Miners Strike - 25 yrs on

[Mich the Tester]

I'm in the US this week, and it's interesting to see how many of the big US car manufacturers are still struggling to cope with union practices. I'm not saying whether they are justified or not, but their slightly suicidal intransigence appears puzzling in the "current climate."

That's right, and people should remember that unions don't just become radicalised without a reason. Intransigence from both sides will never solve anything. It's a particular working atmosphere that gives the Scargills of this world the opportunity to get power in unions, and it doesn't need to happen.

[Sysman]

That's right, but unfortunately many companies who succeed this way end up being dominated by short termist hedge fund or private equity shareholders and see all their good work ruined.

Oops, your post crossed my editing. When I least talked to someone from there they still had a board full of technically qualified people. Now sold to a much larger multinational, but they lasted as independent a lot longer than any other UK company I worked at.

[foritisme]

Actually it was the taxi driver of the miner that was killed.

Also Gordon Brown refused to condemn the murderers actions at the time.

This wiki article is really good

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_mine...ike_(1984-1985)

This was in the Guardian a few weeks back. Made a really interesting read:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...oto-don-mcphee

Thanks FSM - will have a read up tonight.

[foritisme]

Scampers or Waddo?

Both.

[Bagpuss]

IIRC that was the first time Maggie used the police like her own personal army. The second time ultimately led to her downfall.

[Mich the Tester]

IIRC that was the first time Maggie used the police like her own personal army. The second time ultimately led to her downfall.

One thing that shocks me about the whole miners strike is that people on the right seem to forget that miners were real people, with homes and families who were genuinely frightened about their future. They weren't born as hard left communists, they followed a leader they thought could rescue their jobs. On the left there seems to be a denial that something needed to change in British industry and that the unions were by then not really suited to cooperating in change; ultimately it turned into a battle between the hard right and the hard left which the hard right won at the time, but in hindsight, everybody lost.

[DimPrawn]

I blame Thatcher.

For once, it's true.

[ratewhore]

Both.

You weren't a scuffer were you? Did you have a proper job?

[Bluebird]

Timing was also a factor. In the 1972 strike coal stocks at power stations were low and the strike occoured during the winter months. Within 6 weeks power stations were shutting down and the country was on a 3 day week due to lack of electricity.

In the 1984/5 strike the strike started in early spring, coincided with a period of unseasonably warm weather and came at a time when coal stocks were high. As a result there was no knock on effect on the countries ability to generate power, which is what really brought Heaths government down in the 70's.

It's also stated that Thatcher accelerated coal production before the strike to ensure there were stockpiles before she took on the unions.
Her actions were therefore premeditated, and not a reaction to the union protests which she tried to say.

[Mich the Tester]

I blame Thatcher.

For once, it's true.

Thatcher inherited labour relations that had been ruined many years earlier. She could have tried to gradually improve matters, but chose, perhaps considering the financial situation of UK and the hard left nature of the unions, to wield an axe. Unfortunately she did this with little regard to the consequences for people who had earned their living from mining and had built their communities around the mine. Just providing subsidies for a shopping centre to provide McJobs to people who'd grown up with pride in their work didn't help anybody.

her battle was against the unions, but she seemed to forget that the individual miners were real, living, feeling human beings.