Anarchist Communist Memories of the Miners Strike [Pamphlet Review]

Miner Conflict – Major Impact : an Anarchist Communist perspective on the Miners’ Strike 1984-85 by Dreyfus

In August 2024 we put a lot of thoughts and reports on the miners’ strike in our bulletin. We also asked ‘Would you like to write your account or notes on what was done in your area?’[1] This response comes from a comrade who was in the Careless Talk Collective (Stoke-on-Trent).

Careless Talk were part of a network of anarchist/ council communist solidarity that’s hardly known now ‘because our aim was community and solidarity in class struggle not the self-promotion and recruitment practiced by the capitalist left.’[p.9]

In the early days, ‘With such a strong sense of solidarity and trust in their union the NUM, we were welcomed politely, but not with great interest.’[p.6] An appendix from the time praising the women’s support groups shows some of the tensions between union structures and more radical perspectives that the strike threw up. It’s interesting to see how these critics of trade unionism got on with the most radical miners. I enjoyed the account of a visit to Fitzwilliam (West Yorkshire): ‘This was a very challenging moment to me! I was not just about to “out” myself and others as queer in a hall full of striking miners, but as anti-Labour, anti-union and critical of the leadership of their much revered Arthur Scargill.’[p.26]

The visitors were told ‘“We don’t know yet whether you are good lefties or bad lefties and we’ve seen a lot! So long as you remember that this is OUR strike and you are here on our terms. If you behave yourselves and don’t criticise the strike or the Union, I’m sure we’ll all get along just fine”.

[…] ‘We hadn’t drafted anything but knew there was no value to our visit unless we could be honest and transparent no matter what the outcome. Respect and clarity was what we had agreed. It was my turn and remember it well: 

‘“Thank you for your welcome. We have no idea whether you will see us as good lefties or bad lefties but we are not here to preach or deceive or to tell anyone how to run a strike. But we should be clear that we have a vested interest in its outcome. 

‘“We are not here to lick your arses because you are striking miners. Most of us are queer, unemployed, poor and under attack. Much of what you have experienced here has been experienced in our communities for years. 

‘“We are here to share our struggles in solidarity with yours because if you win, our lives get better, and if you lose, our lives get worse. And if we have something we think or want to say about this strike or your union we will do you the honour and courtesy of telling you to your face.”

‘To our surprise and joy we got a rapturous enthusiastic round of cheers and applause followed by a raucous rendition of an Irish republican song! In being invited to sing one back we launched into Tom Robinson’s queer anthem “Glad to be Gay”. […] We taught them to sing it!’[p.27-28]

Dreyfus shows how and why the anarchists were involved. ‘This wasn’t altruism or an act of goodwill to support our mining communities. […] This was the instinctive yet enlightened self-interest of class solidarity.’[p.4]

Impressionistic in places, ‘Misty early morning picket lines took on a surreal air against the back drop of growing ghost towns’[p.18], elsewhere there’s a comic moment from heckling Kinnock at Hanley, ‘I remember one steward shouting to another “You get him!”, pointing to one of our number. After a second thinking about it, he responded “No way, YOU get him!” We were secure.’[p.30]

It’s good to have an anarchist communist view, and one from the potteries. Most importantly, this is history that means something: ‘What remains an enduring impact for me is the experience that class struggle changes people.

‘The lessons the “Left” drew were administrative and all about leadership. They pushed the lessons that the TUC can’t be trusted, that Labour Party is not a friend of our class while continuing to try and infiltrate and take over both. Political memories of that sort of thing are relatively short-lived. 

‘What those involved will not unlearn is what it feels like to break with the normality of life under capitalism and, the experience of genuine community and solidarity. This for me was the highpoint. The key point. It continues to point the way forward.’ [p.39-40]

Miner Conflict – Major Impact : an Anarchist Communist perspective on the Miners’ Strike 1984-85 is at https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/wstswm

Note

1, ‘Invisible or just underrated? Thoughts on anarchist solidarity with the Miners’ Strike of 1984-85’ In KSL: Bulletin of the Kate Sharpley Library No. 114-115, https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/6q58vk