Pennod 1 Adam Price a Streic y Glowyr


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-I would have done it again

-and Dadi would have done it again.

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-I always regret

-the casualties in any war.

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-It doesn't change my view

-about the war.

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-You have to consider

-the number of miners on strike.

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-Some of them had lost their homes

-and families as well.

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-There was a battle

-between two sets of values.

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-Two sets of principles.

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-If you'd have come out,

-the strike would have been won.

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-Oh, Adam, you're naive.

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-Oh, Adam, you're naive.

-

-Working-class people are not dull.

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-If you hadn't seen it for yourself,

-you wouldn't believe it.

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-Ready?

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-Generations ago...

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-..there was an army

-that rejected the status quo...

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-..that turned

-their world upside down.

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-My name is Adam Price.

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-I've gone from Westminster

-to Harvard...

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-..and challenged

-the British Establishment.

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-A campaign group

-led by Adam Price MP...

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-..to impeach Tony Blair for his

-reasons to enter the Iraq War...

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-..has been criticized.

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-It's the monumental catastrophe

-of the Iraq War.

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-The worse foreign policy disaster

-since Suez.

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-Without my experiences

-of the 1984-85 Miners' Strike...

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-..I wouldn't possess this confidence

-or be the person I am today.

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-It's fair to say,

-I'd be a very different Adam Price.

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-We start with a story that grabbed

-the biggest headline of the year.

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-The Miners' Strike spurred violence

-and split communities and families.

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-Will it result in a strike?

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-I've always favoured a strike,

-but not this time.

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-I'm a militant, but not this time.

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-This is my father, Rufus Price...

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-..speaking on the news

-on the first day of the strike.

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-I can see that he's uncertain.

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-He wants to support the strike...

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-..but worries about its effects

-on the other miners.

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-This is me, at the family home

-in Tycroes during the strike.

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-We were 100% behind the strike.

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-Possibly, I was more supportive

-than anyone else.

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-I recall my father going on strike

-as if it were yesterday.

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-I was 15 when the strike started

-and 16 when it ended.

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-It's a crucial time

-in any person's life.

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-I went from being a child...

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-..to becoming a young adult

-trying to find my own identity.

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-Undoubtedly,

-the Great Strike of 1984-85...

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-..represented

-one of the most pivotal chapters...

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-..in the modern history of Wales.

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-If you turn away from the miners,

-in this, our hour of need...

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-..I warn you,

-when they come for you...

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-..there'll be nobody left

-to fight for you.

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-CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

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-People tried to take ownership

-of the strike...

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-..because of its symbolic powers.

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-We'll fight

-and we'll die in the attempt.

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-CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

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-I tend to view the strike

-from one perspective...

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-..and choose to ignore

-some of the facts...

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-..that sit uncomfortably with me.

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-The local economy was quite stable.

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-The colliery laid the foundation

-for a high employment rate.

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-The strike hit like an earthquake.

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-The miners' leaders gathered...

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-..to discuss

-the Coal Board's threat...

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-..to close five pits

-in England and Scotland.

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-I started worrying

-about the consequences for me...

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-..my family and community.

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-The workforce at Cortonwood

-in Yorkshire had walked out.

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-The conference ordered the

-South Wales miners to follow suit.

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-I've got to cast my mind back...

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-..and reacquaint myself

-with the young 15-year-old Adam.

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-I'll talk to some of my heroes

-from this era...

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-..but also to some of the people

-I loathed.

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-Who knows what the outcome will be?

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-My opinion about the strike

-might be completely transformed.

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-As the son of a coal miner

-on the picket line...

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-..and a proactive mother

-in the support groups...

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-..it was an inspirational time

-for me, and remains so today.

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-It was a unique period

-which saw communities join forces...

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-..to protect our way of life from

-the might of the Tory government.

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-To discover more about the strike...

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-..and its significance

-30 years later...

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-..I've returned home

-to Mam and Dad in Tycroes.

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-I want to see if I still view

-this historic strike...

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-..in the same light.

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-We're turning into Teglan Park

-and driving towards the house.

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-It's the bungalow on the corner.

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-Hello?

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-Hello?

-

-How are you?

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-It's great to see you.

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-It's great to see you.

-

-And you.

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-Sit down.

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-Sit here, Adam.

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-Sit here, Adam.

-

-OK. Right.

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-For me, when I think about it...

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-..the Miners' Strike

-was certainly the nucleus...

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-..in forming my political stance.

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-Sometimes, you need a cornerstone...

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-..that reminds you

-of your identity...

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-..and where your values

-and morals lie.

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-Memories of the strike

-always come to mind.

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-Do you recall the first day

-you walked out?

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-I came home and told your mother.

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-It wasn't nice at all.

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-Was Betws among the first to strike?

