Random Irritations

[Deleted member 15344]

Watching a program about the Miner’s strikes last evening

The way some of the Police behaved themselves was terrible.

Ah good old South Yorkshire police - their actions very well documented at Hillsborough as well

 

[RichA]

I watched and it brought back some real bad memories. I saw some of the worst policing possible from the Met police. The guy that described them as double ( insert said word) hit the nail
On the head. Yet at the same time the police from Somerset were salt of the earth. The day of the battle at Orgreave i was kicked out of home. I went back to work after 14 1/2 weeks. My contempt for Thatcher is matched by that of Scargill.

I grew up and went to school in Notts during the strike. My dad wasn't a miner, but most of my pals' dads were. It was a rough couple of years for a lot of local people.
20 years later living down south and I knew a guy who was a Met officer that got shipped up to police the strike in Notts and South Yorkshire. He was embarrassed by the behaviour of a lot of his colleagues and got in trouble for volunteering in the soup kitchen in the evenings. There might have been a few humans among them.

 

[Billysboots]

Ah good old South Yorkshire police - their actions very well documented at Hillsborough as well

SYP? Believe it or not there were other Forces involved in policing the dispute, Phil, including events at Orgreave. Maybe Merseyside officers were as bad as South Yorkshire?

Don’t use the miners’ dispute as a means of having a pop at one Force because I’m quite sure officers from across the country were involved in some of the more unsavoury incidents.

 

[Tashyboy]

I have said I would give a first hand account of Orgreave but seeing as am sat in A and E with me
Mum it can wait. 60 miles Ave done today chasing round after me kids decorating, grandkids swimming and martial arts hospital this afternoon with me mum and back in A and E tonight because of complications
Although I was selfish and bought six bars of chocolate from farm foods his afternoon. There sat in the fridge and I could murder one.
Who said “ tell me why I don’t like Mondays “

 

[Deleted member 15344]

SYP? Believe it or not there were other Forces involved in policing the dispute, Phil, including events at Orgreave. Maybe Merseyside officers were as bad as South Yorkshire?

Don’t use the miners’ dispute as a means of having a pop at one Force because I’m quite sure officers from across the country were involved in some of the more unsavoury incidents.

The actions of SYP at both events are very well documented though , the inquest into Hillsborough allowed previously censored documents to be shown in regards the actions of SYP Senior officers at Orgreave

Hopefully one day there will be a public enquiry

 

[Neilds]

The actions of SYP at both events are very well documented though , the inquest into Hillsborough allowed previously censored documents to be shown in regards the actions of SYP Senior officers at Orgreave

Hopefully one day there will be a public enquiry

Possibly good and bad on both sides?

 

[Neilds]

London Fashion Week , and all other fashion shows while I am at it. They show ‘clothes’ that will never be worn again in public- even by wannabes on the red carpet and bear no resemblance to what normal people wear. Even golfers wouldn’t be seen dead in anything they are showcasing

 

[Tashyboy]

Possibly good and bad on both sides?

Certainly re the miners strike

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The actions of SYP at both events are very well documented though , the inquest into Hillsborough allowed previously censored documents to be shown in regards the actions of SYP Senior officers at Orgreave

Hopefully one day there will be a public enquiry

And what happens if this enquiry demonstrates the Merseyside police were equally culpable in the miners strike with their behaviour????? Are they really that much different

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Ah good old South Yorkshire police - their actions very well documented at Hillsborough as well

I recently found myself unexpectedly driving through Orgreave for the first time, and it was a strange feeling seeing the place name as we entered - something like..’My god, this is Orgreave…how ordinary a place for the extraordinary things that happened here’

 

[Voyager EMH]

Watching a program about the Miner’s strikes last evening

The way some of the Police behaved themselves was terrible.

The way the police were used and who exactly was pulling the strings was even more worrying to me.
The biased reporting by the media of the day was scandalous.

 

[Hobbit]

The history behind the miner’s strike of 82-83 makes a fascinating read, the strike of 72 shaping the govt’s policy. Then there were the regional votes where miners from the more militant region swung the votes in other regions at pits that didn’t want the strikes. There was never a national vote, for which every union since has suffered the fallout as new laws have been brought in.

What went on at the picket lines, and in the communities at the time and since was horrific. Orgreave was frightening but I’m sure the taxi driver that was killed taking miners to work in south wales have a different view. Very sad times for all.

