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[Closed] Scargill's not a very good Socialist is he?

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[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19806014 ]3-bed flat in a Yuppie paradise[/url]

If he'd spoken to any of his neighbours he'd have found out they're all City boys. Who I assume he can't bear.

Would have thought he'd be glad to be shot of the place.

The older I get, the less shocked I get by the utter hypocrisy of people


 
Posted : 02/10/2012 11:20 pm
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Its quite shocking what he is doing and appears, from what little I know, to be quite indefensible given his political views.

It may be contractually true but still nowhere near right.


 
Posted : 02/10/2012 11:29 pm
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At a time when the unions are campaigning strongly and threatening a general strike to protect the pensions that their members feel they were promised, is it not hypocritical for this union to try and renege on the agreement and pension that they offered their former chairman?


 
Posted : 02/10/2012 11:34 pm
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I can't see why the location of the flat, which appears to be the only issue which concerns the OP, is of any significance or importance.

"He shouldn't like his neighbours and if he does he is a hypocrite", is quite frankly a completely ridiculous argument.


 
Posted : 02/10/2012 11:44 pm
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If you're a former union leader, all you deserve, and should want, is a northern 2 up 2 down FFS.

It's not right wing press opportunism, of course not.


 
Posted : 02/10/2012 11:51 pm
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I'm not sure why anybody ever thought he was a good socialist.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 2:27 am
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So Yorkshire miners have finally woken up to the fact he was Thatcher's greatest ally in her campaign to legislate against the abuse of union power and democratise the unions.

He has principles does Arthur, to the detriment of all that side with him.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 6:20 am
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Scargill is not a socialist and was never on anyone's side but his own.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 6:30 am
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The rights and wrongs of the contract are one thing, but if the union were shortsighted enough to sign it, surely they're legally obliged to meet it - unless of course old Arthur had undue influence over the process. Which I guess isn't beyond the realms of possibility.

I always thought his heart was in the right place, but that his approach unwittingly played right into Thatcher's hands. So maybe that makes him an ineffectual socialist, rather than a bad one.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 6:49 am
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is it not hypocritical for this union to try and renege on the agreement and pension that they offered their former chairman?
Posted 8 hours ago # Report-Post

"Counsel for the NUM, Nicholas Davidson QC, argued the case was about whether an obligation existed - not whether one ought to exist.

[b]If it did exist, he added, Mr Scargill was entitled to have the benefit of it[/b]."

How have you managed to invent hypocrisy from that position, Z-11?


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 7:39 am
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I thought he was dead 😕


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 7:49 am
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I love that he has been 'retired' from the union since 2002, lost his voting rights, yet still apparently is entitled to more than 60 grand a year in contractual pay and perks.

Certainly seems like a redistribution of wealth of which his Socialist Labour Party would be proud.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 8:12 am
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How have you managed to invent hypocrisy from that position, Z-11?

I think the hypocrisy might be in the bigger picture, something, as Mr junkyard says, is indefensible. This makes trying to defend his position a bit silly.
Fortunately Scargill is in the minority and this type of behaviour is not rife within the unions or more left wing elements of society.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 8:19 am
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The court was also asked whether there was a limit to the fuel allowance for Mr Scargill's house in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and if the NUM was expected to meet the costs of its security system and his annual tax return for the rest of his life.

Priceless.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 8:23 am
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I love that he has been 'retired' from the union since 2002, lost his voting rights, yet still apparently is entitled to more than 60 grand a year in contractual pay and perks.

True? Who from? That's really quite shocking. In fact, not far from banking shocking.
Fortunately Scargill is in the minority and this type of behaviour is not rife within the unions or more left wing elements of society.

What is Bob Crows salary?


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 8:51 am
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Scargill... ...was never on anyone's side but his own.

Along with every other union leader/politician/etc.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 8:58 am
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"That's really quite shocking. In fact, not far from banking shocking."

Really not far away from banking shocking?

Come now. Calm down. its not like the tax payer was cleaning his moat out for him.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:00 am
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a limit to the fuel allowance for Mr Scargill's house in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and if the NUM was expected to meet the costs of its security system

And it's a tidy sized house, albeit in Barnsley which is not an insubstantial moderating factor, easier to heat when there was plenty of free coal about.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:01 am
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Really not far away from banking shocking?

Come now. Calm down. its not like the tax payer was cleaning his moat out for him.


No axe to grind here paul. £60K/year for what is to all intents and purposes a pension. That's batshit crazy! [i]Earning[/i] £45K is considered rich!


