Don't go soft on Scargill!

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Send letters to Socialist Organiser 28 Middle Lane, London N8. No longer than 400 words, please: longer letters are liable to be cut. THE responses to Alan Thornett's article criticising Arthur Scargill show a very dangerous tendency to give Scargill the benefit of the doubt.

Both Mark Starr and Martin Thomas cite the slump and the high level of coal stocks as major factors in the minds of miners voting against a national strike. Now, although power stations have carried extra stocks of coal since 1974, the bulk of stocks are held at pits and depots. Given the picketing experience of the miners and the solidarity of NUR members, stocks could be sealed up for the duration.

The idea that a strike would take 4-5 months to bite is rubbish and most miners know it.

The real divisions in the NUM come from the bonus scheme and from different investment levels in each coalfield. Miners who see millions spent on their pit do not feel that their jobs are threatened by closures.

As in any other industry; if the question is posed to them cold, on a piece of paper, 'will you strike for jobs?', ', a strike is not very likely; especially if they've just been through the procedure over Kinneil in Scotland. organised through the mirins, The organised through the Joint Lodges Committtee, deliberately set out to overcome that inertia, starting with a stay-down strike in Lewis-Merthyr pit. and a conference that forced a coalfield strike on a reluctant 'leftwing' leadership. They then sent out delegates to other areas to argue for supporting action culminating in a national strike.

It was a strategy designed to get around the divisions between the different coalfields and it was entirely within the NUM rulebook.

Scargill was, understandably after Kinnail miat shout thron about these developments, but after the Executive decision to go for a national ballot he actually presented this as an escalation of the dispute, instead of the setback it was. Alan Thornett is absolutely right to criticise his sunnort for this decision, because the ballot call headed off a mounting strike wave and let the right wing in. It was not impossible to get a 'yes' vote, which is why over a thousand South Wales miners picketed every pit in Britain, but it made it very difficult (certainly more difficult than I personally thought it would be).

After the defeat in the ballot militants in South Wales, although demoralised, led an orderly retreat to conserve their strength for the next time, which, hopefully, is not too far away.

MARTIN BARCLAY.

Cardiff