Miner's Strike: 30th anniversary

This framed cartoon is on the wall of the community centre where I hold my Councillor surgery. The Chair of the centre is the daughter of a miner.

It takes me back to Yorkshire and my youth. This year is the 30th anniversary of the start of the 1984-1985 Miner's strike. As a politics student in Leeds at the time, I went to rallies and pickets lines to show support. But I don't think I really understood what what was really going on nor what it is like to actually go on strike until I became a trade union activist in UNISON.

The miners strike was not just about saving jobs but also about saving communities and a way of life - now long gone. They lost that particular battle but that does not mean that we cannot organise workers and communities to take action and act collectively in the future - and win the war.

UNISON White Rose Ringer on “dog and bone” for Labour in West Ham

Well, I just couldn’t resist this headline but tuesday evening we did have two UNISON Labour Party members, born and bred in Yorkshire (and others) tele-canvassing Canning Town from our West Ham CLP HQ.

One is now a fully fledged Londoner and Newham resident while the other is a Leeds activist in London for a UNISON Employment rights/TUPE course who was gently “persuaded” to come and “fight the good fight”.

Yorkshire is the home of many tele-banking and marketing organisations.  I understand that one reason for this is that the Yorkshire accent is seen as "honest, trustworthy, thoughtful and wise."

From the voter ID returns and listening in to the conversations I think East Londoners agreed!