Miners' strike 1984-85 40th anniversary general stuff

[Kate Sharpley]

Having started a thread British class struggle anarchists in the Miners' Strike 1984-1985 to ask for info/ reflections on anarchist involvement in the strike, inevitably you come across stuff that's interesting.
EG
radio arthur
Radio Arthur – Nottingham

This station used to broadcast over the top of Nottingham’s ILR station, Radio Trent, encouraging people to support the miners who were on strike at the time. There were calls to save the nation’s minefields and to join the strike. They were therefore dubbed “Radio Arthur” by the national press.

The first broadcast was in July of 1984 and was slotted in quite skilfully. There was the normal build up to the news at the top of the hour, and then just after the news jingle, “Radio Arthur” would switch on. To the unsuspecting Radio Trent listener, it would sound like they were broadcasting biased news. Many people complained, even those who realised Trent were not responsible, but still wanted to know why it was not stopped. All Trent could do was to reassure listeners and complain to the DTI.

 

[hitmouse]

One of my favourite anecdotes from the strike is that there was a roadside cafe that was quite busy during the strike and used to give free breakfasts to pickets, and would subsidise this charitable activity by overcharging the coppers who came in. Which sounds like an unverifiable urban myth, but it turns up in quite a detailed (and lovely) article, was apparently Rose's cafe in Retford according to this article from the OTJC publication At The Coal Face:

 

[hitmouse]

New film coming out:

Strike: An Uncivil War | In Cinemas from Tuesday 18th June

tullstories.co.uk

 

[Elpenor]

New film coming out:

Strike: An Uncivil War | In Cinemas from Tuesday 18th June

tullstories.co.uk

Saw the trailer for this tonight. I am not likely to be able to get to see it but suffice to say you’ll feel very angry should you watch the film if my reaction to the trailer is anything to go by.

 

[two sheds]

She was right in her quote at the end though: "The violence and intimidation we have seen should never have happened, it is the work of extremists, it is the enemy within" only in this case she was talking about herself and the police who carried it out.

,

 

[porp]

New film coming out:

Strike: An Uncivil War | In Cinemas from Tuesday 18th June

tullstories.co.uk

Thanks, but this falls into the too painful to think about category. There are some things that make the feeling of powerlessness almost too much.

I would genuinely like to know what people think would have been different, had there been a strike vote. Knowing what we know about the utter ... Single mindedness of those ranged against the miners, do people think some sort of 'fair play" would have ensued?

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I would genuinely like to know what people think would have been different, had there been a strike vote. Knowing what we know about the utter ... Single mindedness of those ranged against the miners, do people think some sort of 'fair play" would have ensued?

from the perspective that i was 14/15 at the time, in south london so not really in close touch with it, and while i had formed leftish views by then, i'd done so pretty much independently of family etc so wasn't all that well informed, but -

it did seem at the time that the main line of attack from the government and their friends in the media was that there hadn't been a strike ballot and that's what made it 'wrong' or 'worse', and i expect this did sway some public opinion, although there were a lot of other anti union messages during the 80s.

from the perspective of now, i'm aware opinion is divided about what the outcome of a national ballot would have been - some areas may have not been under threat at the time. some of the miners who carried on working argued they were doing this because there hadn't been a ballot - would they have done the same if there had been a strike mandate or would they have stayed loyal to the union? in which case would there have been so much trouble (which the tories and media blamed solely on the strikers not the police) on picket lines?

and also, again from the perspective of now, i am fairly sure the tories and their friends in the media would have found another line of attack if it had been an official strike, and neil kinnock would probably still have been soggy about expressing any support...

 

[nogojones]

Thanks, but this falls into the too painful to think about category. There are some things that make the feeling of powerlessness almost too much.

I would genuinely like to know what people think would have been different, had there been a strike vote. Knowing what we know about the utter ... Single mindedness of those ranged against the miners, do people think some sort of 'fair play" would have ensued?

No. A vote would have made no difference. The NUM would have voted to go out, but wasted time and resources doing so and the state would have still gone for them with their full might.