 

[Billysboots]

The history behind the miner’s strike of 82-83 makes a fascinating read, the strike of 72 shaping the govt’s policy. Then there were the regional votes where miners from the more militant region swung the votes in other regions at pits that didn’t want the strikes. There was never a national vote, for which every union since has suffered the fallout as new laws have been brought in.

What went on at the picket lines, and in the communities at the time and since was horrific. Orgreave was frightening but I’m sure the taxi driver that was killed taking miners to work in south wales have a different view. Very sad times for all.

I have family in Sheffield and some of my extended family up there worked in the mining industry.

One of the older family members has never spoken to me because I was a cop, even though I joined some eight years after the dispute.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Possibly good and bad on both sides?

Unlike Hillsborough I don’t think the full truth will come out or any public enquiry, whilst there have been campaigns in the past there doesn’t seem to have too much momentum for one ,

When evidence of statements being altered and cover ups where shown in the public enquiry for Hillsborough there looked like there might be another push

But maybe whilst it’s come to light actions of the police during those strikes maybe there are actions of the miners that haven’t come but would do in a public enquiry

And of course there was the rumblings that the SYP were used by the establishment at the time so I don’t expect they would want to see full disclosure

 

[Deleted member 29109]

The two cowboys fixing next doors fence.

They started at 8 by putting on the radio, did a bit of banging, then made a lot of noise and dust trying to remove some concrete with a stone cutter, with his head directly over the blade whilst wearing no PPE at all

After 45 minutes they had made a mess and disappeared leaving the radio blaring out.

They have just returned with a 3rd crew member and are standing looking at what needs to be done.

All they are doing is replacing 2 posts and refitting the panels.

 

[Tashyboy]

On the morning of “Orgreave” I pulled into the carpark of the local pit strike centre/ soup kitchen. The odd thing was the carpark was nigh on empty. I soon found out that everyone on strike had gone to Orgreave For a big un. I didn’t have a clue where that was. A few seconds later a guy called Micky Trench turned up. Reluctantly I was given £5 petrol money to drive to Orgreave. Reluctantly because I had a 2 seater MG midget. And money predominantly went to cars with four seats. So I dropped £4s worth of petrol in the car and a quid in me pocket for a few beers. I financially was running on fumes. At that point I had paid board every week even though me dad worked at the Pit. I was due to pay the next instalment on the car and had no money and my wedding savings had gone.
So off me and Micky Trench drove to Orgreave. Our directions were “ head North and you won’t miss it”. So as it was a gorgeous day, I dropped the soft top and me and Micky had a lovely 56 mph amble up the M1 which was quiet. We got up to a junction on the M1 and saw lots of police activity. Turned off and saw rows and rows and rows of police mini busses parked bumper to bumper creating a wall. I drove down a hill and I have never ever seen as many police in my life, it was like an Army of black uniforms. It was a very very pleasant atmosphere. I stopped the car and asked a few coppers where I could park as we were there to picket. They were polite and pointed and asked me to drive through the rows and rows of police which parted as I drove through. We felt like royalty. When the last row parted we looked ahead and there was thousands and thousands of pickets. I remember thinking what the bloody hell. Me and Micky stared at one another open mouthed. We parked up and mingled with the crowd.
After half an hour we picked up what was going off.
