No enquiry into Police actions during 1980s miners strikes

[Arthurgray50@blu]

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

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.

[Kymmy]

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

[papa smurf]

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

Originally Posted by papa smurf

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

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

[papa smurf]

"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."

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Kymmy

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

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

David James Wilkie (9 July 1949 - 30 November 1984) was killed during the miners' strike in the United Kingdom, when two striking miners dropped a concrete block from a footbridge onto his taxi whilst he was driving a strike breaking miner to his workplace. The attack caused a widespread revulsion at the extent of violence in the dispute. The two miners were convicted of murder but the charge was reduced to manslaughter on appeal, becoming a leading case on the issue of the difference between the two offences.

Originally Posted by papa smurf

"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."

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

[papa smurf]

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

[Stephen]

An actual story on it

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

Police will not be investigated over claims that officers used ‘excessive force’ during one of the ugliest clashes of the 1980s miners’ strike.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission said yesterday it would not investigate alleged misconduct during the infamous ‘Battle of Orgreave’, a notorious flashpoint in the bitter dispute.

The decision comes more than two years after South Yorkshire Police referred itself to the IPCC over claims scores of officers – now retired – used ‘excessive force’ against miners, manipulated statements and gave false evidence in court.

Originally Posted by papa smurf

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

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 ?

[papa smurf]

the truth may be inconvenient but it serves justice .

[Ignitionnet]

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.

Originally Posted by papa smurf

the truth may be inconvenient but it serves justice .

and how could it be possible to get the truth ?

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

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

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.

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.