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:04 am
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What is Bob Crows salary?

His salary is in the public domain-- is yours?

RMT union decides its officers salaries, like all unions- i would guess Bob crow's members are mostly happy with the situation.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:21 am
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Actually, I must apologise, I've misled you about the figures and have given you the wrong impression about Arthur's predicament.

Scargill also gets his NUM pension on top of the 60 grand. I'd hazard a guess it was generously based on his final salary of 70 grand in 2002. And the state pension, obviously.

According to one report, officers from the NUM-related trust currently paying his 'salary' told a court that during a nine-year period, they weren't even aware he was employed by them!

Lions led by donkeys etc...


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:24 am
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His salary is in the public domain-- is yours?

Why on earth would it be? weird.
I don't care what the plastic socialist earns (£140,000 p/a BTW). I did laugh when I read that he thinks he's a communist though! 😆 Don't think he really thought that one through. If there is a revolution, he'd be on the wrong side of it.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:27 am
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wrecker-- you have a one sided view granted, but even you must realise that peoples politics is not related to their income, you get plenty of right wing types on minimum wage-- how does your logic stack up ?

i like the norwegian idea-- all salaries/wages and taxes are on line for all to see!!!


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:35 am
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Like Derek Hatton he's become what he detests. But he was right back in 1984...


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:37 am
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Trade Unions are accountable to their members, they pay their levies and if there is any issue with salaries etc --its their business or do you think its your business ??


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:38 am
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That depeneds if you are a union member.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:40 am
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EErr, yes.... isn't that what i said ?


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:45 am
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If I was a tube worker, I'd vote to give Bob Crow a payrise. He gets them a fantastic deal. And he instantly gives right-wingers erectile dysfunction, which is worth a Christmas bonus in itself.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:58 am
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Like Derek Hatton he's become what he detests. But he was right back in 1984...

Arthur was a brave man really, back in the day. Few people have felt the full apparatus of the state turned on them like he had during the strike (police, secret service, media etc, for a sustained period).
He was never right, though. I don't think even his greatest admirers would say that. He was played for a right wing stooge and served up an irreversible victory to an anti-union government.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:59 am
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IMO he did what he could to resist an irressistable force. And don't get me started on that treacherous windbag Kinnock...


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:01 am
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DD-- have a good mate who works on tube line maintenance-- all his gang support Bob crow- politically as well !

garry lager- agree, his hand was somewhat forced by the tories, but he failed to pressure the TUC leadership at a critical time,many unofficial actions were taken by other union members,but the lack of support from TUC was appalling, although not in the least surprising......


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:06 am
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Like Derek Hatton he's become what he detests. But he was right back in 1984

I would break the swear filter if i started on that hypocrite.

As a rabid lefty i have no issue with folk dragging themselves out of poverty and improving their lot. However there comes a point when, as a committesd soiclaist, you are just taking the piss if you become too wealthy [ unless he donates a large portion to good causes of course] and there is little difference between you and the fat cat bankers.

From a socialist point of view Scargills "salary" is indefensible
His lot has been far better than the members he represented and who ultimately keep him.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:07 am
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Ah Kinnock the Pillock- he was a real arse, a proper reactionary ****, still is ,got his reward for services to capitalism-- a gong..


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:09 am
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And don't get me started on that treacherous windbag Kinnock...

Why not? 😉


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:09 am
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My blood pressure... and I'll grind my teeth.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:10 am
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Dave Nellist who the pillock expelled for being a socialist,had to share an office in westminster with Blair-- blairs mates soon got him a new berth with someone more amenable to his slippery qualities-- G Brown .....


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:18 am
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And don't forget Gorgeous George...


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:19 am
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Scargill was a bit of an old 'tankie', but his members supported him because he was a fighter, and you need people who are prepared to fight fire with fire, not like now with all these wimpish ****s who worry only about themselves-- all talk and no action-- even their talk is piish....


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:34 am
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Are you listening Ed?


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:39 am
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Millibland-- ffs-- another forgettable twerp- heard some shite about 'One Nation' -- quoting Disraeli -wtf-- talk about setting the bar low !


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:46 am
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wrecker-- you have a one sided view granted,

😆 [i]I[/i] have a one sided view?

but even you must realise that peoples politics is not related to their income, you get plenty of right wing types on minimum wage-- how does your logic stack up ?

