There's about 100 years' worth of coal beneath us in Britain, apparently (although I don't know if this is in previous consumption terms and if that figure would change according to modern living standards)
The very disturbing belief by some is that Thatcher and all her cronies never had a problem with coal-as-energy, or the economic effects of a continuing mining industry. Her ultimate goal was to crush the Unions, so that the working classes would be beaten down and do as they were told at work. Remember, the original pit closures began in the early 80s - following strong industrial action by many different unions in the 70s. The reason Thatcher targeted the miners' union over all others was because this was the strongest one: their working conditions and recruitment from communities, father and son, enabled this strength. By challenging the union, publicly and privately, Thatcher was giving a clear warning to all others who may threaten to strike in the future.
Of course, this is the view of left wing activists and you have to be objective, and if there are any British people reading this (esp Union members) who can argue otherwise, please do. I think this is an interesting perspective, anyway; sorry to get extremely political on a film board, but I'm guessing fans of the film are already on this wavelength!
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chrislis40
19 years ago
Alright then,
Yes, there is a bucket load of coal still sitting unused beneath Britain.
Yes, in theory there was enough coal left in the mines to make them viable. In fact, some mines did continue and some were brought out by the workforce and continued, but I don’t know how long for.
However, the actual reason that all/most/the biggest (insert most applicable word) mines were closed was because British coal by modern standards is rubbish.
There may well have been other considerations, such as the unions etc, but the bottom line is our coal ain’t no good, and that’s it, plain and simple.
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19 years ago
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chrislis40
18 years ago
Actually, it IS a case of our coal being rubbish. There is a lot of talk from various parties about money, safety, unions, the government etc. However, the major factor that caused the closure of the mines was the grade of coal. British coal has a very high sulphur content, especially compared to European or other imported coal. This is why the pits were closed, there were other considerations and smokescreens but ultimately the real reason was the quality of our coal. Today, the sulphur emmisions are so scrict in this coutry that the power stations actually have to pay, yes pay to add sulphur to the process and then remove it again. Another problem with this is the ash which used to be used by the construction companies no longer contians enough sulphur to be usful and so is just dumped on site. Now, things are a tad more complex than this, but it basically sums up true picture of the situation.
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bobalot
18 years ago
The Coal the Chinese dig up is very dangerous as well. (I heard off my mining engineer mate). Many miners have died from explosions,its not just their non-existent safety standards. They are still digging it up like crazy, however. In todays world, where there is a huge demand for coal (In fact any mineral), I'm pretty sure that the mines would be economically viable even with sulfur removal. Over here in Australia we are making billions off of mining.
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pyarlett
17 years ago
You can't generalise by saying 'our coal is rubbish'. It's like saying American beer is rubbish because you were unfortunate enough to taste Budweiser, it's horses for courses. If you worked on a heritage railway you would know that Polish coal is crap, it's not steam coal. Welsh steam coal was unbeatable for it's qualities. Some coal had a high sulphur content, other coal did not. Speak to the men who used it not some MSc with his head in the clouds and has never got his hands dirty in his life.
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PoppyTransfusion
12 years ago
The very disturbing belief by some is that Thatcher and all her cronies never had a problem with coal-as-energy, or the economic effects of a continuing mining industry. Her ultimate goal was to crush the Unions, so that the working classes would be beaten down and do as they were told at work. Remember, the original pit closures began in the early 80s - following strong industrial action by many different unions in the 70s. The reason Thatcher targeted the miners' union over all others was because this was the strongest one: their working conditions and recruitment from communities, father and son, enabled this strength. By challenging the union, publicly and privately, Thatcher was giving a clear warning to all others who may threaten to strike in the future. Quite! By which I mean I agree.
I'm not trying to break your heart,
I'm just trying hard not to fall apart
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