Scargill says no regrets over miners' strike

Former National Union of Mineworkers president Arthur Scargill tonight insisted he regretted nothing about the 1984 strike and insisted that his union did not lose.

Mr Scargill, who addressed 150 people in West Belfast, said the NUM had been proven right over time that there was a systematic plan to butcher the coalmining industry.

And he also told an audience at the West Belfast Festival, which included Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, that the struggle of the mineworkers was similar to the struggle for a united Ireland.

“When they talk about who won or lost, I will never accept that the NUM was defeated,” he said.

“The struggle was the victory. The fact that I’m here tonight speaking in West Belfast and (Margaret) Thatcher is off her rocker is a testament to that.”

Mr Scargill said many of his colleagues and supporters had to endure draconian laws deployed against them, intimidation and betrayal.

However, he insisted that his message remained as firm as it was 20 years ago despite all the surveillance which he claimed was deployed against him by members of the British security services.

Mr Scargill said when miners embarked on the strike, they were aware of a plan to close down coal pits not just in Britain but throughout Europe.

He noted that Ireland’s ten pits had since closed as had 137 pits in Italy, 177 in Belgium and 34 in Holland.

In Britain, there were now only 12 working pits, he said.

He also insisted that coal supplies could have protected the environment, noting that coal fire power stations contributed to less than half a per cent of pollution while contamination from juggernauts increased year on year and industrial pollution accounted for 15% of the damage to the environment.

Mr Scargill paid tribute to the support miners received during the strike from the working classes in Ireland, France and other countries.

Among those who also attended the event were former Sinn Féin publicity director turned writer Danny Morrison and Father Des Wilson.

Mr Adams embraced Arthur Scargill after his speech and paid tribute to the miners, describing their strike as “an epic working class battle”.