But the fight isn’t over. Prime Minister John Major, already weak, may have overreached himself this time. Mining towns like Grimethorpe occupy a central place in the British imagination. Coal fueled the industrial revolution that made Britain the dominant global power of the 19th century; novels, plays and films romanticized Yorkshire and the Welsh valleys, The miners themselves became a working-class elite. By 1947, when the industry was nationalized, there were more than 700,000 miners working in nearly 1,000 mines. Their 1974 strike brought down Edward Heath’s Tory government. When Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher broke a miners’ strike in 1984-85, it was a turning point in her drive to end union militance in Britain. Now her successor, Major, claims the case for closing mines is “unarguable.”
“King Coal” is in as much trouble as the House of Windsor. Newly privatized power companies prefer natural gas–clean, easy to transport and available in abundance under the North Sea; they have enough coal stockpiled to last until 1994. Deepmined British coal is more expensive than strip-mined imported coal, and it’s dirty to burn. Instead of subsidizing domestic coal, the government wants to spend $1.65 billion in emergency funds for those laid off–then sell what remains of the industry.
Reaction from the work force was vehement. National Union of Mineworkers President Arthur Scargill called the planned closures “the most savage, brutal act of vandalism of modern times.” But the union stopped short of strike action after the government warned that striking workers could forfeit layoff payments of up to $61,057 each. Labor Party leaders pointed out that Germany spends heavily to support its own mining industry. But what most troubled the Tory leadership was open dissent inside the party. Some members questioned the wisdom of making the announcement in the same week that nationwide unemployment hit 10 percent. “The government at the moment is devastating the lives of thousands of people and they are giving the image that they do not care,” said Tory M.P. John Carlisle.
The restive Tories are unlikely to risk bringing down the government by an open parliamentary challenge. But the threat may be enough to force Major’s cabinet to make concessions. Meanwhile, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band was rehearsing for what might be its last national competition. " We hope it won’t be our swan song," said band secretary Ken Hirst. So do many of his compatriots. If logic were the only guide, most mines would have closed long ago. But that was politically impossible–and may still be.
