Some gains *alos NUM. It's your movement. You've made yourselves part and parcel of the strike movement.
All of us in this stadium have got a responsibility to those that have been sacked during the course of the dispute. We've got to collect in every town and village throughout the Brtish Isles in order that none of those sacked suffer as a consequence of what has occured. We've got to take this fight forward and step up the campaign.
The women's support groups have got to take on a broader role. You must become involved in the wider issues. sear ane unders ne oec narrate capping affects each and every one of us. And that the peace movement is of absolute importance to every man, woman and child. men ,inst AOSU This dispute has cost this government, and as a consequence the tax payers, £7 billion. Now, for the benefit of the Daily Star and the Daily Express — that's a lot of money. Ata time when they can t even find the money to keep a kidney machine operating to save a man's life, they're prepared to spend 50 per cent of the annual expenditure of the health service on trying to smash the NUM.
They're spending millions upon millions of pounds on weapons of death and destruction. If this government really meant that it does't want to deal in uneconomic ventures, let tnem close down tne cruise missies programme and end the missiles programme in Scotland.
I'm sure that remark will get my phone tapped now. I'll tell you what, they'll have some cracking conversations to listen to. 1 can lust imagine them listening in to Arthur cargil telepnonng tony denn 'Hello Tony' 'Hi, Arth.' 'Great.' I also want to retain jobs. God.' "And I want to have peace in the world rather than war. 'Goodness me. "And I want to see a better quality of life for human beings." Great Scott!' *Heseltine, get your flak jacket.' They'll be absolutely beside themselves. hev lust haven't come toterm: with the fact: they don't haveto tap our phones. We'll tell them what we want. We want a better life, a better world. We want the rightto work. That's what wé want.
Of course, there have been those that have said: •What have been the positive achievements of the miners dispute?' Well this rally is one of them. We've more here than Chestertield football club can get.
We've developed friends throughout the world. Not only with trades unionists but with ordinary men and women who are not prepared to stand idly by whist the miners were ground into the dust. Example after example can be cited to demonstrate what real internationalism is. The ship workers, the port workers, and the miners; the seamen didn't move a ton of coal for, the entire 12 months of the dispute. That's real internationalism.
And in a lesson to those trade union leaders who are apparently more interested in geting a seat in the House of Lords — as Tony Benn pointed out on Question Time theother night -terthe best display internationalism we've CVC SCCIl Tuesday.
-The Australian government contacted the samen's union of Australia and said: 'Now the strike is over, will you now release the coal and let it be transported overseas?' The Australian samen's union cabled the NUM in Sheffield and said that they would only release coal when the NUM told them that the strike was at an end. Only then would they transport it abroad. That's internationalism, that's trade unionism.
When I listen to our people in the National Union of Journalists — you know these people in front here with their cameras, waiting to see ifI pull my coat this way or that way - 1 say why don't you practice a bit of trade union commitment? I don't mean putting a fiver or a quid in a bucket. When they tell you to put the filth out on TV about our movement and these brave women, -euse ame back our wae screensar trade union commitment I've come to this rally today to talk in the most optimistic way about the next step in our campaign. The fight goes on to save our pits, our jobs and our industry. It goes on with the total involvement of the whole wider movement to preserve our communities. lc preserve a culture and a way of life. To enable us to further tap the marvellous latent talent and ability, that we've all seen released during the course of this dispute.
If we allow the marvellous actions of the action groups to dissipate, would be an act criminality.
Each of us today has gotto dedicate ourselves to a public campaign to save the mining industry, to develop anc expand the industry in line with the Plan for Coal. There must be no pit closures. I here must be no reduction ir manpower levels. There must be no victimisation. But above all, from this day forward, each and everyone of us should say that we owe it to all who participated in the dispute to take itone step further.
We've got to do things in a tangible way. And I've already made, together with Peter Heathfield Mick McGahey, one of the first steps to show what we think about the efforts that have been made. I'm sure you'll agree with us The miners" headquarters Sheffield will be built, hopetully, within the next period - if we're not sequestrated too long! In the entrance hall of the major trades unions in indeed in the major institutions of Britain - ICC AC normally plaques to those who have led the union or to the worthies of the trade union and labour movement Well as far as I'm concerned - as far às I or Peter or Mick are concerned - we don't believe that we or any of our predecessors belong in there. We believe that there should be three pla ques erected in the entrance hall of the new headquarters in Sheffield An i nope malyou I agree thal we ve made the right choice The first willbe a plaque to honour the memory of David Jones. The second is for Joe Green. And the other will be dedicated to the achievements of the magnificent women's support groups during the course of this dispute Comrades, I want to say from the bottom of my heart how grateful I am for the efforts that you put in during the course of the past 12 months. But I also want to plead tor some more effort - to direct every penny that's raised to the miners' solidarity fund in order that every penny shall go to those that have been victimised until we can reinstate them in the industrv I want each and every one of you to raise your eyes and to take the struggle forward. To become part and parcel of the peace campaign. To become part and parcel of the campaign to stop the attacks on local government and upon your communities and your way of life.
I believe that this movement has transformed Britain in a way that was unthinkable only months ago. You've changed the face of British politics. You've demonstrated what you can do provided you're prepared to stand and fight. You've proved to be a glowing example not only to those who created and built our movement. but also to those in the trade unior movemen wno slodd lo one slac during the course of this campaign.
We should ensure that in the days, the weeks and months that lie ahead plane. That we translate into action the kind of views that have been expressed at this rally today. If we do that, we shall not only march to victory, and save the pits and the jobs of those that we are privileged to represent In the process of doing that, we shall lay the condition for transforming for ever the kind of society in whoih we live.
We shall transform it from one that preached war to one that preaches peace.
We shall transform it from one that preaches greed to that preaches care We shall transform it from a capitalist system to a socialist system of society.
Socialist Action 15 March 1985
----- pull-quotes -----
Tony, Great. Tals wantt retainjo s eny