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-Was Betws among the first to strike?

-

-Yes, they walked out.

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-So, Betws was quite militant.

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-So, Betws was quite militant.

-

-Yes, it was.

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-When your father told me

-they were going to strike...

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-..and it was getting so bad

-that they were shutting pits...

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-..he said they'd have to fight.

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-In the beginning, I wasn't willing.

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-Who wouldn't be

-when you've got a family?

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-You're thinking,

-"How is this going to affect us?"

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-Your father kept saying

-that we had to fight for the jobs.

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-If we don't, we'd get oppressed,

-they'll push us down...

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-..and it won't be there

-for future generations.

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-Men will stand fast

-with their women behind them.

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-That is what we did.

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-That's all the vegetables

-I can afford to buy.

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-What about tinned meat or salmon?

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-What about tinned meat or salmon?

-

-Oh, no.

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-You were part

-of the women's support group.

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-You were on the phone to Amsterdam

-waiting for a shipment from Russia.

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-Yes, France.

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-You were also standing

-on the picket line...

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-..and had to deal with the might

-of the state against you...

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-..but you used your skills

-and tried to work out a strategy.

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-For me, there was quite

-a positive side to the strike.

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-I remember visiting the picket line

-at Betws Colliery.

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-Adrian, my brother, was with me.

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-Adrian, my brother, was with me.

-

-Yes, yes.

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-More picketers gathered

-outside the pit today.

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-Most were from the Cynheidre,

-Betws and Abernant lodges.

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-But 300 policemen enabled miners

-who wanted to work...

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-..to cross the picket lines.

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-I remember wearing my uniform

-and getting ready for school.

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-I had my bag in tow.

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-I was eager to join the fight...

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-..but Adrian

-was holding me back again!

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-I was quite surprised.

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-I'd watched it on the television...

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-..but I hadn't witnessed it

-up close.

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-Blood was smeared

-over the miners' faces.

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-It turned nasty that day.

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-I saw two policemen

-walk over to you.

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-They were going to grab your arm

-and take you away.

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-I came over and said,

-"Hey, that's my son."

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-They just stared blankly at me.

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-You said, "Hey, Dad!"

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-"Let them take me to jail."

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-That's what happened.

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-I wanted to be a martyr

-for the cause.

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-I didn't expect it to happen.

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-You're my son

-and nobody was going to touch you.

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-He knew it was right.

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-It was right

-because they were oppressing us.

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-They were pushing us down

-and taking livelihoods away.

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-It wasn't a very nice time

-but I feel the same as you.

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-We were in it

-and it was a courageous thing to do.

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-Would you do it all again?

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-If you were given the choice,

-would you strike again?

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-Yes, I would have done it again

-and Dadi would have done it again.

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-I recall the family discussing...

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-..the possibility of Dadi

-having to return to work...

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-..and I opposed it.

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-When I think about it,

-I feel quite overwhelmed.

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-Personally, I thought the strike...

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-..represented the best

-in humanity and society.

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-You said that the South Wales miners

-didn't have to come out.

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-They weren't striking on behalf

-of themselves or their wages.

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-It was a matter of principle.

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-They fought for others...

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-..and their right for employment

-within our communities.

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-It almost reduces me to tears...

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-..as it brought out the best

-of our culture and humanity.

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-It's central to my identity.

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-It's difficult for me

-to be objective about it all...

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-..because the strike

-defines who I am.

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-It's as important to me now

-as it was back then.

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-.

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-Subtitles

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-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

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-I'm Adam Price.

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-I'm stepping back in time...

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-..to discover more

-about the 1984-85 Miners' Strike.

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-I'm the son of a coal miner

-who was on strike.

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-Our enemies were Ian MacGregor,

-the National Coal Board head...

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-..and Thatcher's Tory government.

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-Where there is discord,

-may we bring harmony.

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-Where there is error,

-may we bring truth.

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-I'd watch them on television

-every night.

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-I grew up in the Thirties

-with an unemployed father.

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-He didn't riot. He got on his bike

-and looked for work.

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-He kept looking until he found it.

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-It angers me to think of how their

-decisions about the coal industry...

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-..affected my family

-and millions of other coal miners.

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-Since Margaret Thatcher

-was elected in 1979...

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-..everyone knew that she'd try

-to close numerous pits in Britain...

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-..especially in Wales.

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-I agree absolutely.

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-When Arthur Scargill

-became president of the NUM...

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-..strikes ensued at Welsh pits...

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-..and the miners successfully saved

-several coal mines.

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-Despite these victories

-in the early 1980s...

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-..the Tories were determined

-to close the coal mines...

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-..with many South Wales pits

-in jeopardy.

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-Thank you. Bye.

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-During the Miners' Strike,

-I learnt how to hate.

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-The people I hated were the Tories.

