Do you really want the mines to re-open..?

Back last month my uncle died a slow and painful death due as he had lung problems due to his time down Taff Merthyr Pitt.

There are some people even these days who would love the pits to re-open but would they really want to see more people die like my uncle..? I really hope not

Surely they're a lot more aware of the issues caused by working down the mine now and more safety things and precautions would be taken to hopefully stop more people dying?

I think we should open one an stick you down it with Swansealad an seal the thing back up.

Many would love a return to a proper masculine work place, Job security, where they can provide for a family, Also, you can't under estimate the communal aspect and sense of belonging engendered by these industries.

Having said that, I personally don't fancy it as a long term job. Afew months in the summer to build up a stack, maybe.

I think we should open one an stick you down it with Swansealad an seal the thing back up.

I think we should open one an stick you down it with Swansealad an seal the thing back up.

Thatcher also was not responsible for most of the mines closing. That's a fact many forget.

I think we should open one an stick you down it with Swansealad an seal the thing back up.

Even though I agree with angryman there. That is a brilliant response. Best laugh of the day.

My grandfather died aged 58 and my father aged 60 both worked in the pits in the Rhondda.

I doubt there would be many people who would like to see those times again.

What we would like to see is the employment that the pits brought, there used to be 1,000's of miners in the Rhondda alone, men who were proud and hard working, now we have a culture of benefits that was started by Thatcher with over 3,000,000 on the dole and another 3,000,000 on the sick.

People are not decrying at the loss of mines but the loss of jobs, security and self esteem.

Surely they're a lot more aware of the issues caused by working down the mine now and more safety things and precautions would be taken to hopefully stop more people dying?

Wealth and safety would stop anyone working for more than 30 mins a day.
Who would work down there/want to?

Perhaps anyone who appears/or has appeared on Jeremy Kyle should have to spend a minimum of 12 months down the pit.
See where their priorities lie then. Also means we would not have to put up with them.

Back last month my uncle died a slow and painful death due as he had lung problems due to his time down Taff Merthyr Pitt.

There are some people even these days who would love the pits to re-open but would they really want to see more people die like my uncle..? I really hope not

What a ridiculous and uneducated thing to say.

My father died from using asbestos in a car body shop, doesn't stop it being used now we just treat workers and the materials with more knowledge and respect

My grandfather died from lung disease after being a miner, a very painful death. A coal miner in this day and age would have masks and, actually, with the use of heavy machinery nowadays wouldn't get half the exposure to coal dust as those who used picks and shovels. It would still be a dangerous occupation but so are many others.

In any event, to some extent the need for pit closures could be reasonably argued. What couldn't be justified is how Thatcher used the miners as a political pawn and then decimated their communities by closing everythinh=g in virtually one fell swoop and then providing no additional resources, re-development, etc. Leaving vast swathes of those coimmunities unable to work and unable to re-train.

What I haven't seen is a comparision of what it would have cost to keep failing mines open and people in jobs against what it did cost in terms of benefit payments and social depravation over the decades that followed

The annual balance sheet doesn't always tell the full story.

Thatcher also was not responsible for most of the mines closing. That's a fact many forget.

I don't see peoples problem with unprofitable business being forced to close. However I guess the issue for many is the way it was handled and probably some brainwashing from people with other agendas.

yes, would love to see the pits come back so that people could earn a good living and pump more money into the local economies. Apparently there is still loads of coal about, but Thatcher was closing them anyway to prove a point.
Problem is that the uk government and the welsh assembly have down nothing to regenerate the valleys.
Just look at Merthyr where everyone is claiming ESa and DLa as its the only option of getting a small amount of money to live on.
Shame on the welsh government who tend to spend all their money on Cardiff and Newport when more jobs etc are needed north of Cardiff .
The welsh mining valleys will always be shafted by these politicians - Fact

yes, would love to see the pits come back so that people could earn a good living and pump more money into the local economies. Apparently there is still loads of coal about, but Thatcher was closing them anyway to prove a point.
Problem is that the uk government and the welsh assembly have down nothing to regenerate the valleys.
Just look at Merthyr where everyone is claiming ESa and DLa as its the only option of getting a small amount of money to live on.
Shame on the welsh government who tend to spend all their money on Cardiff and Newport when more jobs etc are needed north of Cardiff .
The welsh mining valleys will always be shafted by these politicians - Fact

I would agree in the original move to curse Thatcher for leaving the valleys high n dry, but now, 30 years on, Valleys folk should have left in search of their on fortunes long ago. Perhaps that's easier said than done but people can't keep blamming others.

