A lot of us will know it is the 30th anniversary of the 1984-85 Miners Strike, the longest dispute in history and shaped the area we see today.
I was wondering if anybody knows which bus companies were used to carry strike breakers, were Northern, United and then Busways used for miners* transport to work or was it just small independents contracted to do it, did many buses get wrecked in rioting and what damage was done to companies reputations for carrying working miners*
I was only 22 months old when it started, so have never had any recollection of it, do many others here remember the strike???
How old were you when it happened, was your father/uncle/granddad or brother miners, if so, did they tough the year out or go back to work before the end.
What was life like, from what I have been told and learnt is that brought a lot of poverty, nobody had a pot to piss in, and most are still seeing the effects financially to this day.
What was your families support for Scargill like and did they hate Mrs T as much
my great-nana once said to me 'I dont condone terrorism, but I wish the IRA had blew her up in Brighton in '84, bloody mickey mouse terrorists'
So over to you guys with your memories
#minersstrike30
#minersstrikememories
*I refuse to use the 'S' word to describe people who went back to work, it is a horrible word and although some probably deserve to be called it, to me it is just as bad as branding someone a rapist or paedophile...Am absolute horrible word that should not be messed with or thrown about
I wasn't born till 86, so wasn't around it all. Few members of my family were involved though and all toughed it out for the duration. Those that crossed are still seen as scabs today though when you talk about it.
One thing it did teach me though is that I'd rather walk in front of a bus than cross a picket line.
(15 Mar 2014, 7:28 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]I wasn't born till 86
Bloody hell, just a young'un then
(15 Mar 2014, 7:34 pm)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]Bloody hell, just a young'un then
I wish haha.
(15 Mar 2014, 7:28 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]I wasn't born till 86, so wasn't around it all. Few members of my family were involved though and all toughed it out for the duration. Those that crossed are still seen as scabs today though when you talk about it.
One thing it did teach me though is that I'd rather walk in front of a bus than cross a picket line.
One word I truly hate, because of what it stands for and it's meaning, but I agree about crossing picket lines, I was brought up to believe that doing such things would let myself, family and friends down, if your branded the S word then you have raped and murdered your family history, quite extreme but that is how people feel about it.
One thing I couldn't understand is Arthur Scargill, some people thought of him as something close to god, I met him in Newcastle years ago and thought he was a bell end
I'm not condoning what Thatcher did, however, one must understand that the coal industry had been in decline for many years.
If you examine the list of mines in the Durham Coalfield [
http://www.dmm.org.uk/lom/index.htm] you will notice that the majority of mines closed during the 1950s and 60s. This was caused, in part, by resource exhaustion (yes, we may live above a big seam of coal however its effectiveness as fuel depends on quality - something that was becoming harder to source and mine in the North East), unprofitable pits, and a consequence of the 1956 Clean Air Act which saw households and industry move away from coal and onto cheaper, cleaner methods of fuel consumption.
Thatcher undoubtedly hit the final nail in the coffin for the industry and her methods of breaking the strike raises serious concerns about the role of the (metropolitan) police and the monopoly of legitimate state violence. However, mining was largely struggling, largely unprofitable and would have needed some sort of restructuring or consolidation. Job losses would have came regardless.
Another interesting debate surrounds whether the coal industry would have been able to attract a younger workforce. If you were a mine worker in the 1980s would you really want your child following in your footsteps into a laborious and dangerous industry? Or if you were on the verge of leaving school at 16, would it be your choice to work down a mine? - Of course beggars can't be choosers when there are lack of employment prospects but, arguably, it would have seen a large employee turnover as people sought work elsewhere.
(15 Mar 2014, 5:16 pm)fozzovmurton wrote [ -> ]A lot of us will know it is the 30th anniversary of the 1984-85 Miners Strike, the longest dispute in history and shaped the area we see today.
I was wondering if anybody knows which bus companies were used to carry strike breakers, were Northern, United and then Busways used for miners* transport to work or was it just small independents contracted to do it, did many buses get wrecked in rioting and what damage was done to companies reputations for carrying working miners*
I was only 22 months old when it started, so have never had any recollection of it, do many others here remember the strike???