Do you not see where earning so much money that you are in the top 1% of earners in the country goes against the ideals of the communist theory?
If not, then you probably don't have as good a understanding of communism as you think you have.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 11:43 am
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Good luck to the bloke, he won't be earning it all his life, unlike the parasites in the city corps, as i said before, the union pays what it wishes, if he like some decides to 'donate' some to other causes so be it-- why do you not like working people earning decent dollar ?

Not like his members object, they can always vote him out if they do


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 11:49 am
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why do you not like working people earning decent dollar ?

I don't care what the plastic socialist earns (£140,000 p/a BTW). I did laugh when I read that he thinks he's a communist though!

I neither like nor dislike Mr Crow. I have no opinion about the man at all.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 11:52 am
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I neither like nor dislike Mr Crow. I have no opinion about the man at all.

so calling him a plastic socialist is what ?
a fact or an opinion ?

or some other pedantic view ?


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 12:08 pm
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If Socialism is based on the premise of 'from each according to their ability, to each according to their need', why does Mr Scargill need two homes? As he is no longer involved working for th eNUM, does he really need a natty London pied-a-terre?

I'd imagine a union with an ever shrinking membership may well be in a less favourable financial position, and perhaps Mr Scargill should do the honourable thing and vacate the flat. Because then the money saved could be spent more effectively on union affairs for the benefit of all it's members.

I don't understand why some seem to think that Scocialism is all about keeping people poor though. I always thought it was about disrtriubuting wealth more evenly across society.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 12:13 pm
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I dislike Mr Crow. I support unions but when union workers are fired or disciplined for absolutely reasonable things (drinking at work, taking the piss on sick leave), then they run the risk of losing public support. Crow I'm sure does some good for his members but the damage that the RMT strikes have done to the image of tube workers is not inconsiderable either.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 12:16 pm
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I imagine that this business with AS and the remnants of the union is a political problem, he being worse than a crippled ass in obstinacy, does from the outside seem a no win situation- but then he liked them 😉


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 12:18 pm
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a fact or an opinion ?

I'm going for fact. Justify his "need" to be one of the wealthiest men in the country.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 12:20 pm
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I dislike Mr Crow. I support unions but when union workers are fired or disciplined for absolutely reasonable things (drinking at work, taking the piss on sick leave), then they run the risk of losing public support. Crow I'm sure does some good for his members but the damage that the RMT strikes have done to the image of tube workers is not inconsiderable either.

I think one or two highly sensationalised and often grossly out of proportion stories in the right-wing press (Evening Standard for example) does not in any way reflect on the overall work done by the RMT to protect the interests of it's members, the workers who keep transport systems actually running. I'm sure there are thousands more cases of positive RMT involvement than the odd gutter press union-bashing stuff.

i understand Mr Crow is very popular with members of the union he has been elected to run. and I think that's all that matters in this case. as a Londoner who uses public transp[ort, I hold transport workers in very high regard indeed, and appreciate the vital job that they do to help keep London and ultimately our country running. So the issue of the 'image' of tube workers etc simply comes down to a matter of personal opinion. nothing more.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 12:27 pm
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Plastic socialist- what do you mean ?

160,000 a year -- in london, can think of lots of jobs/positions that pay way more-- but as i said and you seem to want to sidestep, his members will be his judge'.
also when do you here people being employed and then asking for less money than the advertised pay/ --wouldn't set a good example


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 12:29 pm
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He's still in the top 1% of richest people in the country.
Of course his members would be the judge, what would be the point in commenting on that? I'm not dodging anything, if he's doing a good job for them he may represent good value (just like the boss of a bank might produce good returns to it's shareholders in return for a MASSIVE salary). Playing devils advocate a bit there; I'm no fan of the banks but the argument works both ways.

also when do you here people being employed and then asking for less money than the advertised pay/ --wouldn't set a good example

It would to communists


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 12:38 pm
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What mnike connor said in relation to scargill and Bob Crowe


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 12:42 pm
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Looks like Bob's going to have to dig a bit deeper into his pockets to stay in his house.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/housing-network/poll/2012/jun/21/pay-to-stay-shapps-poll


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 12:43 pm
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just a load of bollix,another well thought proposal from mr.shapps.

Why not turn it on its head and make all them people with huge houses be evicted so that bigger families could move in, starting with Buck palace for the itinerants and their animals


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 1:00 pm
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Good luck to the bloke, he won't be earning it all his life, unlike the parasites in the unions, as i said before, the banks pay what they wish, if he like some decides to 'donate' some to other causes so be it-- why do you not like working people earning decent dollar ?

