Pennod 2 Adam Price a Streic y Glowyr

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-I had one big secret.

-It was something

-that I found difficult to accept.

-My name is Adam Price...

-..and I'm on a journey to learn more

-about the 1984-85 Miners's Strike.

-I remember...

-..and I'm not ready to forgive them.

-If we'd have turned back...

-..it would've been the end of

-South Wales's mining communities.

-Until the day I die,

-I will always consider them scabs.

-We lost so much

-but also benefitted from the strike.

-What have we won?

-What have we gained?

-This isn't picketing.

-This is murder!

-It changed my life.

-We fought for a whole year

-to work down a coal mine.

-You're a scab because your father's

-a scab and you'll always be a scab.

-Without my experience of the strike,

-I can't imagine who I would be.

-Are you ready? It's turning.

-STRIKE

-I was 15, going on 16...

-..during the Miners's Strike.

-I had one big secret.

-I'd known that I was different

-since my days at primary school.

-I was gay but I hadn't told anyone.

-Even I found it difficult to accept.

-I worried about the reaction

-of my parents...

-..and their friends

-within the community.

-To some degree, you could argue...

-..that the mining community culture

-was very macho.

-For example, my father was a miner.

-He was also a former

-Welsh boxing champion.

-You couldn't get anyone more macho.

-When I look back,

-I realize that I struggled...

-..with trying to bridge both worlds.

-Being gay was something foreign and

-it was very "London" and distant.

-During the strike, I met other

-gay people for the first time.

-London's Lesbians and Gays

-Support the Miners alliance...

-..arrived here on a Sunday evening.

-The group came to

-Pantyffynnon Rugby Club.

-My father, mother and the miners

-and their families were all there.

-They sat among the gays and lesbians

-and welcomed them.

-For me, it was an amazing moment.

-That's when I started to realize

-that I could be a complete person.

-I felt that I could tell

-my mother and father that I was gay.

-The strike made all the difference.

-It taught me

-not to lie about my sexuality.

-I've learnt a lot since being here

-as I've been to over 200 meetings.

-I've spoken at public meetings

-with over 500 people in attendance.

-It will be incredibly difficult

-to return to my old life.

-To understand how I

-and Welsh mining communities...

-..met the gay community during

-the strike, I've come to Brixton.

-I met an Amman Valley miner who was

-central to the close relationship...

-..between South London communities

-and Welsh men who were on strike.

-What did you expect when you heard

-that you were coming to Brixton?

-In a way, it was a culture shock.

-At the time, I lived in Ammanford.

-and coming here was quite a shock.

-Before arriving here,

-we were all quite scared.

-We weren't aware of the rioting

-that had been taking place.

-We had a warm welcome,

-fair play to them.

-This is the location

-of the market...

-..where we had a permit for a stall.

-We sold jumpers, mugs and badges

-with the slogan, "Coal Not Dole".

-How much money do you make in a day?

-Yesterday, we made 179.

-That's just by collecting money.

-That's just by collecting money.

-

-Yes, and selling our goods.

-The locals got to know us

-whilst we also collected money.

-We talked to people

-about our experiences...

-..and we had

-a very warm welcome here.

-What's it been like

-to mix with the people here?

-It hasn't been a shock,

-but it's been an experience.

-People around here

-have been incredibly good to us.

-They're in the same situation...

-..with issues

-like police harassments.

-We ended up with an office

-inside the town hall.

-Our first office

-was in a nuclear bunker.

-If a nuclear bomb were to go off...

-..Maggie Thatcher

-would walk away from her bunker...

-..and six miners from South Wales

-would emerge from theirs!

-We'd always have two men

-at the top of these steps.

-They would be stood

-in front of a banner.

-Every Sunday, six men from Cynheidre

-would come and stay for a week.

-Two would stand here and

-two collected money on the tubes.

-Have you had trouble

-with the police?

-We've been chased

-all around the place, to be honest.

-We have to retreat when we see them.

