Thatcher or Scargill ?

Excellent summing up, and makes me laugh when others assume what went off without knowing the truth, well said pal.

 

100 % mate , or should I say comrade

 

1982. Me and my mates arrived at Corfu airport for a fortnight's holiday. Got to the passport checks desk and the airport security bloke took one look at our passports and said, "Ah... Barnsley." Then he raised his fist in the air and shouted at the top of his voice, "Arthur Scargill!" We laughed all the way to the hotel.

 

Thanks WG. I could go on forever the injustices pointed at the miners. As i bet you could. But my biggest pet hates are assumptions.
Also. "Ah but you lost"
"not without putting up a good fight and head held high" is my response unlike the udm who had their belly tickled and an I'm alright Jack attitude. Not my battle.

 

I had a Father, 2 Brothers, 6 Cousens an 3 Uncles on the picket lines, i stood with them from time to time and witnessed the Police actions at Orgreave, at the time i was a serving Soldier on leave an in all my 23yrs of Service i av never met a Squaddie nor know any that got dressed as a Copper's an stood with the Police, i do know one however that used to puncture all the Police vehicles tyres while they were residing in Strensall camp. Conspiracy theorists.

 

I look at it this way. I have no concrete evidence to suggest soldiers were used. But came across a few coppers ? with no badges. A few motives could explain why. The stitch up at the battle of Orgreave shown a while ago on tv by the head of SYP, It really wouldn't surprise me. What was going on. Don't forget police were sent to every working mine. Check points etc. And some of those were just out of nappies, so stretched to the limits.
As I say I have no proof. And tbh I would have thought it was summat impossible to keep under wraps all these yrs.
What I will say is , the Met were another breed of human being or alien. Witnessed on many occasions.

 

Virtually every problem with society today can be traced back to to Thatcherism. Utterly evil

 

No I didn't work down the pit, I worked at the NCB Mining Research and Development Establishment at Bretby near Burton on Trent. So I was quite well placed to hear the views of some of the lads who became scabs. A few men I knew told me that if there had been a national ballot they would have voted to strike.

My dad worked down the pit all his working life except for a couple of years in the RAF during the war, I was just thankful that he retired in 1980, he would have been on strike for sure.

 

What they told you and what they meant are another thing. I have 1st hand experience as a YW shop steward of people telling you what they think you'd like to hear. And the figures dint add up.
Most Notts miners were renowned for breaking strikes
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many Nottinghamshire miners did continue to work during the 1926 national strike, effectively breaking the strike in that area. While the national strike and general strike was called in support of the miners, a significant number of Nottinghamshire miners voted against striking and continued working, leading to divisions within the mining community and the creation of a scab union, the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM), in later years.
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Allus said I'd prefer the truth even if I wasn't in favour of it. But it was 100% obvious some of those I believed, in fact lied.

 

Does he still own the Barbican flat?

 

Quite ironic the guy who set up the UDM, for the scabs went to prison for dipping in the till apparently .
They had a secret afternoon tea with Thatcher too

 

Scargill was stubborn about having a national ballot BUT let's not kid ourselves that it would have changed anything. Notts pits still would have remained open, they still would have been scabs.

 

It was split in Notts about 25% on strike and even more so in Derbyshire. Split north to south, north on strike, south working.