1984 at the beginning of the miners strike and the 1985 conference after the strike has ended, is startling.
The 1984 was a connuent ourward looking event which young righters in the mining com The leadership of the made many radical statements TEre doubling or trebling of the size or me Jr to ulring Alone datese are. mises realised. This was year's smaller demoralised affair, none of the promised gains URLY WHICH recruits or 20 new branches on show.
found themselves under sharp atmeeting called to discuss Liverpool city council's attack on the right of the black community of Liverpool to organise themselves autonomously.
Despite Militant's orientation to LPYS away participating in key policy was passed that calls LPYS nationally ay with Your , to work jointwith hild and mobiise for the Anti-Trident demonstra1 une in Glasgow. Similar policy was passed against Powel 27 ADri and the demonstration against the Gillick ruling 23 June.
Conference also nassed demands to Interature on lesbian alu reland Young Women's Charter, as well supplemented by similar schools in the regions. the 54 strikers who stayed out to the end. I DID NOT agree with Miltant and other people who argued that the NUM should have held a ballot especially when they came out with it after 12 months of the strike in order to explain why the miners did not win.
The miners lost port the TUC.
leadership and the minority of miners who reluse lo come out on strike.
If there been hallot there is no wav that would Eave voice ol fact it's unlikely that even South Wales would have voted for a strike. Only a minority of South wales pits came out first The only mistake that tended this year's LPYS conference in Blackpool. Kevin, a member of Rufford pit NUM in Nottinghamshire which has a workforce of 1300, was one of Scargill made was not to ›e president of this unior n 1971 or 1974. If he had been, dispute would not have had to take place.
Scargil had been made ase at to let on to ple. no one blames Scargill, Heathfield and McGahey for what they did.
Take the picketing of Notts was done peacefully. There was no trouble at all until the ponce movea in. My pil for example was almost entirely picketed out until the leadership announced WC were having an area ballot.
Now that was mistake. The Notts area ballot gave the men an excuse to cross picket lines and go to work. The mistake was not that Scargill did not organise a ballot.
Since the 54 strikers have returned to work I've been surprised at how subched the seans They don't argue with we argue with scabs have been transferred into Yorkshire. They claim that they resigned and reapplied But young lads from the pit. These people have been transfered Yorkshire by the NCB to ensure their safety Now that the overtime ban has been lifted the striking miners trom ow pil are winning votes at branch which take place on Sunday mornines • At our last meeting a striker was voted onto the welfare committee and another as the NUM's dust representative. This shows that with the strike over the scabs aren't interested in the union anymore my opinion, however, the Nottingham ahea expelco from the union. • The ultra-right leaders like Lynk should be suspended for five don't think we can just vote them off in Notts.
A lot of the strikers in our area have joined the Labour Party. A lot of the women who were active around the strike have alsc joined. In fact it's virtually all strikers at the meetings because we're the activists.
At the first meeting went to I proposed we set branch. I was surprised to Young Socialists get the full backing of the paould be against it. I'd thought they so now three of us miners establish an LPYS. trying to set up a meeting with the local Labour can didate — the MP is a Tory and our North Notts aim establish L Liaous ocene the different constituencies