Miners Strike | Police Tactics | Flying Pickets | Trade Union | TV Eye | 1984

TV EYE examines the police tactics in the miners’ strike .. . are they, as the police say, shielding the public, defending the individual’s right to go to work - or, are they, as the striking miners claim, the sword of government policy?
Julian Manyon’s report includes the first interview with the Chief Constable of Nottingham, Charles McLachlan, the man who is operating the policy of “Fortress Nottingham”.
03/05/1984
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Quote: VT31299

[@saraw6446]

Now protecting child rape gangs & arresting people for being rude online

[@binagarten4667]

No Parking tickets to the Child rape gangs attending the Friday Prayers and a whole month of Ramadaan.

[@DarrenThirlaway-zd2mr]

Police basterd

[@DB-qw6xq]

I was stopped at junction 26 coming from Sheffield. I wasn't a striking miner but lived in Nottingham. I remember being interrogated by the police who asked me about what I knew about Nottingham to make sure I was genuine, what a strange memory!

[@andynixon2820]

Blimey , that was a pivotal time in British history . However you feel about it Britain was a different country after the miners strike and this is another excellent documentary .

[@glpilpi6209]

A very different time , I saw things I had never seen before and never thought I would see in a so called free society. The government got it's own way eventually.

[@shibuya3185]

@@glpilpi6209 : yes, thankfully the government won and refused to make the taxpayer subsidise unprofitable mines.

[@TheDogsboddy]

The death of democracy .

[@tonycrossley2465]

@@shibuya3185 what about all the dole money the gov gave out !

[@shibuya3185]

@@tonycrossley2465 : Yeah, the lazy shits should have found another job! What about all the millions the government paid out to support loss making mines?

[@rtankard]

I grew up in the South Yorkshire (Orgreave), North Derbyshire and North Notts area and the only thing this heavy handed use of police power was to sew the seeds of mistrust and disdain for the police in previously law abiding communities that lasts even to this day. Coal mining was dying and the police were wielded by the government to hammer the last nail into it's coffin without a thought to the long term consequences. The politics of division, the same as today.

[@johnmoore9862]

Robin Tankard, 👍.That’s tory ideology for you, divide & conquer, by the way, I see you have the cream of the intellectuals calling you lazy 😂.

[@docker5468]

John Buffalo I am 97 who is blaming foreigners ?

[@rtankard]

Internet trolls make me laugh. Not many coal mines in Hampshire, so not much of a connection with this. What would I know? I just have two degrees, a Masters with specialism in business and economics. I did vote Brexit despite having no issues with the immigrant population of the UK. Go figure...

[@charlesmanson3625]

Britain for the British turd-world out Lefty wankstain

[@rtankard]

@John Buffalo I am 97 Seems you didn't 'master' good grammar and punctuation as well. Would love to hear your definition of education if I don't qualify. I'll go and rejoin the plebeian horde.

[@AB-kx4nc]

Old Bill never change I see.

[@leonblittle226]

They did, they became more political and that is why it is now a broken system.

[@steaks652]

Go for the real criminals. Stop the petty bullshit.

[@version736ha2]

Who else was first drawn to post by the Mk2 Escort on the thumbnail?

[@melgrant7404]

My favourite is the RS2000

[@Colin-wp6uy]

Yes lad

[@fasthracing]

Very true. Not sure what model it had but it had black badges.

[@speedbird737]

police were stupid - the escort couldn't; turn back as it was stopped on a dual carriageway

[@roddy2body]

@@speedbird737 He could have took them pigs on a jolly jaunt..

[@edwardalexander9486]

Good quality in-depth journalism that still failed to present the other side of the story in equal measure. However, mirrored to tv reporting now, this is Pulitzer Prize-winning stuff compared to today's shallow reporting. A separate issue is how eloquent and sensible all parties appear on the subject - imagine our current democratically-unelected PM incumbent explaining this, what was then, an extremely polarising and era-defining issue.

[@scifidesign2]

Interesting comment.

[@jonnyc429]

Yep still relevant even now

[@CaveRescueMedic]

This was part of a series. There were individual episodes looking at the different sides in turn.

[@DoubleDeckerAnton]

How life has changed since the 80s...🤔💭

[@HC100_]

Neoliberalism

[@charlesmanson3625]

@Walk in the truth Always Oy Vey

[@michaelgoulding6609]

yeah,for the worst

[@Roscoe.P.Coldchain]

The country has I don’t know about life

[@mrkipling2201]

It's changed for the better in some ways, and for the worst in other ways.

[@JohnSmith-qq8tx]

' I am not subject to political pressure", Total guff. 😂🤣😂🤣😁. Cops don't even pretend they are not political anymore.

[@churchy1ify]

Indeed and it was down to the Police Brass like him that opened the floodgates. Now the Politicians treat them like crap.

