le THE Valley liberation up for their rights.' support group fight. But you've got to take things on as they come. You can't build a strong women's movement born during the year-long miners struggle is as big a success story in South Wales as anywhere in the country. Throughout the Cynon women from each village organised, gathering strength and confidence as they went.
For many, ideas of women's • were remote. Traditional, male-dominated culture is • still strong in the Welsh valleys.
Ann Jones from Hirwaun explained: "The women in South Wales are not as prominent as in other areas. It's not like London or Bırmıngham sav. But now the support groups are active and a lot or women dave Jonlica. We wan women here to be more political and more activist, to be prepared to stand ' Ann Jones, Hirwaun women's ceiber women's support group agrees. 'I don't think the men liked us getting involved in the strike at first, she said. 'But once we got stuck in there was nothing they could do about it. In the end thev began to accept it. in a way they couldn't have done without the that attitude is kept changed group intends to continue meting once Women from the Cynon Valley 'food, spoke at metings, and took part in some of the most successful women's Barbara Edwards told how much changed her VC WS When the firemen were on strike and they brought out the Green Godesses, pre-war fire engines, I was married to a soldier. I wasn't interested then why saying to my husband: i to do their job, you've got to have their Hirwaun support group. It was, claims Ann, the first off the ground in South pickets at Port Talbot, and later the husbands were away all the time doing We were fed up being at home lifting their spirits and getting more. So we joined the picket lines.
Sue Cook, from the Abercwmboi packed the parcels and helped collect the food. But we were a support group as well as a food parcel group. We used to go picketing down in Port Talbot. ,And we've been up at four in the morning picketing here at the Phurnacite WCll 'I went down in the beginning to see for myself what was going on. I've had verbal abuse off the police and I've seen them kicking and hitting the men. And I can say it was frightening too. violence scared her off picketing. But was terrible,' she said, 'how the police only been going a few weeks in Wales when we decided to have a picket down The police actually went odds. But the Greenham women made fools of the police. They sat right across "The women were prepared to do more than just throw verbal abuse at the scab drivers on the convoys. A lot o1 peopie sala we were wrong thal mor But I think it was good myself The men could see how far the police . were prepared to go and they were pre. warned. That was the first time people had seen violence on the picket lines in South Wales, and it was against women but every woman agreed on the need to malnlan tel organisaliol. strike, Mary has been heavily involved in the Cynon Valley women's coordinating group which grew out of the mayor's distress fund, now dismantled 'We found it so useful to discuss the problems of the various groups in the valley that we decided to stay togethe recrunea new members since luerelult to work. Ann and Barbara are now discussing launching an amnesty campaign in support of those arrested up . are coming up in June,' explained Ann, 'but it's important not to wait till then Ne've fobelie ne sol hase e demonstration in Pontypridd first to make the executive stand with us.
boys on the Port Talbot crane from day come to the police station when they send transport to pick them up wher they as we re as organising support, the campaign should have a personal side It should get together the women whose husbands are on trial. They need to be involved and to know that they're noi The South Wales Women Against future. Like others up and down the country they are considering what form of organisation and how activity should between miners' relatives and women from support groups in places like CarIdiff and wansea, of which aren't miners' relations, is hotl contested. So too the political direction Wales Congress have played a guiding role in the South Wales WAPC, direc. ting it into 'safer', more traditional and passive form of support for the miners. Such confines have acted to limit the creativity of women who have come to the fore during the But if people like Ann and Barbara women's role in the mining valleys of South Wales won't be so limited. They CUlL munities' future. In the words of Ann: 'We want to fight so that we're not left Socialist Action 19 April 1985