Richard Moffatt wrote:No - the mining areas have not been in an isolated time warp -they were simply isolated. Why else would Thatcher order the stock piling of coal at collieries prior to a deliberate confrontation. What happened back in the 80's was an orchestrated emasculation of the mining communities(no not just the union). The government illegally colluded with the police to prevent national picketing and ultimately shafted families nationally.
Gary's experiences on the picket lines at the hands of the met police are harrowing to say the least.
Of course coal was stockpiled, it was the right and sensible thing to do. Scargill's intentions were known and Mrs T had the foresight to prepare. The country could not afford to be blackmailed by extremist Union thugs any more and they had to be beaten, You need only to look at the record of the 60's and 70's to see what needed to be done.
It was Scargill who called the strike.
It was Scargill who did not have a national ballot because he feared he would lose it therefore making the strike illegal.
It was Scargill who relied on bullying and intimidation to force the regions that did not support him in his regional ballots out on strike.
It was Scargill who was responsible for the hardship miner families endured.
