defended and supported by both the NUM and the whole of the movement. Those in prison are political prisoners arising out of a conflict over pit closures which involved massive state repression and the use of the courts in an unprecedented way.
The movement must now respond in their defence. But so far this has not been adequate. The size of the demonstration and rally in Sheffield last Saturday calling for an amnesty was very small even taking into account the poor publicity for it. It is clear that many of the support groups have not yet adequately adjusted to the new situation since the end of the strike.
Yet the matter of the victimised miners, those in prison and the dependents oi those miners killed during the strike is now overwhelmingly the major issue facing the Support Groups — both the women's support Groups and the general groups. There is a danger that some of them may attempt too soon to broaden themselves away from the miners strike to other struggies. It is necessary to embrace other struggles: but the victimised miners should remain the central issue.
The highlight of the Sheffield Rally were the speeches from Betty Heathfield and the Kent speakers, Jack Collins and John Moyle, the secretary of Betteshanger, who is himself sacked.
They showed that the Kent Area not only took the lead in opposing the return to work without the victimised people and stayed on strike an extra week for them — but are now the most vigorous cam -paigners on the issue. Forty-four out of the 45 sacked Kent miners are on the road campaigning at the present time
What the Kent NUM want to see is a national campaign to reinstate the sacked miners. Certain NCB areas such as South Wales and the North East have been much more willing to reinstate than areas such as Kent, Scotland and to some extent Yorkshire. Some of these differences can be accounted for by the different attitudes of NCB management. Some area directors who are close to retirement, or not ambitious to join the MacGregor mafia, have taken a softer line. Others, like Albert Wheeler in Scotland, who want promotion from MacGregor, take the hardest possible line.
Both Jack Collins and John Moyle, however, suggest a connection between the fact that South Wales NUM had promoted the return to work and the immediate reinstatement of most of the sacked people in Wales. They strongly condemned any lifting of the overtime ban, ridiculed NACODS about action over Bedwas and called for a lobby of the NUM
war prisoners! Don't forget the victimised militants! HIM *. THIE National Executive on Thursday. At the same time it was worrying that there was no NUM national speaker on the and that the Yorkshire platform area speakers failed to turn up. A much sharper response from the NUM as a whole is go- ing to be necessary if the campaign is go- ing to get adequately off the ground. For this it is important that the vicitmis- ed miners themselves get organised on a Socialist Viewpoint, No. 5, April 1985. Page 3
L' national level. A conterence of all victimised miners would be a good way for them to organise to push things forward in the NUM.
The defeat of the ballot vote to organise an official levy of 50p per week from the miners was no surprise. Even the militants in the NUM were split on the question since many saw it as a move which would take the steam out of the campaign for reinstatement. But it is a problem which has to be confronted. The result places an even greater responsibility on the activists in the labour movement and on the Support Groups. They must now organise to ensure that the hardship is alleviated; that the sacked miners have the resources to travel and campaign; and that neither the victimised or the imprisoned are forgotten, and their cases made public knowledge.
This means stepping up the work, not winding it down. It means increasing the pressure for finance; holding public meetings with sacked miners speaking; getting the sacked miners into trade union branches and Labour Party meetings. The strike is over but the job is far from done.
Scenting an anti-left witch-hunt The