Orgreave

[oldtom]

So, a tory Home Secretary has decreed there should be no proper examination of police conduct at Orgreave Colliery in 1984.

No surprise there but with no surprise comes no justice. If there is nothing to hide, why not re-examine all that happened in the coalfields and uncover those who gave orders; who committed downright thuggery and who lied through their teeth about their part in that police riot?

We have eventually applied justice and decency to 1st World War soldiers, executed for alleged cowardice; we have pardoned men convicted of the 'crime' of engaging in homosexual liaisons; we have proved police got things wrong then lied about it at Hillsborough so why not apply the same standards and re-examine Orgreave? Those miners deserve better.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37826507

Tom

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I think their should be a time limit on all these things. 32 years ago is the past. They're not about justice. It's simply about people trying to make money out of it, whether it's the lawyers or those hard done by looking for compensation.

Next thing we'll be after compensation from the Italians for invading Britain 2000 years ago, and the Norwegians 1000 years ago

I heard that the guy heading up one of the the child exploitation investigations is getting £1700 a day. No wonder it takes years to get a report.

 

[oldtom]

I think their should be a time limit on all these things. 32 years ago is the past. They're not about justice. It's simply about people trying to make money out of it, whether it's the lawyers or those hard done by looking for compensation.

Sorry Dave but I have to disagree with that view. Were that the case, none of the injustices I mentioned would have been re-addressed.

Really, the money is an irrelevance and a distraction from the point. If it can be demonstrated that a tory government (or any government), authorised their police force to use unlimited violence against a civilian workforce exercising their legal right to withdraw their labour, take strike action and picket, then we can take preventative and remedial action through legislation so there can be no repeat of such tyranny in the future.

If the government can be shown to be free of any involvement in pre-planned, tactical violence, then we need to look closely at the police from Gold commander through senior ranks all the way down to PC level because there can be no doubt that many, many police officers demonstrated downright thuggery at Orgreave (and elsewhere!).

The policing of the coalfields at that time was not defensive or reactive; it was provocative, deliberately violent, attacking warfare against ordinary, committed workers trying to demonstrate against a government which chose not to engage in any meaningful dialogue.

Only by employing the best legal brains and allowing no-one to escape legal scrutiny on account of title, wealth or position can we ever hope to ensure justice is not simply for the lower classes.

If there is nothing to hide, why refuse a large group of people access to such full judicial scrutiny? The cost involved would be a drop in the ocean compared to government expenditure in foreign aid, for example, which never reaches the target population.

Why is it still important? It is still important because we now know for certain that every NCB official and every government spokesman including the PM lied repeatedly in interviews day after day, (all checkable and a matter of record today), about the pit closure programme. Only Scargill told the truth and he told it consistently throughout the dispute. We also know that two years later, the same government lied about the position and direction of the General Belgrano in a disgraceful attempt to justify the decision relayed from Downing St to HMS Warrior at Northwood and from there to HMS Conqueror. 323 Argentinian sailors died that day.

It is important that government ministers, MPs, military and police commanders are not immune from scrutiny for their actions or inaction on other occasions. We need to know with confidence where the buck stops and that no-one is above the law.

Tom

 

[D8ve]

Very roughly I agree with old Tom. The political agenda to destroy the union was there. People suffered greatly that others could have what they wanted illegally, should we not right the wrongs? Or if past offences have no value how do you draw the line, lived experience seams fair.
It was part of the destruction of production in the uk. Focusing on finance not making goods was IMHO a bad move.

 

[chris_n]

Don't know if any of you were involved but I was working for NCB at the time, what went on with the police had to be seen to be believed. Very little was reactionary most of it was pre planned.