How old were you when it happened, was your father/uncle/granddad or brother miners, if so, did they tough the year out or go back to work before the end.
What was life like, from what I have been told and learnt is that brought a lot of poverty, nobody had a pot to piss in, and most are still seeing the effects financially to this day.
What was your families support for Scargill like and did they hate Mrs T as much
my great-nana once said to me 'I dont condone terrorism, but I wish the IRA had blew her up in Brighton in '84, bloody mickey mouse terrorists'
So over to you guys with your memories
#minersstrike30
#minersstrikememories
*I refuse to use the 'S' word to describe people who went back to work, it is a horrible word and although some probably deserve to be called it, to me it is just as bad as branding someone a rapist or paedophile...Am absolute horrible word that should not be messed with or thrown about
I can remember Northern having miners contracts, but as the strike was pre 86, I imagine a lot of the National companies had them too, alongside some smaller independents.
The vehicles were modified, with metal chicken wire type stuff, put over windows.
I had family members who worked down the pits and there were families in our street who were affected too.
There were all sorts of trumped up charges put against them, based on police lies.
However, a few years ago I worked alongside an older fella who was a motorbike cop during the strike. We had some interesting chats, but one he told me, involved him being dragged off his bike and given a good hiding near Monkwearmouth pit - he knew his attackers weren't miners, but his colleagues dished out revenge to the picketer's...
I know of one family, that still have divisions caused by the strike.
One side stayed loyal to the unions, whilst another side moved and found pit work in the East Midlands.
When the papers are released over the next few years, I believe (coupled with other emerging stories of police/state lies), that it will turn into the next big 'claim'.
We have already had the industrial diseases and PPI claims...
Couple of people I have spoke to over the years are adamant the Army was brought out to police picket lines, a few people even think Special Forces i.e. The SAS were deployed.
A bloke I used to know was a Squaddie in the 80's and he was adamant he was on policing duties in 84/85 during the strike and I could never find a reason why he would need to lie to me about it...
There is a good feature in the Sun today about what has become of Arthur Scargill, he has gone from being a powerful Union leader to virtually friendless who is living a reclusive life in Barnsley locked in legal battles with the Union he once ruled with an Iron Fist...IMO it could not happen to a better arse of a man...
As for the Colliery Bus Contracts during the strike, I was watching something the other night, and they said at one point that bus drivers had a No.2 working with them and some of them carried baseball bats, seeing what was going on back them, I can see why they would want to be armed
(16 Mar 2014, 2:51 pm)fozzovmurton wrote [ -> ]There is a good feature in the Sun today about what has become of Arthur Scargill, he has gone from being a powerful Union leader to virtually friendless who is living a reclusive life in Barnsley locked in legal battles with the Union he once ruled with an Iron Fist...IMO it could not happen to a better arse of a man
I heard he went to get circumcised and the surgeon would not operate....he said there is no end to this prick.....
I know, I will get my coat.
(16 Mar 2014, 2:51 pm)fozzovmurton wrote [ -> ]There is a good feature in the Sun today about what has become of Arthur Scargill, he has gone from being a powerful Union leader to virtually friendless who is living a reclusive life in Barnsley locked in legal battles with the Union he once ruled with an Iron Fist...IMO it could not happen to a better arse of a man
The Sun....hmmm
Well regarded for its objectiveness towards Scargill and the Miners Strike.
If anyone wishes to learn more about the Miners Strike and/or has a spare 1hr 40m, then I think that this is a decent documentary which provides a good overview to what the strike was all about.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/when-...to-war/4od
SYNOPSIS
In 1984, Britain stood on the brink of massive change. The way people made, and spent, money was changing, the era of the yuppy was arriving. It was a vibrant, fluid, controversial time of change. And in the midst of it all was the Thatcher revolution, and the miners' strike. In March 1984, the government announced plans to close 20 coalmines, with the loss of 20,000 jobs. National Union of Mineworkers leader Arthur Scargill led his workers out on strike.
