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State Funeral for Thatcher is a National Disgrace |
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Coalfields Solidarity, the industrial branch of Scotland's largest socialist party formed by workers in Scotland's open-cast coal industry, have condemned the decision of New Labour leader Gordon Brown to grant a state funeral to Margaret Thatcher. In a statement, branch organiser Jim Monaghan:
"There will be a plenty of celebration in Cumnock and other former mining communities when Thatcher goes, but we wont be celebrating her achievements, we will be celebrating her end. She replaced coal with heroin and jobs with despair in this town and many others like it across the country. Gordon Brown should be ashamed that he choses to recognise Thacher's devastation as something to be rewarded, shame on him."
Tommy Sheridan, Solidarity's co-convenor also attacked the idea. In a radio interview he said:
"This is an insult to the millions of pensioners who were robbed when she ended the link to wage rises and prices, Thatcher shouldnt be given a state funeral, she should be burned at the stake, a private cremation would do."
for the full satement from Coalfields Solidarity click 'read more' below
Full Statement from Coalfields Solidarity
Gordon Brown has revealed his true colours with this plan for a state funeral to the biggest enemy of the working class in this country. To him, Thatcher represents an icon of strong government and radical right-wing reforms. To the rest of us she represents an all-out assault on the gains our parents and grandparents had worked and fought so hard for.
These days, workers in the coal industry have to fight all over again to regain the rights and conditions that Thatcher took from communities across Scotland and the UK. Our mothers and fathers fought to bring the coal industry under democratic national control. My family, like every family around here, lost relatives in pits, my own grandfather died in a mining accident. I can say without any doubt that, if you had told him on that Saturday morning, that he wouldn't return from work, he probably wouldn't have been surprised. These things happened to all families in coal mining communities. But if you told him that 50 years later the coal industry would be back in the hands of privateers, with men working 60 hour weeks to make a decent wage, he would have been shocked that we would lose what we had fought for.
New Labour are now cheer-leaders for the privatised coal industry, ignoring blatant anti-trade union activity and the exploitation of workers. And now they hold up Thatcher as an icon to be honoured.
There will be a plenty of celebration in Cumnock and other former mining communities when Thatcher goes, but we wont be celebrating her achievements, we will be celebrating her end. She replaced coal with heroin and jobs with despair in this town and many others like it across the country. Gordon Brown should be ashamed that he choses to recognise Thatcher's devastation as something to be rewarded, shame on him for insulting the efforts of the trade union and labour movement in the 20th century. During the miners strike of 84/85 there was a popular song and slogan "which side are you on?". It is now clear which side Gordon Brown and the Labour Party are on.
Jim Monaghan on behalf of Coalfields Solidarity.
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