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The documentary, “Miners’ Strike: A Frontline Story,” begins in a cliched manner. As with many oral-history films nowadays, it starts with a behind-the-scenes glimpse – an interviewee getting ready to be interviewed, casually chatting with the filmmakers while lights and cameras are set up. “Let’s get started,” says former South Yorkshire miner Dave Roper. However, as Roper delves into the reasons for his participation, he makes a significant statement. “My experience with the media, especially the BBC, is that they tend to manipulate our words … it’s all about their agenda, not about what I want to convey.”

This program addresses this issue. A documentary called “A Frontline Story” allows miners to share their experiences during the 1984 strike, leaving no question as to the cause of the conflict and the impact it has had on Britain. The storytelling is powerful and present, with personal stories from those who were involved, without the influence of historians, politicians, or journalists, bridging the 40-year gap between then and now.

Surprising, affecting details are everywhere, starting with the section on what was lost when the miners ultimately failed to win their fight. Faces that will later cloud over with anger are bright and proud as they recall the old mining villages, built around comradeship and a shared investment in dirty, dangerous, important work. One miner recounts how in the showers after another hard day in the filthy pit, it was common for workers to wash the back of a random colleague, without being asked.

Margaret Thatcher implemented her strategy to replace government-controlled businesses with privately owned ones, to replace a sense of unity with a mentality of individualism, and to replace unionized workers with vulnerable, insecure employees who lacked the ability to advocate for their rights. The news of 20 coal mine closures and the resulting loss of 20,000 jobs sparked a fight that the miners in Yorkshire saw as a matter of survival.

Not everyone shared this viewpoint. In Nottinghamshire, employees were divided on whether to participate in the strikes. Two brothers, who held opposing views, were individually interviewed, their resentment and regret evident in their eyes. The memories of “flying pickets” – miners from Yorkshire whose own mines had been successfully shut down – joining the picket lines in Nottinghamshire, give us a strong understanding of the disintegration of society’s fabric. To counter the flying pickets, the police restricted basic freedoms by setting up roadblocks to limit movement. This prompted miners to create makeshift intelligence networks, utilizing back roads, coded vehicle records, and hiding men in car trunks to bypass the checkpoints. Tensions reached dangerous levels, resulting in a miner’s death in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, when strikers and strike-breakers engaged in a brick-throwing altercation.

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The episode once again vividly depicts the experiences of those who were deeply involved – including the challenges faced by a community dealing with the loss of its primary source of income. Narratives are shared about meals served at soup kitchens, created with vegetables gathered from farmers’ fields and every bit of meat carefully used: patrons were cautioned to watch out for rabbit teeth. Despite the dire circumstances, the program and its participants recall moments of joy and humor, such as a feminist theater group from Cambridge University putting on a performance where they dressed up as soot-covered miners – a moment that was downright hilarious. However, there are also heart-wrenching stories, like Roper’s recollection of his infant son, Adam, passing away at just one week old. As striking workers were not eligible for funeral benefits, Dave, who had been without pay for two months, could not afford to give his son a proper burial.

The main focus is a powerful analysis of the events that took place on June 18, 1984, known as the Battle of Orgreave. It is revealed that the police allowed pickets to assemble outside a coking plant, which was crucial to the government’s efforts to end the strikes. However, this was a strategic move as the police later turned on the workers with excessive force and violence. The programme combines archival footage and current recollections, including an interview with a man who was seen in a film being attacked by a police officer and now carries the weight of trauma. Despite claims that miners provoked the conflict by throwing stones at the police, it is shown that this was not the case. The portrayal of brutal state oppression is unambiguous.

After the miners returned home with bruises and blood, they turned on the television and saw themselves being depicted as the ones causing harm. This made them realize the unfairness of the situation and the challenges they were facing. Finally, their voices have been heard.

• The BBC Two documentary, “Miners’ Strike: A Frontline Story”, can be found on BBC iPlayer.

Source: theguardian.com