Do you really think the youth of today will want to work down the mines? They can't be arsed to work in poundland sitting on their arses all day. It's a tough environment and todays minors are university graduates, highly paid and highly intelligent. The truth is if the mines opened today and were like they used to be they would be filled with Eastern Europeans.

Sadly.

I think we should open one an stick you down it with Swansealad an seal the thing back up.

Do you really think the youth of today will want to work down the mines? They can't be arsed to work in poundland sitting on their arses all day. It's a tough environment and todays minors are university graduates, highly paid and highly intelligent. The truth is if the mines opened today and were like they used to be they would be filled with Eastern Europeans.

Sadly.

That is exactly the case. Todays kids and many parents prefer to blame other people (including Thatcher from decades ago) instead of taking responsibility for themselves.
As a matter of interest why haven't Welsh labour in the WAG done something for these communities? They have had 15 years and it seems things are getting worse. The communities are their own aren't they? Why are they blaming an English woman for their problems when the Welsh people they vote (and keep) in power do nothing for them?

Labour (socialists) talk of caring for the poor and vulnerable people, but when given the opportunity do nothing. Maybe because as soon as the people get educated, find a decent job and standard of living, they stop supporting Labour?

Britain is burning more coal than at any point since the early Nineties, and yet most of the indigenous industry is fighting for its very existence: there are 20,000 jobs at stake, mainly in places where there are precious few other options. This stark paradox requires a fundamental question to be addressed – does anyone give a toss whether Britain produces any of its own coal at a time when almost half of our electricity is generated from that fuel source?

With attention focusing on renewables and the Chancellor enthusing over gas as his new elixir, the future of coal is not a popular subject in polite society. This ignores the inescapable truth that coal remains our major means of keeping the lights on, and will retain its significance for the next decade at least.

Coal’s environmental merits must be addressed separately. The urgent question is where the coal burnt in British power stations in the meantime is going to come from. Normally, around a third of it is still mined here in deep pits and open-cast sites, but these are not normal times.

Because coal is cheap, our generators are burning 50 per cent more of it than last year. Before Christmas, up to 46 per cent of Britain’s daily electricity came from coal – four times as much as from renewables. Yet at the same time, most of Britain’s coal producers are facing parlous circumstances. The largest, UK Coal, has been open about the next six months being “absolutely critical” to its survival. Scottish Coal faces similar challenges, while ATH Resources is in administration and Hargreaves mothballed Maltby pit in Yorkshire last month. These companies represent the great majority of the remaining British coal industry.

Does it make sense to become so dependent on imported coal in the volatile world of energy markets? Does it make sense to lose thousands of skilled, well-paid British jobs – not in any virtuous environmental cause, but simply to make way for more imports from Russia, Colombia and the US?

yes, would love to see the pits come back so that people could earn a good living and pump more money into the local economies. Apparently there is still loads of coal about, but Thatcher was closing them anyway to prove a point.
Problem is that the uk government and the welsh assembly have down nothing to regenerate the valleys.
Just look at Merthyr where everyone is claiming ESa and DLa as its the only option of getting a small amount of money to live on.
Shame on the welsh government who tend to spend all their money on Cardiff and Newport when more jobs etc are needed north of Cardiff .
The welsh mining valleys will always be shafted by these politicians - Fact

I would agree in the original move to curse Thatcher for leaving the valleys high n dry, but now, 30 years on, Valleys folk should have left in search of their on fortunes long ago. Perhaps that's easier said than done but people can't keep blamming others.

Its a vicious circle.
That's why there are so many people claiming benefits in Merthyr because they need to buy a car to travel but cant save for a car as they cant find a job, so they say bugger it and live off benefits.
Public transport is expensive too.
A lot more more should have been pumped in for the last 30 years.
The welsh assembly government could have been canvassing the last 30 years to bring employers to Wales, but they sit on their fat asses in Cardiff picking up good money and look forward to their great pensions.

Do you really think the youth of today will want to work down the mines? They can't be arsed to work in poundland sitting on their arses all day. It's a tough environment and todays minors are university graduates, highly paid and highly intelligent. The truth is if the mines opened today and were like they used to be they would be filled with Eastern Europeans.

Sadly.

