Flat Capper wrote: ↑27 Mar 2020, 10:23
alftupper wrote: ↑26 Mar 2020, 19:35
Flat Capper wrote: ↑26 Mar 2020, 19:15
How many countries continue to invest in the mining industry?
There you go again Capper. Are you suggesting we should be doing the same? Just a few pages back you were pushing for us to become world leaders in green energy technology. How do you reconcile the two?
On second thoughts don’t even try.
Now then Slackbladder, I was referring to the miners strike in 1984/5 when we weren't thinking about green energy. Correct support at that time would've removed our 30/40 year reliance on imports and helped the mining communities, avoiding the massive hole the Iron Bitch left behind.
And on the Chancellor's anouncement, see my post above or are your blinkers still in the way?
Constant support of the Mining Industry to present day would have cost Billions in tax support - It was 5 times cheaper to get a ton of drift mine coal from Oz than a ton mined here in the UK as I remember in the 80s.
Even the last mines left open and eventually had to shut due to unviability - - Just take Kellingley as an example - on the doorstep of 3 big power stations and many a imported coal supply train by passed the very doorstep of Kellingley to supply Eggborough Power Station !! Yes it was a bitter pill to swallow to see that happening with our miners working hard and UK coal not selling !
Every sensible person knew the UK Mining Industry was doomed apart from the miners themselves and just like other industries like the Sheffield Steel industry having to be vastly reduced and shipbuilding industries in Scotland who could not compete with Korea back in the day. Miners were not singled out and why should they have been a special case and why should they be when other industries like many engineering works lost a lot more jobs around Leeds for example over the years !
Thatcher was being a realist and saved the taxpayer billions on not supporting a "dead as a duck" industry as I see it !
A lot of my mates around Cas and Ponte lost their jobs (my brother being one). Yes it's hard and frustrating but all have gone on to gain decent enough jobs and a lot more healthier jobs by the way !
Yes there are coal industries on the go around the world which are viable - China is one but their workers are getting paid practically a bowl of rice in comparison to coal face workers here at the time earning £1,000+ a week just before Kellingley shut.
Capper, get over yourself and move on - just like the world has ! Until they find a way of making coal extraction viable and competitive in a de-sulphurised method of extraction you can argue till the cows come home but it just it won't happen until they find a way !