The costs to the taxpayer of the dispute annualise at eight times this amount. The need for subsidy also largely flows crashing economy when she came to office in 1979. Were the industry running at its 1979-80 level (some 15 million tonnes up On MacGregor's losses would be more or less eliminated. of the target) £450 million — almost twice the Coal The government's long term plans Taxing far more than 40,000 alone MacGregor's target of 20,000). The "justification' is COSI of different fuels. But this whole area is a minefield price rises of everything into the melting pot. And initial claims about cheap nuclear power fell foul of increasing concern which both capital pits, have burnt their fingers over energy policy before. The NCB has closed 'uneconomic' pits and this later reopened them at considerable However, whilst future energy prices are uncertain. scarcil's claim that Britain cur. rently produces the cheapest deep mined coal in the world apears to be true, if transport costs are taken into account. nucical The New Statesman's detailed examination, based on Shell Coal Interconcluded that: •...once freight costs to Europe are taken into account, only South Africa over Once transhipment costs of around f9 per ton from the major leading ports of Europe (Rotterdam, Antwerp) are added British coal looks increasingly competitive' (1 June).
The NUM has long been the Tories Industrial Enemy 1972 'n-l' incomes policy. Fifteen thousand Yorkshire miners engineers, in the most effective mass picketing then seen since the war, closed Saltley Coke Depot in Birmingham. The 1974 miners' strike brought down the Heath government - the first time in British history that an administration had been ousted by industrial action.
The Tories held a which recommended a proach in future.
Times recently reminded its readers: 'The "Ridley Plan"
auministraulon prepared to face up to the big unions, such as the miners, only after several years of careful preparation.' "There should be a large and mobile squad of police equipped uphold law Number One. miners' strike smashed Heath's Midlands' NUM withdrew mortem DOSE strategic apAs the Financial advised that should be pointed prepared against violent The Tories backed away from con frontation with the NUM in 1981, when the NCB responded to tighter govern ment cash limits by announcing that 10 million tonnes of annual coal produc tion and 30,000 jobs were to go. Th prepared a strike ballot Welsh miners struck. The NCB thea closure notices on 23 pits and the Energy Secretary agreed look at ways to cut coal imports and gave the Board more money.
The government didn't feel strong enough to move against the NUM until the summer of 1983. MacGregor's ap pointment signalled that an offensive was on the way. 'When Thatcher ap Plan MacGregor to be Coal Board chairman a year ago it was mandate to close pits.' (Economist, 1:
Having opted for confrontation Thatcher is now prepared to effectivet! ditch the MTFS, to add hundreds o
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