GaryC wrote:Lesley.
In BarryW case, he simply does not want to understand.
Collieries all over the country, even those that supported Thatcher, were closed, 1000's thrown into un-employment, whole families thrown into the benefit's scheme, local shops and business's, medical centres, welfare clubs and even schools all closed, followed by years of depression in our villages and communities.
Yet, according to BarryW.
"His (Scargill) defeat and the taming of the Unions was essential and every one of us has benefited from that"
BarryW.
Please tell me how all those miners' families and local business's that was closed, have benefited from the mass pit closures?
I understand perfectly.
I understand how the Unions with their militancy, the restrictive practices, the closed shop damaged and destroyed whole swathes of British industry. Believe it or not I was once a member of the EEPTU.... not because I wanted to, but at least it was one of the more sensible Unions.
The mineworkers union, however, was one of the craziest particularly under Scargill.
Yes we all did benefit from the defeat of Scargill and the Unions in general. Yes, it was essential for renewed British prosperity. Freed from the strikes, freed from the closed shop, freed from the restrictive practices and freed from the bully boy thugs on picket lines and in mass meetings. Best of all freed from the malign influence of the Union on our political life, no more tea and biscuits at no10.
Those mining families who suffered hardship should blame their Union and Scargill in particular.
In the last week or so Norman Tebbit summed things up very well indeed when he was asked about the strike and the hostility to Mrs T. He likened her situation to that of Dowding in the Battle of Britain. He had to send half trained and inexperienced pilots into battle in the summer of 1940 who had not hope of surviving long. He did not like doing it but had to do it knowing these young men would mostly die, he had to do it because it was the right thing to do. That was very much like Mrs T who had to do what was necessary for the benefit of the country as a whole.