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-Thatcher, Tebbit and Lawson.

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-They called us the enemy within.

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-It is the work of extremists.

-The enemy within.

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-But they were the enemy to me.

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-I couldn't understand

-how they could sleep at night.

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-How could they

-destroy communities...

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-..and not give a damn about

-what happened to us as families?

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-I've come to London

-to meet some of these people...

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-..to try and understand

-these so-called principles...

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-..that formed their actions

-during the 1984-85 strike.

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-Good morning, Nigel.

-I'm Adam Price.

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-Very pleased to meet you.

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-I'm grateful to you

-for giving this undertaking...

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-..that you will let me see

-the cut version beforehand.

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-Will you ask a question in Welsh?

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-Well, yes.

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-I had not that long left

-the Department of Employment.

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-During the strike, I was at the

-Department of Trade and Industry.

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-There was a real problem

-with the coal industry.

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-It was losing something like

-1.5 million a day.

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-That couldn't be tolerated.

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-It made complete economic nonsense.

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-The only way

-of staunching this huge loss...

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-..which had to be met

-by the taxpayer...

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-..was to close uneconomic pits.

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-The last thing Margaret Thatcher

-wanted was a strike.

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-She appointed me

-as Energy Secretary in 1981...

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-..and said, "Nigel,

-we mustn't have a coal strike."

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-She had been part

-of the Heath government...

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-..that was brought down

-by the coal strike and Scargill.

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-These are the drivers

-we're talking about.

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-This has been taking place

-when the cameras aren't here.

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-Get a photograph of this.

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-Once it had happened...

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-..she went into

-a sort of war mood.

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-It wasn't only Scargill who thought

-he could bring down the government.

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-A large part of the press

-and Members of Parliament...

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-..were concerned about this.

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-It was the risk we ran when dealing

-with the Argentine junta...

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-..with the fascist dictatorship

-when they invaded the Falklands.

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-Resisting bullies

-runs the risk of getting hurt.

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-We had to run that risk.

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-There was a discussion

-about preparing for the next time.

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-Indeed.

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-Unlike the dispute

-in Heath's time...

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-..we wanted to be ready and that

-the power stations were stocked.

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-We could not as a nation

-afford to see a third government...

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-..after Heath and Callaghan,

-toppled by industrial action.

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-That would have been madness.

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-Come the Miners' Strike,

-you become the Chancellor.

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-You had to fund this dispute.

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-When I came in, there had been

-no preparations at all.

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-If there were a strike...

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-..the problem would be

-to keep the lights on.

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-They had to have

-the stocks of coal...

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-..within the power stations.

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-Scargill lost his strike

-because, to my amazement...

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-..he called it in the spring...

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-..so the peak winter demand

-was already over.

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-There was no way, it seemed to me,

-that Scargill would win.

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-Do you feel any pangs of regret...

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-..looking at the communities

-in Yorkshire and South Wales...

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-..whether it could

-have been done differently?

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-I always regret

-the casualties in any war.

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-It doesn't change my view

-about the war...

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-..whether it was in the Falklands

-or South Wales and Yorkshire.

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-No. I remain the same as ever.

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-Changes had to happen.

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-KLAXON

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-You cannot live in the past.

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-We might as well

-have continued subsidizing...

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-..the production

-of horse-drawn carriages.

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-Economies move on. Change happens.

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-Is the Miners' Strike

-up there with the Falklands War...

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-..as one of the central moments...

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-..without which Thatcherism

-might not have happened?

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-Let me put it this way.

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-We could have survived

-as a government...

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-..by surrendering

-the people of the Falklands...

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-..to fascist generals

-in South America.

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-We could have done that.

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-We couldn't have survived

-as an administration...

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-..surrendering British industry

-to Mr Scargill.

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-He was a man of infinite vanity...

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-..who thought he could

-bring the government down.

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-We had to establish that democracy

-and the rule of law prevailed.

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-I don't have regrets

-about what we did.

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-I have regrets

-that there were casualties.

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-People whose lives were ruined

-one way or another.

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-Was Britain a better country

-because the strike was lost?

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-I never saw it

-as a victory over the miners...

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-..nor did the government.

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-It was a victory over Arthur

-Scargill and what he stood for...

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-..which was basically an attempt to

-bring down the elected government.

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-I was a young Scargillite.

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-I'm surprised I was able to have

-a sane chat with these politicians.

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-However, it does raise questions...

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-..that would leave the young Adam

-annoyed and poised for a dispute.

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-The decisions that the Tories took

-destroyed entire communities.

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-They felt they were in the right...

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-..and, to some extent,

-have no regrets.

0:22:010:22:04

-It would have been impossible for me

-to sit down with Baroness Thatcher.

0:22:090:22:14

-For me, she encapsulates

-this era of significant decisions.