[@saraw6446]

@martin corderoy exactly right

[@bremnersghost948]

gets all his pressure at his Lodge

[@simon2k4]

It's disgusting what the tories did (and still do) to the working class! The only difference is that in the 80s, the working class stood up to them. Now they just allow themselves to be brainwashed by them. 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@DaveSeville-sf1ku]

I fully agree it pisses me off seeing working class Ex Labour vote for Tory or Reform.... but Labour are a party for the Middle Classes who despise working classes. Its fucking sad. Labour have potential, but Labour sold the Miners down the River. I respect Brown though he was a decent PM, just too close to the banks

[@brettbrown9261]

...when the Pit Heads closed so did England's Village Communities. My Grandfather was a Pit Baths Superintendent from 1938 until he retired in the late '70s just a couple of years before the Pit was closed. My infancy was there, my childhood too that colliery was Blidworth in the heart of Nottinghamshire. These communities were very close-knit and the best years of my childhood were spent at my Grandparent' home. Yes, the mines needed to be closed but not in the way that Thacher and the right did it... ...they destroyed the lives of millions of British people & look what you all have today. The best decision my mother made was to move us to Canada in 1975 when I just turned 13. RIP England 2021 Basic Incomes for all Citizens!!

[@richiemoore2675]

Yes, certainly these days Canada is one of the most progressive countries in the world. Your mum certainly made a wise move. Canada is also stunningly beautiful (even if I do know more about drug treatment in the Lower East Side) Totally agree re universal basic income

[@beewisebeestronger6224]

Pits had a limited lifetime and yes they should have done it differently, just like oil and gas fields are soon to be exhausted damaging Aberdeenshires oil industry, the green solution isn't reliable and nuclear seems the only solution even though windscale/Sellafield still has waste there from 1955 that if you stood next to it for 5 minutes your 90% more likely to die of cancer 🤣

[@beewisebeestronger6224]

@Bessie Hillum uneconomical ,you have to dig deeper and with that comes diminished returns and higher costs , sirius mining capped off mallard well due to this and will be capping off 70 more under economic reasons 🤣, they are until you see decommissioning costs , even back bench torys said they'll block there roll out as its astronomical to reprocess spent fuel from hundreds off smrs

[@beewisebeestronger6224]

@Bessie Hillum oil industry investing in wind , I'm guessing even they don't believe in it , Shell being the number 1 invester in wind and solar

[@alanbradney3617]

@@beewisebeestronger6224 the scabs in notts closed the industry

[@pudsrus2]

What exactly did he get arrested for? He didn’t commit or wasn’t about to commit a crime!The only crime was the false arrest.

[@SpenserRoger]

Suspicion of preventing other people from going to work. He got arrested because instead of explaining himself he just said "...well you're just going to have to arrest me then." You can't expect officers to be mind readers.

[@rtankard]

Secondary or flying pickets had been outlawed by the Conservative government 18 months prior to this. He was arrested on suspicious of that offence. Stunningly draconian policing by today's standards.

[@shibuya3185]

@@rtankard : It's not draconian to want to prevent scum strikers from preventing people from going to work.

[@stevevessey6830]

@@shibuya3185 Fuck you scab

[@stephendavies8510]

The police were a disgrace throughout the 1980's from the toxeth and Brixton riots to the miners strike were they acted like the black and tans and then at hillsborough.

[@stephendavies8510]

Police state 1984 and I respect the miners and what real men they were and I certainly don't respect scabs and the reporting on the news especially the BBC was totally biased against the miners.

[@nevetsgnil1962]

Working men battered for fighting for their jobs in 1980s Britain, its a pity the police force in the 21st aren't as heavy handed with hardened criminals and what we have happening on our streets today. What happened with the miners was a very sad time for the working man in the 80s and changed the shape and power of unions to this day.

[@beewisebeestronger6224]

And now we have working snowflakes who can't decide what gender we are, thankyou Mrs thatcher and mr Blair

[@dazhibbitt5407]

That's why we become hardened criminals so that the system could never push us around agen we tried it there way time and time agen

[@maxbacon4828]

Thatchers Fusiliers!

[@sandramutch8913]

I live in Australia and while the miners strike was covered in the media I had no idea about what happened in Nottinghamshire until I saw the BBC drama Sheffield. What an eye opener.

[@YllaStar95970]

Not a German car in sight.

[@MajorKlanga]

The chief constable's Granada was made in Germany.

[@sutherlandA1]

@@MajorKlanga I wouldn't be surprised if the arrested guys mk2 escort was made on the continent too

[@Marklin15]

Mercedes W126 goes by at 3:50

[@version736ha2]

@@sutherlandA1 more likely North West

[@YllaStar95970]

@@Marklin15 respect! You had to fast.

