The 40th Anniversary of the ‘84-5 miners’ strike

As the 40th Anniversary of the ’84-85 miners’ strike took place in March, Deal resident Gary Cox reached out with his musings on what has changed since…

The beginning of March marked 40 years since the start of the ’84-85 miners’ strike but we are not celebrating it because it was not our strike.

Thatcher forced us into this strike, on her terms, calling us the Enemy Within. Our crimes “Wanting to keep our pits open and give our communities a future”.

We kept homes, hospitals and industry running for years, we were involved and supported both wars, yet we are still deemed as the “enemy within” even today.

The time is right for the true story to be told.

We have been campaigning for 40 years to get an enquiry into police conduct and brutality at Orgreave. What happened at Orgreave did not just affect us miners, unfolding evidence shows that it has affected everyone in the UK.

I was there at Orgreave, I saw what happened and I have lived with the experience ever since. Today, you are all seeing and experiencing the consequences of Thatcher’s policing of the ’84-5 strike.

The Enquiry into Hillsborough for police misconduct and criminality, was proved. Corruption within all UK police forces has never been higher. Not just corruption but rape and murder has been inflicted by police officers. In the next few months everyone will see the cancer that has been spreading throughout the police, all spawned from Thatcher’s obsession to obliterate miners, 40 years ago.

Now is the time for the true story to be told.

Give us our enquiry that we have been asking for, into police conduct and brutality at Orgreave during the strike.

Now is the time to initiate an investigation into the theft of over £8 billion that successive governments, have already taken from our Miners Pension and their intentions to take more in the future.

Our MPS (Miners Pension) has billions of miners’ money in the bank, CISWO, our Miners Charity has millions of miners’ money in the bank, yet many of our pensioners are visiting food banks and struggling to survive. With 6.00+ miners dying every year, it is our belief that both establishments are simply waiting for the day when every ex-miner is dead.

What will happen to our money?

Lastly, we miners have always known that Thatcher wanted to rip our hearts out, by trying to destroy our mining communities, thanks to a BBC investigation, we now find out that it seems this has literally been happening. Coroners, across the UK have been removing our hearts and lungs after death, without our consent.

The irony of that, is that miners are very proud and always keen to help others and if asked, most would have given their consent. But that is not how it works for the miners, we have been used and abused ever since the first lump of coal was won from Mother Earth.

What else can they do to us?

 

by Gary Cox

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If you want to know more about the 1984-5 miners’ strike, there are some fascinating local museums such as The Kent Mining Museum which may have what you’re looking for.