-They have a tendency

-to move or arrest us.

-We also had anther two on the stall

-whilst I attended meetings.

-Was the money raised

-sent back to the families?

-When a family was in debt

-or faced losing their home...

-..we would help to pay

-electricity bills with our fund.

-We didn't imagine

-that a place like Brixton...

-..would be a place with the same

-sort of problems as us in Wales.

-It's interesting to see

-how two communities so far apart...

-..with nothing in common

-in terms of history...

-..can have so much in common

-in terms of principles.

-Let's go in here.

-It was a gay bar at the time.

-Did you know that before going in or

-notice that there weren't any women?

-It was a real culture shock!

-Thirty years have passed

-and everything has changed here.

-Can you explain

-why you came to London?

-We came here

-as we didn't have any money left.

-It looked like the government was

-going to sequestrate Union funds.

-That would've left families

-without the means to buy food.

-We needed money from somewhere.

-The Union couldn't help

-so we had to find another way.

-We then came to London.

-I came to Brixton

-from the small village of Hendy.

-It was a big step.

-However, we made the right decision

-by coming here.

-Despite being a poor area,

-we had support.

-We could've gone to a richer area...

-..but we might not have received the

-support we experienced in Brixton.

-Boys from Pontyberem would meet

-in this pub, The Prince of Wales.

-They wouldn't have experienced

-a completely gay bar before.

-When they arrived here, they were

-scared to go to the toilet alone.

-It would've looked even worse

-if they went in pairs!

-It was a real eye-opener.

-We saw another way of life

-and there was nothing wrong with it.

-They're no different to anyone else.

-They're no different to anyone else.

-

-People are people.

-They worked hard to support

-the miners and their families...

-..who were left without any money

-and it was incredible.

-The strike split Britain

-but it also bridged communities.

-There weren't any mines here...

-..and they didn't have a direct

-connection with South Wales.

-It's strange to think that people

-in London made such an effort.

-We were fighting

-to keep our pits open...

-..and our communities

-close and alive.

-People fought for a whole year...

-..just to work down a coal mine.

-We knew that if the mine closed,

-nothing else would open.

-The community only existed because

-of the coal mines and coal itself.

-.

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-My name is Adam Price...

-..and I'm on a journey to learn more

-about the 1984-85 Miners's Strike.

-I can vividly remember my mother

-working with the support groups.

-These groups were vital to ensure

-that miners could stay on strike...

-..especially as the battle

-stretched to over six months...

-..and threatened to continue

-long after Christmas.

-But what did it mean for women

-within the mining communities?

-Sian James is the wife of a miner

-and the strike transformed her life.

-We don't want to let down the boys.

-The Union promised to stand by them

-and we won't let them down.

-Sian,

-we're at the Onllwyn Welfare Hall.

-Did this building play a key role

-during the Miners's Strike?

-It was central to the strike.

-We nicknamed it

-"The Palace of Culture!"

-This is where everything happened

-including the group meetings...

-..so it became an important part

-of our lives during the strike.

-I was a mother and wife.

-I married at the young age of 16.

-I left school to get married.

-When Martin went to work that day,

-he returned very early.

-I asked him

-why he'd come home so early.

-He told me that a picket line

-had formed at Abernant.

-He'd do anything for me,

-except cross a picket line.

-I understood,

-as I came from a background...

-..where you would never

-cross a picket line.

-Why did women play such a

-leading role during the strike...

-..in South Wales and beyond?

-We could see what was happening

-to our community.

-At the start, my personal aim

-was to raise money to buy food.

-We would fill bags of food...

-..and every miner and his family

-would receive a few bags.

-What they received

-depended on the size of the family.

-Miners from places like France

-donated their foreign foods.

-You received caviar from Russia!

-You received caviar from Russia!

-

-Yes, that's right.

-What was it like during Christmas?

-Christmas is important in Wales

-and we like to spoil the children.

-Did you still look forward

-to a Christmas without any money?