[@huggy176]

I was 16 at the time and watched my mum and dad struggle for over 12 months because of the strike. They spent all their savings courtesy of that cow ( Thatcher). She shat on miners and the police and the only good thing that become of this is she's 6ft under. R.I.H Thatcher

[@beewisebeestronger6224]

@Bessie Hillum british industry , right I've worked you out, you'll sell out your soul let alone Britain because your alright jack, a true thatcher , Blairite who's perfidious nature means they have no friends , real friends that is , I only hope as you go on through life you learn aunt bessie.

[@beewisebeestronger6224]

@Bessie Hillum 🤣 great Britain ladys and gentlemen

[@beewisebeestronger6224]

@Bessie Hillum 🤣 great Britain ladys and gentlemen

[@thestati0nmaster579]

@Bessie Hillum Coal industry was nowhere near going bust, that's your genuine 'Southern Ignorance' showing through but what do I know, I'm just a lowly commoner from 'the norf' that you would rather see die of hunger, drug abuse or plain poverty than spare even a single penny on. You disgust me.

[@michaelmoran9399]

The Tories culled the steelworkers then the miners and finally when they'd done their dirty work they culled the police

[@elwolf8536]

Reminds me of a certain quote

[@johnmoore9862]

Michael Moran, 👍. Thatcher, Joseph, Tebbit, & co knew they would have to keep the cops happy, she awarded them a pay rise well above inflation a year before the strike took place, as well as stockpiling cheap coal from Poland. They planned this as a military attack on trade unionists, the NUM being the figurehead, one of the most sickening sights I’ve ever seen was the police waving their overtime bulging pay packets at miners on the picket line, what goes ‘round comes ‘round.

[@shibuya3185]

@@johnmoore9862 : It was well planned, thankfully. Thatcher was an efficient person. A credit to her country.

[@johnmoore9862]

Shibuya, It was an attack on working people by a vicious spiteful hateful bastard, supported by people just like her.

[@shibuya3185]

@@johnmoore9862 : It was working people that the striking thugs were attacking. Scum, the lot of them. They even murdered a taxi driver taking a man to work.

[@dannyboyspain1]

If stopped by police and they ask where you have been or going to, just answer no comment. They can ask anything but you are NOT obliged to answer.

[@jackraddiks533]

That's just shows how much you have grown up Danny boy.no comment .

[@Mark64W]

@@jackraddiks533 Care to elaborate please ? I find the initial comments totally correct , but willing to hear your side . Thanks , Mark .

[@andyaim4764]

I was stopped by police in Nottingham taking my Dad to see my brother who lived there, my father was very ill at the time, he had dementia and had had a stroke. I will never forget the way those police treated us... Question after question, I had to tell the whole story 5 times before they believed me and let me pass. They way they treated us was nothing short of gestapo tactics. I lost all faith in the police..... I found out at 18 we live in a camouflaged police state. Thatcher destroyed this country..... and the Police were her political right wing army....

[@Mark64W]

Sorry to hear this story . The Police were just told what to do by Thatcher and had to obey their orders . I know of many officers who hated what they had to do that time , but could not go against the regime .

[@davelove3779]

@@Mark64W ill second this as I've bean told by retired police officer involved in the 84/85 strike he didn't enjoy his job anymore

[@sirico123]

I guess you can not imagine what gestapo could do with man, my friend from Western World.

[@klawlor3659]

Thatcher was just a figurehead at the end of the day. The regime was basically using its power (through the police) and inflicting misery on countless numbers of working class families. The Stasi in East Germany was described as the "sword and shield of the Party". The police over here could be described as the "sword and shield of the Establishment".

[@ezzaei]

I've been told by many blokes was army lads in police uniform.. disgusting suppose it's prob same as what's happening in Canada atm

[@balthiersgirl2658]

Oh yes utterly agree

[@shakyinc671]

Anyone thats watching this and worked through the strike ,you have my upmost respect and thanks, i was 6 years old at the time and my dad worked at a non striking notts pit , But the flying pickets came to our village at end of school time and i was spat at with my mum and called a "scab" along with other children at our primary school whos dads worked. That in my eyes is the lowest of the low, After that we had to have a polis escort to and from school which terrified me as a small child , so i can only imagen the shit you went through to have to get into work , and live with people in your local village and town that were striking. It cant have been easy. But you did what you thought was right at the time instead of just "following the herd " like most people did because they dare not do anything else ,

[@thezak1104]

The union under Scargil handled the strike badly, which caused bitter divisions within their own communities, that still exist today.

[@paulwalker9014]

I remember being 25, driving home from Bristol to North Notts. being stopped at the border, boot searched for flying pickets, before I could get home. Have just watched the series Sherwood, and it brought it all back. Was a very sad time.

