Alex Mills- The '84 Miners Strike

The Dumfries Gasworks

^To listen to Alex press play.

I'll give you a good laugh. Harry Holland in a previous strike says to us. Were going to Dumfries and we went to Dumfries. And we're driving along, saw this big gasworks. That's it Harry says. So we're standing there through the night the police says "What are you're doing" Scottish area pickets. Here!!! Aye. He says that place has been closed for 20 year. That was the miners agent that took us there.

The Nottinghamshire Miners

^To listen to Alex press play.

I can understand a man not wanting to go strike, but I couldn't understand him no supporting his fellow man in his hour of need or his time of need. That should not have happened - that should never have happened. Well the Nottinghamshire miners in the earlier strike, ah think it was the '26 strike. They broke that strike, the Spenser union they called it. Arthur and the Yorkshire miners along with the other miners decided we're no trusting them a 2nd time round. A lot of good men in Nottingham, don't get me wrong, a lot of good trade union men. But the miners union couldn't take the chance. A lot say Arthur was wrong, I don't say he was wrong. The proof of the pudding is here now- We see it, our communities have never recovered. If they ever recover, I don't think they ever will recover.

The 1984 Miners Strike

^To listen to Alex press play.

Well it was firstly to save your job and secondly it was to save the communities. Because we knew that Thatcher wasn't going to put anything in to replace the Coalmining. There was going to be no gainful employment and we also knew that if she took us out in Great Britain that she would take every other union out. I wrote a letter to the TUC and asked them to call a general strike, on my own. I never even got a reply. They should have told Thatcher you are not closing down the coalmining industry it's required for energy, for this nation. But they didn't do that. Nobody did that. Well I just mucked in with all the boys and we went here and we went there to try and stop Yuill & Dodds and all these other lorry drivers.

Hatfield and Hunterston

^To listen to Alex press play.

They claim the men didn't conduct themselves; the men were exemplary. The men didn't run about with picks and shovels laying on policeman. It was the Policeman running about laying on the miners with batons. Terrible! Soldiers dressed up as policeman. Hatfield! Soldiers dressed up as Policeman and vicious with it. Two men were killed at Hatfield (1974???) on the picket line. Enough said about that. Enough said about that. But Hunterston and the other areas that we went to, like the big Mill at Motherwell, the steelmill. The men didn't realise when they wouldn't come out and support the miners. That they were next and that's what happened, that's what happened. Johnny Walkers,Aslef the railway boys backed us many other organizations backed us. Rodney Bickerstaffe, brilliant lads who could mould their men to fight the true cause and the honest cause. We weren't just wanting to go on strike to beat Maggie Thatcher, we went on strike to save A our jobs and B our communities and C. To save the jobs for the unborn who weren't in the world.

Bugged by Bond

^To listen to Alex press play.

In totally convinced my phone was bugged; totally convinced. George Bolton said to me. George actually became the president of the miners union. "Do you ever here wee crackles on your phone" I says "Look Geordie, I used to start singing when I was on the phone" Because I knew my phone was bugged.They were wanting to know where we were going during the strike. They never, ever found out where we were going. Well we knew it was going to be a long strike because Maggie Thatcher had stoked up plenty of reserves of coal. I must say that the women in these communities throughout Great Britain became heroines. Great, Great ladies and I think true to say that women were liberated. Some have become councilors others have become MP's and others have become MSP's. What they women done for the boys out on the pickets lines was nothing short of heroic. Making meals for them in the soup kitchens, trying to sustain each other. Christmas time for the weans. And the Russian miners became involved sending over food parcels and the French miners. Irish people, everybody wanted Thatcher beat but it didn't materialise. Sad and I mean sad.

We were beat

^To listen to Alex press play.

Well we were beat, we were beat. We knew the game was up, well we realized it after about 10 ½ month because they started going back in dribs and drabs in other pits. You had Monktonhall and Bilston Glen. There are still families that are not talking to each other and that's sad. I don't believe in that, its finished the jobs are away. We've been on strike for wages; we've been on strike for conditions. We've won battles but we've never ever won a war the miners. And that's from the inception of time. I'll never forgive the Tory government – Never. Never. I'll never forgive the SNP; I'll never forgive David Steel because I spoke to him. He says "If there not paying they shouldn't be there" I said you don't even know what you're speaking about" I says "You're going by their facts and figures –
they're wrong, we're right. I said "Anyway coals not just their for burning, There's steel and theirs many commodities can be made out of steel. But it was a short conversation, I knew we weren't getting any support there. The SNP, well they walked across the floor and put Maggie Thatcher in. No matter the year of discontent. That would have resolved itself. The Callaghan government. Thatcher should have never been the Prime Minister. Is so sad. We all know it's so sad, we all know that now.

Maggie Thatchers Children

^To listen to Alex press play.

But they've got their problems now, because Maggie Thatchers children were out there. Because now we have a very serious situation. Maggie Thatcher created a new culture. I'm for ever challenging them at any meetings I go to. HEROIN–COCAINE-AMPHETAMINE. People afraid to open their door at night, mainly old people. That's what they created, that's what they created. Well every organization was taken out by Thatcher after the miners strike in '84-'85. And no matter who tries to argue it doesn't make any difference to people like me. I cannot be kidded because I started in the bowels of the earth and I finished in the bowels of the earth. And the other thing that angers me more than anything was the way that families were ripped apart during the strike. I would say there were a lot of heavy hearts at that particular time. Mainly because of the fact that we couldn't beat Thatcher, she used every means. The village actually gave in, in fact every village had gave in, in the district. The dundy money that the men were all getting. As well as everyone knows it was only about 18 months wages. Twenty grand even thirty grand. It wasn't lasting the men very long. A lot of the younger men have went into other occupations and the majority of the miners who went into other occupations are doing brilliantly.