-We were worried about the money.

-However,

-our fund-raising support group...

-..had been very organized.

-We'd made a deal with

-a turkey company in Pembrokeshire.

-We were going to receive

-damaged turkeys.

-Turkeys were sometimes damaged...

-..as they passed through

-the machines when being prepared.

-The turkey's wings

-might have been chopped off.

-You didn't know if you would receive

-a turkey with a leg or not!

-We didn't care

-as we had a turkey on the table.

-The strike changed

-the traditional role of women.

-You got involved in politics and the

-Union asked you to speak publicly.

-Towards the end, the women

-organized the picket buses.

-We would discuss political topics.

-We chatted about the problems

-that we faced.

-If someone considered returning

-to work, we would talk about it.

-We would discuss the strike

-and politics in a wider context.

-We didn't confine discussions

-to just our community.

-We were invited

-to speak publicly...

-..in places like London,

-Manchester and Birmingham.

-We travelled to North Wales...

-..to participate in meetings

-organized by Cymdeithas Yr Iaith.

-They didn't vote

-in the same way as us...

-..but we had the same principles

-and beliefs.

-If your husband had decided

-to return to work...

-..how would you have reacted?

-To be honest, I would've

-thrown him out of the house.

-I stood by his side...

-..and supported him

-every step of the way.

-He would've let us down.

-I couldn't imagine not winning.

-I still find it difficult

-to admit our loss.

-I still can't utter the words.

-I knew that if we were to give in...

-..and surrender to them...

-..then it would be the end of

-mining communities in South Wales.

-You were a miner's wife

-at the start of the strike.

-The strike took you

-on a personal journey.

-It led you to the House of Commons,

-where I used to work.

-Yes, in Westminster.

-I was scared that I'd be

-pushed back into the home...

-..and to that traditional life.

-I was worried that there wouldn't be

-any more opportunities.

-I came to realize

-that I had changed.

-My circumstances hadn't changed

-but I was different.

-South Wales's miners

-will remain militant tomorrow.

-However, one Welsh pit

-has opted for a different strategy.

-Clwyd's Point of Ayr Colliery...

-..is the only Welsh pit that has

-been open over the past weeks.

-It's a wintery morning...

-..but I've come to a

-North-East corner of Wales...

-..to hear about the coalfield

-in this part of Wales.

-For me, the strike

-was all about South Wales.

-However, there was a coalfield and

-miners in this part of Wales too.

-They have their own story about

-the strike and I've come to hear it.

-In the North Wales coalfield,

-there were two mines.

-They were the Point of Ayr

-and Bersham collieries.

-Bersham Colliery

-initially supported the strike...

-..and only returned to work eight

-months after the strike started.

-It was a different story

-at the Point of Ayr Colliery.

-A majority of miners followed

-the example of Nottingham's pits...

-..and continued working as normal.

-However, a small group of miners

-were brave enough to strike.

-I wanted to know why they decided

-to go against the majority.

-We've been split down the middle.

-Don't you feel a little spineless?

-Are you selfish

-and doing it for the money?

-No, not at all.

-We believe it's those on strike

-that are spineless.

-Thirty years have passed.

-Was the Point of Ayr Colliery

-a good place to work?

-It was, before the strike.

-It was a good place to work.

-Following the strike...

-..everything changed.

-You produced lots of coal.

-It was a successful pit.

-Point of Ayr is situated three miles

-to the sea from the Dee estuary...

-..which makes it different

-to other pits.

-The colliery makes a profit.

-It's recently been making

-a 6 profit per ton...

-..whilst South Wales mines

-make a loss of 13 per ton.

-How did the strike start

-at Point of Ayr?

-The pickets came from South Wales.

-That was the start of it.

-I can remember coming out and

-seeing the pickets from South Wales.

-We had a meeting at Gronant.

-They voted not to go on strike.

-I stood up and I told them that

-they were a disgrace to the NUM.

-Why did you go on strike...

