on ede duction to he maximum coal • produchon, output that they can achieve in the next ive years, by 1989, ls no longer 49/ aitlion tons. It is only 480 million tons. And that can only be achieved with not ag single pit closure on any count.
"Mr Scargill I was the owner,' says MacGregor, Your friend Castro, Fidel Castro, took them off me.
We are entitled to ask therefore why have the government and the NCB still determined to press ahead with their proposals announced in March of this year? I'll tell you why. It is not about closing a few pits, it goes to the very heart of the economic philosophy of this government.
You can either choose the balance sheet mentality of this government of producing a political and economic olution unal constaers pronts ratner tial. people — or you can accept the social and sensible approach from the NUM and the labour and trade union movement that puts at the very centre of its argument the benefit of human beings rather than statistics in the balance sheet of the Coal Board or the balance. sheet mentality of lan MacGregor.
They can tell us there is insufficient you what, I went to China. The Chinese coal have got coal where breviously there Marvelous, paddy those Chinese try | think's the best l've seen? Cuba.
mines in Cuba, in the Oriente province, and to compare those mines todav.
divisions and the problems they had under the private owners There was then what's called a pregsaid: 'Your friend Castro, Fidel Castro says: 'That's buggered it. And MacGregor changed his mind Coal Board is it who has no concept of FIN the British labour and trade union movement? A man who, in the USA, was head of a mining company which was quite openly in associanon will ne development of mines that employed non-union labour. I have no doubt that LIUS will be the kind of philosophy which he will attempt to pursue here in Britain today.
The miners' fighting for their jobs. They're fighting for their communities. They're fighting for a way of life, for a culture.
the resolve of miners is beginning to weaken?' But there is one phenomenon over all others which in this dispute has made mineworkers absolutely determined to win.
and in the course of that meeting one Phot woman got up and said: 'We want to make it clear no matter what anyone says Call be negotiated.
livelihood, promise.
pen next Wednesday. I do know that is to continue to declare this strike official ofticial. Thev too are retusing to accepl a decision of the High Court.
'there is one phenomenon over all others which in that the policy and today Someone said to me 'do you believe The involvement of I went to a meeting in South Wales, whether the miners feel that this or that You're not negotiating for the future of your pits, you're negotiating for the future of our our communities.
You'll not resolve this until the Board withdraw their pit closure I don't know what's going to hap since the announcement of the writ being issued on Monday there has been the full meeting of the NUM executive committee. It declared that its intention And the Yorkshire area NUM council have also unanimously agreed that the strike must continue to be declared this dispute has made mineworkers absolutely determined to win. The involvement of women.' This High Court refused to accept NUM should have time to promise the policies of the national conference of my union than to have a seat in the House of Lords. I gave a pledge that throughout my trade union career I would do everything I could to lake lorward ine dillis anu aspilauvis of the members of my union.
far I have tried my very best to live up to my pledge prior to my election. I only wish that people in the movement would take on board the way of Jimmy ing a government that is becoming increasingly fearful and angry. And the twin effects of anger and fear are showing themselves in the wild hysteria of their attacks upon our class and in their aLacks uDon us umon police have been drafted in from all over to turn our villages mo places where people can't enter without a passport. If people don't understand, thev should go and have a look lurnea back on lne puone mgnway because 10 miners pickets have been on board. We've had football teams turned back because they might have been We've had people arrested wille lney were travelig lo court. Civil liberties and human rights Those of us who do not take warning at what is taking place will do so at National Union of Mineworkers, and they'll come tomorrow for the rest of We are going to resist with all the muster. And if that means that we have to suffer, if I am sent to jail, that is something we will have to accept. We will accept the consequences of our actions because it is more important to stand by one's class, and to stand by one's members, than to cave in and accept the decisions eitner of an unelected judge, or the dictat of a government that can't even spell the Over the next period we're going to be involved in possibly the most major ble confrontation that we have witnessed. We're now facing the full might of the could paper two rooms the size of this We've got the South Wales area that's had all their funds sequestrated. We've got an action against the South sued against the Scottish miners. no doubt writs to come against all the other sections that are involved in this There are two options available. We can either accept the imposition of the oreansee uncur orude sae. or we car stand firmly by the policies not merel Trade Union Congress, and the policies 'we too have the right to demand your support.
Given that support we are invincible.' Let me remind you that the TUC are on record demanding that there should be no loss of jobs. This party is on record arguing against redundan cies. The TUC is on record arguing against the anti-trade union legislation in all its forms. And so is our party.
Now is the time to turn those words into deeds I speak not for myself. I am not speaking for the executive of the miners' union. I believe that I'm speak ing for the entire trade union labour movement when I say that there is an obligation on each and every one of you to stand up and be counted Time and time again people have said we need leadership. If we had pro per leadership we could win Well, you've got leadership. Leadership that is prepared to stand and fight, whatever the consequences. Comrades, AVCI that leadership, we too have the right to demand your support.
Given that support we are invinci-