There was two “ Lorry runs” to the coking plant. We had missed the first one and the second one was due later that day. We were informed that you could see the convoy driving across the top of the M1 and that’s when things would start. The atmosphere was quite relaxed with a vast majority of the miners with quite a few playing tag rugby. And a fair few watching the game.
However there were a few idiots launching rocks, and bricks into the crowd. An hour or so later a few “ snatch squads” suddenly appeared through the massed ranks of the police and chased after the idiots who had been throwing rocks. Apparently the police “ spotters” had been watching them and as soon as they were close enough they pounced. Some got away and it was like a scene from Benny Hill watching the police chase a guy, pickets chase the police and more police chase the pickets.
Next thing some folks started shouting “ there here”. Everyone looked up to the M1 and the second wave of Lorry’s appeared.
The atmosphere changed in a moment. If anyone has been to a massive football game and they talk about “ it was electrifying “. That’s the nearest I could describe it, but it was bloody terrifying. Missiles were being launched by the dozen predominantly at the lorry’s but seeing as I had seen them thrown at the police earlier am sure some folk didn’t mind where they went. The shoving and pushing back and forwards was something to be seen. How those at the front on both sides were not killed is something I have thought about on countless times. I remember thinking wtf is going off in England. The hostility and violence between the two sides was something unimaginable. As soon as the lorry’s had gone I said to Micky “ I am not staying around here am off”. We got to the car and came back.
When we got back to the strike centre we were talking to some of the lads who mentioned the police in the morning had been very physical verging on violent When the first lorry run went through that’s when the stone throwing started and continued. A big stone wall had been pushed over to try and block the road. After we had left the real war had started where footage showed the pickets being chased by police horses. By this point I seem to remember people were drifting away anyway.
A lot of the lads were shocked at what they had seen. Me in the 13 weeks I had been on strike I had never thrown a stone, raised a hand or been involved in any kind of violence. I was trying to persuade my family and friends in a pit village to strike. How could I threaten a pal with violence.
That night I watched the events on the news and it was shocking. The events totally seemed one sided that the pickets were the instigators in everything bad that had happened. No mention of violence towards the pickets. I saw the wall that had been knocked over and said to my brother who had been and stayed out on strike to the end “ that’s that wall that was knocked over”. My mother asked if I had been, when I said yes she exploded. After she had stormed off I went upstairs to get out of the road Me dad said “when you come home and upset your mum like that you either go back to work or leave home”. I wasn’t going back to work so spent the night at a pals house. My brother he went to another pals house.
That next week I did a lot of soul searching re what to do. On the Sunday I went to a big meeting in the strike centre. There had been an incident in our village where some pickets from Derbyshire had placed a concrete man hole cover in the rd. it was on its end and side ways on. An old guy called Austin hit it in his Austin Maxi doing about 60mph it nearly killed him. The old guy was lovely and I thought what the hell is going off. At that meeting the Derbyshire pickets didn’t give a toss what they were doing there thought prices was if you cannot persuade them, then we will use any force necessary to get them out. My mind was made up. The day after i started back to work. I lived at my sisters from June 84 til May 85 when I got married. I never went back “ Home” but made up with my mum at my wedding.
Re events at Orgreave, there’s more than a few random irritaions re that day.
If the mods see fit to start another thread so the random irritations thread don’t get side tracked again I don’t mind. As Orgreave only scratches the surface re my views and the miners strike.