This documentary uses extensive archive footage and the recollections of an eclectic mix of the key players from both camps, including politicians, policemen, comedians, pop stars and, of course, miners and their wives, to recount the events of this unique and formative period in modern domestic history: the year Britain went to war.
(16 Mar 2014, 2:51 pm)fozzovmurton wrote [ -> ]Couple of people I have spoke to over the years are adamant the Army was brought out to police picket lines, a few people even think Special Forces i.e. The SAS were deployed.
A bloke I used to know was a Squaddie in the 80's and he was adamant he was on policing duties in 84/85 during the strike and I could never find a reason why he would need to lie to me about it...
There is a good feature in the Sun today about what has become of Arthur Scargill, he has gone from being a powerful Union leader to virtually friendless who is living a reclusive life in Barnsley locked in legal battles with the Union he once ruled with an Iron Fist...IMO it could not happen to a better arse of a man...
As for the Colliery Bus Contracts during the strike, I was watching something the other night, and they said at one point that bus drivers had a No.2 working with them and some of them carried baseball bats, seeing what was going on back them, I can see why they would want to be armed
The Sun will take every opportunity they can to have a pop at Scargill.
There was a piece of graffiti for years, slagging him off, on a roadsign on the roundabout at the bottom of Peterlee, heading towards Horden/Blackhall.
It was only removed (or the sign replaced), within the last 10-15years.
The bus that appears in the ITV 1 programme is Bristol LH registration OCA629P which was ex Crosville acquired by The National Coal Board. The Coal Board then sold the bus after the miners strike and it was purchased by Trimdon Motor Services. OCA629P ended up with Tees and District with fleet number 1934 before going for scrap in 1994.
My recollection is that when miners started returning to work buses were provided in house by NCB or from small coach operators and or small security firms. The major operators (National Bus Company) only resumed their miners contracts near the end of the strike when numbers returning to work and increased police presence made it feasible.
EDIT: The programme that I watched was on ITV 1 at 10.35 on Wednesday 12th March titled "The Miners Strike and Me". I assume that the programme will be available on ITV player.
(16 Mar 2014, 2:58 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]The Sun....hmmm
Well regarded for its objectiveness towards Scargill and the Miners Strike.
Yep, not the best paper for an 'on the fence' opinion of Mr Scargill...but still a good read about him
(16 Mar 2014, 3:13 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]If anyone wishes to learn more about the Miners Strike and/or has a spare 1hr 40m, then I think that this is a decent documentary which provides a good overview to what the strike was all about.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/when-...to-war/4od
How can I watch this, I can't get 4od on my tablet
(16 Mar 2014, 5:09 pm)fozzovmurton wrote [ -> ]How can I watch this, I can't get 4od on my tablet
It appears that the only way to watch the full thing is through 4oD. There are little snippets of the documentary available on YouTube but some are subjected to regional blocks. There are ways to view videos 'not available in your country or region' but for 2 minutes here or 4 minutes there it's probably not worth the effort.
Is there any particular reason why you can't watch 4oD on your tablet? - It does require you to be registered with the service but this is free, easily done through Facebook and well worth it for the content.
(16 Mar 2014, 4:43 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]The Sun will take every opportunity they can to have a pop at Scargill.
There was a piece of graffiti for years, slagging him off, on a roadsign on the roundabout at the bottom of Peterlee, heading towards Horden/Blackhall.
It was only removed (or the sign replaced), within the last 10-15years.
I've never ever bought a copy of the sun, and never will. Whatever people may think of Scargill now, 30 years on, he was proven to be right with regards to the Thatcher's real plans.
The real legacy of the strike though was the solidarity shown across communities. Standing together will always make you stronger and that's true to this very day. Unions are still winning landmark disputes, despite the best efforts of the Governments (and I include Labour in that), with their anti-union laws.
Fancy a country where it's illegal to show solidarity to a fellow worker...
A fine looking bit of kit that
(17 Mar 2014, 7:48 pm)gtom wrote [ -> ]A fine looking bit of kit that
Just had to watch for the luggage racks when standing up!
![[Image: 1898091_758313070848299_495144452_n.jpg]](https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/1898091_758313070848299_495144452_n.jpg)