The UK Prime Minister may have the regal touch in northern England, but he’s been wrong-footed on the constitutional challenges posed by the Celtic Alliance of first ministers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, argues KENNY MacASKILL
FORTY years ago the government went to war against working people.
Their “crime” was exercising the democratic, civil and industrial rights for which working people had fought and died. It wasn’t about improving wages and conditions; it was a struggle for survival, jobs, and a way of life unique to our mining communities.
The pit was the cornerstone of mining community, providing both employment and wages. Its economic impact extended beyond the mine itself, fostering a thriving local economy with independent businesses lining the high street. Miners’ contributions would also finance essential community assets such as parks, sports facilities and welfare halls.
IAN LAVERY MP warns that decades of neoliberal policies have left former industrial communities behind — but a renewed Labour commitment to working people could change the political landscape
The Durham Miners’ Gala is a celebration of working-class culture, but also a call to action — to rebuild workers’ collective strength, says KIM JOHNSON MP


