Miners Strike

Hope amid decay: Boys from the Blackstuff then and now

Forty years on, the landmark Liverpool drama remains as relevant as ever, argues Sean Coote
Iron lady tribute act won't work for Truss

Liz Truss’s reheated Thatcherism won't work because she can’t see that our present crises are the result of Thatcher’s legacy and failures, argues Tom Whittaker
Sherwood: for once BBC hits the bullseye

Lindsey German reviews the BBC's highly-rated crime drama which sheds light on the long-lasting impact of the miners' strike and undercover policing
Arise: Power, Strategy and Union Resurgence - book review

Jane Holgate’s Arise raises important questions about trade-union organising strategy, but rank-and-file activity and political context are key, argues Graham Kirkwood
1972: When workers turned the lights out

On the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Saltley Gate, John Westmoreland recounts the tremendous events of 1972, when rank-and-file militancy and widespread solidarity struck a huge blow to the ruling class
The Battle of Saltley Gate: 'It was sheer, massive solidarity' - video

To commemorate the 50 year anniversary of the Battle of Saltley Gate, Unjum Mirza spoke to Granville Williams who was there about a pivotal moment in the 1972 miners' strike
The 1972 miners’ strike: a rank-and-file strike

An excerpt from Tony Cliff's Patterns of Mass Strike which describes the impact of the 1972 miners’ strike and the background to a wave of rank-and-file militancy and solidarity from across the working class
Nothing to Lose but Our Chains: Work and Resistance in Twenty-First-Century Britain - book review

Nothing to Lose but Our Chains is a historically informed and wide-ranging discussion of work and resistance in the present day, finds Lindsey German
Pissing on the Red Wall – a miner speaks

Following on from Johnson’s provocation about Thatcher and the miners, John Westmoreland speaks to a Yorkshire miner who fought the pit-closure programme
Reading the Labour Party: book recommendations by and for socialists

How can we explain what has happened in the Labour Party? We asked eight Counterfire authors to tell us about the books that have helped them to understand what the Labour Party is and how socialists should engage with it
Thatcher, the miners and why you should never believe a Tory promise

Just like his idol Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson is lying through his teeth, argues John Westmoreland
The dawn of Thatcherism, 40 years on

When economic liberalism fused with social conservatism: Tom Whittaker looks at the origins, impacts and legacy of Thatcher's politics, four decades on
Justice Denied: Friends, Foes and the Miners' Strike - book review

The Miners’ Strike was a major class defeat, but as the essays in Justice Denied show, it is also a beacon for the collective values that persist, argues Sofie Mason
Poll Tax 1990: the revolt that sank Thatcher - video

Tom Whittaker gives a sharp introduction on how Thatcher was toppled and what lessons activists today can learn in kicking the Tories out
The many crises of the British state

The British state is enveloped in crisis more than at any point for 30 years. One more push could topple this government, argues Chris Bambery
Every revolution needs some smashing plates

A 1985 Exhibition of Soviet Design came to London and showed Mark Perryman the real meaning of revolution
Reform, Revolution and Direct Action amongst British Miners - book review

The Russian Revolution and World War I led to a surge in workers’ struggles in Britain, as an important new history of the miners’ strikes of 1919 shows, finds Lindsey German
18 June 1984: remembering Orgreave

As the government announces that there will be no inquiry in to the tragic events at Orgreave, Sheena Moore takes a look back at what happened
Durham Miners Gala: an inspiring day

As the coup from the Labour right is launched, the Labour movement vehemently backs Jeremy Corbyn, writes Chris Nineham
Celebrating the Miners Strike through film: 'Miners’ Hymns' and 'DS30'

Mike Quille reviews two new films: Miners’ Hymns which is out on DVD, and a new film called DS30, which will be shown in Durham a few days before the Miners Gala
Rock against what?

Mark Perryman welcomes the release of the Orgreave Justice Double CD of rebel music, old and new
Video: Counterfire visit the Durham Miners' Gala 2012

Interviews from the The Durham Miners' Gala 2012 - featuring a striking Spanish miner and PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka

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Miners Strike

Miners Strike

Forty years on, the landmark Liverpool drama remains as relevant as ever, argues Sean Coote

Liz Truss’s reheated Thatcherism won't work because she can’t see that our present crises are the result of Thatcher’s legacy and failures, argues Tom Whittaker

Lindsey German reviews the BBC's highly-rated crime drama which sheds light on the long-lasting impact of the miners' strike and undercover policing

Jane Holgate’s Arise raises important questions about trade-union organising strategy, but rank-and-file activity and political context are key, argues Graham Kirkwood

On the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Saltley Gate, John Westmoreland recounts the tremendous events of 1972, when rank-and-file militancy and widespread solidar­ity struck a huge blow to the ruling class

To commemorate the 50 year anniversary of the Battle of Saltley Gate, Unjum Mirza spoke to Granville Williams who was there about a pivotal moment in the 1972 miners' strike

An excerpt from Tony Cliff's Patterns of Mass Strike which describes the impact of the 1972 miners’ strike and the background to a wave of rank-and-file militancy and solidarity from across the working class

Nothing to Lose but Our Chains is a historically informed and wide-ranging discussion of work and resistance in the present day, finds Lindsey German

Following on from Johnson’s provocation about Thatcher and the miners, John Westmoreland speaks to a Yorkshire miner who fought the pit-closure programme

How can we explain what has happened in the Labour Party? We asked eight Counterfire authors to tell us about the books that have helped them to understand what the Labour Party is and how socialists should engage with it

Just like his idol Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson is lying through his teeth, argues John Westmoreland

When economic liberalism fused with social conservatism: Tom Whittaker looks at the origins, impacts and legacy of Thatcher's politics, four decades on

The Miners’ Strike was a major class defeat, but as the essays in Justice Denied show, it is also a beacon for the collective values that persist, argues Sofie Mason

Tom Whittaker gives a sharp introduction on how Thatcher was toppled and what lessons activists today can learn in kicking the Tories out

The British state is enveloped in crisis more than at any point for 30 years. One more push could topple this government, argues Chris Bambery

A 1985 Exhibition of Soviet Design came to London and showed Mark Perryman the real meaning of revolution

The Russian Revolution and World War I led to a surge in workers’ struggles in Britain, as an important new history of the miners’ strikes of 1919 shows, finds Lindsey German

As the government announces that there will be no inquiry in to the tragic events at Orgreave, Sheena Moore takes a look back at what happened

As the coup from the Labour right is launched, the Labour movement vehemently backs Jeremy Corbyn, writes Chris Nineham

Mike Quille reviews two new films: Miners’ Hymns which is out on DVD, and a new film called DS30, which will be shown in Durham a few days before the Miners Gala

Mark Perryman welcomes the release of the Orgreave Justice Double CD of rebel music, old and new

Interviews from the The Durham Miners' Gala 2012 - featuring a striking Spanish miner and PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka

On the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Saltley Gate, John Westmoreland recounts the tremendous events of 1972, when rank-and-file militancy and widespread solidarity struck a huge blow to the ruling class