Mod to Suedehead

[War Correspondent]

 

[Yorky]

I remember at the end of the miners strike in 1985, when we went back to work after 12 months on strike, at the Colliery where I worked over 2000 of us marching back at 5.00 in the morning under the NUM banner and a contingent singing that song.

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

I'm still a union member (IWW). But I can't forget this song from the 1960s...
[Ignore the 70s clothes on the sleeve!]

Pop Go the Workers - YouTube

P.S. The version I used to hear on the radio had a p-take on a David & Jonathan hit, that went "Brothers of the works let's strike / Come to the meeting on your bike / Leave your Rolls Royce in the yard / Don't forget your union card..."

 

[yorkshire pud]

I remember at the end of the miners strike in 1985, when we went back to work after 12 months on strike, at the Colliery where I worked over 2000 of us marching back at 5.00 in the morning under the NUM banner and a contingent singing that song.
View attachment 1661571

Prince of Wales, Pontefract??

 

[Yorky]

Prince of Wales, Pontefract??

Yes!

 

[vendetta69]

 

[vendetta69]

 

[vendetta69]

I remember at the end of the miners strike in 1985, when we went back to work after 12 months on strike, at the Colliery where I worked over 2000 of us marching back at 5.00 in the morning under the NUM banner and a contingent singing that song.
View attachment 1661571

Miners strike had quite a big impact on us in the 80's in Ireland. We'd been through similar clashes with the state in that period and there was a lot of solidarity etc some heartfelt some practical, we were only kids so...I remember a group of us got these "dig deep for the miners" caps, **** knows where we got them. Then about 85 i nicked a redskins record from woolworths (mate had pouches sown into his parka lining, maybe beer mats...so i used to borrow that and pocket records) and we started listening to chris and boys. Pure luck, i was a reggae/2tone nut and only took it because it looked interesting, then i saw 'em on the tube or maybe the chart show doing "it can be done"... sussed.

 

[Thin White Duke]

I was at college. There was a massive divide between those who fully supported the strike, those who may have sympathized but said there should have been a national
ballot to make it legit, and those who were opposed.

Every time there was a student Union meeting the topic of whether or not to (financially) support the strike came up and a load of people would walk out thus busting the quorum so no vote could be taken. Then one lad solved the whole mess by standing up with a big paint tin and said “we don’t need a vote. Here’s a tin with a fiver - pass it around and if you support the strike put some money in and if you don’t then don’t bother!” Sorted!

Quite liked The Redskins but their subject matter was a bit limiting! Saw them at York Racecourse followed by The Chameleons (sublime!), Spear of Destiny (always good live) Sisters of Mercy (not bad but tech problems) and Echo and the Bunnymen (OK but never was a big fan!)

 

[Clouseau]

A great loss.
Glad to see you are alive and kicking Vendetta.

TBH I don’t know much about the miners strike in UK…

Ain’t that Strawbs song a parody at first?

 

[smalltownbigboots]

I remember at the end of the miners strike in 1985, when we went back to work after 12 months on strike, at the Colliery where I worked over 2000 of us marching back at 5.00 in the morning under the NUM banner and a contingent singing that song.
View attachment 1661571

Had not heard that song, glad to know it. Sadly I don't think I've ever heard singing on any picket line or at any union hall I've been to. Wish we still had that around here. I learned "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night" from my mother singing it to me as a child and I sing it to my son. When I saw Billy Bragg in 2013 he did "There Is Power In a Union," and I stood up and sang all the words. Labor songs are powerful.

 

[Thin White Duke]

Had not heard that song, glad to know it. Sadly I don't think I've ever heard singing on any picket line or at any union hall I've been to. Wish we still had that around here. I learned "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night" from my mother singing it to me as a child and I sing it to my son. When I saw Billy Bragg in 2013 he did "There Is Power In a Union," and I stood up and sang all the words. Labor songs are powerful.

My Dad worked for Coles Cranes and when that Strawbs song was out his company was out on strike so he used to have a chuckle at it.
Ever since Bowie was on Top of the Pops doing Starman my Dad wrote off all “pop singers” a bunch of bloody poofs so we had to beg him every Thursday to be allowed to watch TOTP. It became a weekly ritual that I think he secretly enjoyed playing up to but he softened up a bit when The Strawbs were on!

Saw Billy Bragg a few times mid eighties. This was 1985 …

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

I remember seeing the Strawbs at one of the many Hyde Park free gigs.

 

[vendetta69]

A great loss.
Glad to see you are alive and kicking Vendetta.

TBH I don’t know much about the miners strike in UK…

Ain’t that Strawbs song a parody at first?

Bonjour Inspector, still alive, surprised to see nothing about Lee Perry when i looked in though.
There's boys on here who can tell you more about it than me, but the Strike was a defining moment for the working class here imo.
The North of England parts of Wales etc got shafted and they're still living with the fallout now

 

[vendetta69]

I was at college. There was a massive divide between those who fully supported the strike, those who may have sympathized but said there should have been a national
ballot to make it legit, and those who were opposed.

Every time there was a student Union meeting the topic of whether or not to (financially) support the strike came up and a load of people would walk out thus busting the quorum so no vote could be taken. Then one lad solved the whole mess by standing up with a big paint tin and said “we don’t need a vote. Here’s a tin with a fiver - pass it around and if you support the strike put some money in and if you don’t then don’t bother!” Sorted!

Quite liked The Redskins but their subject matter was a bit limiting! Saw them at York Racecourse followed by The Chameleons (sublime!), Spear of Destiny (always good live) Sisters of Mercy (not bad but tech problems) and Echo and the Bunnymen (OK but never was a big fan!)

Yeah The Redskins were a bit limited that way, I think it might have been Chris Dean insisting they were a propaganda wing of the SWP. They were crackin at the time though and the music was a step forward. There's a good recent interview with the bass player Martin Hewes about.
I'd no interest in those other bands at all, but i liked this at the time