MINERS' WIVES up and down the country are deeply involved in every aspect of the struggle to win the strike. But at the same time the tremendous success of their own consider how they will organise after the strike.
WOODWARD talked to KAY SUTCLIFFE and MARIE COLLINS from the Kent coalfield about Kay: Over the summer things have gone rather quiet and each Kent has been doing its own thing. The regional gave broken down. So we want to get them going again We determined to carry on Marie: What I'd like to see some kind GRAHAM ATWELL, of Cardiff Labour Par:
'The Video Tapes'.
movement is making them A second national delegate conference of the wives is likely to be called soon. JUDE committee properly set up.
It should be on the same basis the NUM itself with delegates to ared committee and from that to a national committee.
If each group sent delegate to national meeting it would be too big er ups in tent alonemen's — we've tions over four years.
The video shows the National Police Reporung welle Has cicaica a national, governmentpolice force.
The national steering meeting week •CL. will body that will things when the organise exactly NUM, BUlL aSO because bodies jobs elsewhere difficult organise ng their jok savs. 'are living in clouc cuckoo land. The real deciding point is ideology. Policemen, whatever their background, have - just nationally.
Marie: We finances.
the argument be that not all wives that any ongoing organisation is up properly. am the Kent delegate to the national steering committee, but I was asked to go at a week's notice with no • for elections.
We must have elections and so on, otherwise we will be open to the accusa tion of being self-elected and not really representative of the women.
For the national conference we will have two delegates from Kent. The have three pits. But that's not bad when you realise there will be only four delegates from the whole of Wales.
Marie: I suppose it's noi too bad, as at the beginning we only had delegate. It's not delegate from every group. because there are literally hundreds of groups and it would make the meeting too big. and accommoda. tion impossible.
Kay: Also the conference won't Hules wives' groups. It will be 75 per cent miners' wives' groups, and the rest other women's groups that support the miners.
'back work' movement? I know there quite a bit of trouble in Kent.
Marie: Well Tilmanstone there about ten going in or so AND CO PICRET COSTS AN (Collins)
LAUS showed the film of 'Silver Birch' going in to work He was • carrying a brietcase. A proper briefcase He's the only miner I've ever seen going in to work with briefcase don't need one to dig coal. Kay: Mrs MacGibbon is a wound-up person When did a phone-ir with her on Radio Kent, when we In the presenter said: 'I suppose WIl need to get the boxing gloves now. I said didn't think that would be saesg. I think she was she was snarling. furious because I was so calm.
offered cigarette and she said she didn't smoke 'because she couldn't afford to'. I took no notice and she had to apologise. All through the phone-in she really worked up and kept interrupting me.
I kept calm, because I'd been told there's nothing she better than getting into some perregular They're anyway. believe Mr had to be more than scabs too. women WOMEN they had been fired on with shotgun The bloke's still got the gun, but the police came round to ask them to withdraw the complaint.
The funny thing is that it's never Mr MacGibbon that " ways his wife and speaks it's They talk about the striking miners hiding behind thei wives. But it's Mr MacGibbon and his like that really do that.
What's the attitude to the Labour Party among the miners' wives?
Kay: Right from the start Kinnock has failed to come out right with the miners. The Labour Party was born out of the trade unions, so it should have more allegiance to movement than Kinnock has shown It's alright to condemn violence on picket lines The NUM does that itself. but you nave lo say were the violence starts, condemr the police violence as well.
Marie: I'll tell you what a lot of them around here Kinnock jacket and stood onkey jacket stood picket line where no one vall recognise him Then we'll see after that what he thinks about violence when he's seen what is really going on.
The left in NALGO
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photo: JOHN SMITH Un
Miners* Campaign
ACTiON AGAINST