ACTION SoCialist The most important thing about Thursday's Commons debate on the miners strike was not what was said in the Chamber, miners in London. The spirit of the march and rally and the behaviour of the police brought home the sharpness of the class struggle.
if the police hadn't stopped so many people getting into the House. They were simply refusing to allow people in. gested; it's been far busier on many other lobbies. And, at one time, the Grand Committee Room, where various Labour MPs and trade union leaders were speaking to a running audience, was virtually empty.
Yet there were ines and lines of police outside rerusing to anow ally more miners into the building on grounds that it was full. Outside there were 100 arrests, including one Labour MP, Dave Mellist, who was subsequently much about what's going tually said inside.
was out there myselt and saw people arrested penino a ver cavy row or police. For a while I had • getting back in.
They refused to accept a parliamentar Jass evidence that was member of Parliament!
teresting incident tells a lot attitudes. One MP the north east was on the terrace with about a dozen miners. (There's a silly rule which says an MP can only accompany six people at a time).
A policeman actually came up and asked the MP 'Are this lot with you?' If 50, Deen mind 12, City gents and their wives sitting out there having a drink with a Tory MP, the policeman wouldn't have even asked the question. He certainly woulan't nave rererreu 1o this lot. It might have been Hines gentlemen with you, sir?' usually tremendous facade of imIt's probably the one place where you would expect police behaviour to be absolutely impeccable. It's no coincidence that when miners come to lobby we see such arrogance trom the police All this that Lucalt most Labour MPs felt this Just another The miners presence put Labour MPs more determined mood.
Few There are a few who haven't been that conspicuous in their suppor for the miners, who were running around on Thurs day with their NUM stickers on. cheering the miners on. Dennis Skin ner's performance was the most remarkable heard In my short time here. The more the Tories reacted, the more it got Dennis going.
Pointing straight at Peter Energy Minister, he spelled it out:
but when going to have to reinstate every miner that's been sacked in the dispute. That evil incentive schemes going to have to ago - it's no good shaking your head, you're going to have to do it.' Everyone on our side but the mass presence of And it could have been brought home even more The Central Lobby was never that conpassed that repressed those laws we should Until the : went til they moving Over! depressing phenomena. When group of government, then the government turned the order and the Full to miners turned active rank ing avoided TUC, build massive increasing When MPs is to on the ULEC pressure and peed on ti victory. The LP ar at ing statements condemning all violence. Ihey must of have SULIC already, condemn what the police are doing.
Miners no tonger Labour MPs join miners leaders on Thursday's London march.
bother to tell you that they ve been arrested in a completely arbitrar! ОГЛЯ it's much a part of every day It's about time oul parliamentary leadership started stink about it. Think Perhaps they think there's a mass of respecwowaruly-mobile and put off the party if say the police are , like a bunch of what's important than winning their votes (if they really Calou Is the fact thai thousands and thousands of miners Inel families know that the police are behaving that way - they'ye been on the receiving end — and can't understand why our part leaders aren' saying anything about it.
It's very difficult to identify if the parliamentary leadership actually do support the They support the struggle against pit closure; want a return to the Plan for Coal; they support the notion that MacGregor's is a polical appointment to butcher the industry and ought to be stopped.
This is a war, , a clas: it's the sharpest class war in this country for a very long time you can't stay in the mid of the If you aspire to a leader, Dennis Skinner — he turned the stately debating chamber into a Labour Party rally for the miners front of it to be at the you've That doesn't mean the PLP should start telling the NUM what to do, directing the tactics of the But there clearly a role parliamentary leaders. All the terrible things that are the approval of the House of Commons government ministers, sustained by parliamentary majority, who deploy the police in this way. The job of our leaders in parliament is to Thursday's events, and what's happening in the outside, give strength to the argument that Labour's parliamentary leadership must give cert unequivoica. support to the miners fight.
• Bob Clay is MP for Sunderland North Wearmouth, the second largest of the Durham coastal pits is in his constituency.
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