I suppose that many of us are already aware of the circumstances surrounding the Ushaw Moor miners' strike - but even so Paul was right to give it another airing. It must be enthralling when read for the first time. I am absolutely sure that an inspired writer could make something of the dispute and create a popular BBC drama. In the right hands it would be far more interesting that King Arthur and Merlin - I quite like that programme but it is fantasy, unlike the fascinating Ushaw Moor dispute. The colliery manager was appalling and the mine owner was not much better.
It was all about deference then; all that bowing and scraping [and being ripped off by the aggravating wealthy class] understandably created an aggrieved work force. In Victorian times the powers that be actually thought that if workers became unemployed it must be their own fault. There was little understanding of how to operate an advanced economy and a large number of the poor suffered as a consequence.
There is much more to it than that but I must close for lunch - suitably wound up!
WB
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