My quiet community of miners was falling apart. Desperate miners began to drift back to work, especially when the NCB started offering financial incentives, knowing that crossing the picket lines was terrifying and demoralising. Stories began to fly around the community of families being pulled apart, of brother fighting brother and homes being vandalised. News reports showed images of riots, of picketing miners standing toe to toe with the police in full riot gear. It was hard not imagine that there was any difference between 1984 and 1642 apart from the weaponry.
Both sides believed in what they were doing and were fighting for what they believed was right. Secondary picketing and anything but peaceful protests limited to six men after giving the police five days’ notice, had been rendered illegal giving the police the power to arrest the seventh man if he didn’t turn away. The 1984 Trade Union Act had rendered the dispute illegal exempting the striking miners from claiming any sort of state benefit.