Workers Taking Up Responsibility for the Fate of Society

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123rd Durham Miners Gala and Big Meeting:
Workers Taking Up Responsibility for the Fate of Society

123^rdDurham Miners' Gala - Saturday, 14 July 2007

North East Workers & Politics, Publication of the Northern Region of RCPB(ML), Special Issue for the 123rd Durham Miners’ Gala, July 14, 2007

As the thousands of working people from all across the region take part in the march of banners and the big meeting it is worth reflecting on the significance of the work of the miners in Britain over the last few years.

            The National Union of Miners (NUM) has continued over the years to demand an energy policy that opposes the destruction of the economy, and in particular of its energy resources, which has cost the miners and their communities so dearly.  However, over recent years what is notable is that the NUM has also put forward in a very strong fashion its own programme for a regeneration of coal production in the service of a modern energy industry and national economy, a programme that also confronts the crisis of climate change, promotes an international agenda of peace and stability, and looks to increased investments in social programmes and public services.

            In April this year, the NUM as part of an ongoing campaign in conjunction with the TUC organised a Clean Coal Technology Conference in Sheffield.   This stand of the NUM as well as other unions reflects the growing awakening that workers and their trade unions must take up the general interests of society and in particular take up the question of the fate of society regarding the human and natural environment, the economy and the necessity for a pro-worker, pro-social and anti-war agenda.

            This agenda is in stark contrast to the agenda of the monopolies and finance capital, both private and “public”, which have set about the systematic turning of the economy, public services and every pore of society into an arena to extract the maximum profit at the expense of the natural and human environment.

            Over the last fifty years this ruling class has destroyed and taken out of the economy for ever much of the vast wealth of production that was built up from the industrial revolution on the sweat of workers from this country and from the colonies.  From the 1980s, the coal industry was virtually shut down bringing devastation to miners and their communities and replaced with the dash for gas and oil resources.

            Such a drive for these resources has brought imperialist war and the invasion of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq in its wake as one by one the oil and gas resources created over millions upon millions of years have been so quickly depleted.  Now they can only be imported from half-way around the world in massive gas and oil tankers and pipelines, the routes of which are contended over by the Anglo-US imperialist powers putting to the torch the Middle East and now re-contending for Africa with China and East Asia.

            Such a path has only given rise to the further destruction of the manufacturing base, of handing over of public services to the rich, further anti-social measures, a further deepening of the crisis and the drive to destruction of civil liberties and to wars, especially to secure energy resources.

            The depth of this crisis is so deep and the costs so great that mining companies are turning to other solutions to capture the energy market in Britain.   One colliery within many that should never have closed in the first place has re-opened – Hatfield in Yorkshire, which is in the process of accessing its vast (over 2 million tons a year) and previously abandoned coal reserves.   To utilise the coal the plan is for a 430 MWeIGCC powerplant that will pump the residual carbon dioxide from the powerplant into underground oil and gas fields of the North Sea.

            But, as the working class and their unions are awakening to, it is the realisation that it is the working class and not the monopoly and finance capitalists who have the solutions to this crisis.   The question that needs confronting is that of who sets the agenda and who has political power.

            For the workers to defend their interests, for the workers to take up the general interests of society, cannot be considered the same as, or reduced to, simply exercising influence over the Labour Party and its leadership.  What is clearer now than it has ever been is that the workers must find a way out of the situation where they themselves cannot set the agenda or exercise power when the monopoly and finance capitalists set their agenda and exercise their power through the established parties.  In other words, the workers must find ways to deprive those in authority from exercising dictate over them.

            In our view, this means that workers must call for the renewal of the political process and take a step towards this by directly intervening in the political process for their own programme, to guarantee the rights of all, for an economy that stops paying the rich and increases investments in social programmes and establishes an anti-war government.

            It is very fitting that the miners, together with other sections of the workers’ movement, have been at the centre of the activity of the working class both in providing energy resources throughout modern times and in now taking a stand against the destruction of the energy resources of the country, and are discussing modern solutions.  What is important is that all the interests of all working people, their collectives and their various interests are fully involved and harmonised in the resistance of the working class and people today and in providing a modern alternative solution to all the problems that face society.

Only the Working Class Can Save the Day!

For Renewal of the Political Process!

For the Rights of All Guaranteed in Law!

Stop Paying the Rich – Increase Investments in Social Programmes!

For An Anti-War Government!

From approximately 9:00am. Souvenir programme £1.00 available from the Tourist Information Centre and on sale around the city centre.
Durham City Centre to the Racecourse
Contact Further Enquiries 0191 3843720
touristinfo@durhamcity.gov.uk
9:00am - 11:00am BAND & BANNER PARADE through Durham City to the Racecourse. Miners' Banners will be joined by others from the Trade Union and Labour Movement.

9:00am - 12:00noon - DURHAM RACECOURSE MAIN STAGE: Gala regular BENNY GRAHAM will provide musical entertainment and a welcome for the bands and banners marching on to the Gala field (Old Durham Racecourse)

12:15pm - 1:45pm GUEST SPEAKERS ON THE PLATFORM - This year's speakers at the Miners' Gala are: Tony Woodley; Paul Kenny (GMB); Dennis Skinner MP; and Frances O'Grady (TUC).

2:00pm - 2:45pm JAIPUR KAWA BRASS BAND - Ten performers with amazing energy and humour representing the soul of contemporary India.

3:00pm CATHEDRAL SERVICE - Bands and Banners will begin to leave the field at 2:30pm and march to the Cathedral.

3:00pm - 3:45pm LES VILAIN CHICOTS - a 19 piece Parisian band with a unique and heady mix of brass, saxes, percussion and guitars.

4:00pm - 4:30pm BRASS BANDITS - Catch basslines, fast-paced guitar rhythms, vocals, percussion and brass! Fun and excitement guaranteed when this award-winning Darlington band take the stage.

A wide range of activities and entertainment will take place during the day - including a wide variety of street acts - ...and much, much more!

12:00noon - 4:00pm SPECIAL EVENT AT THE GALA THEATRE - Archive footage of the Durham Miners' Gala and other related archive mining footage courtesy of the Northern Regional Film and Television archive.