I was born in Barnsley General. My mother told me that when my dad turned up, the first thing he said when he set eyes on his first son was - " He's not going down there."
I saw a brilliant film in the NUM building last year, put together by the Orgreave Truth & Justice campaign. Great stories. I nearly cried my eyes out a few times. I was working at Yorkshire Bank at the time, but my ex wife's brother was a striking miner & every day during the strike we would work to help those on strike. Yorkshire Bank is now Virgin Money. Says it all. At the time Yorkshire Bank was a credit to the name. I left in 96 & have been in music ever since. Now my music career is over I'm reflecting back a lot on those times. I hope the film gets more exposure. It's like Brassed Off but with real people.
Think most like me took the dangers and the inhuman conditions as a price for meaningful employment in the knowledge our families would be ok if anything did happen and job security with a bit of a pension to us or our families .
I’ve been trying to find some reference to it but can’t. I asked my mate who worked at Grimethorpe and he thinks they did vote (around 1977). I was sure they did and can even remember what the alternative was, it was a flat basic of £140 a week. But as I said, I can’t find reference. Perhaps somebody on here can remember.
I think there was a vote in 1966 & we voted against it, the Notts miners jumped into bed with the NCB & basically said sod it we'll have it.
The average age of a football fan is 54 IIRC. I’m definitely not getting involved in this debate, but look around the stands - we’re a bunch of old farts.
we stood together. Men women and children bonded by the fact we were right. We had fück all, literally nothing but the spirit of togetherness, waiting for that one day things would change. I couldn’t care less if you don’t like the chant of scab, I couldn’t care less if you think it’s seen it’s time. What this area went through shouldn’t have been allowed to happen in the western world, A very very small minority went back to work in our area too because they needed to feed their kids, I get that, but don’t ever complain afterwards. Take your dirty money and enjoy it. You’ll always be a scab, il always call you a scab. That bästard and her Tory government had blood on its hands, ideological desecration of its people and towns. Look around now we are still suffering.
I based my comment though on what I've been told by work mates when I was a Miner about the Notts miners Re the ballot on the production bonus vote. All I know is what I was told by hard working proud men of high integrity & that'll do for me.