Snake it a success Since just many parties in mining Chesterfield has turned itself over 100 per cent to supporting the NUM.
That has produced dramatic results.
February 1984 the grown from less than 500 members to under 1200. Tom Chesterfield party secretary, says that well over half are from mining families. 'What I'm pleased about is that most of them are active and want to be involved. It's very good for the party.
'When Varley announced he was going to resign, the time was right for a progressive member of parlament. As rar as this constituency was concernec there was a wind of change blowing.' That wind biew in Tony Benn as Chesterfield's new MP, followed only days later by the NUM strike. thing nas been oul SuUUIl lUl miners,' says Tom. •We have given 100 ocr cul suboorl onysicary. ımancaly and in every way we can. I'm not saying wouon-l have happened Varley, but.it wouldn'i have been so enthusiastic.
'We've been out on the pickets with the banner, every single spare penny we've been able to find has gone to the miners. We've run soup kitchens and an advice centre for miners and Inel tamiles. t con t tnink we d have got that previously, the party was very dormant Even before the strike the party had links with miners. previous Labour MPs have been NUMsponsored. Of the 127 delegates who selected Benn, one seventh were from the NUM, representing 11,000 North Derbyshire miners.
rally president, Johnny Burrows, is also area treasurer of the miners' union. He recalls: "The GMC was cock-a-hoop when Tony Benn was tinally selected. He wasn't the miners candidate. That was a fella called Cliff Fox, who is the disgraced (because he broke the strike - - ed) leader of North East Derbyshire. But it became evident that Cliff wasn't going to be successful, Ten ine miners changed their vote to Tony Benn. It was that switch that clinched Tony's selection.' The 12 months of strike has shown NUM delegates made the right choice. Johnny explained the etfect of during the strike: numbers of party members have joined They've . been who' ve perhaps never before thought of becoming members have been talking to the party on the picket lines. That's one of the reasons why party membership has increased more than 100 per cent.
Party members glow with pride at their 'The main party's achievements. the repeated phrase is centre of things'. It's backed up with a string of examples.
National rallies and demonstrations under have been held there, the most recent of which was the 9 March International Women's Day event. And Chesterfield's MP is one of the strongest and best known supporters of the strike.
The party has been active too in getting the message across locally, with regularly organised public meetings. even commissioned an opinion poll at the beginning of this year, showing 58 per cent of Chestertield's inhabitants thought the govern ment Both handled the dispute and 70 per cent opposed to the programme unlal the Chesterfield intend to sit on its hands. The financial support for the miners will go. on for many more months Chesterfield is continuing to support miners and their families, especially the victims of bully-boy police tactics who have lost their jobs. Johnny Burrows is confident that tually win back every man's job, but that could be many months for those dismissed after conviction for more serious charges such as assault and alSUlli The party is rightly angry at the response of Labour's leadership to the strike, especially the latest refusal to call for a general amnesty. 'Large plained: "There's been a lot of criticism - and I'm part of that — of the Labour Party leader. Neil Kinnock has sat on the bloody fence so long he must have permanent marks. Now he's fallen on the wrong side.
'The Derbyshire area NUM was one of the groups that supported his nomination and eventual election. But we shall have great problems in the Derby area and I think in the Chesterfield constituency supporting future. critical of the miners.
'It's no secret that Tony disagrees with a lot that Kinnock has said. But it's not Tony's attitude that has formed the opinions of the constituency. It's very much our involvement in the strike: seeing firsthand the attitude of the police on the picket lines, seeing firsthand the suffering inside the mining community and being involved in helping torelieve 'Kinnock should look at Scargill's leadership. It might might not be aceptable to everybody - well-received. Lads behind him.
have members The majority of Chesterfield Labour The most Iow we re al une months.' They Chesterfield naa mis Campaign Tories' pit closure munIly grouos strike is ovel cauren teaders doesn't CDC is led by ConC Derbyshire will eveninvited anybody interested.
Johnny community.' Johnny simply, him In ne He's been too prepared to be that future.' abrasive, practice it." thousands upon thousands of miners In a similar way, thé activities of Chesterfield Labour - a dırect involvement in the strike — pulled hundreds of 'I'm convinced that if Kinnock had taken a similar line that would have attracted thousands of new members into the party nationally. It certainly would have given the activists already in the party something to look up to, a has missed the tesat in he inst ik has missed the boat in the last From the miners' strike Chesterfield Labour Party. has learned the importance of retining its links across the avour movemenl ul menos mar ne united front forged during the course of the strike should remain in existence to fight the many battles still to come. To do just that, the party has set up the Community Defence (CDC), taking in unions and the trades council, comwomen s groups, une local Communist Party, and even some Set. up at the end of January, the Chesterfield Labour Party. Tom Vallins explained how it got off the ground: 'It came about after Christmas, when there was a bit of a drift back to work. We thought that perhaps support for the miners was not as strong as it was in the early days. Tony brought up a discussion document on what we could be doing to help the miners and help the community 'We arranged a meting with some of the trade unionists in ine area ano else who might be We've held meetings throughout the constituency, each one with a different theme. We had one with Campaign • tol Criminal Justice, one with the NCCL, one about privatisation. We're covering the whole broad spectrum of things that affect the Burrows summed up its aims: 'The activities of the CDC, quite be involved in an! struggle within the community, to taki up the arguments from a socialist point and to demonstrate that the local party and the local unions can be of assistance to everybody. I'm very confident of the future in Chesterfield. The links that have been formed in the last 12 months can only be to the good for The lesson of Chesterfield, says Tom Vallins, is: 'Don't be afraid to go out and talk to people about issues and about policies. We pride ourselves in the Chesterfield party that the majority of us believe in socialism. That's what's made Chestertield the town itis. We car now talk about socialism, not as if it's a dirty word but in a meaningful way. The Labour Party is seen to be trying to