Mounts Kipper Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpv316l2lypo the coal strike and how it was handled by the Tory government still boils my piss to this day. Thatcher using SY police (boot boys) was criminal, and how pit villages were left to rot after closure of the pits is one of the saddest political chapters in my lifetime. The communities built around pits were systematically destroyed by a government acting against the interests of a sector of its own people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Spider Posted July 12 Site Supporter Share Posted July 12 7 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpv316l2lypo the coal strike and how it was handled by the Tory government still boils my piss to this day. Thatcher using SY police (boot boys) was criminal, and how pit villages were left to rot after closure of the pits is one of the saddest political chapters in my lifetime. The communities built around pits were systematically destroyed by a government acting against the interests of a sector of its own people. Instant block from Bolty incoming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zulu Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 I once read somewhere that more UK pits were closed under Labour governments than under Tory governments. Not sure if that's true. Can anyone confirm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little whitt Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 20 minutes ago, Zulu said: I once read somewhere that more UK pits were closed under Labour governments than under Tory governments. Not sure if that's true. Can anyone confirm? Yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ani Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 17 minutes ago, Zulu said: I once read somewhere that more UK pits were closed under Labour governments than under Tory governments. Not sure if that's true. Can anyone confirm? It is true , I think it is one of the stats that gets disputed, if you count number of mines you get one answer if you count number of miners you get another The difference is that the Labour Govt were going through a planned program so as mines closed there was investment in new jobs in the area, training etc. They were working with NUM on this. The Tories under Thatcher just accelerated everything and stopped the investment. Whole communities were left to wither and die. This was all about Thatcher sending a political message to the unions, and she was clear about that. There certainly was a case that unions were at times to powerful but in doing so she dragged in thousands of others and did not give a shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Cheese Posted July 12 Site Supporter Share Posted July 12 28 minutes ago, Zulu said: I once read somewhere that more UK pits were closed under Labour governments than under Tory governments. Not sure if that's true. Can anyone confirm? It's irrelevant really, but how many of the Mine closures that occurred under previous Labour Governments resulted in the police being ordered to smash Miner's heads in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweep Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 5 hours ago, Spider said: Instant block from Bolty incoming Indeed. It's interesting how this still polarises people. If I was to guess, I'd say that Bolty was all for it, and it was necessary. Where as I know others who think the polar opposite. I'm not quite old enough to remember, but do vaguely recollect it happening. I do with folk would get over it though 😀 - we need to move on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 If you lived in a town or village left decimated after closures and left to rot with no regeneration or investment you'd feel a bit differently than just weighing up the pros and cons of coal mining. Nothing wrong in closing the pits, but by christ look after your people in the meantime. And don't let old bill stove their heads in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bolty58 Posted July 12 Members Share Posted July 12 1 hour ago, Sweep said: Indeed. It's interesting how this still polarises people. If I was to guess, I'd say that Bolty was all for it, and it was necessary. Where as I know others who think the polar opposite. I'm not quite old enough to remember, but do vaguely recollect it happening. I do with folk would get over it though 😀 - we need to move on Correct on all counts. They had to be smashed and smashed they were. Collateral damage is always regrettable but the destruction of the cancer is paramount. What a woman. Chubby Comboverski never stood a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Casino Posted July 12 Moderators Share Posted July 12 16 minutes ago, gonzo said: If you lived in a town or village left decimated after closures and left to rot with no regeneration or investment you'd feel a bit differently than just weighing up the pros and cons of coal mining. Nothing wrong in closing the pits, but by christ look after your people in the meantime. And don't let old bill stove their heads in. i might feel differently now, but at the time i was probably a bit thick and happy to go with shutting em down as we could get coal cheaper from wherever id prob see it differently now, you learn as you grow up one point i would make is that yes, the mining communities were decimated, but they werent the first industry to come to an end what support did the textile workers get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickbrown Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 7 hours ago, Mounts Kipper said: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpv316l2lypo the coal strike and how it was handled by the Tory government still boils my piss to this day. Thatcher using SY police (boot boys) was criminal, and how pit villages were left to rot after closure of the pits is one of the saddest political chapters in my lifetime. The communities built around pits were systematically destroyed by a government acting against the interests of a sector of its own people. The ‘commie bastards’ at the BBC showed the miners attacking the police, then the horses going in. The reality was the complete opposite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickbrown Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 And they shut plenty of profitable pits. Was a political/social decision rather than a pure economic