Members' Business — S6M-12169 Richard Leonard: Marking the 40th Anniversary of the Miners’ Strike

That the Parliament notes that 12 March 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the official start of the 1984-85 miners’ strike; considers that this strike was, without parallel, the most significant industrial dispute since the 1926 general strike; believes that miners took action in defence of jobs, communities and a very way of life; considers that the full force of the state was deployed against the miners and their trade union, the National Union of Mineworkers, but that they stood steadfast for a full year; believes that the strike could not have endured without public support, including from women’s groups, the lesbian and gay community, trade unions and workers across the world; deplores what it sees as the injustices towards miners and their communities during and since the strike; notes the belief that there is continuing need for investment in mining communities, and further notes the call for a public inquiry into the policing of the strike.