Don,t tar all youngsters with the same brush.i went back to the pits 2yrs ago after a 15 yr absence.we have started at least a dozen mining apprentices,both electrical and mechanical.and maybe a dozen more lads as basic miner,,1 who I think is 22 yrs old,now skilled in driving a 60 ton coal cutter.theres at lease 50 on a waiting lists......there are good lads out there....don't class them as all scrounges please

Do you really think the youth of today will want to work down the mines? They can't be arsed to work in poundland sitting on their arses all day. It's a tough environment and todays minors are university graduates, highly paid and highly intelligent. The truth is if the mines opened today and were like they used to be they would be filled with Eastern Europeans.

Sadly.

Don,t tar all youngsters with the same brush.i went back to the pits 2yrs ago after a 15 yr absence.we have started at least a dozen mining apprentices,both electrical and mechanical.and maybe a dozen more lads as basic miner,,1 who I think is 22 yrs old,now skilled in driving a 60 ton coal cutter.theres at lease 50 on a waiting lists......there are good lads out there....don't class them as all scrounges please

Very true, I have 4 young lads working for my company who are Bricklaying apprentices, can't fault
them they all want to learn and turn up all the time

Don,t tar all youngsters with the same brush.i went back to the pits 2yrs ago after a 15 yr absence.we have started at least a dozen mining apprentices,both electrical and mechanical.and maybe a dozen more lads as basic miner,,1 who I think is 22 yrs old,now skilled in driving a 60 ton coal cutter.theres at lease 50 on a waiting lists......there are good lads out there....don't class them as all scrounges please

Very true, I have 4 young lads working for my company who are Bricklaying apprentices, can't fault
them they all want to learn and turn up all the time

Yeah but for everyone of them there is a chav outside Spar intimidating the Old Guard and some of them could do with a lump of coal in their mouths to stop them disrespecting the elderly. If youngsters just listened to the older generation they'd learn a lot more and be more respectful. The mines staying open would have been brilliant and teenagers could have done 2 years compulsory mining service. At the end of that 2 years they'd get offered a job or the chance to go to university. If they declined either they would be put back in the mines. We'd soon see more youngsters willing to work in places like Tesco and Burger King instead of mining in horrible conditions.

yes, would love to see the pits come back so that people could earn a good living and pump more money into the local economies. Apparently there is still loads of coal about, but Thatcher was closing them anyway to prove a point.
Problem is that the uk government and the welsh assembly have down nothing to regenerate the valleys.
Just look at Merthyr where everyone is claiming ESa and DLa as its the only option of getting a small amount of money to live on.
Shame on the welsh government who tend to spend all their money on Cardiff and Newport when more jobs etc are needed north of Cardiff .
The welsh mining valleys will always be shafted by these politicians - Fact

I would agree in the original move to curse Thatcher for leaving the valleys high n dry, but now, 30 years on, Valleys folk should have left in search of their on fortunes long ago. Perhaps that's easier said than done but people can't keep blamming others.

Merthyr is the mobility car centre of the worls, more 3years and under cars up there than anywhere else




Its a vicious circle.
That's why there are so many people claiming benefits in Merthyr because they need to buy a car to travel but cant save for a car as they cant find a job, so they say bugger it and live off benefits.
Public transport is expensive too.
A lot more more should have been pumped in for the last 30 years.
The welsh assembly government could have been canvassing the last 30 years to bring employers to Wales, but they sit on their fat asses in Cardiff picking up good money and look forward to their great pensions.

Do you really think the youth of today will want to work down the mines? They can't be arsed to work in poundland sitting on their arses all day. It's a tough environment and todays minors are university graduates, highly paid and highly intelligent. The truth is if the mines opened today and were like they used to be they would be filled with Eastern Europeans.

Sadly.

Don,t tar all youngsters with the same brush.i went back to the pits 2yrs ago after a 15 yr absence.we have started at least a dozen mining apprentices,both electrical and mechanical.and maybe a dozen more lads as basic miner,,1 who I think is 22 yrs old,now skilled in driving a 60 ton coal cutter.theres at lease 50 on a waiting lists......there are good lads out there....don't class them as all scrounges please

There are many keen beans but for every one of them there is a self pitying arsehole who lives in a workless home thinking its the norm. How many of the apprentices are from the community itself?

Back last month my uncle died a slow and painful death due as he had lung problems due to his time down Taff Merthyr Pitt.

