#stilltheenemywithin In yesterday’s NHS strike, soldiers were deployed to ambulance stations in some parts of the country, as England’s Chief Nursing Officer claimed that ‘robust plans’ were in place to counter the industrial action. Such a disproportionate state response to a 4 hour stoppage in public services shows that nothing much has changed in the industrial landscape since the 1984/85 miners strike.
The new documentary film Still the Enemy Within is a powerful reminder of the extraordinary struggle of the National Union of Mineworkers to defend their communities and livelihoods in the face of a calculated attack by a ruthless Tory Government. Using a combination of personal testimonies, archive footage, photographs and re-enactment, the film reflects on what the strike achieved in terms of solidarity and struggle but perhaps more importantly why it ultimately resulted in defeat. An important fact highlighted early in the film is that only 16,000 of the NUM’s then 160,000 membership were active on the frontline during the strike.
Patrick Kane of War on Want reviews the intensified struggles of South Africa’s mineworkers in the aftermath of the deaths of 34 mine workers by police shootings at the Marikana mine in August and quotes COSATU’s Sidumo Dlamini: "What we see happening at Marikana and elsewhere is that workers are essentially demanding a living wage. Workers are simply saying, 'We produce wealth and we want our reasonable share. And they expect to be given a fair share.' This is a reflection of the demands being harbored by millions of our people"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-kane/south-africa-mine_b_1967275.html
Leading COSATU affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers, is South Africa 's largest union organising in the mining industry:
http://www.num.org.za
They take care of photos and documents and they even have a yearly festival. Although the coal mining industry has disappeared the community spirit is still alive in Kent. "We are not going to let us be forgotten as miners, in spite of that awful woman Thatcher", Gary Cox says. "We are proud to say that our mining communities are still alive and as strong today as it ever was, despite that awful woman dragging innocent workers into a political war.." Swedish journalist Ann-Christin Sjölander writes at
http://acsjolander.se/? p=399 See more about the Kent ex-miners community at
http://www.movetheminer.org/
COSATU has issued a strong statement expressing 'shock and dismay' at the loss of life in the tragic events in Marikana and reiterating its heartfelt condolences to the families and fellow workers of those who perished. Calling for an end to police brutality and over-reaction it also calls for everyone to abandon 'dangerous weapons'. Most of all it calls for unity in defending the miners' cause: "Our enemy is not ourselves or some amongst ourselves - our enemy remains the capitalist system that exploits workers and robs them of the social surplus". Read the full statement here
http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=6437
The Happy Lands is a film about the 1926 General Strike in Fife. Interesting, but so what? Well what makes this film unique is that the actors are all local people (including UNISON members), the script was written by local people, and even the film sets were built by local people - all under the direction of Theatre Workshop Scotland. A taste of what's been achieved can be seen in the trailer
https://vimeo.com/42118987
A large UNISON contingent took part in Saturday’s 128th Durham Miners’ Gala, with dozens of branch banners on display on the march as well as regional delegations from Northern Ireland, North West and the host Northern Region. The presence of Ed Miliband, the first Labour leader since 1989 to attend the Gala and address the rally, ensured that this powerful celebration of trade union solidarity received national media attention:
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/121454
The massive turn out for the 127th Annual Durham Miners Gala, (otherwise known as the Big Meeting), estimated at 100,000 shows the importance and relevance of an event which marks the proud history and traditions of the mining communities, and trade unions across the North East.
The massive turn out for the 127th Annual Durham Miners Gala, (otherwise known as the Big Meeting), estimated at 100,000 shows the importance and relevance of an event which marks the proud history and traditions of the mining communities, and trade unions across the North East.
A haunting photographic exhibition of Bolivian Miners will be shown in Red Hill to coincide with the Durham Miners Gala. The exhibition has so far been seen by over 500,000 people across Latin America and Europe. This is the first time it has been shown in the UK, giving people here the chance to glimpse the lives and struggles of miners who toil in the high Andes, on the other side of the world.
http://www.mineros-bolivia.com/schedule.html
The Theatre Workshop Scotland is progressing an important working class film initiative - Once Upon a Time in Fife - which depicts the events of the 1926 miners' strike and is being made with members of the ex-coalfield community. An impressive trailer for the film can be viewed here:
http://www.theatre-workshop.com/fife/story/ Donations to this important work in progress can be made via the same link.
