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Durham Miners Gala Sat 14th July 2012

Arthur Scargill | 03.07.2012 19:52 | Liverpool | Sheffield

The Durham Miners Gala this year promises to be the largest for decades. Already 100K strong recently, the addition of the Labour leader Ed Miliband is likely to tip the numbers higher still if the weather permits. The bands, speeches, marches, banner, Gala field, funfair etc all allow for a great family day out where old and new comrades meet and greet.

"I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all our comrades, friends and supporters who will be joining us in Durham on the occasion of the 128th Durham Big Meeting.
The Gala goes from strength to strength and we have to thank our banner and community groups for much of this success. They play a vital role in maintaining our links with the former mining towns and villages of the County - communities bearing the brunt of the Government's savage attacks on the social wage and the very fabric of the Welfare state.
Whether, young, middle aged, or old no one is safe from this vicious Tory/Liberal coalition. On the one hand they reward bankers for failure, allow politicians to get away with dodgy expenses claims and reduce taxes for the rich. They then conclude that the solution to the crisis is to clobber the poorest in society. And now while every family lives in fear of unemployment we have some lunatic advising the Government to make it easier to sack workers. To make matters worse they insult our intelligence by saying 'we are all in it together'. Well we weren't in it together when the big profits were being made and just how much our people think 'we are all in it together' was demonstrated in the results of the local government elections.

In County Durham and Tyne and Wear the Tories and Liberals were obliterated - and rightly so. They represent the interests of big business and capitalism and we want no truck with them.

Although it is now 18 years since the last pit on the Durham Coalfield closed, the fight to get justice for our former miners who suffer from painful and debilitating diseases continues.

Although we have has considerable success in some fields we are still struggling to establish compensation for our members who are sufferring from the painful and crippling symptoms of arthritis of the knee - known in the industry as 'miners knee'.

We are at the moment awaiting a judgment from the Court of Appeal which we hope will allow our litigation against the Coal Authority to proceed to the High Court. If we lose the case it will not only deny many of our members, now advanced in years, the justice they deserve but the legal costs will have a profound impact on the Durham Miners Association.

We are very proud of the success of our Compensation department which is due to the dedicated work of Davy Guy. unfortunately as we go to press Dave is too ill to take part in the preparations for the Gala. His struggle against serious illness over the past 4 & a half years has been an inspiration to us all and our thoughts today are with Dave and his family.

In a county where the County Council has been labour controlled for 93 years, where all Metropolitan Borough Councils have vast Labour majorities and where every constituency regularly elects Labour MP's, it is fitting that, after an absence of 23 years a Labour party leader h.as accepted an invitation to speak at the Gala and we of course welcome Ed Miliband to Durham.

We also welcome the new banners to this year's Gala from Burnhope, Felling, Brandon and Heworth, all making a reappearance so many years after their pits closed. There has hardly been a year without new banners being brought to the Gala. They are a credit to the communities who have produced them and a fitting tribute to our forefathers who fought so hard for our future. We must dedicate ourselves at this Gala to defend all the gains they made for us and to fight for a better future for the next generation - there is no other reason for the trade unions and the labour movement to exist.

As the European financial system teeeters on the brink of total meltdown it is now clear to all that capitalism has failed miserably. As we go to press the Spanish miners are fighting a life and death battle for the future of their industry and their communities. They are as we were in 1984/85 the victims of organised state violence and we pledge to them our solidarity and assistance as they did for us 28 years ago.

We have never had a better opportunity to fight back and establish a society based on the needs of people and not on the profit and greed of the few. Let today's Gala be that launchpad.

Have a great day and a safe journey home.

Best Wishes, Dave Hopper," General Secretary of the DMA, NE region NUM

Taken from the 128th Durham Miners Gala programme, pages 11-13, Sat 14th July 2012.

Arthur Scargill

Comments

Hide the following 12 comments

Milliband

03.07.2012 21:17

Then why if this is a progressive event invite Mr "we got to have cuts but not as deep" milliband that man is totally and utterly repulsive to the working class and dose NOT represent the labour working class

i think the miners gala needs to consider his position

An angry Ex member

Labour bullshitters


The enemy of the working class.