0:22:140:22:20

-It would be impossible for me

-to sit and converse with her.

0:22:200:22:25

-We've shown that working people

-are not prepared to lie down...

0:22:290:22:33

-..under this Thatcher government

-and accept the destruction of jobs.

0:22:330:22:39

-There was a battle

-between two sets of values.

0:22:390:22:42

-Two sets of principles.

0:22:420:22:45

-Unfortunately for me,

-and I still feel this way...

0:22:450:22:49

-..it was their principles

-that triumphed.

0:22:490:22:53

-.

0:22:560:22:56

-Subtitles

0:23:000:23:00

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

0:23:000:23:02

-I'm Adam Price.

0:23:050:23:07

-I'm on a journey to discover more

-about the 1984-85 Miners' Strike.

0:23:070:23:13

-The strike began following the

-Tories and Coal Board's decision...

0:23:140:23:18

-..to lay off more than

-20,000 coal miners in Britain...

0:23:190:23:24

-..starting with the closure

-of a colliery in Yorkshire.

0:23:250:23:29

-Arthur Scargill's response

-was to call for a general strike.

0:23:300:23:35

-Rumours were rife

-of more job cuts...

0:23:350:23:39

-..and there was a hit list

-of coal mines under threat...

0:23:390:23:44

-..that included many from Wales.

0:23:440:23:47

-However,

-there wasn't a national ballot.

0:23:470:23:51

-Every pit

-had an individual ballot...

0:23:510:23:54

-..with the majority in Wales

-voting against strike action.

0:23:540:23:59

-Betws Colliery,

-where my father worked...

0:23:590:24:02

-..was among the minority

-in favour of strike action.

0:24:020:24:07

-Despite picketing,

-nearby collieries decided to work.

0:24:070:24:12

-Do the boys at Betws look upon

-the strike in the same light today?

0:24:170:24:22

-I haven't spoken to them about it

-since it happened.

0:24:230:24:27

-I'm meeting a group of them

-at the welfare hall in Ammanford.

0:24:270:24:32

-How are you?

0:24:320:24:33

-How are you?

-

-Yeah, alright.

0:24:330:24:35

-The picket line

-has turned this strike around.

0:24:350:24:38

-Yesterday, the Union

-thought they were doomed...

0:24:380:24:42

-..with 18 out of 28 lodges

-refusing to strike.

0:24:420:24:45

-But this morning, pickets stopped

-work at two out of three mines.

0:24:460:24:51

-We wanted a national ballot

-and it's not working.

0:24:510:24:55

-We won't pass the pickets

-at Nantgarw.

0:24:550:24:58

-It's 30 years since the strike and

-we can look back and reflect on it.

0:24:580:25:04

-Do you recall the first day

-of the strike?

0:25:050:25:09

-I remember it.

0:25:090:25:12

-We were aware of what was happening

-at the pit in Yorkshire...

0:25:120:25:17

-..and that something was looming.

0:25:170:25:20

-How did Betws Colliery vote?

0:25:200:25:22

-Every pit had to vote.

0:25:230:25:25

-What was the result at Betws?

0:25:250:25:27

-What was the result at Betws?

-

-To walk out.

0:25:270:25:29

-Did you vote with a show of hands?

0:25:300:25:33

-Did you vote with a show of hands?

-

-Yes.

0:25:330:25:35

-Everyone put their hands up

-but one or two opposed it.

0:25:350:25:40

-After the ballot had taken place...

0:25:400:25:44

-..the miners at Betws

-decided to come out...

0:25:450:25:48

-..and everyone came out.

0:25:480:25:51

-I remember the time

-when we had to vote.

0:25:520:25:55

-There were pickets outside

-the gates on Monday morning.

0:25:560:26:00

-We had only voted on the Sunday.

0:26:000:26:03

-Adam mentioned

-that his father was a miner.

0:26:030:26:06

-I'll always remember

-being on the picket line...

0:26:060:26:11

-..with hundreds of bobbies present.

0:26:110:26:14

-One of the bobbies

-was being horrible.

0:26:150:26:18

-He was holding a truncheon.

0:26:190:26:21

-He started to beat the boys

-over the head.

0:26:210:26:27

-We thought, "We'll get him now."

0:26:280:26:30

-"Rufus, come here!"

0:26:300:26:33

-Rufus came with us

-to entice this bobby.

0:26:330:26:38

-He ran at us with his truncheon.

0:26:380:26:41

-The boys let Rufus through

-to wallop and floor him!

0:26:410:26:45

-It was only a little jab

-and nobody spotted it.

0:26:450:26:48

-The old boxer still had it in him!

0:26:490:26:53

-Some pits voted against the strike

-in South Wales.

0:26:560:27:00

-How did you feel about them?