[@stewartthorne1972]

l was stopped 3 times outside worksop taking my 76 year old grandfather shopping yes l was a miner but l was off sick once they said no but l still went shopping down back roads and waved to them on the way back

[@tonybeards9153]

Don’t forget,this was a battle between Thatcher and Scargil on who was in charge and a revenge on the miners for what they did to Heaths government in the seventies. Maggie won at the cost of the working man and the unions were knobbled. Scargil was unaffected. The country is still reeling all these years later.

[@davidlewis1960]

This country has nothing left , just low paid job's to keep the tourists happy. Sad to see GB fall apart.

[@davidlewis1960]

That's fine but the people of South Wales and other areas paid the full price, 20 + years trying to rebuild something from nothing, while people in the south east lapped up all the cream .

[@th8257]

Arthur Scargill must carry a large part of the blame for that. He walked straight into Thatcher's trap. He sacrificed the miners just to indulge his own vanity.

[@mikefraser4513]

Thatcher and Scargill , I don't know which one was worse. They both had one thing in common. Power.

[@Mrrobackenson1]

I love the way this Chief Constable sits there & lies through his teeth.

[@dgod62]

died in 1989 aged 58, reap what you sow Charlie boy.

[@del-boysnostalgiatvads7416]

I had a ford cortina back then great times!👌

[@andrewh5457]

I thought you had a 3 wheeled van and a capri ghia.

[@jamesnicholson2503]

I'm from Merthyr Tydfil South Wales, and going under ground crossed my mind.

[@jongreen6422]

I was a kid then, and the police were arsholes to the miners, waving 20 pound notes in their faces to get a reaction, I remember it well, and am still the proud nephew and grandson of my mining heritage

[@mrkipling2201]

I was a kid when the miner’s strike happened and I remember seeing a news story about a car being pelted with tomatoes and that from striking miners and then a huge concrete slab was thrown at the car and one of the people in the car died. I can’t remember the whereabouts, the circumstances or the exact date though. That has stuck with me all these years, yet I’ve never seen the news story again. Online, KZbin, nowhere. Anyone know what story I’m talking about??

[@MrGoneTroppo]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_David_Wilkie I was a kid too, in Stoke - it really was a different world

[@Roscoe.P.Coldchain]

Yes I think he was getting a taxi to work and they killed the taxi driver , it was thrown from a bridge..I remember it happening 💟

[@andyclohessy5840]

@@Roscoe.P.Coldchain that's right. It was one of those news stories that you see as a youngster where you are shocked by the footage of the incident, if any, but forget some of the details.

[@karylhogan5758]

I remember that too🧐🇮🇪

[@mrkipling2201]

I'm not sure if it was the David Wilkie incident. Which was tragic and disgusting. Was it the David Jones incident??

[@penelopepitstop197]

That was all that bastard thatchers fault she tried to destroy us

[@silverbullet2008bb]

Tony Blair finished the job in the 1990's with the massive importation of foreigners into Northern white working class communities to replace us with the Muslim voting block and such things.

[@JohnKobaRuddy]

Tried to? She did. Blair put the final nail in the coffin and Cameron may and bojo are pallbearers

[@AngloSaxon449]

The only good thing Thatcher did was die

[@penelopepitstop197]

AngliscSaxon I agree and millions with us x

[@penelopepitstop197]

Scott Wallace Sorry for that scott

[@arrogleinadtra]

As a Filipino i have discovered many history stories and i was fascinated with this as a teenager i would love to research about this more 😊.

[@carlaconnor8347]

Get a life

[@marinaloulli3452]

Look how slim we all were in the eighties

[@th8257]

People were unhealthy in different ways - smoking and drinking was much more of a problem then. Worth pointing out that life expectancy was lower then. Many of these numbers may have looked slim here because of the manual work they did, but you can guarantee that a huge percentage of them will have died premature deaths because of the toll the work took on them.

[@Ukipmiddleleft]

Breach someone's civil liberty in order to uphold a civil liberty-how does that hold up in a court of law?

[@holla5263]

Good video. Does anyone have the panorama tv show for strikes in the late 70s ?

[@robberry241]

I was 18 at the time of the strikes & hated what Thatcher did to our Miners & the Coal industry. From an early age I spent a lot of time with my Mum & Dad at their friends houses & not once did I hear anyone say that Coal was too expensive, so why didn't they put the price of Coal up ? And I'm from the South of England.

[@tracyboam2503]

It was fortress Notts. I was there.

[@matthewbruveris680]

6:36 - 6:39 Laying off the workers cant have been that bad asthe reporter says that area was the last major stockpile of coke in Britain. Now there's coke everywhere....oh wait a sec.

[@terrynoonan6728]

Without A National Ballot The Miners Strike Was Doomed From The Start. Although I’m A Big Supporter Of Arthur Scargill That Was His Biggest Mistake Of The Miners Strike.

[@scifidesign2]

Interesting comment

[@tvandbeermakehomergo]

Prehaps we need this on all the roads out of london!

[@steaks652]

Killed the valleys.