There are some people even these days who would love the pits to re-open but would they really want to see more people die like my uncle..? I really hope not

Sorry for your loss.

But these days there is better PPE and as some-one else mentioned, strict health and safety laws (as I'd like to think you're aware of).

If it creates Jobs then why not ? It would be safer than years ago. I always remember the story from my Dad about my Grancha he was a Miner around the area i now live and worked most of the mines including Penallta.
He was a very proud Miner but my Nan hated it. In fact she despised it, but one night my Grancha had a bad dream about a fall in his mine and woke up unable to feel his leg. The dream was so bad my Nan would not let him go to work that Day and that was unheard of because if you didn't work you didn't get paid and no one was well off. Now my Grancha was a typical Miner Boxed and was a fantastic athlete who at the time held the Welsh long jump record.
But during the Shift my Grancha missed there was indeed a fall and his young Butty was killed and that hit my Grancha very hard. He had already lost 2 foster Brothers to the mines. But after that my Nan said none of there Boys would ever work down the Mines and they moved to Bristol where they settled.
But those Days are long gone and if it could be done safely why the hell not.

If it creates Jobs then why not ? It would be safer than years ago. I always remember the story from my Dad about my Grancha he was a Miner around the area i now live and worked most of the mines including Penallta.
He was a very proud Miner but my Nan hated it. In fact she despised it, but one night my Grancha had a bad dream about a fall in his mine and woke up unable to feel his leg. The dream was so bad my Nan would not let him go to work that Day and that was unheard of because if you didn't work you didn't get paid and no one was well off. Now my Grancha was a typical Miner Boxed and was a fantastic athlete who at the time held the Welsh long jump record.
But during the Shift my Grancha missed there was indeed a fall and his young Butty was killed and that hit my Grancha very hard. He had already lost 2 foster Brothers to the mines. But after that my Nan said none of there Boys would ever work down the Mines and they moved to Bristol where they settled.
But those Days are long gone and if it could be done safely why the hell not.

Heck I'd work in the mines, (if they re-opened) would probably need to bulk up and have shit loads of training but why not?

Back last month my uncle died a slow and painful death due as he had lung problems due to his time down Taff Merthyr Pitt.

There are some people even these days who would love the pits to re-open but would they really want to see more people die like my uncle..? I really hope not

Sorry for your loss.

But these days there is better PPE and as some-one else mentioned, strict health and safety laws (as I'd like to think you're aware of).

No PPE would stop a mine collapsing like the recent ones in Chile, New Zealand and even Swansea!!!

Back last month my uncle died a slow and painful death due as he had lung problems due to his time down Taff Merthyr Pitt.

There are some people even these days who would love the pits to re-open but would they really want to see more people die like my uncle..? I really hope not

Sorry for your loss.

But these days there is better PPE and as some-one else mentioned, strict health and safety laws (as I'd like to think you're aware of).

No PPE would stop a mine collapsing like the recent ones in Chile, New Zealand and even Swansea!!!

No but your Mrs will get a pay out as long as you had your Light eye protection on

If it creates Jobs then why not ? It would be safer than years ago. I always remember the story from my Dad about my Grancha he was a Miner around the area i now live and worked most of the mines including Penallta.
He was a very proud Miner but my Nan hated it. In fact she despised it, but one night my Grancha had a bad dream about a fall in his mine and woke up unable to feel his leg. The dream was so bad my Nan would not let him go to work that Day and that was unheard of because if you didn't work you didn't get paid and no one was well off. Now my Grancha was a typical Miner Boxed and was a fantastic athlete who at the time held the Welsh long jump record.
But during the Shift my Grancha missed there was indeed a fall and his young Butty was killed and that hit my Grancha very hard. He had already lost 2 foster Brothers to the mines. But after that my Nan said none of there Boys would ever work down the Mines and they moved to Bristol where they settled.
But those Days are long gone and if it could be done safely why the hell not.

nukes.my old fellow had a pit pony in durham.chilton main.the pony wouldnt budge any further one day.they pushed him and prodded him to no avail.next thing-crash-the roof caved in where the pony would have been if he,d carried on.saved my dads life.mining would be safer now.better dust surpression etc.what is never taken into account when the figures for closing the mines or keeping them open are debated is the cost of all the councillers,key workers etc that are now working with people in mining areas now smack and other stuff has gripped the areas.a lot of mining areas were self policing.not the case now.