By Miners Strike enquiry a matter of public concern or waste of Tax payers money?
Below is a statement in full from Councillor Ros James following her defeated motion during last weeks full council regarding a public enquiry into the miners strikes, focusing on Orgreave (https://otjc.org.uk) and the action of the Police over 35 years ago. She goes on to ask about some Tory Councillors responses during the debate.
Councillor Jackson the leader of NELC had this to say to the statement below:
“For me it’s all about Labour being out of touch with NEL residents. When there are so many issues still to address in NEL, the only thing Labour can find to debate is something that happened 35 years ago and miles away. This is the Council Chamber for NEL, not the House of Commons in Westminster”
Statement in Full
Last Thursday I proposed a motion asking all NE Lincolnshire councillors to support the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign. I asked them to support the council in sending a letter to the Home Secretary asking him to order a full public inquiry into the deployment and actions of the police on 18th June 1984, and to hold meaningful discussions with the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, the NUM and concerned MPs.
I’m very sorry to say that the motion was defeated. All of the Tories voted against the motion and the Liberal democrats abstained.
I was particularly disappointed with Cllr Ian Lindley. Originally from Sunderland, a mining area, he was previously a Labour party member and a union shop steward and yet he had the gall to tell me and my colleagues that we should be ashamed of ourselves for bringing this motion to council and that we shouldn’t be digging up the past from 35 years ago!
Firstly, I think it is he who should be ashamed of himself for jumping ship to the Tories when he wasn’t selected for the ward he wanted! And secondly, is it now Tory policy that getting justice is time limited?
Cllr Bill Parkinson suggested an inquiry wasn’t necessary as “no-one had died”. Is that the new Tory bar for justice that you’ve got to die first…..well it’s seems to me that it’s a little too late then!
Cllr Ron Shepperd recalled a situation in Scunthorpe during the miners’ strike and claimed there are two sides to every story. I don’t disagree with that, and a public inquiry would look at both. So what is he afraid of it revealing?
Orgreave represents one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in this country’s history, and it has never been adequately addressed. It is important that the truth is established and that justice prevails.
Many of the miners have been left with ongoing physical and psychological problems. Many lost their jobs and their marriages and were left with a sense of grievance at their unjust treatment that haunts them even today.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission said about Orgreave on 18th June 1984 in their report released in June 2015 “that there was evidence of excessive violence by police officers, and a false narrative from police exaggerating violence by miners, perjury by officers giving evidence to prosecute the arrested men, and an apparent cover-up of that perjury by senior officers”.
If you’ve been affected, or simply support, the campaign I urge you to write to the Home Secretary expressing your concerns. You can find out more about the campaign on the link below.
Cllr Ros James
Labour Councillor for Heneage Ward
Do you think this is something that we should be pursuing or something that is to costly and should be resigned to history?
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