Almost 40 years today.

[gant]

Almost 40 years on, the miners’ strike still casts a long shadow over UK politics today | John Harris

The pit closures seem a distant memory to many, but they have had a huge impact on our very social fabric, says Guardian columnist John Harris

www.theguardian.com

 

[Notch7]

Scargill didn’t care about miners, he wanted to bring the government down.

Thatcher had other ideas

 

[Roy Bloom]

I'm not a Thatcher supporter, and during the miners' strikes, etc, I was ambivalent about those issues.
But as a right wing politican, she did at least address the domestic issues bothering UK, and not blame the problems on foreigners, the EU, the asylum seekers, and anyone else that might come to mind.

 

[Odds]

I'm surprised Tories haven't hailed her as an environmental visionary with her foresight to close down unproductive coal fields.
Our shop steward was a fire n' brimstone union man, still fighting the battles of the 70s, and raged at our inertia by not going on strike in support of the miners. Fu*k 'em. I didn't see them coming to our aid in '81 during a vicious round of job cutting and i was fed up with the 'better Red than dead' attitude of the 'pots n' pans' (metalworkers) union. Anyone with a suspect attitude had been moved on during those job cuts and it was made clear that the same would happen to anyone who decided to go up against management. I needed the job and decided to join the 'Self-preservation society', like most workers at the time. It was way better than going on the dole.

 

[gas112]

 

[gas112]

Scargill lined his pockets whilst the people he was supposed to represent starved and he continued to try and do so for decades later the flat at the barbican being a prime example

 

[JohnD]

It's interesting to note that Scargill was demonised by the Tory press because he said that Thatcher was determined to crush the power of the workers, even at the expense of destroying the industry.

Which was true.

 

[Odds]

It's interesting to note that Scargill was demonised by the Tory press because he said that Thatcher was determined to crush the power of the workers miners, even at the expense of destroying the industry.

Which was true.

And the unions at British Leyland.

 

[JohnD]

Also the steelworkers, of course.

 

[Odds]

But the smaller unions were left to fend for themselves, without support from the larger unions. The Tories picked them off and nobody turned a hair.

 

[JohnD]

The Tories picked them off, and none of the other Tories turned a hair.

 

[gas112]

Also the steelworkers, of course.

would that be the steel industry that labour had already decided to drastically scale down in 1975 and hadnt got round to it before losing power
we better not mention wilson closing 253 pits to thatchers 115

 

[JohnD]

And the shipworkers, of course

 

[JohnD]

And the car workers, of course.

 

[JohnD]

And the railworkers, of course.