[@mikebarton]

Friend in a mining town was stopped by two police officers. Only they weren't police but two people that, quite by chance, he knew who were in the army.

[@billgowland3250]

To true It was more wide spread than you think You could spot them easy I'll fitting uniforms Numbers on the shoulder missing Highly polished boots The real give away Always waited for orders before making s move Typical squadies Trained to act on orders

[@mrkipling2201]

There’s a brilliant documentary on KZbin called ‘ Coal not Dole ‘ . Originally on channel 4. Very interesting and informative.

[@mrkipling2201]

@Bessie Hillum it was made in 1984.

[@willandelfie]

Ohh you are mate Thatcher told you do as your told

[@kebab6597]

There where running battles here in Co Durham police one side of the A19 miners the other then the battle commenced bad old day,s

[@Mrrobackenson1]

In hindsight, this action from the police stopping people from going where they wanted to go, was well out of order.

[@stevel7977]

The Police office talking at around 13:45 on the video is talking pure politics when he says "well, that's your expression and not mine" as he leads the interviewer into a conclusion that is to blame the miners, but then pulls back when the interviewer attempts to clarify for the viewers what the police officer has said.

[@stevel7977]

@Bessie Hillum Perhaps, but that shouldn't mean that everyday morality for the public is in any way comprised, and at who's command? the government's, because they say so, or members of the public?

[@stevel7977]

@Bessie Hillum I'm afraid you are wrong to say that politics is a game or that is is about survival, because politics is based on choice, choice of the view point, of those who are in control at the time, and it is very real for those who feel the consequences dished out by those that are indeed responsible from the top. When someone is a police commissioner, or a high ranking officer, they are far from muddling through, and their handsome pay and pension, will clearly show this, and the police are both responsible and accountable for their actions, there can be no excuses, for genuine bad behavior, from any level of the police. Just because a certain number of people voted for the Conservative government at the time does not mean that others did not disagree, and it does not make those who are in control, in any way exempt, for the wrongs of the time, or the consequences thereafter. Also, if you think that a shameful attack on working people, their families, and their communities is a desired outcome, I certainly do not. To say that a high ranking policeman is simply a pawn is neither realistic, of the opinion or knowledge of the government and high ranking police officers, nor is that acceptable.

[@stevel7977]

@Bessie Hillum Yes democracy is the most important factor, but it is not always as simple as that in terms of the constituency voting system. For example I believe in the 1951 general election, Labour received higher election votes per individual, but lost on the basis of constituency voting, hypothetically if there are 3 wealthy areas, which have a low population compared to 1 poorer area with a high population who have voted Labour, then naturally, the tories would win. Even if Thatcher's government won 3 elections, it does not mean that this was without serious problems, growing inequality and poverty, long term unemployment and regional unemployment, to name but a few. As for Cressida Dick and the condition of the police force, the spending cuts as dished out by the David Cameron and George Osborne government, has done a lot of damage to the police force as a whole, not to mention, that issues like sexism have arguably not been resolved enough in the past.

[@stevel7977]

@Bessie Hillum Thatcher and her government's policies and attitude to unemployment, was too harsh for too long, too many individuals and families were pushed over the poverty barrier. In the 1990's Major's government paid the price, for the policies and outcomes from the 1980's, by being unable to convince, the public that a conservative government could lead Britain into the 21st century. I'm not sure, if 1980's Britain can necessarily be described as high gear. Yes, the financial sector of London, was a boom area, but even at its best, Thatcher's government has often been described, as a boom and bust economy. Also, Thatcher was fortunate, that in the 1980's, there was the scope for change, i.e. re-development such as Canary Wharf in London, but many would argue that this redevelopment of our society and economy, would come at a price i.e. Division. Consumerism, was also another opportunity of the time, not just in all the products, that were invented or became commonplace at the time, but the continuous building, of shopping center's, supermarkets, and although I like them personally leisure center's. Thatcher's government also deregulated many of the rules, within the banking industry, making it easier for people to get loans and credit cards, arguably not for the best i.e. spiraling personal debt. One of the main reason's why the conservative government of the present, is having so much difficulty now, is because many of the opportunities of the past, such as mass development or consumerism, have been over-done, and the current government is finding it, very difficult, to look for a new direction. I think that more lives were ruined during 1980's Britain, not just because of the polices that Thatcher's government used, but also because of the social consequences of these policies, such as crime, decay and depression, in the lives and areas, that suffered the worst or full effects, of these often punitive policies. I personally, have always supported the inclusion of women, particularly in the police force. Crimes can often be sensitive and personal, it is vital, there are enough women within the police force, both statistically and visibly, so that female victims of crime, feel represented or more comfortable, when they need to report a crime. I also support, women in the decision making process, and this power or responsibility, should be shared with men, not exclusive to men. The only time, that I wouldn't want women to actively serve, on the front line, is if their personal safety, were to be compromised or endangered.