-..when most of them didn't?

-What's your personal reason?

-I was answering a question.

-Did we want to see these people

-losing their jobs?

-Yes or no?

-That was the question

-that we were answering.

-We weren't going to vote

-and put these people on the dole.

-I believe they've been blinded.

-They have been blinded

-by newspapers and money.

-That's what I think.

-Over 700 men worked at Point of Ayr.

-How many went on strike, Vic?

-We ended up with 89

-at the very end.

-That was a miserable year for us,

-the striking miners of Point of Ayr.

-We were fighting the government...

-..and our own workmates.

-Scabs, you are!

-Scabs!

-I don't believe that was

-Point of Ayr's finest hour.

-Scabs! Scabs!

-There are 691 employees.

-Six weeks ago, three quarters

-of them continued working...

-..despite pressure from picketers.

-They should accept

-that we're all out on strike.

-If they don't want to strike...

-..we should send them all

-to the wilderness!

-Did you feel ashamed...

-..when you saw your co-workers

-breaking the strike?

-Yes.

-My grandfather had worked

-at the Point of Ayr Colliery.

-My father and I worked there,

-along with my son.

-Towards the end, I felt ashamed.

-I didn't admit to everyone

-where I worked.

-Point of Ayr became notorious.

-We were disappointed.

-We saw men going to work on a bus,

-whilst we were on the picket line.

-There was one time...

-..when they threw bread from the bus

-on their way home.

-They threw food at you?

-They threw food

-out of the bus window.

-Did you hate or pity those

-breaking the strike?

-No.

-I wouldn't pass anyone.

-But I remember.

-We all remember.

-Can we ever forget?

-I won't forget.

-I can't forgive them.

-You can't forgive them completely?

-You can't forgive them completely?

-

-No, not at all.

-I'm 81.

-I should've learnt

-how to forgive them.

-But I can't.

-The first day

-after the strike started...

-..we went to the pit

-where it was completely silent.

-I stood on my feet...

-..and told those

-who weren't on strike...

-..that I knew them better...

-..after what they had done.

-I didn't speak to them after that.

-Do you feel

-that you lost the strike?

-No, not at all.

-I don't feel that way.

-I don't feel that way.

-

-I do.

-You feel that way?

-You feel that way?

-

-We've all lost.

-No.

-I think that it's a testament to us

-that we tried.

-Lots of people didn't try.

-Would you do it all again?

-Would you do it all again?

-

-Yes, I certainly would.

-I don't want "scab"

-on my gravestone.

-That brought a tear to my eye....

-..and it was so powerful.

-In a way,

-it was easier in South Wales...

-..because there were

-20,000 out on strike.

-It's difficult to be out

-on your own...

-..on the North Wales coast.

-They passed the test.

-.

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-The battle continued

-through the summer and into winter.

-The financial strain affected

-the miners and their families.

-As a miner's son, I want to

-discover the truth about the strike.

-Wayne Thomas is the president

-of the NUM in South Wales.

-People are only starting to realize

-its importance.

-It changed people's lives,

-Wales and the whole of Britain.

-Before the strike...

-..our lives revolved

-around the mining industry.

-After the strike,

-we didn't have the same outlook.

-Nothing had been said,

-but we all knew that it was the end.

-The NUM was at its peak...

-..with thousands of members

-at one time.

-However, the numbers have dwindled.

-How many members do you have?

-There are currently 200

-with full membership of the NUM.

-There are 200 people

-now working in the industry...

-..but back in those days,

-there were 200 in a small colliery.

-The situation

-has changed dramatically.

-At the time, I worked

-at Abernant Colliery in Rhydyfro.

-I was married at 21.

-I entered the strike

-as one of three brothers.

-We all worked at Abernant.

-During the winter,

-it was much more difficult.

-We were six months in

-and without money.

-Did you have any children?

-My eldest daughter was born in May,

-during the strike.

-I remember queuing for food parcels

-outside Ystradgynlais Welfare Hall.