0:27:000:27:03

-We had been told many times

-that Betws was a safe pit.

0:27:030:27:08

-We knew that the other pits

-were on the hit list.

0:27:080:27:14

-I couldn't understand

-why they didn't vote to walk out.

0:27:140:27:20

-You staged a walkout

-to save the other pits...

0:27:210:27:24

-..but they didn't bother

-saving themselves.

0:27:240:27:27

-The majority

-strongly oppose the strike...

0:27:280:27:31

-..but almost nobody

-crossed the picket line.

0:27:310:27:35

-Everyone drove away peacefully.

0:27:350:27:38

-What was the reception like...

0:27:380:27:41

-..when you picketed at other pits?

0:27:410:27:45

-Everyone else was walking out and

-other pits across Wales followed.

0:27:450:27:50

-Union officials were confident...

0:27:510:27:53

-..that the coalfield

-would cease working within 24 hours.

0:27:540:27:58

-Be honest, what were you thinking?

0:27:580:28:01

-A fortnight, three weeks,

-a month or six weeks?

0:28:010:28:05

-How long did you think

-the strike would last?

0:28:050:28:08

-Myself,

-I didn't think much about it.

0:28:090:28:12

-We would remain on strike

-until we either win or lose.

0:28:120:28:18

-That's how I felt.

0:28:180:28:20

-You were taking each day as it came.

0:28:200:28:23

-You had to.

0:28:230:28:25

-Not many people

-expected it to last for a year.

0:28:250:28:29

-We were all suffering.

0:28:290:28:32

-Everyone felt the same way,

-as if they were working.

0:28:320:28:37

-The spirit was alive.

0:28:380:28:40

-We all knew what was happening

-but our spirit kept us going.

0:28:400:28:46

-You have to consider

-the number of miners on strike.

0:28:460:28:50

-Some of them had lost their homes...

0:28:500:28:55

-..and even their families...

0:28:550:28:59

-..because of what happened.

0:28:590:29:01

-Did you still think

-that you could win?

0:29:010:29:05

-I have to say it...

0:29:060:29:07

-..it was a trade union

-that lost us the strike.

0:29:080:29:13

-NACODS.

0:29:140:29:16

-They had a ballot to walk out.

0:29:180:29:20

-If they hadn't been working...

0:29:200:29:23

-..every single pit

-would have been out.

0:29:230:29:27

-Why didn't they walk out?

0:29:280:29:31

-We knew that most of the boys

-from around here...

0:29:320:29:36

-..were more than ready to strike.

0:29:370:29:42

-I don't know what happened

-at that time.

0:29:420:29:46

-I'm still waiting for an answer.

0:29:460:29:50

-By late March...

0:29:540:29:56

-..the South Wales collieries

-firmly supported the strike...

0:29:560:30:01

-..but it was a different story

-for the rest of Britain.

0:30:010:30:05

-Some pits in Yorkshire and most

-in Nottingham and the Midlands...

0:30:050:30:10

-..voted against the strike...

0:30:110:30:13

-..and returned to work

-to continue producing coal.

0:30:130:30:19

-The National Union of Miners

-had one last chance...

0:30:200:30:24

-..to entice all UK coalfields

-out on strike.

0:30:240:30:29

-They turned to the union

-for colliery officials - NACODS.

0:30:290:30:34

-I was intrigued to find out

-why they didn't support the strike.

0:30:340:30:39

-I'm meeting a NACODS union member...

0:30:390:30:42

-..to try and interpret their reasons

-against walking out with the miners.

0:30:420:30:48

-A strike by NACODS would be

-a massive blow to the Coal Board.

0:30:480:30:52

-Every pit in Britain would have to

-close, including the working pits.

0:30:520:30:58

-Bleddyn, NACODS.

0:30:590:31:01

-I never fully worked out

-what the acronym stood for.

0:31:010:31:05

-The National Association of Colliery

-Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers.

0:31:060:31:11

-The deputies would deputize

-for the colliery manager.

0:31:110:31:16

-Our word was law underground.

-We were like a site foreman.

0:31:160:31:21

-The area voted, by and large,

-against a strike...

0:31:210:31:25

-..but were you surprised

-that the men still came out?

0:31:260:31:29

-I wasn't surprised. I was dismayed.

0:31:300:31:32

-I was a colliery official

-and wasn't in the NUM any more.

0:31:320:31:36

-The day the strike started...

0:31:370:31:38

-..I was in the yard

-at Merthyr Vale Colliery.

0:31:390:31:41

-The night before, the men

-voted overwhelmingly to work...

0:31:420:31:46

-..as did most of them

-in South Wales.

0:31:460:31:49

-Their local leaders

-stabbed them in the back.

0:31:490:31:52

-They telephoned HQ

-and their NUM bosses.