[@crobulari2328]

I would NEVER cross a picket line.

[@neilproctor5163]

07:47 - Not a single mention of the oath he swore!

[@Deano14397]

Tories never change

[@brumav9779]

Deano14397 Labourites never change

[@Deano14397]

Bye

[@balthiersgirl2658]

@@brumav9779 shut up

[@user-rp5vr6sc1u]

Who coached him?, when the pickets went to Orgreave, MI5 used agent provocateurs to give the police an excuse for the police tactics, they also used tactics what the South African prime minister visited number 10 to give advice to the Thatcher government on how to stop pickets.

[@edmclachlanwight2114]

thatchers police state 7 it`s private army

[@Theelby33]

We kids here in S Wales loved the minors strike no coal meant no school.

[@kane211]

Was crazy bad in Barnsley

[@frankintegrity7996]

Class Kapos

[@elvag8399]

The UK has always been a banana republic

[@DS-od1kb]

Really? When did we abolish the monarchy and start growing bananas?

[@grantmarshall3026]

40 years and workers’ rights have moved no further forward. Crushed by the powers that be, .“The workers refuse….to be meek and humble “

[@gaygambler]

Ear ow we getting “ome?

[@user-ih6vs3eg3o]

Wait an interview with both points of view! We are in a foreign country. The bbc could learn a thing or two.

[@garyreid7865]

nothing like this on itv now

[@martincowling6562]

And from this day in 2021, there is still bad blood as the miners still haven't forgot of how the police reacted to the way they treated the miner's as the tories weren't bothered of job losses as climate change wasn't even mentioned then, but in that year, it was the best time of are lives in some way as we all got together, had laugh and jokes, as after that long year , life would never been the same again , specially seeing the actual machines and head winding gear of eye view, but the memories live on as they might have took the pits from us, but not are memories as it was blood and sweat, not like today's easy jobs

[@Mark64W]

Great story , thank you . I could never have been a miner because I just wasn't tough enough but friendship , loyalty and comradeship money will never buy . The miners of Britain created the Industrial Revolution in the 1800's and held us all together through two World Wars . Then totally pissed on by Margaret Thatcher . ' The Enemy Within ' ? I don't think so .

[@richardboswell9306]

Martin cowley agree we never trusted the police even now ,we had my 6oth at a pub and my granddaughter brought her new boyfriend he was asked what he did said he was a police officer, well you could cut silence with a knife thing is he'd not told my granddaughter so she told him to f off

[@carlaconnor8347]

Who wants to suffer in a mine, you joke

[@jurassicchrist]

Imagine being the bootboys for whatever immoral policy a politician decides.

[@paulweston6049]

2:00 ...WOW

[@paulvickers3800]

Junction 28, where my village is, bloody nightmare when cops was pulling anyone over.

[@kenthall319]

Thatcher, and her ego, exacerbated the situation. The result was the ruination of of the British Coal Industry. It became a personal battle. . Thatcher may have won, but did the country no favors.

[@howardsmith613]

Another fine example of our police state , this is against our laws.

[@jongreen6422]

The police were bastards to the miners

[@raskltube]

does the media ever give cops support?

[@graemelake657]

They rarely deserve it. Most are little more than uniformed right wing thugs. And not very bright either.

[@Mrrobackenson1]

Loads of old bill from the Met made a fortune from overtime on this & bought houses or went on lovely holidays etc.

[@jamesnicholson2503]

A lot of South Wales police involved..

[@michaelmacluskie6089]

My Grandad always said to me if you hav,nt got a handkerchief to blow your nose....then PICKIT.

[@paulweston6049]

Do not know how Thatcher Got away with this...Shocking.

[@aidy6000]

17:03 I draw parallels to the riots of London 2011

[@eazye8302]

My question is for anyone no matter what you are who or how But if you cannot get it right for the Men and women of Scotland England Ireland and Wales Then why have a British state

[@kenday4812]

On,Way,ToOrgreave,Watched,The,Police,And,The,MinersBattle,It,Out

[@billybellend1155]

The miners fought the law and the law won.

[@billybellend1155]

JCBAirmaster73 I’m a working class boy grew up in a block of flats with a single mum. Now I own my own business and employ 12 people and own 2 houses. It’s hard work and ambition that drives you on not sat around blaming others for your predicament.

[@Busybee65]

@@billybellend1155. Bullshit, you are always posting on here, if you had your own business, you would not be on here 12 hours a day.

[@123sammywoo]

The miners fought the police and the law lost

[@balthiersgirl2658]

That's because many of the law were not law but army

[@Phil-yn1er]

Civil liberties... Now there's x2 words that don't even get mentioned today

[@charlesfortrsqueminor2120]

They all feared the Met. We had Thatchers squad there

[@stevel7977]

I really love the applaud from the miners at around 15:20, when the only visible woman in the room speaks, clearly the miners respected her, welcomed what she is saying and were happy to be represented by a woman speaker. The miners were demonised and slated by Thatcher and a lot of the press in this country but having looked and listened to the men involved, I don't believe any of those generalisations and spiteful accusations to be true at all.

