Is it time we gave the miners thing a rest?

[Tony Erikson]

I really think you had to have been there to truly understand why people are still upset a quarter of a century later. Yes, you can guess what it was like, but you will never truly understand.

 

I grew up in a mining community, my father and family before him were miners, and I witnessed the strikes and the hardship that followed. I got to see my village, what was a proud community, destroyed in such a short space of time. My father and many like him were not given any opportunity. They lost their jobs and were thrown on the scrapheap along with every other person, who's job relied on the NCB. Yes, when the mines close, it wasn't only the miners that lost their jobs.

 

Thatcher single handedly destroyed whole communities of hardworking men and replaced them with run down slums wholy reliant on benefits. I think it's safe to say, these once proud men have every right to not to forget. I won't and I was just a mere child at the time.

 

As for the National Grid people going on strike. Yes, I would find it inconvenient, but I would not be unhappy as I believe we all have the right to take industrial action.

 

Due to the way entire communities were devastated, the effects are still felt today. If it had been something spread over the country as a whole, you would be correct, but due to the fact that the mines were the only job in some areas there is still a large effect in those areas.

 

A lot of communities have been built for and by industry. The cotton mills in Lancashire for one. You don't hear people over there stating that the crime rates are because the mill was closed.

 

I have seen unemployment and poverty in my own family but I haven't constantly going on about it ever since. I did what I could to get myself out of the situation I was in. I know my lifestyle isn't the best in the world but that just drives me to try harder.

 

Sometimes it just seems that after the mines were closed, rather than these "hardworking" men adapting and helping each other along they just gave up and blamed everythig on Maggie.

 

Like Agent Orange has said, he will never forget. Perhaps you should also never forget that these thousands of men who collectively got together to strike also collectively got together tho whine and draw themselves further into depression.

[Worjackie]

Due to the way entire communities were devastated, the effects are still felt today. If it had been something spread over the country as a whole, you would be correct, but due to the fact that the mines were the only job in some areas there is still a large effect in those areas.

 

Why didn't they either move to where the work was or retrain to learn a new career. There were plenty of jobs around in the prosperous south east in the 1980s, why did the miners just sit on their backsides at home and expect the jobs to come to them?

 

We accept people from other countries coming over here in search of work if thee's none in their own countries, so why were the miners too lazy to move to where the work was?

[Agent Orange]

A lot of communities have been built for and by industry. The cotton mills in Lancashire for one. You don't hear people over there stating that the crime rates are because the mill was closed.

 

I have seen unemployment and poverty in my own family but I haven't constantly going on about it ever since. I did what I could to get myself out of the situation I was in. I know my lifestyle isn't the best in the world but that just drives me to try harder.

 

Sometimes it just seems that after the mines were closed, rather than these "hardworking" men adapting and helping each other along they just gave up and blamed everythig on Maggie.

 

Like Agent Orange has said, he will never forget. Perhaps you should also never forget that these thousands of men who collectively got together to strike also collectively got together tho whine and draw themselves further into depression.

 

Again, you have little or no understand of the whole picture. A question for you... how can a whole community adapt when the whole area has been brought to it's knees? The magic fairy going to magic money, jobs, opportunities out of thin air??

 

And contrary to what you believe, ex miners do not spend their existence whining about the events of 25 years ago. They may never forget, but they certainly don't harp on about it.

[Tony Erikson]

Again, you have little or no understand of the whole picture. A question for you... how can a whole community adapt when the whole area has been brought to it's knees? The magic fairy going to magic money, jobs, opportunities out of thin air??

 

And contrary to what you believe, ex miners do not spend their existence whining about the events of 25 years ago. They may never forget, but they certainly don't harp on about it.

 

You telling me thousands of "Hardworking" men can't get together and earn themselves a few quid? They managed to get together to strike.

 

You can keep saying I wasn't there but neither we're many of the people who bring the whole issue up when the conservatives are mentioned.

[Agent Orange]

Why didn't they either move to where the work was or retrain to learn a new career. There were plenty of jobs around in the prosperous south east in the 1980s, why did the miners just sit on their backsides at home and expect the jobs to come to them?

 

We accept people from other countries coming over here in search of work if thee's none in their own countries, so why were the miners too lazy to move to where the work was?

 

That's a pretty naive view. Like my father, most people could not move due to the fact that they had mortgages, little or no money, children in school etc etc etc. It might sound odd, but how does someone sell their home to relocate if there is no one to buy said home?

[Fishcake]

For a moderator you don't seem to understand the forum rules very well. "Attack the post not the poster", as the saying goes.

 

he did mention your posts therefore he abided by the rules of the forum. I saw no attack just questioning the lack of original content of your posts. You might try adding any type of fruit at the end to make it original. For example:

 

 

I blame the loony left, it's PC gone mad bananas

[Agent Orange]

You telling me thousands of "Hardworking" men can't get together and earn themselves a few quid? They managed to get together to strike.

 

You can keep saying I wasn't there but neither we're many of the people who bring the whole issue up when the conservatives are mentioned.

 

Yet again, you don't know what you are talking about. How can someone earn money when the community does not have any money?

[Tony Erikson]

A few quid from where? There were very few people in the area who had any money at all, so who would they be getting this money off?

 

Yet again, you don't know what you are talking about. How can someone earn money when the community does not have any money?

 

You telling me not one of these people saved? They all had gardens, they could grow stuff. Obviously we're not going to agree on this but if these people were as hard working, resilient and community minded as you keep suggesting they were then I'm sure they could do something. People in Africa have little, they still try don't they?

[Grandad.Malky]

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it

 

George Santayana

[Tony Erikson]

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it

 

Now you're being sensationalist. It's not the holocaust.