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By Phil Mitchinson
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Friday, 05 March 2004 |
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Twenty years ago on March 5, 1984 the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)
embarked upon the most important class struggle in Britain since the general
strike of 1926. A ferocious battle ensued. Billions of pounds were spent by the
ruling class to crush the miners’ militancy. More than ten thousand miners
were arrested; two were killed on the picket lines and countless others injured.
Decades of so-called consensus were obliterated and the real and ugly face of
British capitalism was exposed for all to see.
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By Phil Mitchinson
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Friday, 05 March 2004 |
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An essential lesson to draw from the miners’ strike is the vital role of
leadership. The miners’ leaders stood head and shoulders above the majority of
British trade union leaders. The leaders of the NUM were a source of
inspiration. At the same time these leaders were inspired by the courage and
determination of the rank and file miners, of their wives and their communities.
Unfortunately courage alone is not enough to win such titanic battles. It must
be accompanied by correct tactics and strategy.
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Thursday, 04 March 2004 |
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An interview with Nigel Pearce, a member of the National Executive of the
National Union of Mineworkers and working miner. He explains how the strike
developed and the turning point that it represented for labour relations in
Britain. In spite of the defeat he says, "We were right to fight, we had a
duty to fight, and I'm proud to have fought, and I'm proud of all those I fought
alongside." |
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By Phil Mitchinson
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Thursday, 26 February 2004 |
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Former Cabinet Minister Clare Short, who resigned over the war, has candidly
admitted that British Intelligence
had spied on UN officials including Secretary General Kofi Annan, in the run-up
to the Iraq war. This follows on the admission of a former translator at GCHQ
who revealed that the US intelligence services has asked the British to spy on
senior UN officials and representatives of other "allied" governments.
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Tuesday, 24 February 2004 |
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With the media frenzy over tuition fees and the Hutton report, you can be
forgiven for not noticing the launch in the same week of a new British political
party called simply RESPECT. The launching of RESPECT, also known as the Unity Coalition, was the brainchild
of a layer of people disillusioned with Blair who wanted to form a left
alternative to New Labour. |
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Tuesday, 24 February 2004 |
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The decision to readmit London Mayor Ken Livingstone back into the Labour Party has came as
no surprise to anybody. A third Labour victory at the next general election is no longer the certainty
many once though it was. Only through a socialist programme alongside a fighting
leadership, rather than the pro-big business bunch we have at present, can a
Labour victory be assured and the hopes of the Tories and the rest be ground to
dust. |
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