[@stevel7977]

@Bessie Hillum I disagree, there has to be some belief in someone, somewhere, the miners strike, was and is such a negative, destructive and unnecessary situation, engineered by the Conservative government of the time. Maybe the miners did become pawns, but that was in the governments cruel game.

[@stevel7977]

@Bessie Hillum To be honest I didn't actually introduce the word socialism at all, but if socialism as you have described it is such a horrible game, then it was by no accident that in the 1980's, that our politics became so. The welfare state that re-built this country after the second world war, gave housing, schools and hospitals to the public like never before, and even in this day and age now, many of us still rely on these institutions, even if under the Conservative governments of the last 40 years, there have been many cuts or changes, such as privatization. I'm afraid its not just the Trains and Post Office, who are on strike, it is also potentially key workers such as Nurses, it is not the unions, that are to blame, as the strike is voted for by the members themselves, it is the employee's decision to strike, if they are unhappy. Clearly privatizing both the Trains and the Post Office has not worked, as both have been on strike recently and potentially will do so again. Also, I believe some of the airline staff, have also either considered or activated strike action, so suggest-ably , it can be even private firms that can strike as well, and I am sure that many others would go on strike, if they had the choice. It is not just a case of people losing their minds, but their identity and livelihoods, to support themselves, their families and their community.

[@stevel7977]

@Bessie Hillum I am genuinely sorry, if you feel, I was putting words into your mouth, but I believe I was simply refuting what was said. I did not mean to cause any personal offence, but I also believe, it is important to say what I believe and think, whether that is supported or conflicted by the majority. To be fair, we still rely on the council properties as built between 1945 and 1979 today, even if many of them are now owned by private landlords, charging sky high prices, to once affordable homes, and compared to the housing for many people before the Second World War, the many council properties built were a vast improvement. Your assumption that anyone who lives in a council property, would always look to buy a property is in my opinion inaccurate, there are many advantages of not owning your property, such as any repairs or improvements, are the responsibility of the council or local authority. Also, if you want to move, it is your responsibility to do this completely, where as you can move from one property to another, much easier if in the council system. The education system has more issues than just performance, but arguably, with GCSE results improving on a sometimes yearly basis, there must be some positives within the comprehensive school system. Personally, I am more concerned with issues like overcrowding, bullying, mental health and good behavior My approach to both the Postal Service and the Trains is certainly not blind, as I either rely on them or have use/d them regularly. The issues, with privatization (the z as offered to avoid the red underline), are related to service for the customers, the quality of job security and pay, for the employees. As for competiveness, my household is reliant on both the Royal Mail and the Trains, if we were to travel this way, so the strikes are effective. Naturally, there has to be a certain amount of reason on both sides but the strikes have to be effective, otherwise the situation becomes one of hot air or powerlessness, for the employees striking.

[@stevel7977]

@Bessie Hillum Sorry, that I haven't replied sooner, but this is the first time, that I have read your comments from September. If ownership is in reference to home ownership, it is more of a case of position, rather than just self-determination, you have to be able to afford a mortgage, and have a decent enough job, or career, to fulfill that. That is why in the past, home ownership was offered more to middle class people, as their homes are generally less likely to be repossessed by the mortgage lender, because often they are more likely to have the finances, or access to finances to cover any problems. Firstly, I would argue that bullying is not easy to resolve, as it can be complex and personal, and if the school environment, is dysfunctional, or has many problems, it is often not resolved, my own experiences, and also what I have seen, included. Selectiveness, within schools and between different schools may be an issue, but it is by no means fair or simple. Depending on the kind of background, or area, where the pupils come from, the schools are often unequipped, to deal with these issues, if the society was more fair and equal to start with, children who are born into poorer areas, would be more likely to have a better attitude and behavior. In early and mid 1990's Britain, (Thatcher and Major's Britain) bullying, extremely bad and threatening behavior, as well violent attacks on teachers all increased, making the learning environment, more unsafe and more unproductive. New Labour tried to re-address this problem, with sure start centres, which do their best with bad circumstances. The fact that a now private company, like BT would even consider going on strike, let alone do it, is the real issue, the employees are clearly not happy, and the management, must have been unable to talk them out of it. Arguably, the issues, in many workplaces, have been building, for some time, and over that time have not been resolved. To be honest, I don't and can't drive, and when reliable, I actually prefer to use public transport. As for the post, I still believe, like public transport, that it is a public service, and therefor important for all.

