Miners Strike 1984: The Battle for Britain

[WeeGord]

Did anyone watch the first episode last night? Found myself quite emotional when watching it, angry at the Thatcher government for destroying communities and the fabric of peoples lives, and it still clearly affects many to this day.

I realise some will criticise me for being so blunt, ordinarily I try to moderate my views on here but I'll make a special exception for Thatcher; I hope the evil mare is burning in hell.

 

[h_m_boro]

I've recorded it. Grew up in a mining village, uncle was on strike for the duration so have bitter first hand experience of the battle of the miners v Thatcher (and coppers/army) and the devastating aftermath.

 

[Brian Marwood]

The pits were uneconomical and approaching end of life due to safety and costs but this could have been dealt with in a much more sensitive way and not used as a stick to beat the unions with.

The pit closures had been going on through the 70's under Labour which Scargill was happy to ignore until the Tories got in power and then he waged war, so there was an ego issue with him in all of this too, try to make a name for himself. Scargill even ignored the decision of the miners in Derbyshire that didn't want to strike and who voted against it, he sent them out on strike against their wishes.

Scargill on one side and Thatcher on the other - two immoveable objects with the poor miners caught inbetween. Communities shattered and divided.

It's heartbreaking to watch, as I said, the mines had to close but there was a better way of dealing with it.

 

[Norman_Conquest]

Did anyone watch the first episode last night? Found myself quite emotional when watching it, angry at the Thatcher government for destroying communities and the fabric of peoples lives, and it still clearly affects many to this day.

I realise some will criticise me for being so blunt, ordinarily I try to moderate my views on here but I'll make a special exception for Thatcher; I hope the evil mare is burning in hell.

I didn't watch it last night but will get it on catch up.

Tyne Tees ran a housing bulletin on the local news yesterday from Horden and you could see how a once proud mining village had gone to the dogs. This is Thatcher's legacy.

 

[Billingham red]

The pits were uneconomical and approaching end of life due to safety and costs but this could have been dealt with in a much more sensitive way and not used as a stick to beat the unions with.

The pit closures had been going on through the 70's under Labour which Scargill was happy to ignore until the Tories got in power and then he waged war, so there was an ego issue with him in all of this too, try to make a name for himself. Scargill even ignored the decision of the miners in Derbyshire that didn't want to strike and who voted against it, he sent them out on strike against their wishes.

Scargill on one side and Thatcher on the other - two immoveable objects with the poor miners caught inbetween. Communities shattered and divided.

It's heartbreaking to watch, as I said, the mines had to close but there was a better way of dealing with it.

The pits were uneconomical and approaching end of life due to safety and costs but this could have been dealt with in a much more sensitive way and not used as a stick to beat the unions with.

The pit closures had been going on through the 70's under Labour which Scargill was happy to ignore until the Tories got in power and then he waged war, so there was an ego issue with him in all of this too, try to make a name for himself. Scargill even ignored the decision of the miners in Derbyshire that didn't want to strike and who voted against it, he sent them out on strike against their wishes.

Scargill on one side and Thatcher on the other - two immoveable objects with the poor miners caught inbetween. Communities shattered and divided.

It's heartbreaking to watch, as I said, the mines had to close but there was a better way of dealing with it.

Where can I watch this ??

 

[Norman_Conquest]

The pits were uneconomical and approaching end of life due to safety and costs but this could have been dealt with in a much more sensitive way and not used as a stick to beat the unions with.

The pit closures had been going on through the 70's under Labour which Scargill was happy to ignore until the Tories got in power and then he waged war, so there was an ego issue with him in all of this too, try to make a name for himself. Scargill even ignored the decision of the miners in Derbyshire that didn't want to strike and who voted against it, he sent them out on strike against their wishes.

Scargill on one side and Thatcher on the other - two immoveable objects with the poor miners caught inbetween. Communities shattered and divided.

It's heartbreaking to watch, as I said, the mines had to close but there was a better way of dealing with it.

Brian, they said the same about the shipyards and when they closed Smiths Dock we had four boats on the stocks and an order for four more boats that ended up getting built abroad. I am sure some of the mines were coming to an end, but not all of them.

 

[Brian Marwood]

Where can I watch this ??

On your telly.

 

[Trug]

The pits were uneconomical and approaching end of life due to safety and costs but this could have been dealt with in a much more sensitive way and not used as a stick to beat the unions with.

The pit closures had been going on through the 70's under Labour which Scargill was happy to ignore until the Tories got in power and then he waged war, so there was an ego issue with him in all of this too, try to make a name for himself. Scargill even ignored the decision of the miners in Derbyshire that didn't want to strike and who voted against it, he sent them out on strike against their wishes.

Scargill on one side and Thatcher on the other - two immoveable objects with the poor miners caught inbetween. Communities shattered and divided.

It's heartbreaking to watch, as I said, the mines had to close but there was a better way of dealing with it.

It is true that the pits were closing under Labour in the 70's- however the miners were transferred to the new "super pits" that were opening, or they took voluntary redundancy or they retrained into meaningful trades with recognised qualifications, not mickey mouse job creation stuff. No miner was made made unemployed.
As for Scargill/Thatcher- The Coal Board had a list of pits that were to be closed. Orgreave was not on that list. Thatcher put it on the list because it was where Scargill had worked- no other reason.

