In 1967 a new war broke out in the Congo. White mercenaries who supported a rival of president Mobutu were leading a rebellion. Their aim was to create a separate state out of the mineral-rich area in the eastern part of the country … But the rebellion turned into horror. ibid.
President Mobutu changed the Congo’s name to Zaire. He looted millions of dollars and let the industries and the mines collapse. And he killed his opponents. The liberal dream of an independent black democracy in Africa died. ibid.
But on one terrible occasion the Queen failed to speak and it proved to be the biggest regret of her reign: In 1966 an horrific mining accident in the Welsh mining village of Aberfan killed over 100 children. The Queen in Her Own Words, Channel 5 2020
Coal mining is the basic industry of Britain. The coal mines of the country employ 750,000 men. Head stocks, winding gear, conveyer belts, washing sprays, shunting yards, slag heaps … Coal Face, short 1935
The principle by-products of coal are gas, coke, tar, dyes, oil, benzol. ibid.
The coal face is a mile from the shaft. Temperature often reaches 80 degrees. ibid.
Every working day four miners are killed, and over 450 injured and maimed. ibid.
The miner’s house is often owned by the pit. The life of the village depends on the pit. ibid.
I really am gasping like a fish out of water. And I’m in pain. The Miners’ Film, Youtube 46.37, miner, Cinema Action 1974/5
Miners’ ban on overtime a tactic to reduce coal stocks November ’73 to January ’74. ibid. caption
They [miners] are being restricted to negotiate a reasonable wage directly with the employer. ibid. miner
It we fail, everyone else fails. ibid.
They [police] are just stopping and harassing all the time. ibid.
1954: 699,000 miners; 1974: 252,000 Miners. ibid.
81% of miners vote for strike action Jan/Feb 1974. ibid.
‘Mercury is one of the top ten chemicals that pose a major threat to public health.’ Mercury: Chasing the Quicksilver, WHO, Vice TV 2021
Mercury is crucial to small-scale gold mining in South America. But increasing scrutiny of its health and environmental impacts in the Amazon is leading to its prohibition throughout the continent. ibid.
The underworld of mercury following its path from Guyana to neighbouring Surinam. ibid.
Twenty thousand kilos of mercury are legally imported into the Guyanese capital of Georgetown every year from the US, Russia, the UK and other countries. ibid.
Large quantities are also being imported by Chinese businessmen on the black market. ibid.
Mercury binds with flecks of gold to form an amalgam that’s easier to collect. ibid.
Mercury is often trafficked with gold and drugs over the same networks by the same smugglers. ibid.
Soaring food bills, fuel shortages, and public sector workers on strike … Winter 1974. Britain was running out of power and drastic action was needed: nationwide blackouts and a three-day working week as electricity was rationed and whole towns plunged into darkness. The Blackouts of ’74, Channel 5 2023
At the heart of the crisis was a pay dispute between the miners’ union and the government. ibid.
The miners were victorious: the government agreed to a 27% wage increase. ibid.
Suddenly, the price of oil quadrupled … Petrol rationing and speed limits were imposed. ibid.
1973: They [miners] demanded a 35% pay rise on top of the 27% won in 1972. ibid.
With the coal strike now in its 32nd week, Ian MacGregor and Arthur Scargill are still a long way apart. World in Action: The Coal War, ITV 1984
Ten years ago Ian MacGregor took on the mighty American Miners’ Union and broke them in the coal-rich western states … Mr MacGregor and Mr Scargill then have both tasted victory and now they seem just as determined to win again. ibid.
Kentucky 1974: A company foreman opened fire on pickets after a year-long strike. ibid.
A critical week for the miners’ strike. Would it flare up into an all-out war between the unions and the government? Or will it fizzle out as government ministers are predicting privately with the divided miners drifting back to work? Panorama: The Coal War, BBC 1984
This dispute has turned miners in some areas once regarded as moderate into the strike’s staunchest backers. ibid.
Since privatisation pits have closed all over Durham. ibid.
The miners fear that far from being the end, these closures may be the prelude to even more. ibid.
The Wilberforce Settlement had recognised the special physical discomforts and dangers of the miner’s life. But by ’73 average earnings in the coal fields had fallen behind the national figure of £38 per week. This Week, re Winter Dispute 1973/4, Thames TV 1978
The coal board made an offer which was bound to be rejected … The miners were in no mood to be placated or to respond to appeals to their national duty. ibid.
On 22nd September 1934 at Gresford Colliery, Wales, an explosion killed 266 men & boys underground. 6 survived and only 11 bodies were ever recovered. The wages of all were docked by half a days pay by the owners because the men had ‘failed to complete their shift’. Ragged Trousered Philanderer, tweet 6 September 2023
You couldn’t not be aware of the tension and anger that was bubbling. Miners’ Strike 1984: The Battle for Britain I: Community, scab, Channel 4 2024
In 1984 Britain changed for ever. A year that divided communities. Transformed the way we are policed. And revealed who really runs the country. ibid. captions
More than half of Britain’s miners are now on strike. ibid.
Plans are announced to close 20 coal mines resulting in the loss of 20,000 jobs. Arthur Scargill, president of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), calls for a strike. ibid.
One town in Derbyshire would become known as the most divided in Britain – Shirebrook. ibid.
June 1984: Two-thirds of Britain’s miners are out on strike. ibid.
In March 1985 the NUM calls off the year-long dispute. ibid.
Orgreave is number one disaster in my brain. Miners’ Strike 1984: The Battle for Britain II: Law and Order, miner
Across the country violence between police and miners is increasing. In South Yorkshire the bloodiest day of the strike is about to begin: the Battle of Orgreave. ibid.
Since the start of the strike, police roadblocks have stopped striking miners travelling to working areas. ibid.
‘Orgreave: They [rozzers] even put signs up like an antiques fair so everyone could find their way.’ ibid. miners
The police line pushes the miners away from the plant towards the nearby village … The village is now the front line. ibid. caption
55 miners were charged under the Riot Act. ibid.
This is the Orwellian bit. This is 1984. ibid.
You are causing it by your very presence here. ibid. angry woman to rozzers
The mass corruption in the taking of witness statements. ibid. woman
Their own film does not show miners attacking police. ibid. Michael Mansfield
No officer involved at Orgreave has ever faced disciplinary action. ibid.
Some view Scargill’s strike as an attempt to overthrow Margaret Thatcher’s government. Miners’ Strike 1984: The Battle for Britain III: Power, caption
I had great trouble in convincing the Nottinghamshire miners to get involved. ibid. NUM officer
Shortly after the strike Nottinghamshire miners break away from the NUM and form their own union. They force out those still loyal to Arthur Scargill. ibid. caption
Arthur Scargill issued a naked threat to the state. ibid. David Hart