LAST SUNDAY saw the Festival Hall in Kirby-inthur Scargill and Tony Benn headed the platform.
success for the Notts NUM.
'We want a world free free Ward in which this union, and the men and women who form Peaders of making a better ot it. become the in which to live.
SUCICLY Scargill's words up the last Sundanis Justice tone OTTASt Rally, which had been in NULLS VY OLLIC Against Pit Closures, in HeS DORSC to escalating Coal Board attacks on the NUM in Notts.
The response was tremendous. Over people packed the hall included several delegations other NUM Women Pit Closure: (WAPC) areas from as far away as South Wales and Durham. Many others Ashfield packed to capacity at a rally in which ArThe mood of the meeting, organised by the local Notts Justice for Mineworkers Committee, was confidently jubilant. ANN HOWIE reports on this big were turned away by the venue manacecal. The mination to and as hard as necessary to for vic1CLIC VI imised miners, and fo one united union again in the mining industry.
As well as defence of the NUM a strong feeling ty ran through the rally. It was typified by the roaring which greeted Scargill's announcement that one of the guest speakers invited to this year's NUM conference is the Honorary President of the South African NUM Nelson Mandela.
Once again, WAPC was at the centre of the ac TWeE -MacLeoe pledged the commitment of the women's groups to continue for the you don't want us to, we'll still be there, occausc wo know the job that needs to be done.
the Notts steadily improving With COSA the white collar sec. tion, the NUM now has 8,000 members, UDM faces a collapse as its leadership and functior are aiscreaited. Speaker after speaker highlighted BEne need tor the whole labour movement to campaign arallist threats of breakaways But also speaker described the role of political leadership which the NUM still plays in the British working classs.
The NUM must be a the forefront of the nex general cam' said both Benn and Scargill. And this senti epresentative Lambeth OGAT 8.
Council and Silentnight strikers on the platform. They all explained the wa that the miners' strike had shown the way for these present battles, providing nspiration to workers her and the world ove As Tony Benn said, the political issues raised dur ing the strike helped to clarify all of Thatcher's policy: linking attacks on trades unions and on local coverineil back oopies sion and the Irish struggle policy, the arms race and Namibia.
Renn went on to ex plain that the strength gained from these lessons. and the Justice Campaign in parncular, must be usec to build unity in the labour - not only to moversen win the next election, but then to force the Labour leaders to • carry out Labour's policy Sharon Atkin, memment was echoed by the ber of the black section
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ammand and deane milia no fight as long