1980s miners strikes?

[CaulkheadUpNorf]

I'm watching Pride, which is set 1984-5, which is before I was born, and it's made me realise I know nothing about the miners strikes.

If you remember it, were affected by it, what was it like? Or are there some things I can read to find out more? There's very little online

The only problem with asking random people for their experience is that everyone's will be biased, depending on how or whether it affected them directly

^That's quite a sweeping statement there Livia . Some of us were/are able to think with clarity and reason things through for both sides, and then - as now - had compassion and understanding for both sides.
I was a pit strikers wife in a small village with other wives more millitant than the menfolk. I lost an awful amount of weight due to lack of food. I disagreed with the strike but didn't dare openly say so for fear of what my EX would have said/done - he would probably have handed me over to the other women who would have suitably punished me (I saw it happen to others) for daring to voice an opinion other than that of Scargills that they all chanted around the streets.
The only kindness shown to me during that year was from a police officer who, when he called at my house to say my ex was in custody for thieving from a local shop under the guise of feeding his family -liar- , and saw how mortified and upset I was, made me some tea and sat and talked to me as one human being/parent/friend to another.

Yes, the men were striking for better wages and working conditions, and knew their livelihoods depended on the outcome, but Scargill was sitting pretty. He never went hungry or faced the threat of homelessness and bankruptcy. To this day I believe he used all those men and women for his own agenda of a power battle with Thatcher.

What a bloody, awful mess.

I was in Ireland, but there was lots of coverage of the strikes.

My (lefty Irish Republican) dad had been in the RAF in WW2 and his brother had been a locum doctor in a mining town in Yorkshire during the 30s and had shared harrowing tales of deprivation and stoicism and gross injustice from those times, so dad had a deep interest in the fate of the British working class.

It was his contention even as MT went to war over the Falklands that she would try to break the unions if she succeeded in defeating Argentina. He was convinced that it was the miners' unions' links to Labour that had put a huge target on their backs.

I remember him predicting that the strike would fail, and lambasting Scargill for failure to understand that early winter 1983 was the time to call a strike, not spring 1984. Miners' families faced the winter of 1984 already skint as the strike had been going on for 8 or 9 months by then.

It wasnt a criticism in any particular way and of course some people have a balanced view. I meant that events are too recent for them to be seen objectively by most people, they continue to affect some people directly.

I agree -- the timing of the strike was bad, not to mention Scargill's determination not to bow to the new Tory law and hold a national ballot. If he'd have got in early enough, the vote would have been in favour and he'd have had the mandate. There were plenty of arguments with Scargill, believe me.

But FWIW I don't think he chose the timing of the strike because some of the branches said they'd come out on strike whatever he said. There is an enormous back story and I don't know whether we'll ever get to hear it all.

The UDM was a company association, not a Trade Union for your information. Some men in Nottinghamshire miners struck and stayed out.

I watched a tv documentary a few years back, where a Scab said he didn't like the word Scab. I thought then, and now. Don't be a scab then.

None of his family had anything to do with him again.

So many people on here were directly involved. Another thing I remember was how organised the miners wives (and girlfriends and mums) became during the strike. Ann Scargill was brilliant, but so were a lot of other working class women who weren't going to sit by and watch when they could be out campaigning (and were trying to keep their families going at the same time, financially and socially).

And they were treated cruelly by the police too, when they were arrested they were searched and this sometimes involved a cavity search, because you know, you might be smuggling a flying picket in your foof.

I remember miners being pulled over on the motorway and sent back. And the film of Orgreave being shown backwards on the news so it looked like the miners attacked the police.

I remember the miners begging on the street saying they couldn't feed their children, to my opinionated 14 year old mind I couldn't see why they didn't just go back to work I have a very different view now.

This thread should go in classics, it's so interesting.

Some men in Nottinghamshire miners struck and stayed out.

As was their right, but it was the right of those who chose not to strike, well, not to strike. In Nottinghamshire where the majority vote was against the strike, who were the union and who were the scabs? Why wouldn't the men who voted No, and saw men from other regions try to force them out of work, lose patience and give up on the NUM?

