A special edition of the Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme Briefing produced on the first anniversary of the end on the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike. Presented by Middlesbrough born broadcaster Anna Raeburn the programme begins with a film made about two groups of County Durham miners’ wives who are continuing the fight to save coal mining in the region. In the second part of the programme a discussion of some of the topics raised in the film featuring Edwina Currie Conservative MP for...

A special edition of the Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme Briefing produced on the first anniversary of the end on the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike. Presented by Middlesbrough born broadcaster Anna Raeburn the programme begins with a film made about two groups of County Durham miners’ wives who are continuing the fight to save coal mining in the region. In the second part of the programme a discussion of some of the topics raised in the film featuring Edwina Currie Conservative MP for South Derbyshire, