VIDEO: MP Kevin Barron on the strike's effect on the Rother Valley
NINE short months after making the switch from mining to politics, Kevin Barron watched the two worlds collide in a way that dramatically altered the landscape of his constituency.
The Rother Valley MP was elected in 1983, having been introduced to politics through the NUM and its work during the nine-week 1972 strike over pay.
And the strike presented a steep learning curve for the former Maltby miner, who has seen the deeply-scarred communities he represents rebuild and diversify over the decades which followed.
Click the green button on the right to see our video of Mr Barron, talking about the strike in his constituency.
"I came up from London and walked the one mile back to work with the miners at Maltby in 1985, having worked alongside them just a couple of years before" he said.
"There was no victory. There were tears on that journey from quite a few of us – it is something I will never forget."
Rother Valley had six pits and a coal workshop in the early 1980s, employing more than 4,400. Mr Barron said any sort of pit closure programme was bound to have a huge psychological and economic effect.
He added: "The issue that was lost in all the furore about the stones being thrown at the police was about jobs in these communities."
"It's true to say that when I took over, unemployment here was twice the national average. And they were then going to close down an industry that was there mainly for young men, with nothing being agreed to go in its place."
"Directly after that strike, long-term youth unemployment levels were 80 per cent around here. If you're going to make major changes, you have to look at the consequences of that."
"But we had a Government who weren't bothered about these consequences."
Maltby Colliery – which celebrated its centenary last year – was bought by Hargreaves in 2007 for 21million, safeguarding 500 jobs.
Mr Barron said the conflicts that came from the strike were of no benefit to anyone in the communities, and he believes the NUM was wrong to turn down an opportunity to stop the strike in summer 1984.
"I criticised both the stone-throwers and the police for what was happening at that time," he said. "It did no-one in these communities any good."
"The '84-'85 strike was about protecting these communities and keeping jobs open, particularly for young men. I agreed with the principle of it, but I didn't agree with the way it was delivered, and I think it was bad leadership in part."
"Quite clearly, you can't say that at the time because there was the loyalty that I had, and still have, to these people. But they abused the loyalty of people in these communities."
The parliamentary member said he still feels bitterness towards the Government of the day, and the national leadership of the NUM for introducing its own political agenda.
"In between these lot you have the people that went through hell, and it's unforgivable in my view," he added.
But Mr Barron said he was happy with the way his constituency had weathered the tough times, and adapted to an economic landscape where the black stuff was no longer the powerful force it had been.
"Coal served the nation well, and served these communities well," he said. "And if you have got access to billions of tonnes of coal, then it should be brought out, that's my personal view."
"But if there's one thing that came out of this, through all the pain and the unrest, it's that these communities are not reliant on one industry any more."
"We no longer have all our eggs in one basket in the Rother Valley."
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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