Caerphilly MP Wayne David has called for Conservative Party Ministers to apologise to ex-miners after it was revealed the Government may have had plans to close 75 mines prior to the 1984 miners’ strike.
Cabinet papers from 1984, released under the 30-year rule, have suggested that Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Government planned to close 75 mines over a three year period.
At the time, mineworkers’ union leader Arthur Scargill claimed there was a “secret hit-list” of mines to close – something denied by the Government at the time.
Soon after the strike of 1984/85, two collieries in the Rhymney Valley were closed – Windsor Colliery, in Abertridwr, and Bedwas Colliery.
Labour MP Mr David said: “At last the truth is out. Miners always suspected that the Government and the National Coal Board had a secret hit list of mines they planned to close.
“Their denials at the time are now shown to be a pack of lies.
“As well as thousands of miners losing their jobs, communities across the South Wales coalfield were devastated and abandoned.
“Those communities will never forget what the Tories did.”
Lord Robert Armstrong, who was Mrs Thatcher’s cabinet secretary at the time, has denied claims there was a cover-up.
What a load of CRAP, What good is an apology going to do
personally I think Wayne David should tell us what he thinks about the criminal activity inflicting Caerphilly Council, rather than wasting his energies on events of 30 years ago!
As mentioned in Wayne David's press release, " Miners always suspected that the Government and the National Coal Board had a secret hit list of mines they planned to close." I was an active member of the NUM at the time and remember this well.
The S. Wales Area director, Phil Weeks, always argued that there would only be a handful of pit closures in S. Wales. There were 28 deep mines in the area at the time. Mr. Weeks was essentially a decent man who cared about the workforce and he too was duped. When the true intention of the Government, the destruction of the coal industry, became evident I think he was devestated.
These events were 30 years ago but they do matter to me and thousands of others in S. Wales if only to vindicate our action. We went on strike and endured real hardship not for money or our own benefit but to try and defend a viable industry and jobs for our sons and daughters and the economy in general. Just to forestall the inevitable comment, from some who are not in possession of the facts, that all these pits were uneconomic I would cite Tower Colliery. Tower was not the best colliery in the area and was closed on economic grounds. The miners sucessfully ran this mine themselves from 1994 to 2008 until exhaustion forced closure.
I think that Wayne David and the Labour Party should also apologise over the pit closures. I seem to remember, that under the Labour Government of Harold Wilson, many local pits were closed. During the 1964 Miners Strike, many Labour Politicians did little to help the miners. Neil Kinnock in particular kept them at an arm`s length not wanting to upset the voters of Middle England. The Labour party abandoned the miners and no matter how hard Wayne David tries to spin the issue the Labour Party are as muchto blame as the Tories. Perhaps in the long run you cant beat geology.
More nonsensical grandstanding. Labour closed more mines and an apology does no good.
This opens a new question; socially, closure of the mines was a disaster but economically,codes it put us in a stronger position today. We are not bogged down by uncompetitive industry and can start to focus on technology (or we should if the government was forward-thinking)