[iBecause we are members of the Protestant Reformed Church, which successfully challenged the autocratic power of the Papacy in the mid-sixteenth century, we can wear little rubber devices to prevent issue. [/i

169,000 people thrown on the scrap heap by Wilson and the ensuing silence from "Quisling" Benn.

Anything to back that figure up?

Strangely enough, there wasn't much of a murmur from the NUM either. I lived through that era, I don't have to rely on bollox soundbites from right-wingers

As I recall, you're from Hull. That's hardly living la Dolce Vita at the best of times, so just what it must have been like in the era of 3 day weeks, power cuts, weekly strikes and the Winter of Discontent with fridge trucks being used to store the unburied dead etc etc does stretch the term living a fair old bit. Perhaps the disappointment of such an existence is responsible for your attitude today?

In any case, the NUM were the architects of their own destiny, and more fool them for the outcome to their year long strike. A strike called without a ballot of the members as I recall.

Oh, and all those gormless folk squacking that Margaret Thatcher lied about the amount of pits which were earmarked for closure. Since when has any General in history, ever published a comprehensive list of targets and numbers prior to a battle? Deception is an essential and powerful weapon in any conflict. Thatcher's aims were not only to defeat Scargill, but to humiliate the entire NUM, and by extension other militants, so that once and for all, the UK was rid of these particular Union bully boys. It was Game, Set and Match to the grocer's daughter when the dust settled.

The only miners I have any sympathy for were the guys in Nottinghamshire who saw through Scargill's little game , and set up their own Union. Unfortunately for them, they were shafted by the leader in traditional nose in the trough style a few years later.

The Old Girl must be sing up there on her cloud that you lot are still bitching 30 years on.....

LOL.

Now give us your real opinion.

Visiting a political thread on The Sin Bin is what I imagine it's like to be a fly on the wall in a dementia hospital.

The death of Tony Benn is a terrible loss to all who admire honour, humanitarianism and fairness in a human being. Which should be everybody, but so sadly isn't, thus reinforcing why such rare and precious jewels as he are so crucial to fight our corner for us. I hate all but a handful of politicians, as now they increasingly stand for nothing but themselves and their own advancement, but I have no hesitation in going as far as saying I loved Anthony Wedgwood Benn. RIP Tony, and rejoin your beloved Caroline.

He was one of the people who drew me into politics, which was why I too was at that Militant rally, rover49, graced by his presence. Did you go to many such events, if so, I wonder if I know you? The Albert Hall one was probably the coup d'etat with the working classes demonstrating their manufacturing and engineering skills via the plethora of skillfully diverse paper planes sent spiralling downwards from the uppers tiers of the Hall.

You really think it is acceptable for a government to lie to the people to this degree? If the information had come out that the government was lying it would have been political dynamite because it wasn't a General trying to deceive the enemy as you would have it but a politician lying to the people. There is a huge difference and if you think it is OK you must want to live in a dictatorship where the government just lies to you all the time.

She was bloody lucky we weren't in the Information age we now live in or I doubt the deceit would have lasted five minutes.



So you think despite the biggest economic crisis since the 1920's the fact the Tories could not win the general election in 2010 due in no small measure to them being toast in large parts of the former mining areas is game, set and match?

Believe it or not people in these areas did used to vote Tory in enough numbers to get some Tory MP's elected every now and again but now the Tories may as well be aliens in certain parts of the country and it all started with how they dealt with the miners. Making your party unelectable is no victory.

Quote: cod'ead "Anything to back that figure up? Strangely enough, there wasn't much of a murmur from the NUM either. I lived through that era, I don't have to rely on bollox soundbites from right-wingers'" www.ncm.org.uk/docs/collections- ... f?sfvrsn=2 Of course you wouldn't hear a murmur from the NUM, when you're compliant with destruction you hardly shout from the rooftops. Still, "Quisling" Benn did ok, promotion in the cabinet under a man who destroyed communities. They make his speeches in the house where he talks about how the miners (amongst others) built the country even more laughable. Yet another professional class warrior full of "bollox soundbites". If I were Bob Crow, I wouldn't want my name linked with this charlatan.

Quote: cod'ead "Anything to back that figure up? Strangely enough, there wasn't much of a murmur from the NUM either. I lived through that era, I don't have to rely on bollox soundbites from right-wingers'" www.ncm.org.uk/docs/collections- ... f?sfvrsn=2 Of course you wouldn't hear a murmur from the NUM, when you're compliant with destruction you hardly shout from the rooftops. Still, "Quisling" Benn did ok, promotion in the cabinet under a man who destroyed communities. They make his speeches in the house where he talks about how the miners (amongst others) built the country even more laughable. Yet another professional class warrior full of "bollox soundbites". If I were Bob Crow, I wouldn't want my name linked with this charlatan.

Eeeerm, welcome to the big bad World. Government Departments have routinely made, lied about, and covered up controversial decisions since Adam was a lad. Why do you think that so many cabinet papers are locked away for decades? You've surely heard of the expression "a good day to bury bad news," where minor embarrassments are released late in the day, where there has been some major event to distract the attention?
And emotive language like living in a dictatorship simply highlight the weakness of your theories. Apart from Ollie Cromwell, way back in the day, I don't recall a single UK dictator. Whilst you're googling "democracy" have a look at Censorship in the UK.



Whilst its not hard to tell the difference between a sunny day and a Northerner with a sense of grievance, this rlarticlerl gives a clearer insight, rather than the overly simplistic explanation of "long memories". Some of the replies make interesting points as well. And there have been constituencies which have traditionally never returned a Tory, preferring to vote in a MP who sailed under a Socialist flag, when in truth they were Communists. I'm pretty sure there is a Tory MP down in Nottinghamshire who has a working mine within his patch, so it's not all doom and gloom.

No matter how much you deny it, Margaret Thatcher's handbagging of Scargill and his ilk, was exactly what Britain needed. Just a shame Ed Milliband lacks the Iron Ladies balls.....

Another classic example of the saying "there is no worse sight than watching ignorance in action".
One of the main reasons why this country has gone to the dogs is that woman and her cronies screwing the British public whilst showing a false smile. The consequences of their actions are the "dead zones" of unemployed, unemployable, badly educated dependent people who are the result of one of the most pernicious pieces of social engineering ever seen that wasn't genocide.
The tories have always been the party of the few and keep the rest down. Their current policies are keeping this country back as they have always done
All they want is the fruits of others labour and little legislation to help them achieve that
Basically a party of inhumane, selfish, greedy bigots. They will never change.

If what she was doing was right, why did she need to lie? She didnt handbag anyone, she lied, lied, and lied again, set communities against each other and used the police as a set of hired thugs who have not yet recovered from her leadership. Its why they danced on her grave and there were parties in the street when she died lonely and irrelevant in a hotel room and only the idealogues came out to defend her.