Ogmore Vale/Nantymoel: devastated old coal towns

[Threshers_Flail]

Does anyone actually want a return of coal mining in Wales? Even if it can be made, 'clean', which i highly doubt it can, it is still a very hard, dangerous job, much better if safer alternative industries were provided, but that's not going to happen. I know people tend to blame everything on Thatcher, but in this sense, its true. She knew she could get away with it because nobody in their right mind will vote Tory in that part of Wales.

 

[Gavin Bl]

Actually they've started opencast mining at Merthyr Tydfil again. Residents aren't happy.

its been going for years, I believe they are filling in one of the holes now - and they are IMMENSE. With that and the work on the Heads of the Valleys road, and the abbatoir, it must have been pretty messy. As if Blaen Dowlais needed any help with being grim... ...they put a McDonalds drive thru in, just to add insult to injury.

I've often wondered if chapel culture would have lasted longer if the mines and what not hadn't gone - even if we were still churning out coal, I couldn't see it surviving the onslaught of secular individualism, or whatever you want to call it.

 

[lewislewis]

Actually they've started opencast mining at Merthyr Tydfil again. Residents aren't happy.

There is loads of opencasting going on, mainly for export (I wouldn't be surprised if the coal was being exported to China).

A Labour MP (the one for Ogmore Vale actually) suggested a return to deep mining to burn the coal at Welsh (and other UK) power plants using this mythical 'clean coal' or 'carbon capture' technology. It sounds suspicious to me, but i'm interested in whether it is really possible.

About ten years ago my Dad's mate worked at one of the last deep mines, using all the modern technology. It sounded really interesting but employs way less people than coal mining used to (for obvious reasons).