For which of course you can blame Thatcher. She grew up in a shop and made us a nation of shopkeepers, until most of the shops went bust. We need factories that make things where people can get jobs and earn a living with pride. Turning our economy from manufacturing to service industries was a grave mistake by Thatcher. A lot of skills have been lost through this, making it that much harder to get back to a full manufacturing base again. It can be done, it just needs the will from government to do it. I understood why Thatcher bought the Unions to heel, but she could have done it without destroying industry. Who knows, maybe current thinking may make it possible to transform the way we do things again. The pit closure problem was pure revenge due to the previous strike. Unfortunately the NUM took the bait and didnt realise the amount of resources stockpiled. Both factions knew it was coming. One of the really sad things about this week is that we now wont get the Orgreave inquiry. It wasn't just the pits tho. In south yorks there steel was also decimated by thatchers puppet McGregor . Where i live we had the mills. Again now mostly shut and turned into flats. We do need to do more to encourage industry and just IT . One of the daftest things i ever heard was this. Junction 32. Xscape ski centre was built on the old Glasshoughten pit. When it was announced it stated that we will employ ex miners...... How many pit lads were ski instructors......