Baroness Thatcher
- 15 April 2013 16:06225374Gary, you're clearly a reasonable man, why do you think the mines were closed?
After all as Barry points out elsewhere, the number of mines had been shrinking for years before Mrs T came to power. - 15 April 2013 16:25225375Oh, come on David. Everybody knows the answer to that question.
It must be simply because our coal deposits ran dry, fortunately just as our need for coal evaporated...
"Coal in the UK - 2012
The UK consumed 64.1 million tonnes of coal in 2012, including 54.9 million tonnes in power stations.
Coal imports to the UK were 44.8 million tonnes, a large increase (+37.7%) on the previous year's amount, mainly as a result of a dramatic increase in electricity generated from coal. Indigenous production was 9.9% less than the previous year at 16.8 million tonnes. (Over the year, 3.0 million tonnes was lifted from stock, compared to 0.8 million tonnes in 2011.)
Coal-fired power stations provided 41% of the UK's electricity (gas 26%, nuclear 20%, others (including renewables) 13%).
(Source - DECC statistics)
UK Coal Imports
Coal is therefore a fundamental component of the UK's energy mix, and around three quarters of the nation's requirements are imported.
CoalImp - the Association of Coal Importers - believes that imported coal complements indigenous supply as a secure and essential part of the UK energy balance. Coal resources are plentiful, distributed more evenly around the globe than oil or gas, and coal is capable of being transported and stored safely."
http://www.coalimp.org.uk/3.htmlIgnorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing. - 15 April 2013 16:28225376So according to Tom the mines were closed because we'd run out of coal. Reasonable enough.
- 15 April 2013 17:13225380East Kent Mines have 100 years of coal reserves..................
- 15 April 2013 17:29225384there is a vast difference between closing pits for economic reasons and closing them for political reasons.
- 15 April 2013 17:31225386see gary c
I think some of you may have mist the heading of my post 129
Let's remember Maggie for what she really was... a tragic failure . by peter Hitchings
The article was a rip from peter Hitchings blog . usually a good read
Gary c I think peter Hitchings was making the point that despite the notts men working in the strike they still got shat all over.
I would have preferred no body on strike, and an agreed national energy policy giving miners and taxpayers a working affordable industry
Instead we got no industry and mass industrial vandalism - 15 April 2013 18:53225415Martin P.
That was just one of many illegal acts that were perpetrated on the Kent Miner. The now retired Kent chief of police has admitted that his orders to stop Kent Miners at the tunnel were illegal.
David.
Many pits shut through exhaustion, geological or health and safety reasons. Matlock and Daw Mill have just closed through gas and fire problems and none of these pit closures were ever contested.
It was only by closing a viable pit, namely Corton Wood, that invoked the strike.
Betteshanger was breaking productivity records when it shut and was one of the most technically advance collieries in the uk.
There are millions of tons of coal left in Kent, even after mining coal for nearly 80 yrs, we hardly made a small dent in the tonnage that remains. This is not, just coal, this is high calorific coal, I part of Kent coal is the equivalent of 14 parts of Notts coal.
Our collieries were closed to bring down the unions. Scargill will have to answer his own questions on the strike and yes its quite possible that BarryW is right in saying that he and other union leaders wanted to bring her government down but not the miners, they just wanted to keep their pits open, for their communities to survive.
A sledge hammer to crack a cob nut would be an over statement.
Reg
I have to disagree; your figures are quite conservative.
Keith.
Yes I did miss read your post, I thought they were your words, sorry.
98% of miners would agree with you in not wanting to go on strike.
They never wanted to go on strike.
I have always said that the unions had an unhealthy balance back then and something needed to be done to sort out this problem.
Her way was to annihilate the unions by closing industries and in my case, 3 profitable pits.
And guess what, here I am again trying to defend my family against another victimised, vicious campaign, by the same ilk.
We must learn to live and get on with each other. There are still plenty of good people who care and come from all parties. There has to be common ground where we can all live together and get on together in a balanced society.
Too many politicians are too busy with bashing the opposition and should stand back and see what damage they are causing to this country and the people in it."My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum" - 16 April 2013 09:03225493# 147.....glad that was a small ``c`` Gary...
Thatcher has left hurt and anger, says funeral dean
The Very Rev Dr David Ison will give the bidding at the former Prime Minister's funeral service
The Dean of St Paul's Cathedral entered into the debate over Baroness Thatcher's legacy
yesterday when he said that Britain has not recovered from the hurt and anger caused by her policies.
The Very Rev Dr David Ison, who will give the bidding at the former Prime Minister's funeral service
tomorrow, added that the memory of her policies was being revived by the present Government
in its attempts to reduce the deficit.
``There is some real work to be done here about what`s the relationship between rich and poor
in our Society``he said...............................very true..................