 

[marty21]

from the perspective that i was 14/15 at the time, in south london so not really in close touch with it, and while i had formed leftish views by then, i'd done so pretty much independently of family etc so wasn't all that well informed, but -

it did seem at the time that the main line of attack from the government and their friends in the media was that there hadn't been a strike ballot and that's what made it 'wrong' or 'worse', and i expect this did sway some public opinion, although there were a lot of other anti union messages during the 80s.

from the perspective of now, i'm aware opinion is divided about what the outcome of a national ballot would have been - some areas may have not been under threat at the time. some of the miners who carried on working argued they were doing this because there hadn't been a ballot - would they have done the same if there had been a strike mandate or would they have stayed loyal to the union? in which case would there have been so much trouble (which the tories and media blamed solely on the strikers not the police) on picket lines?

and also, again from the perspective of now, i am fairly sure the tories and their friends in the media would have found another line of attack if it had been an official strike, and neil kinnock would probably still have been soggy about expressing any support...

I was 19, living in Swansea (at the Uni) and there was huge support for the miners there , I shook a bucket on many mornings at the Quadrant (City centre shopping centre) , collecting money for the miners and the Student Union was fully behind the strike. I remember at the time, the other Miner's union (the Nottingham one) kicking off about the strike and demanding another ballot and the feeling at the time was that it wasn't necessary, my feelings haven't changed in the 40 years since.

 

[planetgeli]

from the perspective of now, i'm aware opinion is divided about what the outcome of a national ballot would have been - some areas may have not been under threat at the time. some of the miners who carried on working argued they were doing this because there hadn't been a ballot - would they have done the same if there had been a strike mandate or would they have stayed loyal to the union? in which case would there have been so much trouble (which the tories and media blamed solely on the strikers not the police) on picket lines?

1) Many areas were not 'under threat' openly at the time but Scargill & co knew what was going on and said what was going on. Miners were under no illusions, or didn't need to be.

2) Those carrying on working - some would still have done and a few might not. It would have made little difference to the strike. Thatcher wasn't after democratic legitimacy. She was out to crush trade unions.

3) Picket line violence was orchestrated by the government bussing thousands of coppers all over the country. Orgreave, never forget.

 

[porp]

from the perspective that i was 14/15 at the time, in south london so not really in close touch with it, and while i had formed leftish views by then, i'd done so pretty much independently of family etc so wasn't all that well informed, but -

it did seem at the time that the main line of attack from the government and their friends in the media was that there hadn't been a strike ballot and that's what made it 'wrong' or 'worse', and i expect this did sway some public opinion, although there were a lot of other anti union messages during the 80s.

from the perspective of now, i'm aware opinion is divided about what the outcome of a national ballot would have been - some areas may have not been under threat at the time. some of the miners who carried on working argued they were doing this because there hadn't been a ballot - would they have done the same if there had been a strike mandate or would they have stayed loyal to the union? in which case would there have been so much trouble (which the tories and media blamed solely on the strikers not the police) on picket lines?

and also, again from the perspective of now, i am fairly sure the tories and their friends in the media would have found another line of attack if it had been an official strike, and neil kinnock would probably still have been soggy about expressing any support...

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I was young at the time of the strike. Miners from the Kent colliery collected in our high street. I didn't even know there was coal in Kent .

It's really difficult to judge from where we are, but my instinct is that a majority vote in favour but minority in, say , Notts, would have provided just more reasons to delegitimise the very idea of collective action.

It makes you wonder, in relation to other situations, how often the widely repeated "sensible" reason to favour oppression, will turn out to be something confected

 

[Kate Sharpley]

"And all of these villages that are worst hit in Fife all had mining communities. There were jobs when you walked out of school back then. You walked out of school and you went right into a job. You walk out of school nowadays and you walk to the Job Centre."
Marissa Campbell interviewed by Robert Gildea for new collection of oral histories Backbone of the Nation

 

[Kate Sharpley]

Askern pickets were chased into a wood by cops with dogs. 3 pickets climbed a tree. The cops told them to get down. The pickets refused, replying: "Piss off we are having a branch meeting!"
From Miners Update in Black Flag https://files.libcom.org/files/bf7-122-1984.pdf