[@Craig-xr1bw]

Country’s never been the same since thatcher

[@Craig-xr1bw]

@Bessie Hillum no progress is moving forward, thatcher brought the country to stop, then we went back the way, lost industry, lost jobs, lost livelihoods, defently not progress

[@Craig-xr1bw]

@Bessie Hillum do you genuinely think thatcher brought progress to Britain? You really think she took us forward? Where are you from? It’s certainly not a pit town in Scotland, or any industrial area in any part of Britain, or perhaps you’re not working class,

[@koolyman]

16:08 Are those doc martens?

[@mclare9817]

I onlly stop for Shairah marked Liveried Police cars in Mottingham.

[@mrmanning3807]

An unlawful arrest

[@chriswilson8062]

It should be noted that when the police stopped that guy at the start he said "Can I ask you where you're going" Reason being, where you're going is none of their business. They can ask but you're under no obligation to tell them. Why do you think he was released without charge? He should have actually taken the matter further as I'd suggest his arrest was entirely unlawful as no offence had been committed nor was there any evidence to suggest he would commit a crime. Why they never challenged that more baffles me. You're obliged to give your details if you're a driver but as for where you're going or where you've been, they have no right to expect you to disclose that.

[@bendover9411]

You're a sissy boot locker in disguise

[@jackmatthew1880]

They had reason to suspect that they were going to commit an offence. A few miners crammed into a car weren't going for a picnic.

[@chriswilson8062]

@@bendover9411 how do you figure that? Did you actually read my comment?

[@chriswilson8062]

@@jackmatthew1880 picketing isn't an offence

[@jackmatthew1880]

@@chriswilson8062 Causing a breach of the peace is.

[@jongreen6422]

Thatcher s Boots boys

[@LIJXFVKINBVY]

Nearly 40 years on, nothing has changed really with the tories in charge, leaving the EU, no trade coming in, strikes from the workman not getting enough pay and taxes rising, and the country still rather vote tories.

[@eamo106]

2022, the legality of the Government and Police actions was never questioned since. The Law should be he Law irrespective of circumstances? British people absorbed and absorbed government dictates. Where are we now ?

[@paulweston6049]

5:40 It's illegal....Surely.

[@bremnersghost948]

25 Years of experience from Northern Ireland used on British Taxpayers, Thatchers Democracy in action

[@chriscars3578]

I lost account how many time we was sent back when we r picking and I worked in a notts pit. Half the cops was not proper cops they was army men

[@TheDogsboddy]

Locked up for going equipt to protest for your rights to work ! What next , thinking, looking.

[@leonblittle226]

Thatcher really screwed up with this, her pure hatred of powerful unions left her blind to the damage she did to the people on the ground and left a cultural wasteland behind. That void has never been filled with anything good since. It tore the soul out of the north, south wales and much of the midlands.

[@robdewey317]

She stopped the scum, damn right

[@shibuya3185]

Thatcher did the UK a favour by standing up to the striking scumbags.

[@abdvs325]

Yeah, standing up for their rights, complete scum

[@huggy176]

@Bessie Hillum amazing how I'm reading through these posts and you've always got your tuppence worth sticking up for that dog. She was a rat and like all the rest of the tories, just, sheer, utter scum. Everyone of them has f?cked this country and now thanks to them were nearly on our knees.

[@blownwest1117]

Until they all got shut down just like the pits

[@gw8147]

The Miner Strikes of 1984 were a pivotal time in British history, it was a battle for the very soul of Britain. It was a fight for the very survival of a decent way of life for ordinary working men. In my opinion, there was Britain before the Miner Strikes of 1984, and Britain after the Strikes, I know which country I would prefer to live in. Time has a way of showing those who stood on the right side and wrong side of history. The police certainly stood on the wrong side, enforcing Tatcher's policies, which would eventually spell the death knell of Great Britain.

[@speedbird737]

police were stupid - the escort couldn't; turn back as it was stopped on a dual carriageway

[@aboutthemetal8783]

This was the beginning of the end of great Britain.

[@graemelake657]

I was brought up in Notts. Nearest thing to a police state we'll see. The Notts scabs soon got their payback and nearly all the Notts pits were gone in 10 years. The pit villages have still not recovered 30 years later.

[@PL_Con]

This is the reason at the time my young life I started to hate the police

[@paulwalker9014]

One reason I emigrated to Australia.

[@southsudani983]

can’t blame the foreigners lol

[@AngloSaxon449]

In my humble opinion the unions did have too much power at the time if they didn't like the make of bog roll they all went strike they shot themselves in the foot really and Thatcher punished them far too harshly by taking all the power off the unions rendering them virtually useless. The best way round it all would have been to wind each pit down slowly and introduce a retraining scheme for miners reducing the amount that were unemployed. I place the majority of the blame with the government as they're the ones with all the money and power playing god with people's livelihood doing an underhanded deal with the EU to import coal from Europe let's hope the opening of the new woodhouse colliery will trigger a new industrial revolution creating well paid jobs nationwide