her no ill will, he despised Scargill however.
Good thread. Some sensible points for once. Maggie rescued the country from the clutches of the Unions and stood up to the Argies on the world stage, two courageous acts which I'm sure put the fear of God into the EU
"We are not asking for a penny piece of Community money for Britain. What we are asking is for a very large amount of our own money back." At the European Union summit in Dublin, 1979
"We are not asking for a penny piece of Community money for Britain. What we are asking is for a very large amount of our own money back." At the European Union summit in Dublin, 1979
Naomi...you have posted your bit about pit closures many times before.
The reality is that 100,000's of people were thrown out of work when almost all the pits closed after the Miners Strike, and whole communities were ruined. A lot of those communities have still to recover. EU money has helped the recovery somewhat, but there are still problems.
Its not as if we don't need the coal. We now import coal from across the world, into a country that has plenty of coal reserves left. As an island race we should not be beholden to imports when there is no need. Nye Bevan once described Britain as "An island made of coal, surrounded by fish" Sounds rather hollow now.
And before anybody starts talking about how cheap this foreign coal is, it only appears to be cheaper because the huge cost of supporting those devastated communities is not paid by the now-privatised electricity generating companies, but instead is paid for by taxation, both local and national. If these mostly foreign-owned companies had to pay an import tax on coal, to pay for the unemployment benefits, this lovely cheap coal from Australia wouldn't seem such good value would it ?
I realise that all this is not new. I and many others have made these points before. But when you live in an area such as South Wales as I do, you see the effects of industrialism every day of of the week.
The reality is that 100,000's of people were thrown out of work when almost all the pits closed after the Miners Strike, and whole communities were ruined. A lot of those communities have still to recover. EU money has helped the recovery somewhat, but there are still problems.
Its not as if we don't need the coal. We now import coal from across the world, into a country that has plenty of coal reserves left. As an island race we should not be beholden to imports when there is no need. Nye Bevan once described Britain as "An island made of coal, surrounded by fish" Sounds rather hollow now.
And before anybody starts talking about how cheap this foreign coal is, it only appears to be cheaper because the huge cost of supporting those devastated communities is not paid by the now-privatised electricity generating companies, but instead is paid for by taxation, both local and national. If these mostly foreign-owned companies had to pay an import tax on coal, to pay for the unemployment benefits, this lovely cheap coal from Australia wouldn't seem such good value would it ?
I realise that all this is not new. I and many others have made these points before. But when you live in an area such as South Wales as I do, you see the effects of industrialism every day of of the week.
its seems to still be cheaper to import coal.
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as much as i hate wind farms, and i do, we should have been looking at other sources of fuel a long time ago. we import many goods that we once made, and perhaps it's because our labour costs were too high, we get got the stuff from abroad. That may be simplistic, but that is how it works
British won't buy expensive home made goods, because for many they can't afford it, some don't care but the same must be said for home mined coal, it's too expensive. For some things we cannot compete on the worlds stage.
British won't buy expensive home made goods, because for many they can't afford it, some don't care but the same must be said for home mined coal, it's too expensive. For some things we cannot compete on the worlds stage.
By the 1980s the grip of the miners over the nation was weakening any way. It was the perfect time to take the miners on and Thatcher took it. A decade earlier and our power stations were all coal powered. Most homes still had a coal fire as the primary source of heating. It would have been impossible to import that much coal, and a deal would have had to have been done.
By the 1980s, with north sea oil coming fully on stream, most home heating was gas powered. Power stations had begun to use oil and gas as well as coal. Which is how we could endure a year long strike.
Thatcher struck when our reliance on the industry was waning anyway. It was an important victory, but I can't help but think those who say she saved the country are over egging the pudding.
By the 1980s, with north sea oil coming fully on stream, most home heating was gas powered. Power stations had begun to use oil and gas as well as coal. Which is how we could endure a year long strike.
Thatcher struck when our reliance on the industry was waning anyway. It was an important victory, but I can't help but think those who say she saved the country are over egging the pudding.
Another point.
Thatcher had a huge majority, and most of the mines were in Labour areas. Labour were in complete disarry so the opposition was weak. I doubt she would have had the same clout if she had a tiny majority like John Major later.
Thatcher didn't much care for dirty industries like coal, cars, steel and rail. As these were gradually dismantled, she pushed the service industries, particular financial services. Manufacturing played a less and less role in our economic portfolio. That is why when the crash eventually came in 2008, the UK were more badly hit than Germany who relied less on financial services than the UK.
Thatcher had a huge majority, and most of the mines were in Labour areas. Labour were in complete disarry so the opposition was weak. I doubt she would have had the same clout if she had a tiny majority like John Major later.
Thatcher didn't much care for dirty industries like coal, cars, steel and rail. As these were gradually dismantled, she pushed the service industries, particular financial services. Manufacturing played a less and less role in our economic portfolio. That is why when the crash eventually came in 2008, the UK were more badly hit than Germany who relied less on financial services than the UK.
Chill
The miners strike wasn't nationally supported. Many areas such as Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire were against it, which is where the secondary picketting came in.
I am not sure your step father's view is typical. Whilst many may blame Scargill for the failure to win the strike, I suspect most blamed the Government more.
Where was your step father's pit?
The miners strike wasn't nationally supported. Many areas such as Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire were against it, which is where the secondary picketting came in.
I am not sure your step father's view is typical. Whilst many may blame Scargill for the failure to win the strike, I suspect most blamed the Government more.
Where was your step father's pit?
Gromit, another reason they lost was because Scargill allowed himself to be goaded into striking from May having let the government stock pile coal at all the power statons, it was 6 months before anyone noticed any effect. Traditionally miners strikes were done in the winter and and such over much quicker. I'm not saying MrsT saved the country by this alone, it was the general nutering of union power that dug us out of being the "sick man of Europe" at a time when most comentators of all sides where saying that basically the rot could not be stopped and all we could do was manage decline into what would be more akin to a Soviet Bloc enclave.
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