 

[Acklam_Lad]

I watched it.. will defo watch the rest of the series.

There were rights and wrongs on both sides and its obvious that people have not forgotten even after 40 years.

the biggest thing for me is that the pits were more than just a job, they were a community and its truly sad to see them go. Whole areas lost their identity and none have seemed to recover to pre closure levels.

 

[Trug]

Brian, they said the same about the shipyards and when they closed Smiths Dock we had four boats on the stocks and an order for four more boats that ended up getting built abroad. I am sure some of the mines were coming to an end, but not all of them.

They said the same about British Steel. Consett was the only place that was making a profit but was the first to be closed

 

[h_m_boro]

During the 60s and 70s a lot of mines closed as they had reached the end of their life and it was becoming uneconomical to keep them open. That's okay, it was accepted begrudgingly.

Into the 80s Thatcher made it personal. Again, a number did need to close. A large number needed investment, and a good number still had a lot of coal which could be mined.

But Thatchers vision, being a f*cking vindictive get, was to basically shut them all (although this was always denied......) decimate the working classes - collateral damage. Too expensive to mine UK coal, let's just import it. Far cheaper. All about the money, short term thinking. Making a fast buck.

Same for ship building, steelworks, heavy industry......

Her legacy, and the aftershocks for the UK hasn't been good has it?

 

[The_Lizards_Jumpers]

On your telly.

Channel 4 on demand.

What always gets me with regards to the miners strikes is the strength of the women who supported their husbands, having to care for children with the very bare minimum, because they fundamentally saw the destruction it would do both to the communities but also to the men they loved who were having their ability to earn a wage removed from them, through no fault of their own.

 

[steve0]

I worked at a hospital in Leeds at the time of the strikes. Worked a night shift and we had a copper supervising a patient. Copper was a big get - about 6’7” with a gob to match. Kept banging on about the holidays and stuff his overtime on the strikes was paying for. Waving notes at the miners to wind them up and what great fun it was cracking heads. A complete tw@t who enjoyed his job too much. Never saw him again but if half the bad stuff I wished on him came to pass he hopefully didn’t have a good life

 

[h_m_boro]

Channel 4 on demand.

What always gets me with regards to the miners strikes is the strength of the women who supported their husbands, having to care for children with the very bare minimum, because they fundamentally saw the destruction it would do both to the communities but also to the men they loved who were having their ability to earn a wage removed from them, through no fault of their own.

I think bare minimum could easily be substituted with nothing. Families relying on hand outs, generosity from family and friends. Soup kitchens. Like the 30s Great Depression in the UK.

But what happened? People pulled together. People made sure others were okay. The community looked out for one another. People got through it. Incredible really looking back.

 

[HolgateCorner]

I watched it and thought it was a brilliant watch.

It’s actually becoming really difficult for me with the passage of time to accept and believe what Thatcher got away with.

And I’m not talking about mine closures but the bad and brutal treatment of the working people of this country.

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

The good guys lost.

 

[mercury_redstone7]

Did anyone watch the first episode last night? Found myself quite emotional when watching it, angry at the Thatcher government for destroying communities and the fabric of peoples lives, and it still clearly affects many to this day.

I realise some will criticise me for being so blunt, ordinarily I try to moderate my views on here but I'll make a special exception for Thatcher; I hope the evil mare is burning in hell.

I agree with the feelings WG, Thatcher destroyed lots of industries, she set out to do it after the early 70s seen the upper hand sit with the people who built the country.

However, I worked contracting for a while in South Yorkshire, Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster. The countryside is much like Durham and Northumberland, its wick with pit villages. I met with with an old guy one day calling back doing snags after a upgrade wire. He was one of lots I met and recognised why they had such poor health.
He was in a pit collapse which broke his leg badly and was lucky that they could dig him out. He had black lung, and hobbled about badly, poor lad lived very frugally. I got on about The Strikes and the industry, he was very mild mannered man. But he said to me he wished Thatcher had been around when he was 18.

I realised why he felt like he did, he said its an awful way to make a living and no man should have to do it without a kings ransom at stake. He felt he wasn't clever enough to do anything else. Pretty stark choice in reality.

Perhaps inadvertently Thatcher and her dogs saved the future generations in the mining areas from being exploited and an early death.

 

[Quicksilvera]

Did anyone watch the first episode last night? Found myself quite emotional when watching it, angry at the Thatcher government for destroying communities and the fabric of peoples lives, and it still clearly affects many to this day.

I realise some will criticise me for being so blunt, ordinarily I try to moderate my views on here but I'll make a special exception for Thatcher; I hope the evil mare is burning in hell.

A truly reprehensible wench, she epitomises Tory Britain.

 

[The_Lizards_Jumpers]

Perhaps inadvertently Thatcher and her dogs saved the future generations in the mining areas from being exploited and an early death.

Yeah they can get exploited by private companies like call centres instead, or leave their dying towns to go to London or Manchester if they want to do something different.

The problem wasn't so much what Thatcher did to the mines, but the fact that there was no real (perhaps a token effort) consideration of how those jobs could be replaced and how entire communities built on 100's of years of mining would function without a pit at the heart of it.

They were left to rot.

 

[mercury_redstone7]

Yeah they can get exploited by private companies like call centres instead.

Exploitation will never go away LJ, its the name of the game in capitalism.