London Irish
Well-known member
It's unbelievable how people swallow the lies churned out by Rupert Murdoch's rags about the miners. Thatcher's attack on the miners was never about the economics of coal mining, she spent billions of taxpayers momey preparing for the dispute, smashing the mining communities and then picking up the cost afterwards in terms of welfare payments.
For a real history of the dispute, start here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1163360,00.html
During the strike, 3,000 people were injured or hospitalised, including Scargill himself. 11,312 were arrested with 200 serving time in prison. In the many successful lawsuits for false arrest that followed the collapse of trials involving miners, the police were forced to pay out hundreds of thousands of pounds of tax payers' money in compensation. In an out-of-court settlement, South Yorkshire Police agreed to pay £425,000 compensation and more than £100,000 legal costs to 39 mineworkers. The settlement followed the collapse of prosecutions against 95 mineworkers for riot, unlawful assembly and other offences.
Two miners - Joe Green and Davey Jones - were killed on picket lines and three more died whilst digging for coal during the winter. About a thousand miners were sacked during the course of the strike. When the strike began, there were over 181,000 miners in 170 pits. Thatcher's victoty meant that by 2002, there were just 8,000 miners in 17 pits.
For a real history of the dispute, start here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1163360,00.html
During the strike, 3,000 people were injured or hospitalised, including Scargill himself. 11,312 were arrested with 200 serving time in prison. In the many successful lawsuits for false arrest that followed the collapse of trials involving miners, the police were forced to pay out hundreds of thousands of pounds of tax payers' money in compensation. In an out-of-court settlement, South Yorkshire Police agreed to pay £425,000 compensation and more than £100,000 legal costs to 39 mineworkers. The settlement followed the collapse of prosecutions against 95 mineworkers for riot, unlawful assembly and other offences.
Two miners - Joe Green and Davey Jones - were killed on picket lines and three more died whilst digging for coal during the winter. About a thousand miners were sacked during the course of the strike. When the strike began, there were over 181,000 miners in 170 pits. Thatcher's victoty meant that by 2002, there were just 8,000 miners in 17 pits.
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