As somebody who was actively involved in the miners strike and with the 20th anniversary is coming up, I wondered if anybody else on here has any memories/experiences to share.

I spent hours on the picket lines with the miners and saw first hand the antics of the some of the met police (sorry spook). Many of the bobbies who lived in the community were sympathetic but obviously couldn't show it openly.

We collected weekly on street corners and toured around the pubs with buckets (imagine doing that these days). Then went to Beighton and Killamarsh Miners Welfare Clubs and divied the money up. It was such a hard time and sad in many ways but at the same time full of passion as well.

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Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.

I was born in 82, so obviously dont remember any of it.

Quite interested in it though. Was thnking that it would have been a good subject for school history classes, as the country was almost in Civil War. Nobody seems that bothered by it now, like it's all forgotten.

I've read about Orgreave - man that was some serious stuff that nobody my age seems to know (or care) about.

There's a good little book called 'Undermined' that has loads of re-prints of un-used newspaper shots from the time, and accounts of what happened by the miners, and their families. Fascinating, shocking and sad at the same time.

I remember it all too well. In fact I've got a letter personally signed from Arthur Scargill thanking me for my support (such as it was) during the strike.

This has been discussed here before, so apologies if I'm repeating myself, but it horrifies me to hear Sheffield people on this forum express a desire to kick out the Labour government. Some of them are obviously too young to remember the Thatcher years, but after what the Tories did to the South Yorkshire area during the 80s I can't believe anyone would want a repeat of that.

Mojo I'll be one of those very people.

Somehow can't see Tony Blair as the miners friend anymore than he was the fire fighters friend.

Anyway Mojo I don't remember seeng Mr Kinnock on many picket lines. I think he hated Arthur almost as much as Mrs T did.

If this country is so brilliant under the Labour Party why do you live at the other side of the world?

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Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.

Well for a start Labour aren't Labour anymore! And I know quite a few Sheffielders from a typical working class background who were affected by the strike. Their opinion is that the Thatcher years were great. They have a lot of respect for what she did for this country. While they do disagree on the mining front they don't have anything against her apart from that.

Kinnock found it impossible to back Arthur simply because he (Scargill) refused to ballot the miners - something which proved to be his downfall. The miners' strike was a lost cause from that moment on.

I moved to Australia during the Thatcher years precisely because the industry in Sheffield had been decimated by the Tories and my job had been taken by the wonderful Maggie. Is that a good enough reason for you?

Blair is no friend of the unions, it's true, and I know the Labour Party is not the same as it used to be, but however bad you think Blair is, the Labour party has to be better for the working people than the Tories.

Where did they tell you that - down the golf club?

No. They don't go to a golf club. And your point is exactly????

They just have the ability to think for themselves and not follow the lead of all the spoon feeding that goes on. Believe it or not, Thatcher did a lot for this country. My friends were effected by the minor strikes but they can also see that she did great things and was a good leader. I said, they disagreed with what happened to the minors but does that mean they can't respect her? My friends are from a normal working class background, you don't have to be middle class/upper class or attend a golf club to like thatcher.

I was too young to remember it, though none of it affected me or any of my family anyway.

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WARNING: If you suffer from allodoxaphobia, please look away now.

"Don’t worry. I’m not being condescending. I’m far too busy thinking about important things you wouldn’t understand."

Oh t020 you disappoint me. I thought that you'd have a firm opinion on this one.

BTW haven't heard from any of the trendy lefties for a while.

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Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.

I remember Orgreave, as I lived up the road from there and my mum also worked for Orgreave at the time. It was a hot summer school hols that I remember seeing the police riot vans, police horses, and police in riot gear clashing with the miners, whilst standing in the field at the back of our house trying to see if I could spot Arthur Scargill through my dads binoculars.

The miners strike passed me by as a naive 14 year old living in hampshire.

By the time Heseltine decided to close the last remaining pits, we were coming out in support of Parkhill Colliery in Lancs with benefits and fund raisers, as well as a student 'strike' (who'd notice?) and picket.

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not wrong there phan

Of course you'll always find a few "normal" people who admired the mad old cow - mostly those from the "I'm all right Jack" sector who kept their jobs and profited out of Thatcherism.

But a lot of working people from Sheffield suffered under Thatcher and there is an entire generation out there who revile her. Even her own party colleagues and former cabinet ministers now view her as an embarrassment (this was plain to see on the recent two part BBC TV documentary)

Why do you think the Tories hold few, if any, seats in Sheffield?

Despite the current wave of anti-Blair feeling (not without cause, I admit), why do you think that Labour are odds-on to win the next election?

This has to be one of the best quotes I've ever seen on this forum. You should get it framed and present it to some of the miners who lost their jobs in the late 80s. You'll probably end up wearing it, mind

The Thatcher years weren't all bad. I'm too young to remember, but from what I've been told they're not as bad as a lot of you make out.

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WARNING: If you suffer from allodoxaphobia, please look away now.

"Don’t worry. I’m not being condescending. I’m far too busy thinking about important things you wouldn’t understand."

No the student strike went largely unnoticed (whose dumb idea was that anyway?), but the Women and Men of Parkhill Colliery seemed to appreciate the support and money and food that we (along with many others) got together for them.

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The Thatcher Years were a heady mixture of great things and appalling things. It had to happen at some time.. and Mrs T was there to put her name to it.

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Death of one's own free choice, death at the proper time, with a clear head and with joyfulness, consummated in the midst of children and witnesses: so that an actual leave-taking is possible while he who is leaving is still there.

Your right to some extent, she sorted out the trade unions that had run riot throughout the 70's but in the process closed down much of Britains manufacturing industry, hence the miners stike, looking around your own locality, the demise of the steel industry. She had the vision that the financial city of London would support the county, therefore no need for manufacturing etc.

Old battleaxe Thatcher was too smart for Scargill and the miners suffered. Call that a caring union leader? Not in a million years. He was a liability to them. And a madman to boot. A Rich Madman.

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Little lost sometimes.

I was only 5 when the miners strike was on but I can quite clearly remember my step dad at the time, who was a miner, smashing up our old black and white TV set because Maggie Thatcher was on. I was quite upset because I thought she was a nice old lady

We didn't get a new TV for ages!

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I'M OUT OF OESTROGEN AND I HAVE A GUN !