-It was hard as I wanted to work.

-When we queued for food parcels,

-people called us scroungers.

-Miners were slowly returning to work

-at collieries including Cynheidre.

-I had discussions with my brothers.

-One month after starting, we asked

-ourselves why we were on strike.

-It was always

-at the back of our minds.

-We'd heard of people

-returning to work in England.

-We thought that it was different

-for them.

-When someone you knew

-returned to work...

-..you started to wonder

-if you really knew them.

-They weren't bad men, but it was

-hard to understand their reasoning.

-At the time,

-men used the word "scab".

-We all felt strongly

-about the matter.

-However,

-how do you feel about them now?

-Do you have more sympathy

-towards them?

-No, not at all.

-I knew people who returned to work

-and they didn't want any help.

-They returned, regardless

-of what anyone said or did.

-They were determined to return,

-no matter how much help they got.

-I know that 30 years have passed...

-..but when someone

-returned to work...

-..I feel as strongly today

-as I did back then.

-Men who crossed the line were scabs

-and they'll always be scabs.

-Until the day I die,

-I will consider them scabs.

-If the miners want to go back,

-let them go back.

-There's a life lost

-through all this.

-There are two children

-without their father for Christmas.

-I mean...

-It's just not worth it.

-It's just not worth it.

-

-No.

-Despite society's hatred towards

-those who broke the strike...

-..men in South Wales started

-returning to work before Christmas.

-The consequences of going against

-society's wishes could be awful.

-I met the former Chief Constable

-of South Wales, David East...

-..to learn about the worst tragedy

-of the Miners's Strike.

-I got the phone call at 6.00am

-- "Chief, we've got a murder."

-David Williams

-from Tan y Lan in Rhymney...

-..had returned to work

-at the Merthyr Vale mine.

-This morning, he left home in the

-back of a taxi, hired by the board.

-As the taxi travelled along

-the Heads of the Valleys Road...

-..two pillars of concrete

-were dropped from a bridge.

-One yard-long pillar

-went through the front windscreen.

-The taxi driver, David Wilkie

-lost control of the vehicle.

-When I got to Merthyr,

-the press of the world was there.

-This isn't industrial action.

-This isn't picketing.

-This is murder.

-It was a completely unacceptable act

-by any standards.

-Fortunately, a bus driver

-going to work at 5.30am...

-..had seen both culprits

-run off the bridge into a house.

-They were arrested, thank goodness.

-Had there been a protracted enquiry,

-trying to solve that incident...

-..we would've accused the miners

-of all sorts of harassment.

-They were convicted of murder

-so in my view, it was murder.

-It was reduced to manslaughter

-later on.

-Our sympathy went out to Wilkie

-and his family.

-Was it an emotional turning point

-during the strike?

-I think it certainly was.

-Because of that, it was difficult

-for Mr Scargill to defend it.

-I feel certain that the miners

-lost a lot of support because of it.

-My role was quite simple.

-It's police duty to uphold the law.

-When this dreadful year was over...

-..we, in South Wales

-would have to live together.

-We're a small area

-with an intense population.

-When this was over, we'd have to

-get back to some sort of normality.

-Many policemen in South Wales...

-..were sons of miners

-and were related to miners.

-Many of them had married

-miners's daughters.

-We were very intimately involved

-with the people we were policing.

-I don't want to give the impression

-that we were soft. We weren't.

-There were confrontations, miners

-were arrested and we upheld the law.

-At the time and subsequently,

-some said there were elements...

-..that resembled a police state

-with people being sent back...

-..there were road blocks and scenes

-that we weren't really used to.

-Look at it from the point of view

-of a police officer.

-We had riot gear in the

-luggage compartment of the bus.

-Wherever you may be,

-adrenaline was flowing.

-You're going to be in a

-confrontational situation.

-You are determined

-to show them who's boss.

-From the point of the pickets...

-..when they would see this military

-approach by a body of men...

