THE "BIG MEETING" AND ITS MESSAGE

Bout of insomnia last night which as suffereres know means you wake at 2.30am and fall asleep again at 5.30am so spend the following day thorougly wiped out. But despite befuddlement interested to read this speech from Saturday's "Big Meeting" ie Durham, Miner's Gala which one year I must get round to attending. In short, I agree with all of it. Source: Morning Star

Durham Miners Association general secretary David Hopper received the only standing ovation of the day for his passionate attack on new Labour's failure to improve the lives of working people since its election in 1997.
"The greatest condemnation of new Labour is the fact that, after 11 years of their government, the gap between rich and poor has widened," he stormed.
"While working-class families struggle to make ends meet, they see our erstwhile prime minister in the vulgar pursuit of self-enrichment. They see Labour MPs fighting to prevent the details of their expenses being made public."
He insisted: "We don't want a Tory government at the next election - God knows the miners suffered enough under Thatcher and the last Tory 19 years in office - but this Gordon Brown new Labour government is acting like a Tory government.
"Their policies are attacking sick miners who suffered ill health after over 25 years working underground and now this government is trying to force them off incapacity benefit and into jobs they are unable to physically carry out, while millionaires from overseas can live in the UK without paying tax."
Mr Hopper added: "That is not the socialist policies of a Labour Party that the NUM was once proud to support."