Bristol Miners Support Campaign Archive: Appeal for Artefacts
"40 years ago, the Tories had a plan for Britain. The heart of the plan was de-industrialisation and the creation of a low-skill, low-wage economy of insecure work. Capital was fleeing to more lucrative locations. Coal was at the heart of Britain’s industrial economy, so there was no place for it in the Tory plan. North Sea oil and gas offered the Tories a chance to put the plan into action. The only obstacle was the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the best organised and most effective trade union in Britain. If the miners could be beaten, the coal industry would be finished. But more importantly, the Tories’ plans for the rest of the economy would be easier to implement. The closure of the coal industry was not motivated by climate concerns. It was part of the plan to turn Britain into a de-industrialised, privatised, low-wage economy. The defeat of the NUM would provide the added bonus of demonstrating to all trade unions and anybody else that resistance was futile." ...
"40 years on from the miners’ strike, there have been many events to mark its significance and to remind the labour movement of the importance of solidarity in the long fight for social and economic justice. The Bristol Radical History Group are collecting documents and other materials relating to the Bristol Miners Support Campaign.
"We are now appealing to you for any contributions you can add to this collection, which will be deposited in Bristol Archives in B Bond Warehouse (Create Centre). It will be open to the public and to future historians.
"Please turn out your drawers and cupboards for anything you might still have, or that has come to you from older members of your family. If you find anything that you would like to add to the Bristol Miners Support Campaign Archive please get in contact."
Bristol Miners Support Campaign Archive: Appeal for Artefacts - Bristol Radical History Group