0:31:530:31:56

-The next day, they arranged pickets

-to picket out their own men.

0:31:570:32:02

-The men had more sense

-than their leaders.

0:32:030:32:05

-They knew it was a bad idea.

0:32:060:32:08

-There might not be any work

-at Nantgarw tomorrow.

0:32:080:32:12

-A second vote was carried

-after the first one failed.

0:32:120:32:16

-It urged miners

-not to cross any picket line.

0:32:170:32:20

-There was a great deal

-of intimidation.

0:32:200:32:24

-I saw men being threatened

-if they didn't strike...

0:32:240:32:28

-..and that was where

-it all went to hell in a handbasket.

0:32:280:32:32

-Was it intimidation

-as I can accept there were...

0:32:320:32:36

-There was intimidation.

0:32:360:32:38

-I accept

-there were incidences of it.

0:32:390:32:41

-Does it explain why 23,000 men

-were on strike for a year?

0:32:420:32:46

-Wasn't it a sense of solidarity?

0:32:460:32:48

-Wasn't it a sense of solidarity?

-

-It did become that.

0:32:480:32:49

-Did you understand it?

0:32:500:32:51

-Did you understand it?

-

-Absolutely, I understood it.

0:32:510:32:53

-There was a sense of helplessness

-and having to strike.

0:32:530:32:57

-As a trade union principle...

0:32:570:32:59

-..you don't cross a picket,

-but two-thirds voted to work.

0:32:590:33:03

-You can't have a vote

-then try to intimidate you out.

0:33:040:33:08

-If you had come out,

-the strike would have been won.

0:33:080:33:11

-In what way...

0:33:120:33:13

-In what way...

-

-Right.

0:33:130:33:14

-Step back a bit

-because you're wrong.

0:33:150:33:17

-If you had come out,

-the strike would have been won.

0:33:170:33:22

-Oh, Adam, you're naive.

0:33:220:33:24

-I was 15 or 16

-but I don't think I was that naive.

0:33:240:33:28

-The NUM couldn't get their members

-out on strike.

0:33:280:33:31

-If you think our members were

-going to strike, then you're mad.

0:33:320:33:36

-There was a lot of bitterness.

0:33:370:33:39

-It happened because of divisions

-caused by the NUM taking itself...

0:33:390:33:44

-..and the rest of the industry,

-like lemmings over a cliff.

0:33:440:33:49

-It was stupid, arrogant...

0:33:490:33:51

-..and is best summed up

-as being suicidal vanity.

0:33:510:33:56

-I don't accept that miners,

-their families and communities...

0:33:560:34:02

-..weren't fully conscious of

-the struggle they were engaged in.

0:34:020:34:07

-They weren't fooled by the leaders

-as they were doing it consciously.

0:34:080:34:13

-They weren't fooled.

-I said they were betrayed.

0:34:130:34:16

-They were betrayed by other unions,

-not just by NACODS.

0:34:160:34:22

-Betrayed by NACODS and other unions?

0:34:220:34:25

-Come on.

0:34:250:34:27

-You are now spouting the line...

0:34:270:34:30

-..that Scargill and the extreme left

-have for years.

0:34:300:34:34

-You have to stand

-behind your principles.

0:34:350:34:38

-You have to plant your flag in the

-ground and say what you stand for.

0:34:380:34:43

-And lead people to destruction

-for your own vanity?

0:34:430:34:47

-You have a duty

-not to lead them to ruin.

0:34:470:34:51

-The NUM led them to ruin...

0:34:510:34:53

-..against their wishes

-and common sense.

0:34:540:34:58

-They knew they weren't going to win.

0:34:580:35:00

-You can plant your flag...

0:35:010:35:03

-..but not in the backs

-of working people.

0:35:030:35:05

-We were facing ruin.

0:35:060:35:08

-The razor blade

-was put in our hands.

0:35:080:35:11

-We refused to cut our own throats...

0:35:110:35:14

-..and I'm proud we stood up.

0:35:140:35:16

-The NUM gave you the razor.

-It was suicide.

0:35:160:35:19

-Working-class people are not dull.

0:35:190:35:23

-If you're going to lead people,

-you have a responsibility.

0:35:230:35:27

-They decided to work

-and their leaders ignored them...

0:35:280:35:32

-..and conspired, unconstitutionally

-and undemocratically...

0:35:320:35:37

-..to take their members

-down the path of ruin.

0:35:370:35:42

-It's a reading of history

-that I don't recognize, Bleddyn.

0:35:420:35:46

-The day that strike started,

-I regretted it.

0:35:530:35:56

-I thought

-it was going to be a disaster.

0:35:570:35:59

-It was like watching

-a train crash in slow motion.

0:36:010:36:06

-You can see it happening

-but you can't stop it.