Not like their shareholders object, they can always vote him out if they do

That was a surprisingly easy cut and paste 😆


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 1:40 pm
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, they can always vote him out if they do

Eh? He's retired, has been for years. The membership, as far as I can tell from the published info, have absolutely no say in the matter.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 1:46 pm
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what you saying stumpyjump-- ?/

makes less sense than alphabet spaghetti


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 4:34 pm
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Somebody up there is confusing wealth and income.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 4:42 pm
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Somebody up there is confusing wealth and income.

confusing more than that, words and meanings, fact and fiction---


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 4:52 pm
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Those in favour of low taxes, a flexible labour market and minimised role of the state, seem curiously reluctant to move to DR Congo. I guess they're all hypocrites.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 5:20 pm
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Somebody up there is confusing wealth and income.

I'd wager he's top 1% for both.

Those in favour of low taxes, a flexible labour market and minimised role of the state, seem curiously reluctant to move to DR Congo. I guess they're all hypocrites.

I don't see communists rushing for North Korea, China or Laos. Still a pretty weak argument when comparing to somebody who truly believes that we should only take/get what we need whilst being unthinkably rich.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 5:26 pm
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top 1% for wealth-- you serious-- wager how much?


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 5:29 pm
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You don't reckon he's worth £700K?


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 5:32 pm
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Indeed...how much?


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 5:32 pm
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Despite earning £145k, having an expense account and living in a council house? I'm not rich but I'd have a fiver on it.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 5:36 pm
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well he does not own his own [one of his] house[s] so what do you think?


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 5:39 pm
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well he does not own his own [one of his] house[s] so what do you think?

He earns about 6.5 times more than you. What do you think?


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 5:42 pm
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Those in favour of low taxes, a flexible labour market and minimised role of the state, seem curiously reluctant to move to DR Congo. I guess they're all hypocrites.

Nothing constructive to say then? 😀


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 7:05 pm
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Strangely I have a relative who lives in that tower block, who has bumped into Arthur a few times. I wouldn't characterise it as a yuppie haven.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 7:16 pm
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So Yorkshire miners have finally woken up to the fact he was Thatcher's greatest ally in her campaign to legislate against the abuse of union power and democratise the unions.

He has principles does Arthur, to the detriment of all that side with him.

Ah, that regularly trotted argument that it's all Arthur Scargill's fault that we no longer have a British coal industry. If only the miners hadn't gone on strike, or had been led by someone else, then today we would have a thriving coal ..... and it's all Scargill's that we haven't !

I have no doubt that some people genuinely believe that nonsense and it is for me an endless source of amazement that anyone can be so naive, so gullible, and so lacking in any ability to think beyond what is drip fed to them by the media.

Because even if they can't see the obvious absurdity of the argument that had the NUM not taken industrial against Tory government attacks and had they not been led by Scargill, then the British coal industry would have had a bright healthy future, then they only need to look at what happened when the alternative non-striking non-Scargill led strategy was used.

Nottinghamshire Miners were told that if they didn't strike, if they carried on working, if they turned their backs on their union, and if they trusted Thatcher, in other words everything which the NUM under Scargill wasn't doing, then they would have a very bright and healthy future.

So Notts miners did precisely that. They didn't strike, they carried on working, they turned their backs on their union and formed a non-striking "Union of Democratic Miners" (led by corrupt crooks btw) and trusted Thatcher, in other words, everything which the NUM under Scargill wasn't doing..........and they were totally shafted by the government. But only after they had served their purpose of course.

The coal industry in Notts was destroyed, even the much vaunted "Super Pits" which it was claimed had a guaranteed future, despite the fact that Notts Working Miners sided against Scargill and refused to strike.

What damaged the miners more than anything else was the refusal of the Labour Party leadership to support them, and the actions of the Notts Working Miners. [i]They[/i] were Thatcher's greatest ally Edukator.

And btw Thatcher passed anti-trade union legislation [u]before[/u] the NUM strike, not during or after, as you appear to suggest.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:42 pm
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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:46 pm
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Scargill was, and is, a deluded and power-hungry fool. Any 'principles' he may have held were always secondary to his narcissism. King Arthur's castle and his enormous desk with an oil painting behind depicting him addressing the workers like something from Russia in the 1930's should have been enough for anyone to work out what he was about.

He was the archetypal rabble-rousing pied piper - he would stop at nothing to further his own ego and virtually destroyed the unions as a force for good in the process. By subverting the true cause of the unions (standing up for the little man in the face of employers' power) to his vision (trying to topple governments and seize power for himself), he has made the unions an easy target for employers and politicians ever since.