-..of course,

-there was immediate confrontation.

-Did it cause any soul searching?

-It caused real soul searching

-for me.

-From the perspective

-of the working miner...

-..he was trying to protect

-his livelihood and family.

-He wasn't a criminal,

-thief or villain...

-..but because of the strike...

-..he was pitched against

-the law, the government and police.

-Picketing and demonstrations

-are lawful...

-..but it's also lawful...

-..that if a man wants to go to work,

-he should be allowed to go.

-When the strike was over, I got

-a phonecall from Downing Street...

-..asking that I send two police

-inspectors to Downing Street...

-..to have cocktails

-with the Prime Minister.

-She wanted to personally thank

-the principle forces...

-..involved in policing the strike.

-I said to this chap on the phone,

-"We won't be coming."

-He paused and asked why.

-I said, "Please give my best wishes

-to the Prime Minister...

-"..but we won't be coming as we've

-kept the lid on this in South Wales.

-"If I send two officers to London...

-"..to meet with the Prime Minister,

-simply for doing their job...

-"..I will undo all that's done."

-I did right by my employers and

-the people I served in South Wales.

-The defeat of the miners

-wasn't something to celebrate.

-No, not at all.

-Well...

-..it's very sad to see images...

-..of the death of David Wilkie.

-It was a tragedy.

-We should also remember...

-..that two miners

-died on the picket line...

-..under questionable circumstances.

-It's difficult to admit...

-..but to be completely honest...

-..if you had experienced

-the strike...

-..your attitude towards the police

-changed forever.

-I had never been in trouble...

-..but we were the troublemakers.

-We were the enemy.

-Even today,

-I still get that feeling.

-.

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-They're all going to

-drift back to work gradually.

-Nothing makes sense at the moment.

-We'll all have to return to work

-because we've lost our issue.

-If there's a sore on your finger,

-you try to cure it.

-If you have gangrene,

-you've got to cut it off.

-That's how I feel about this scab.

-I wish you wouldn't refer

-to him as a "man" - he's a scab.

-I warn you that if

-at the conclusion of this dispute...

-..you are still crossing

-our picket lines...

-..you'll be stained

-until the end of time as a scab!

-CHEERS

-Scabs!

-Scabs!

-

-Scabs!

-I remember feeling disappointed...

-..as more and more British miners

-returned to work.

-However, I couldn't believe it when

-miners from South Wales returned...

-..especially miners from my area.

-Cynheidre Colliery

-in the west of the coalfield...

-..was where a majority of miners

-broke the strike in South Wales.

-I've come to meet a strike breaker

-and his wife in Pontyberem.

-I'm unsure how I'll feel and react

-to what I'm about to hear.

-We've already lost ground

-and I can't see a way of winning.

-No-one will talk about the matter...

-..so we've been left

-feeling defeated.

-From the onset, Scargill

-turned men against each other.

-We couldn't win.

-This wasn't a "Miners's Strike".

-We were used in Arthur Scargill

-and Maggie Thatcher's strike.

-Did you go on strike?

-Yes, I supported the strike

-for seven months...

-..but for how much longer

-was it going to continue?

-Neither side was going to give in.

-An increasing number of us...

-..were forced to do

-what we had to do.

-We had to return to work.

-I couldn't see an end to the strike.

-I didn't see the point in it.

-I listened to Phil discuss it and

-I heard reports on the television.

-I would often ask him

-about the outcome.

-We had two young children

-and Christmas was on its way.

-We didn't have any money.

-We'd signed for a house just a week

-before the strike started.

-It was incredibly difficult.

-Did you discuss his return to work?

-We talked about it for a long time.

-We discussed it

-after the children had gone to bed.

-We didn't want them to hear

-what was being said.

-In a small community...

-..it must have been very difficult.

-..it must have been very difficult.

-

-It was hard.

-Once you returned to work,

-did others feel angry?

-One of the girls

-experienced some trouble at school.

