Sunday 8 March 2009

Thwarting the Robber Barons: from Scargill to Goodwin

Some characteristically wise and generous things have been written over at Raedwald’s, that great outpost of humanity in blogging, on the subject of the 1984-5 Miners’ Strike, both in his initial post and in comments. But as far as his conclusion …

I still wish to God the entire thing had never happened

… I can’t go with him, and here’s why.

The Left has always harboured an insurrectionist tendency, and this was particularly strong in the 1970’s. By the early 1980’s the writing was on the wall for this lot, but they didn’t see it. There were a number of more-or-less unsuccessful strikes in Thatcher’s early years, the steel industry suffering one of the largest; but setbacks for the unions were always met by the response: wait till the miners come out ! I can’t remember how many times I heard that from leftie acquaintances.

The insurrectionist Left remained convinced that, until the miners arose, the fat lady hadn’t sung and there was all to play for. Until they had given it their best shot, the empirical proof of the falseness of their position was wanting, and the re-constitutionalising of the Left could not commence in earnest. They had to give it a go.

Scargill, of course, was the perfect figurehead for this nonsense: not, technically, a Communist but issuing unambiguous revolutionary fire with every breath. He tried: he came close: he failed. Just as the old-school Fleet Street print unions had to be crushed, so too did Scargillite industrial unions.

But those were yesterday’s battles. Robber-barons in any guise cannot be allowed to become powers in the land: and in 2009 it is the looter-bankers of the past decade who must be denied all future power over the common weal.

ND

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember a heated confrontation with a train guard who wouldn't let a train travel for some reason.

"You should give us more money" he spat out.
"no, we should privatise you" commuters spat back.

Turns out we were both wrong.

AntiCitizenOne said...

We shouldn't privatise it the EU directed way.

Anonymous said...

Dig up the tracks and lay bus routes.

Eckersalld said...

Rail privatization wasn't the problem, it was the retarded way it was privatized, followed by Labours and DafTs insane - and frankly corrupt - franchise system works.

With the miners, I'm still surprised at how much warmth there is for Scargill - he used them as pawns in a personal battle against the Tories, and whilst he'll not have to worry about cash those he manipulated have been left to rot.

Thatcher really screwed up there, she should've been magnaminous in victory and helped renew those mining towns in some fashion.

Anonymous said...

"in 2009 it is the looter-bankers of the past decade who must be denied all future power over the common weal."

And just whom would you substitute: the looter-politicians?

Sackerson said...

Agree re bankers, pols.

Nick Drew said...

Obsidian - welcome.
should've been magnaminous ... - agreed, always the best counsel: e.g. the loyalty obtained from South Africa by dint of British generosity after the Boer War

RR - simple: no taxation without representation ! I decline to be taxed by unions, bankers or criminals: only acceptable by politicians I have the opportunity to evict (at least once in a while)

Elby the Beserk said...

"The Left has always harboured an insurrectionist tendency, and this was particularly strong in the 1970’s"

Indeed. And am I alone in wondering whether Brown and Darling are Soviet sleepers?

Anonymous said...

"Robber-barons in any guise cannot be allowed to become powers in the land"

Indeed.

What shall we say of Brown and Darling then?

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