0:36:060:36:09

-It is painful to watch.

0:36:150:36:19

-The notion

-of my father's fellow miners...

0:36:190:36:23

-..who were tough men...

0:36:230:36:26

-..deciding to strike out of fear

-doesn't wash with me.

0:36:270:36:32

-Some of his comments were insulting.

0:36:330:36:37

-An insult to the sacrifice...

0:36:370:36:42

-..made by miners and their families

-during the strike.

0:36:420:36:46

-.

0:36:500:36:50

-Subtitles

0:36:550:36:55

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

0:36:550:36:57

-YELLING

0:37:010:37:03

-YELLING

0:37:110:37:14

-With South Wales

-firmly behind the strike...

0:37:280:37:32

-..the NUM decided to picket

-coalfields and coking plants...

0:37:330:37:37

-..in other areas of Britain

-that were still working.

0:37:370:37:42

-The experiences of miners

-in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire...

0:37:420:37:46

-..were a complete contrast

-to the relative peace in Wales.

0:37:470:37:51

-He's kicking me!

0:37:530:37:56

-One village

-on the outskirts of Sheffield...

0:37:560:37:59

-..witnessed violence

-that was more like a civil war...

0:37:590:38:03

-..than an industrial strike.

0:38:030:38:06

-It was in these fields...

0:38:060:38:09

-..that one of the strike's

-most dramatic events was played out.

0:38:090:38:14

-Orgreave Coking Plant

-fed the steel industry.

0:38:140:38:18

-The miners stopped picketing

-on the coalfields...

0:38:180:38:24

-..and flocked to this area

-from all directions.

0:38:240:38:27

-My father was among the hundreds of

-Southwalians who came to Orgreave.

0:38:290:38:34

-He was a member of the A team,

-or the flying pickets.

0:38:340:38:39

-He travelled by bus overnight

-with the boys from the welfare hall.

0:38:390:38:45

-However, they didn't expect

-the ferocious response...

0:38:450:38:51

-..that came from the police

-and the state on that day.

0:38:510:38:56

-The miners wanted to stop the coal

-from entering the coking plant...

0:39:020:39:07

-..just like the other picket lines.

0:39:080:39:11

-Arthur Scargill placed

-a huge symbolic importance...

0:39:110:39:15

-..on this special picket line.

0:39:150:39:19

-This powerful industrial weapon

-was at risk.

0:39:190:39:23

-If they could stop the lorries,

-there was a possibility of winning.

0:39:230:39:29

-If the police

-could block the miners...

0:39:290:39:32

-..the picket line

-would have been a pointless tactic.

0:39:320:39:36

-Everything was put on the line

-up in Sheffield.

0:39:370:39:40

-Are you in?

0:39:420:39:43

-Are you in?

-

-Yes.

0:39:430:39:45

-I came here with Harry Selwood,

-who picketed with my father...

0:39:450:39:49

-..to try to discover

-what really happened...

0:39:500:39:53

-..at one of the strike's

-most harrowing events.

0:39:530:39:57

-It was a fine, beautiful day.

0:39:580:40:01

-It was one of the best summers

-we had in a while.

0:40:020:40:05

-It sounds like an idyllic setting.

0:40:050:40:07

-It sounds like an idyllic setting.

-

-Yes, it was.

0:40:070:40:09

-The coking plant stood on my left.

0:40:140:40:17

-Just past the coking plant

-was a large wheat field.

0:40:180:40:23

-You could see it in the distance.

0:40:240:40:27

-The coking plant

-was in that direction.

0:40:310:40:34

-The village was located

-where the wind turbines stand.

0:40:340:40:38

-That's where the buses parked.

0:40:380:40:41

-Everything has changed.

-It's difficult to picture it.

0:40:410:40:46

-In this direction...

0:40:480:40:51

-..there was a meadow full of wheat.

0:40:520:40:56

-The boys sat down in the field

-and ate sandwiches.

0:40:590:41:02

-Some of them removed their tops

-and sunbathed.

0:41:030:41:06

-The police horses

-were lined along that edge.

0:41:060:41:10

-It sounds like something

-out of a film.

0:41:100:41:13

-It's like a medieval battle

-with a cavalry on the hilltop...

0:41:130:41:18

-..standing among the wheat.

0:41:180:41:21

-It felt like

-they were going to charge.

0:41:220:41:25

-I've never witnessed

-anything like it.

0:41:250:41:28

-My father was with you.

0:41:280:41:30

-My father was with you.

-

-Yes, I was with your father.

0:41:300:41:33

-He didn't move from my side.

0:41:330:41:36

-When did you realize

-that something was awry?

0:41:400:41:46

-The police inspectors

-were using loudhailers.

0:41:470:41:52

-They were shouting orders

-at the policemen.