As for Orgreave: if the union had respected the right of those coming in and out to go about their lawful occasions there would have been peace.

The trouble is that the leadership were no asserting the right to strike; they were asserting the right to win, by all means necessary, and regardless of the rights of others. There is no such right.

I know this is not the narrative which suits many on MN and elsewhere.

I was young living in the north east. My parents worked in hospital but were labour supporters. The hospital workers sent money to the miners.

We had lived near to Consett where there was a massive Steel Works again closed. I don't know about the viability of the steel industry there just how it affected the area. Similar things are still happening

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/27/life-after-steel-redcar-future-consett

I agree Andrewofgg. The union leaders put their members in a position that they could never win. There was much room for negotiation but the macho politicking meant that never happened. In our town we also lost the cotton mills just before the mines went. We had family connections to that too and I remember my mum saying that when it was announced that the mills were to close the women who were employed there just quietly accepted it and got on with finding new jobs and new lives. When the mines went we had a war.

Have you ever seen the film Billy Elliott? That was set during the miners strikes and will give you a flavour of what it was like for people.

I think many miners and they're families understand that they were pawns in a political stand off.

But TBF what happened in these communities following the pit closures was exactly as the unions predicted. Already deprived areas were robbed of their main source of work and pride with predictable results.

I'm from up north but not near any of the affected areas. I was quite young, and only remember what I saw on the news, although it was talked about a lot in our house.

You asked if it was covered in other kind of media, I personally don't remember that happening at all apart from the news.

I did understand the hate of Thatcher though.

Over the years looking back it was the way things happened rather then what needed to happen. As other have said the total decimation of massive areas of communities just left to rot.

I know there have been many political bands/songs.

But this one for me is the one that speaks volumes.

The lightening seeds, Bound in a nut shell

Bound in a nutshell
Lost in our weary eyes
We're tumbledown people
Leading our tumbledown lives
Breath of life (breath of life)
Could make our engines roar

We're far from power, north of desire
High and dry, hoping you'll send us
From your mouth instead of lies
A kiss of life for sleeping giants

Broken, bound and battered
Freezing on picket lines
A colder frost can shatter
And chain us for all our lives
But a breath of life (breath of life)
Can make our engines roar

We're far from power, north of desire
Tied and bound by all these lies
As step by step, open, tired eyes
Give a kiss of life for sleeping giants

They spin our world from cruel to kind
And make our futures a downward slide
The strong get strong, but still want more
But day by day the giants thaw

Tomorrow must be calling
With an open door
There's no one left to start our
Revolution anymore
We need some flames (we need some flames)
To burn down every door

Oh, we're far from power, north of desire
High and dry, hoping you'll send us
From your mouth instead of lies
A kiss of life for sleeping giants
Far from power, north of desire
Tied and bound by all these lies
Step by step, open, tired eyes
With a kiss of life for sleeping giants
With a kiss of life for sleeping giants
With a kiss of life for sleeping giants
With a kiss of life for sleeping giants

I was 11/12 and living in South Wales (where I'm from). My uncles were miners. We had school assemblies to raise money, and did collections in Cardiff on Saturday afternoons. There were buckets for donations in all the shops, and baskets for food donations like the ones you see for food banks now. I also remember miners begging.

So many communities where I'm from were destroyed. They're like ghost towns now. Some have been all but abandoned. The hopelessness has filtered down through the generations.

The Miners' Welfare near to where I lived once had Slade perform, now it has gone and a Morrisons is in its place.
Miners, especially older generation miners were very proud men, earnt a decent living in a harsh, dangerous and unforgiving environment.
To lose their job, standing in their family/community and their identity was a massive personal blow. They knew nothing but the pit, I cannot explain it well, but it was far more than simply the mines closing and jobs going. It ripped the heart out. I think many people who had no experience of miners and mining communities had the view it was all 'How Green Was My Valley' and we sort of lived post war 50s black and white lives.
Not so, as newly weds in early 80s, we had holidays abroad, I drove a new car, had a decent job, ExH played cricket for the mine and we had a great supportive network of family and friends. Although I have to admit very chauvinist.
When the predominant industry be it mills, factories, mines or ship building go, the fabric that once was also goes. Something successive governments didn't seem to understand.

