No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

http://news.sky.com/gallery/1500355/...-miners-strike

I think the decision not to have an enquiry on this, is disgusting.

I have a feeling that if there was an enquiry, it would brings up things that Margaret Thatcher ordered the police to achive, whatever it took to destroy the miners - which it did

And probably give the miners the names of the culprits in government like Thatcher into disrepute.

What Thatcher to do was crush the Unions, which she achieved. But what it did was to rip the hearts out of a community.

Which is still going on now, where families wont talk to each other.

I remember going to Wales on the M4 and seeing convoys of Lorries with Police Escorts coming towards London. And it was a sad sight

This is what Cameron is trying to do today, by crushing the Unions.

The Unions are there to protect the workers right.

There should be am enquiry, and my god would that blow things out the water

Re: Its Disgusting - No enquiry on Miners
 

If there was an inquiry Arthur it would be likely that quite a few miners would be held accountable for their crimes ,personally I think it best to leave well alone.

Re: Its Disgusting - No enquiry on Miners
 

Weren't the miners shooting nailguns at the police at that time?? So not that innocent

Re: Its Disgusting - No enquiry on Miners
 

For anyone motivated by justice – wherever they stand on the political spectrum – the case for investigating the so-called “battle of Orgreave” should be straightforward. As the Independent Police Complaints Commission themselves note about this bitter episode of the 1984-85 miners’ strike, in which a coking plant was picketed by striking workers, evidence points to South Yorkshire police assaulting miners, perverting the course of justice, committing perjury and now keeping back evidence. The “ethical standards” of the police force at the time are questioned.


http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...rgreave-police

Re: Its Disgusting - No enquiry on Miners
 

I rather think that between the lying police and lying miners it will be anything but straightforward ,I agree that it is not in the public interest to take this any further.Close the book and walk away

Re: Its Disgusting - No enquiry on Miners
 

"What a sorry story for those who believe in justice. Whether you sympathise with the striking miners or not, they are British citizens. They have the right to be treated fairly, and to be protected from arbitrary violence and cover-ups on the part of the state. And when justice is denied for some, it can be denied to all of us. A good day for the state, a bad day for the rest of us."

Re: Its Disgusting - No enquiry on Miners
 

Don't forget they also killed a taxi driver with a paving slab by dropping it on him from a bridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_David_Wilkie

Re: Its Disgusting - No enquiry on Miners
 

The police had the right not to be attacked as well ,those miners who wanted to work had the right to work without being attacked .There was a lot of injustice from both sides and throwing millions of pounds into inquiries will never change that and benefit no one

Re: Its Disgusting - No enquiry on Miners
 

so where do we draw the line ? is justice only for those we like /agree with or is it for all .

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1984-85 miners strikes
 

An actual story on it

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-Orgreave.html

Re: Its Disgusting - No enquiry on Miners
 

Injustice happens all the time ,sometimes the pragmatic view must be taken.In this case if we are to try to prosecute police officers then we must also prosecute all the miners involved in attacking the police and other miners,is that really in the public interest ?

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

the truth may be inconvenient but it serves justice .

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

I can't see how it could possibly serve the public interest to pursue this after all this time.

This isn't like the Hillsborough where there was clearly an innocent side and lots of victims through no fault of their own.

It would achieve nothing. Move on.

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

and how could it be possible to get the truth ?

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

As sure as night follows day, as sure as flies land on a cow pat, there's an opportunity for Thatcher bashing and Arthur's there. :rolleyes:

Some facts, even though you will doubtless ignore them:

1. Harold Wilson closed more coal mines than Margaret Thatcher. *Everybody* knew that Britain's aged deep mines were on their last legs.
2. The miners strike was illegal, even by the more relaxed union rules of the time. This was the ruling of a high court judge, not some crazed right wing toffee nosed miner-hating Tory minster.
3. Arthur Scargill was attempting to use the power of the mob to bring down a democratically elected government. That may well be the sort of Britain the miners wanted to live in; it was not the sort of Britain everyone else wanted. They lost, and deserved to. Thatcher, of course, went on to win (again), two years after the strike ended, with a larger Commons majority than Cameron has today.

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

To cut straight to the point of Arthur's post.

"It's all Margaret Thatcher and the Tories fault"

Nothing to see here, lets deal with more pressing issues. All that money Arthur wants spent on an inquest would be better spent on the NHS

Re: Its Disgusting - No enquiry on Miners
 

Given that the miners were allowing themselves to be used as foot soldiers in an insurrection with the aim of bringing down a legitimate government, they should consider themselves lucky they faced police waving truncheons and not soldiers firing live rounds.

He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword. This was not Hillsborough, the "victims" were not exuberant football fans on a day out at a location that should have been safe. They put themselves in harms way, they sought to harm the police that opposed them, and if some of the coppers there present overstepped a line in the face of such extreme violence and provocation, then frankly tough, the miners should perhaps have restricted themselves to picketing the gates and waving placards. Or, better still, getting back to work, earning a crust and feeding their families, instead of watching their kids starve and blaming Margaret Thatcher.

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

Here we go again - everyone ranting at the Tories, and Thatcher in particular. Totally wrong.

It was quite clear what Thatcher wanted. This is why, l strongly believe that an enquiry is needed.

Those miners went through hell, to protect there working rights. The Tories wanted to crush the miners, as they stood for there workers rights. Something we cannot do today. Look at Wapping.

The scenes that was on Television, tells it all. This is why Billy Elliot became a success in London

We have to know why, the police went into battle the miners in such a way. And l believe that, if there is an enquiry, then the truth will come out.

Remember one thing, in Wales today, families are still effected by this strike. The people of Wales deserve answers to this 'battle'

This is NOTHING TO DO WITH TORY BASHING. Thatcher wanted to crush the unions, and she succeeded in tearing Wales apart

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

Only you doing the ranting Arthur ,the miners strike has been done to death it's about time it got put to sleep and just to put you straight Arthur Billy Elliot was a story about an 11yr old boy who had to hide his love of dance because his prejudiced miner father and brother where worried he would grow up gay.Quite an accurate stereotype in my experience

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

and now i have to wipe my tea off the screen .

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

I think that neither side behaved well,fairly or legally and I hold both Thatcher and Scargill to account for turning it into an ideological battle of wills. It isn't as black and white as portrayed by either side but a thousand shades of grey. I think that it's best to leave sleeping dogs alone.

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

Danny Finklestein has come out guns blazing in the Times today.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinio...cle4471990.ece

Re: No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes
 

and if you add the police to the list we are in business