0:41:520:41:55

-More support, Mr Simpson!

-More support!

0:41:560:41:59

-The police were standing

-on the front line.

0:42:020:42:06

-They were holding

-large perspex shields.

0:42:070:42:10

-They were shouting

-and also holding batons.

0:42:100:42:14

-Have you seen the film Zulu?

0:42:140:42:18

-They were tapping their shields

-like the Zulus.

0:42:180:42:22

-You could hear them,

-trying to scare us.

0:42:220:42:25

-Now and again,

-they'd move to one side.

0:42:250:42:29

-A dozen would run out equipped

-with large shields and batons...

0:42:290:42:34

-..ready to strike anyone

-who stood in their path.

0:42:340:42:38

-They didn't come to arrest you

-but to assault you.

0:42:390:42:44

-The front line opened up again

-and the horses galloped out.

0:42:460:42:51

-They used this tactic

-and the miners would flee.

0:42:520:42:57

-If you were in their way,

-the horses would trample over you.

0:42:580:43:02

-They didn't care at all.

0:43:030:43:05

-We were like lambs to the slaughter.

0:43:070:43:11

-There was no way in this world

-that the miners could win.

0:43:110:43:17

-They couldn't win this battle.

0:43:170:43:20

-We weren't expecting a fight.

0:43:210:43:23

-I'd never seen anything like it.

0:43:230:43:26

-I recall my father

-returning home that night.

0:43:300:43:34

-He was covered in cuts and bruises

-from head to toe.

0:43:350:43:40

-That didn't bother your father.

0:43:410:43:44

-We were strong lads

-and we were fearless.

0:43:450:43:48

-We were used to working

-in dangerous surroundings.

0:43:480:43:53

-He admitted that he was shocked

-to see the police horses.

0:43:530:43:58

-It all came down to luck

-as to whether you were arrested...

0:43:590:44:03

-..or even assaulted.

0:44:030:44:06

-I'm telling you.

0:44:060:44:08

-If you hadn't seen it for yourself,

-you wouldn't believe it.

0:44:090:44:13

-The police had planned it.

0:44:170:44:20

-They wanted to make a show of it.

0:44:200:44:23

-They wanted to break the miners.

0:44:230:44:27

-The snatch squad had taken you.

0:44:380:44:41

-They were the men

-holding the shields.

0:44:410:44:45

-I was grabbed, kicked and beaten

-before being thrown into the van.

0:44:450:44:51

-Did they hit you?

0:44:510:44:54

-Did they hit you?

-

-Yes, they did whatever they wanted.

0:44:540:44:57

-Once you stepped over the lines,

-they attacked and lashed out.

0:44:570:45:03

-They wanted to hurt you.

0:45:030:45:06

-Luckily,

-it didn't happen to your father.

0:45:060:45:09

-YELLING

0:45:130:45:14

-Get on your feet!

0:45:140:45:16

-Did a court case proceed?

0:45:220:45:25

-Yes, it was held

-at Rotherham Crown Court...

0:45:250:45:28

-..but it was thrown out.

0:45:280:45:31

-I just wanted to go back to work

-and return to normality.

0:45:320:45:37

-I had a young family

-and everyone was suffering.

0:45:370:45:42

-Was it all worth it?

0:45:440:45:48

-Looking back, was it worth it?

0:45:490:45:50

-Looking back, was it worth it?

-

-No, it wasn't worth it.

0:45:500:45:53

-I lost a year's worth of wages

-which could never be replaced.

0:45:540:45:58

-No holidays, nothing.

0:45:590:46:01

-It's happened

-and that's the end of it.

0:46:020:46:05

-As I roam around

-these open fields...

0:46:110:46:14

-..it sends shivers down my spine...

0:46:140:46:17

-..knowing there's nothing here

-to mark this battle.

0:46:180:46:23

-It's a forgotten battle,

-to a certain degree.

0:46:240:46:29

-Hopes and dreams

-were laid to rest on this land.

0:46:290:46:34

-It was the high point of almost

-a century of trade unionism...

0:46:340:46:40

-..and in a sense,

-of the British working class.

0:46:400:46:45

-In terms of the miners...

0:46:460:46:48

-..it signalled an end

-to all their aspirations.

0:46:480:46:51

-They are buried in this land

-outside Orgreave.

0:46:520:46:58

-I was keeping a big secret.

0:47:020:47:06

-This isn't picketing.

-This is murder.

0:47:070:47:10

-Dad!

0:47:100:47:13

-There are two sides to every story.

0:47:140:47:18

-You were behind the strike.

0:47:180:47:19

-You were behind the strike.

-

-One hundred per cent.

0:47:190:47:21

-S4C Subtitles by Tinopolis

0:47:520:47:54

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0:47:540:47:54

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