-One of the girls had a father

-who supported the strike.

-She pushed our daughter

-against a wall and told her...

-.."You're a scab, as your father is

-a scab and you'll always be a scab."

-You shouldn't tell a five-year-old

-something like that.

-Scab, scab, scab.

-I hope you turn around and say,

-"I was one of the scabs."

-Did you support the strike?

-Did you support the strike?

-

-Yes, 100%.

-I felt strongly about it and

-supported it until the final weeks.

-I can't lie to you.

-I was on the other side.

-We're all entitled

-to our own opinion.

-We didn't need a strike,

-we gained nothing from the strike...

-..and it was an illegal strike

-from the start.

-You must have been on pins

-on the eve of returning to work.

-I didn't sleep much that night.

-I imagined how many hundreds

-would be outside Cynheidre Colliery.

-I didn't want anything to go wrong.

-I wondered what I'd do

-once I had returned to work.

-We would hear stories such as

-the killing of the taxi driver.

-Everything went through my mind.

-It wasn't a good feeling when

-I stepped on the bus that morning.

-There were wires

-covering the windows.

-It felt like I

-was going to prison...

-..and that I'd done something wrong.

-However, we were just

-returning to work.

-We wanted to work.

-Did you feel like you were

-letting your co-workers down?

-I wasn't letting them down.

-I had been out on strike with them

-for eight months!

-But, by not staying out on strike...

-..did you feel

-that you were letting them down?

-No, not at all.

-I'm certain...

-..that over half of them

-were fed up with the strike.

-They wanted the strike

-to come to an end.

-When we arrived at Cynheidre...

-..we saw the crowds stood there.

-It wasn't our co-workers

-that were stood outside the gate.

-It was women on the picket line.

-They were showing their support.

-Support? Is that what you call it?

-Twelve women broke into

-the locker room at Cynheidre...

-..and used our lockers as toilets!

-How did it feel to cross the

-picket line for the first time?

-I can't say that I was happy

-about crossing the picket line.

-It wasn't something that I enjoyed.

-Once we returned to work...

-..that was it and the

-most difficult part was over.

-I was on the picket line as the

-strike breakers returned to Betws.

-I couldn't believe

-that they were doing it.

-They were breaking our community.

-I have no hard feelings because of

-what you did on the picket line.

-Those were your feelings.

-However, I thought differently...

-..as a miner and member of the NUM.

-There's always two sides

-to every story.

-I was only interested in returning

-to work and keeping my job.

-Therefore, I continued to work.

-The first day was hardest.

-Did things become easier

-as time went on?

-It got easier once the pay came...

-..but it took months and years...

-..for things to go back to normal.

-Those who supported the strike...

-..admitted to losing a lot

-due to the strike...

-..but benefitted in other ways.

-Like what?

-Nothing positive

-came from the strike...

-..because we lost.

-What have we won?

-What have we gained?

-From the first day...

-..more men got on the bus

-to pass the picket line.

-When I returned to work,

-there were 15 of us on the bus.

-However,

-the week before Christmas...

-..there were up to 90 men

-going back to work.

-I didn't go on strike with

-the intention of doing what I did.

-Is your conscience clear?

-Is your conscience clear?

-

-I haven't done anything wrong.

-Can you sleep soundly at night?

-And I walk with my head held high.

-I believe that what he did

-was wrong.

-He has his self-pride

-and feels happy with his decision.

-I'm trying to understand...

-..but there's still part of me that

-can't understand why they did it.

-It was something very selfish.

-Others were suffering...

-..and they didn't need to do it.

-We were in the same situation

-but my parents found the strength...

-..and refused to give in.

-I still condemn the act

-of breaking the strike.

-I still believe that it was selfish.

-I was utterly helpless.

-So helpless that I

-couldn't confess helplessness.

-He came to the door

-and it was like seeing a ghost.

-I saw grown men in tears

-at having to go back.

-S4C Subtitles by Tinopolis

-.