There was, the overwhelming majority was in favour of striking to avoid pit closures but the votes were at regional level.
I'm not going to say anymore on it. Thank you. (I'm with you btw). The bitterness doesn't suit you either.
Thank you. That's all I wanted to know and belatedly even though I wasn't even born you have my unwavering support. No offence trust a woman to simplify it for me.
Can I also add. But I'll stand corrected i think it was in the 3 part documentary. That Thatcher had cake and scones behind closed doors with the UDM delegates. Thanking em for basically standing up against the enemy within. And they'd have voted to strike. Avin a laugh more like. B'STDs.
I'd point you and anyone else to a book called Supergrasses and informers And Bent coppers omnibus 2 books in one. Long read. It's very eye opening as to the depths they went/go to. And tbf sometimes in the interest of Joe public fraudulently.. By Andrew Morton.
The point about Notts Striking Miners is very well made. Can you imagine for one moment the bravery and courage it took from those men and their families to put themselves through what they did. Extraordinary.
I'm I right in thinking the right to buy scheme was part of Thatcher's master plan . Knowing full well local Labour council wouldn't evict striking miners but the banks would ,unfortunately she set a trap on several levels cunning evil bitch she was sadly it was a fight you were never going to win. Hopefully the truth will out especially concerning Orgreave because that was state funded brutality.
Never known that to be thought of as an evil plan. Most initially disagreed. But it snowballed when folk realised the discount made sense to buy. A lot went back on their principles. It was brought in. In 1980. I dont know how many miners lost their homes. But banks in general were patient. I've not found anything on evictions. The treasury was skint. And it brought millions in. But was a disaster not well thought out. As yrs later the loss of income in rent. Proved disastrous.
I think as an outsider looking in your spot on, the Govt had stockpiled enough coal to sit it out for years, huge productivity bonuses paid etc, I can remeber going to away games on the coaches and had never seen the ammounts of money some of my mates had in cash wages.......also I might be wrong here but didn't Arthur warn about this but no strike as so much money being earnt (this post is not meant to be offensive in any way but just how I see it)
Lots of flowers/bouquets at the base of the brilliant statue (Ibberson??) at the former NUM Heaquarters on Victoria Road. Is this to Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the declaration of the Strike - 12 March 1984 ?
It's in memory of the two miners who were killed during the strike. The first one died on 15th March 1984. https://www.barnsleychronicle.com/article/27669/lost-miners-remembered-at-memorial-event
Watched the Miners strike and wearside 40 yrs on. Last night. May open a few more minds on those who proposed and wanted a national ballot. It's no coincidence it was in the main , the selfish b'stds that created the UDM. No coincidence either, they didn't vote to strike as a region. The Nottinghamshire NUM supported the strike, but most of its members continued to work and many considered the strike unconstitutional given their majority vote against a strike and absence of a ballot for a national strike. So dont be under the illusion they'd have took part if lost.
It could have been done gradually with natural wastage, including early retirement, with younger men being gradually concentrated in the few remaining pits. This would have avoided mass unemployment and the importation of (relatively) dirty Polish "coal" - something which we are still doing by the way. At the same time, investment should have been made in the mining areas to create new clean industries for the new generations. Instead they chose to close down pits which had years of life in them, abandoning expensive equipment and pay the police massive overtime payments to crush working people. It was never about economics, it was purely Thatcher's determination to avenge what happened to Ted Heath at all costs.
40 years today since the vote came in that the strike had ended, the day that had been described by many including my grandad as the worst day of his working life. Good sign young un.
They've had £340000 to digitise all the documents; they're just waiting for chat GTP to de-incriminate all the evidence.
As posted on previous threads on the role of the Met durring the strike, they were a rule to themselves Nobody was safe from a crack in the ribs I still recall getting slammed into the bus shelter and the digs in the ribs that I got waiting for the Tracky staff bus No numbers on their uniforms either Last year Calendar did a very good piece on the Orgreave situation, they filmed the interviews in our backroom, the scrap book that they showed as an additional piece, I had the pleasure of looking through it, trust me, numerous photos of the police, a vast amount of close ups and guess what ...no numbers to be seen .
The UK has identified hard coal resources of 3 560 million tonnes, although total resources could be as large as 187 billion tonnes. About 80 million tonnes of the economically recoverable reserves are available in shallow deposits capable of being extracted by surface mining.…….We marched back with tears in our eyes but pride in our hearts. (1984/85.)❤️