He is beneath contempt for the way he destroyed constructive debate and negotiation in order to satisfy his own ego. He was a gift to Thatcher and allowed her to go too far with privatisation (the railways for example) and leave a mess which rumbles on to this day with fiascos like the West Coast mainline.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 9:58 pm
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dannyh

You missed out Scargill killing Bambi


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:02 pm
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Ah, that regularly trotted argument that it's all Arthur Scargill's fault that we no longer have a British coal industry. If only the miners hadn't gone on strike, or had been led by someone else, then today we would have a thriving coal ..... and it's all Scargill's that we haven't !

I have no doubt that some people genuinely believe that nonsense and it is for me an endless source of amazement that anyone can be so naive, so gullible, and so lacking in any ability to think beyond what is drip fed to them by the media.

Because even if they can't see the obvious absurdity of the argument that had the NUM not taken industrial against Tory government attacks and had they not been led by Scargill, then the British coal industry would have had a bright healthy future

Indeed - nearly as Ridiculous as blaming Thatcher

[img] [/img]

Was Thatcher PM in the sixties? because thats when most of the mines and mining jobs went Ernie! Under a Labour government, as a nationalised industry!

[b]What damaged the miners more than anything else was the[/b] [s]refusal of the Labour Party leadership to support them, and the actions of the Notts Working Miners. They were Thatcher's greatest ally Edukator.[/s] [b]deliberate refusal of the NUM to hold a national strike ballot, and the murder of an innocent taxi driver for driving a miner to work [/b]

FTFY


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:04 pm
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Who's talking about "when most of the mines and mining jobs went" Z-11 ? Not me.

And thanks for your graph btw. It shows that when the Tories came to power in '79 there were almost a quarter of a million miners, and apparently none 15 years later.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:17 pm
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FFS a simple look at wikipaedia would help before talking sh8t
"Scargill, along with Labour MP Tony Benn, was actively involved in the campaign to free Russel Shankland and Dean Hancock from prison. The pair had been convicted of the murder of David Wilkie, a taxi driver, by throwing a block of concrete from a bridge onto his car. [11] The first round of their victory was achieved in October 1985, when their life sentences for murder were reduced to eight years for [u]manslaughter[/u] on appeal. They were released from prison in November 1989.[12]

After the miners' strike, he was elected to lifetime presidency of the NUM by an overwhelming national majority, in a controversial election where some of the other candidates claimed that they were given very little time to prepare.

The media characterised the strike as "Scargill's strike" and most people believed that he had been looking for an excuse for industrial action since becoming union president. This portrayal may not be wholly accurate, as the strike began [u]when miners walked out in Yorkshire rather than when Scargill called for action[/u]. Scargill's decision to not hold a ballot of members was seen as an erosion of democracy within the union, [u]but the role of ballots in decision-making had been made very unclear after previous leader, Joe Gormley, had ignored two ballots over wage reforms, and his decisions had been upheld after appeals to court were made.[/u][citation needed]

On the appointment of Ian MacGregor as head of the NCB in 1983, Scargill stated, "The policies of this government are clear - to destroy the coal industry and the NUM".[13] During the strike itself, Scargill continued to claim that the government had a long-term strategy to destroy the industry by closing unprofitable pits, and that it listed pits it wanted to close each year. This was denied by the government. He stepped down from leadership of the NUM at the end of July 2002, to become the honorary president. He was succeeded by Ian Lavery.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:27 pm
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Oh and as it says at the start of the Wiki piece Scargill worked for 19 years at the coalface from the age of 15.Not sure any posting on here have ever done that sort of dangerous,back breaking work.
And I am no Scargill or socialist fanbois but I'm sick of the entrenched blinkered views that keep popping up on here.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:32 pm
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I have worked at Maltby, just googled it and saw this, the irony !

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/mining/9565215/500-jobs-in-balance-as-Maltby-Colliery-risks-closure.html


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:35 pm
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Were labour in power for the entire 60's - wow Macmillan really was right we never have had it so good 😕


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 10:37 pm
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For me Arthur Scargill was a principled and honest man. The state did every thing it could to villify, destabilise and destroy him. In the end they destroyed a whole industry to remove him, and what he represented.
We are paying for that now, many wrecked communities,imported fuels , an energy policy that is bankrupt.

There will be a nationwide party soon, dancing in the streets stylee, hope Arthur Scargill will be around to raise a glass or three.


 
Posted : 03/10/2012 11:55 pm
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