one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ani Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 36 minutes ago, Casino said: i might feel differently now, but at the time i was probably a bit thick and happy to go with shutting em down as we could get coal cheaper from wherever id prob see it differently now, you learn as you grow up one point i would make is that yes, the mining communities were decimated, but they werent the first industry to come to an end what support did the textile workers get? Did the Govt shut textile mills ? The Tories abandoned the planned closure program for a political ideology based on smashing the unions and not caring the local communities. These communities are in many places still struggling and certainly not recovered , no Govt of any colour has done anywhere near enough to help them out. And people wonder why they vote Reform, well actually they do not wonder they just label them thick racists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakey Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 1 hour ago, Casino said: what support did the textile workers get? Different scenario. The cotton industry declined far more gradually mostly during periods of full employment and typically in large towns and cities that had other industries still thriving (engineering in Bolton for example). Plenty pit villages had the pit and fuck all else. Tragic irony that there's some in these places that are second or third generation unemployed whereas their grandads fought tooth and nail for the right to keep working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitestar Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Some of them pits are ok to be opened up again in an emergency they reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweep Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 11 minutes ago, Whitestar said: Some of them pits are ok to be opened up again in an emergency they reckon. I thought they were all now pretty much flooded out, therefore almost impossible to re-open Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Tonge moor green jacket Posted July 12 Site Supporter Share Posted July 12 10 minutes ago, Whitestar said: Some of them pits are ok to be opened up again in an emergency they reckon. Barely a power station left though to utilise it! Anyway, Gonzo's comments above seemed reasonable, and this little article paints a similar story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimron Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 1 hour ago, Ani said: Did the Govt shut textile mills ? The Tories abandoned the planned closure program for a political ideology based on smashing the unions and not caring the local communities. These communities are in many places still struggling and certainly not recovered , no Govt of any colour has done anywhere near enough to help them out. And people wonder why they vote Reform, well actually they do not wonder they just label them thick racists. I was working in South Yorkshire at the time, repairing NCB housing stock. What struck me was the strong sense of community in the mining villages, they all really did look after their own,,, you might have thought of them as a bit "rough" but I would prefer "direct and honest"... Scargill tapped into this for his own agenda. Later I worked on a big warehouse project built on a disused pit head at a place called Shirebrook developed using European regeneration funding with the aim of creating new local jobs... what happened? Mike Ashley took it for Sports Direct, didn't employ anyone locally and flooded it with cheaper eastern european workers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainmed Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 (edited) Scargill fucked up big time. If he had gone to a national ballot, I think they would have “won”. Edited July 12 by captainmed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Tonge moor green jacket Posted July 12 Site Supporter Share Posted July 12 26 minutes ago, captainmed said: Scargill fucked up big time. If he had gone to a national ballot and I think they would have “won”. Fair point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickbrown Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 37 minutes ago, captainmed said: Scargill fucked up big time. If he had gone to a national ballot, I think they would have “won”. He did. There was a programme on the other month that said as much. A Nottingham miner who was working said they’d have gone out if a national ballot had clerks for strike action Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimron Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2004/mar/08/tradeunions.politicalcolumnists Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traf Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 7 hours ago, Dimron said: I was working in South Yorkshire at the time, repairing NCB housing stock. What struck me was the strong sense of community in the mining villages, they all really did look after their own,,, you might have thought of them as a bit "rough" but I would prefer "direct and honest"... Scargill tapped into this for his own agenda. Later I worked on a big warehouse project built on a disused pit head at a place called Shirebrook developed using European regeneration funding with the aim of creating new local jobs... what happened? Mike Ashley took it for Sports Direct, didn't employ anyone locally and flooded it with cheaper eastern european workers. Shirebrook used to be a proper shithole, I imagine it still is. As for cheaper coal from overseas, the amount of benefits that had to be paid out to these decimated communities must have swallowed up those savings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo Posted July 13 Share Posted July 13 Money over people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mounts Kipper Posted July 13 Author Share Posted July 13 (edited) 2 hours ago, gonzo said: Money over people. While scargill needed reining in The Tory government used illegal methods and coerced the police to do the dirty work for them, then when the miners were defeated they left communities to rot, it was Pre-meditated and abhorrent behaviour from a party supposedly serving the nation. Yes deal with the NUM but after that they should have shown compassion to those communities but instead they just left people to suffer. Edited July 13 by Mounts Kipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.