The Poolie Bunker

Why, Blair’s government could have had an enquiry but never bothered, is Starmer trying to win favour with the northern electorate ? It was over 40 years ago, you have enquiries so lessons can be learned, what will we learn from this one ?
Don’t get me wrong irrespective wether the picketing was out of order but a total of 95 men who had been picketing at the plant were arrested and faced trial on riot and unlawful assembly charges, at the time anyone arrested was immediately sacked.
However, the case against them collapsed in court due to allegations that South Yorkshire Police had falsified evidence.
At the time I used to travel to Humberside Airport to go offshore, you can guarantee every time we got stopped by the Police asking where we were going to.

https://otjc.org.uk/

A lot of people are happy for the enquiry to be given the go ahead.
I notice that Northumbria Police have destroyed their records despite being told to keep them!

What happened was wrong: we know that.

Folk in authority should have been punished: it is too late now.

Wouldn't the money be better spent dealing with a 2025 problem?

There’ll be an enquiry into the 1926 General Strike next….mightn’t be so bad if they didn’t last so long and cost a fortune.

Trouble is that people who should have been jailed for their own criminality get away scot free whereas a lot of innocent people were prosecuted and / or their lives changed forever as in the Post Office scandals.
Those who ordered the destruction of police records should be prosecuted but won't be, they'll just happily laugh it all off as they continue to draw their inflated public sector pension.
I don't get why inquiries have to take years though. Or why government and government alone sets out the remit of inquiries without consulting victims.

It was lions led by donkeys, couldn’t they see there was huge stockpiles of coal which the government planned. The strike destroyed communities, families who still don’t speak as they crossed the picket line. Ok Scargill was right, he got it all wrong but no way was Thatcher giving in after the miners brought the Heath government down. Generations of skilled workers have been lost now likewise the closure of the shipyards etc, it was cheaper to import subsidised coal and build ships in S.E. Asia.
Forget about it now move on and why spend millions on a public enquiry which will achieve nought.
One of my best memories was watching the Billy Elliot show in London, Billy being played by a kid from Hartlepool, tbh brought a tear to my eye !

Can't disagree.

Not long after the day at Orgreave we played Derby away (let them off 1-5) - anyway me and a mate got lost on the way and ended up in the classic wrong place/ wrong time - turned a corner on some terraced streets and were confronted by a load of pumped up (Southern) coppers - pulled us out the car and reckoned we were flying pickets (the accents and surly attitudes?) - expected a good beating, got pushed about a bit until one of the coppers shouted to let us go. Did I want those coppers dealing with? Then - yes, wanted some arse kicking. Now - what's the point? And who was to blame? Sure, then like now, some coppers are bad bastards - but were these 'young southern pricks' just scared, trying to do a job which they didn't understand/ want to do? Time to move on, hope lessons have been learnt and deal with the problems of today.

I know lads who got arrested for minor things at the time who are now in their sixties and have criminal records on the back of that but have never been in trouble with the police since, prevented them moving on and getting a half decent job after that which was a travesty.

Rape gangs? Nah not interested.
Miners strike enquiry, yeh let’s do it.

Fucking idiots running this country.

Anutha 4 years of total destroyment.
Rishi n Starmer what a pair of selfish cranks.

Stroll in the Park for SuperNige now.

then on top there was talk at the time of not all of the coppers were actually coppers but army in police uniforms. have heard this from different sources and worked with a guy at orgreave. there never seemed a shortage of police anywhere when that was happening. even if everything is for the miners in an enquiry what real goo will come out of it after all these years apart from many saying we told you so.

but why do the police always seem to act on the side of whichever government is in power and not independantly. surely there are many cops who think like we do on the situation and woul like to act differently against rape gangs and disturbances after southport and now at epping.

Never heard that about squaddies before - is that reported anywhere?

Worked with an ex miner when I was offshore, he was on the picket lines, it was strongly rumoured that territorial army soldiers were wearing police uniforms, he also said that many of the police didn’t have numbers on their uniforms.
It might all come out during the enquiry.

Because they’d be out on their ear.

they are supposed to be non political and have no fear or favour with consent of the public. problem is there would have been plenty in favour of there actions at orgreave, southport, epping and the rest of the two tier policing if you view who your enemy is.

Undoubtedly the Police went over the top but they didn’t kill innocent people (David Wilkie) with blocks of concrete thrown from motorway bridges.

Let’s not forget the extreme violence of Scargills flying picket thugs.

Was that the taxi driver who was given a wad of money to ferry a couple of scabs into work?

He was a class traitor, who took the 20 pieces of silver, therefore got what he deserved.

35 year old Welsh taxi driver with a 2 year old daughter and a pregnant wife. In 1984, trying to make a living. Got a block of concrete dropped on his head. Deserved? Give your head a shake.

A serious shake.
A taxi driver can't afford to pick n choose customers

agree, but i seriously doubt the person or pethis rsons who threw the slab wanted the outcome of there actions to be that. just shows everybody of the consequences of hearts ruling heads.