Someone mentioned Corby and the steelworks closing, a similar situation. While town loss

We lived down south (not a mining family) and we donated money and fundraised for the strikers, holding jumble sales etc to raise money for the mining families. We supported other campaigns to help them. (I remember the Coel not Doel Christmas cards.)

We talked a lot about the government's cruelty to the poor hungry families. As kids we were all afraid for them and I think a lot of our parents felt, there but for the grace of god.
to all directly affected by it.

They were undoubtedly pawns GetahaircutCarl as so much of the rhetoric was ideological. At the heart of the issue was an outdated industry. I wished that the Unions could have had the sense to have said to Thatcher that they'd go away quietly if she made sure the affected areas would be first in the queue for investment from companies such as Nissan. They were too fucking stupid and stubborn to do that though.

Nobody has made a film about the Nottinghamshire miners who voted No and were the victims of aggressive picketing by outsiders who wanted to force them to quit their jobs. Perhaps that's why there is only the one narrative around.

But in any event: no industry has any right to exist for ever. Twenty years ago there were thousands of people (mainly women) working in photo-processing labs, such as Grunwick of blessed memory. And now there are very few: and it's not the greedy capitalists or the arrogant unions which have destroyed those jobs. It's those of us who bought digital cameras and stopped buying film.

Both sides, to get a full picture

There are more than two sides.

From what I remember there wasn't an actual vote, that's why the Nottingham miners didn't strike or did so in fewer numbers.

There was an interesting documentary about them a while ago, one of the miners who worked was asked about it being 'water under the bridge' and he said he could not forgive the thugs who surrounded his house while he was at work but his wife and children were home. He said had there been a vote in favour of a strike he would be out. But no vote so he worked.

A lot of local police resented the met being brought in because they were heavy handed and the way they would go to a pub in the evening and drink their overtime before taking the piss out of locals collecting in the pub for miners.

No one, even now seems to question the police being brought in in large numbers, I don't remember it for other strikes.

As someone else said living conditions were not great for them and they were separated from families.

Thatcher hated Scargill and the unions, which IMHO is not a good reason to destroy an industry.

Thatcher despised the working class and anything associated with them. Anyone remember Hillsborough? I know that is for a separate thread but as far as the Tories were concerned the worst things (not people) you could be were scousers, miners and football fans.

When the Scum printed its infamous headline people could believe that it was true, that's how far certain groups were stigmatized.

Thatcher was pushing for all football fans to have to carry an ID card to attend a football match.

From what I remember there wasn't an actual vote, that's why the Nottingham miners didn't strike or did so in fewer numbers.

No; the vote was area by area and Nottinghamshire voted No, so in that area the workers were the union and the outsiders picketing were the scabs.

Thhe photo processing women did not all live in one area that was entirely economically dependent on that industry though did they? And the demise of the industry was gradual. Really not comparable to the Tories destroying our manufacturing base.

As to the Nottingham miners, well presumably if the miners had won the strike, and secured the future of the mining industry or a gradual carefully managed decline, then the Nottingham miners would have been more than happy to benefit from that. Without themselves having suffered any kind of financial hardship. Working people only have any kind of power when they all stand together. That is why no one likes a scab and scab stories are not uplifting or inspirational; they are just a bit sad and sordid and rather self interested.

I firmly believe that Liverpool fans at Hillsborough wouldn't have been blamed had the Miners' Strike not happened. At that time South Yorkshire Police and the 'establishment' had utter contempt for the working classes.

Does anyone remember any of the little chants they sang about Thatcher as children?

I vaguely remember singing something that started "2, 4, 6, 8, who do we not appreciate? Maggie Thatcher, put her in the bin..."

No idea what the rest was!

Cowgirl a fair few people in South Yorkshire agree.

South Yorkshire police were untouchable after Orgreave and 1989 when Hillsborough happened the buoyant, squash the plebs, attitude was high.
It's anyone's guess if the falsification of police statements at Orgreave gave the green light or started the dishonest culture in SYP that resulted in Hillsborough being covered up. Or more recently Rotherham CSE.