 

[Robster59]

Stag and Hen do's. Why have they got so out of control? You just used to go out for the night locally for a few drinks. Now we are seeing a few days or even a week in various parts of the world. They are almost coercing their friends into going with them, spending money they don't have to do things that may not even be their scene.
The latest? I was speaking to my daughter-in-law who had received an invitation to a hen party somewhere in Europe. The thing on this though was in the RSVP there was a note saying that if you cannot make the Hen Party, they would appreciate a contribution to the Hen Party!
I told her to send the invite back and under the initials R.S.V.P. she should simply write the letters G.T.F.!

 

[Robster59]

On the morning of “Orgreave” I pulled into the carpark of the local pit strike centre/ soup kitchen. The odd thing was the carpark was nigh on empty. I soon found out that everyone on strike had gone to Orgreave For a big un. I didm’t have a clue where that was. A few seconds late a guy called Micky Trench turned up. Reluctantly I was given £5 petrol money to drive to Orgreave. Reluctantly because I had a 2 seater MG midget. And money predominantly went to cars with four seats. So I dropped £4s worth of petrol in the car and a quid in me pocket for a few beers. I financially was running on fumes. At that point I had paid board every week even though me dad worked at the Pit. I was due to pay the next instalment on the car and had no money and my wedding saving had gone.
So off me and Micky Trench drove to Orgreave. Our directions were “ head North and you won’t miss it”. So as it was a gorgeous day, I dropped the soft top and me and Micky had a lovely 56 mph amble up the M1 which was quiet. We got up to a junction on the M1 and saw lots of police activity. Turned off and saw rows and rows and rows of police mini purses parked bumper to bumper creating a wall. I drove down a hill and I have never ever seen as many police in my life, it was like an Army of black uniforms. It was a very very pleasant atmosphere. I stopped the car and asked a few coppers where I could park as we were there to picket. They were polite and pointed asked me to drive through the rows and rows of police which parted as I drove through. We felt like royalty. When the last row parted we looked ahead and there was thousands and thousands of pickets. I remember thinking what the bloody hell. Me and Micky stared at one another open mouthed. We parked up and mingled with the crowd.
After half an hour we picked up what was going off.
There was two “ Lorry runs” to the coking plant. We had missed the first one and the second one was due later that da. We were informed that you could see the convoy driving across the top of the M1 and that’s when things would start. The atmosphere was quite relaxed with a vast majority of the miners with quite a few playing tag rugby. And a fair few watching the game.
However there were a few idiots launching rocks, and bricks into the crowd. An hour or so later a few “ snatch squads” suddenly appeared through the massed ranks of the police and chased after the idiots who had been throwing rocks. Apparently the police “ spotters” had been watching them and as soon as they were close enough they pounced. Some got away and it was like a scene from Benny Hill watching the police chase a guy, pickets chase the police and more police chase the pickets.
Next thing some folks started shouting “ there here”. Everyone looked up to the M1 and the second wave of Lorry’s appeared.
The atmosphere changed in a moment. If anyone has been to a massive football game and they talk about “ it was electrifying “. That’s the nearest I could describe it, but it was bloody terrifying. Missiles were being launched by the dozen predominantly at the lorry’s but seeing as I had seen them thrown at the police earlier am sure some folk didn’t mind where they went. The shoving and pushing back and forwards was something to be seen. How those at the front on both sides were not killed is something I have thought about on countless times. I remember thinking wtf is going off in England. The hostility and violence between the two sides was something unimaginable. As soon as the lorry’s had gone I said to Micky “ I am not staying around here am off”. We got to the car and came back.
When we got back to the strike centre we were talking to some of the lads who mentioned the police in the morning had been very physical verging on violent When the first lorry run went through What’s when the stone throwing started and continued. A big stone wall had been pushed over to try and block the road. After we had left the real war had started where footage showed the pickets being chased by police horses. By this point I seem to remember people were drifting away anyway.
A lot of the lads were shocked at what they had seen. Me in the 13 weeks I had been on strike I had never thrown o stone, raised a hand or been involved in any kind of violence. I was trying to persuade my family and friends in a pit village to strike. How could I threaten a pal with violence.
That night I watched the events on the news and it was shocking. The events totally seemed one sided that the pickets were the instigators in everything bad that had happened. No mention of violence towards the pickets. I saw the wall that had been knocked over and said to my brother who had been and stayed out on strike to the end “ that’s that wall that was knocked over. My mother asked if I had been, when I said yes she exploded. After she had stormed off I went upstairs to get out of the road Me dad said” when you come home and upset your mum like that you either go back to work or leave home”. I wasn’t going back to work so spent the night at a pals house. My brother he went to another pals house.
That next week I did a lot of soul searching re what to do. On the Sunday I went to a big meeting in the strike centre. There had been an incident in our village where some pickets from Derbyshire had placed a concrete man hole cover in the rd. it was on its end and side ways on. An old guy called Austin hit it in his Austin Maxi doing about 60mph it nearly killed him. The old guy was lovely and I thought what the hell is going off. At that meeting the Derbyshire pickets didn’t give a toss what they were doing there thought prices was if you cannot persuade them, then we will use any force necessary to get them out. My mind was made up. The day after i started back to work. I lived at my sisters from June 84 til May 85 when I got married. I never went back
“ Home” but made up with my mum at my wedding.
Re events at Orgreave, there’s more than a few random irritaions re that day.
If the mods see fit to start another thread so the random irritations thread don’t get side tracked again I don’t mind. As Orgreave only scratches the surface re my views and the miners strike.

I think that's a good idea, otherwise this thread is going to just be about the miners strike.

 

[Pin-seeker]

The two cowboys fixing next doors fence.

They started at 8 by putting on the radio, did a bit of banging, then made a lot of noise and dust trying to remove some concrete with a stone cutter, with his head directly over the blade whilst wearing no PPE at all

After 45 minutes they had made a mess and disappeared leaving the radio blaring out.

They have just returned with a 3rd crew member and are standing looking at what needs to be done.

All they are doing is replacing 2 posts and refitting the panels.

Tbf Replacing fence posts can be a nightmare.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Tbf Replacing fence posts can be a nightmare.

I know, have have done a few myself. But these two are being paid for their services and look like amateurs.