03.07.2012 22:16

The Labour party is, always has been and will continue to be, the enemy of the working class. They perpetuate the second biggest myth of all time, that they will ride to the rescue of the poor, down trodden workers and lift them unto salvation. Like the biggest myth of all time, religion if you hadn't guessed it, it's pure bollocks.

Dave


Well done

04.07.2012 13:20

Yes yes yes, well done, Labour are the left wing of capital. yawn. I've heard that one so many times before and its still irrelevant.

you have to take the politics on in the real world or you will remain irrelevant. The trick is to see how Labour sell their political compromises, what exactly is the ideological make up, and actively anticipate and try to do something about it. Many of us will be at the Durham Miners Gala trying to do just that.

If you can leave your keyboard warrior persona behind, you maybe able to do something useful on the day too. 100 to 120K working class people, most thinking people in the North, and you can try to have a conversation with them, or you can ignore and be pure and foolish all at the same time.

Arthur Scargill


Labour - Tratiors

04.07.2012 14:08

Inviting milliband is like inviting camron same bullshit different suit

the labour party started cuts the torys just made them more visable

And i will NOT be joining the march as this is a joke of a march we march with bands and banners around durham and then go get pissed listening to milliband i dont think so

Ex Notts miner

Ex miner and Ashamed


Great idea.

04.07.2012 15:32

Who's idea was it to bring that guy from the Labour Party to this? Don't think this will go down well.

Ex Shipyarder.


It was my idea...

04.07.2012 20:01

And he will be presenting the grand prize from the tombola to the lucky mine who paid with his slavery!

Shadow secretary of the brass bands


Political organisation, have you heard of it?

04.07.2012 20:39

Rather than blow off on Indymedia (get over yourselves) a lot of the people involved do lots of political work such as this Spanish miners Solidarity site;  http://smscuk.blogspot.co.uk/ I notice its not the obscure ' I'm more radical than you' types who rant on Indymedia who are doing this hard work, and it IS the likes of the Durham Miners Association who ARE doing it.

You lot also don't seem to know much about Gala traditions, the labour leadership have almost since their inception been invited to speak at the gala, 'thats how it is done'. Often branches invited speakers, or voted for them to be invited (there was more than one speaking stage at the Gala in earlier times).

Ed is the first Labour leader to accept the invitation to speak for 23 years, I think the General Secretary fell off his chair when the invite was accepted (the net is cast widely). Anyway, I hope to see more than radicaler than thou posturing in future posts (but i doubt it).

Arthur Scargill


Labour = Tory bitches

04.07.2012 20:51

the Durham miners gala is a great day to get pissed with old colueeges thats it not progressive but inviting a wanker like milliband to speak well that just shows the Miners gala's true colors Playboys for the fucking labour party lets not forget Labour are Not working class they dont represent us we dont want them

the organizers of this event need a serious rain check Inviting a person who supports WAR who supports CUTS who supports HIGHER EDUCATION FEE'S its back stabbing Traitory

NUM Scargill you bastard


Political organiser

04.07.2012 21:02

hahum he, fiddle dedee

Oxbridge attendee


Point about Ed Milliband.

05.07.2012 12:21

All parties really have no idea what to say or do within this current economic situation. What annoying about Labour is that all they can do is bash tories in their newsletters trying to sweep votes - what do they put forward that's different?. Do they forget is that they were just in power beforehand.

Ne


Facebook pages

05.07.2012 12:26

Here's a couple of Facebook pages for the Durham Miners Gala this year;

 https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Durham-Miners-Gala-July-14th-2012/178008108959169

Arthur Scargill
- Homepage: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/445337982149557/


Labour Leader

05.07.2012 13:39


I believe the current labour leader has always been invited to the Gala. But over the last few years few have accepted there have only really been union leaders or the likes of Skinner and Benn.

Mackem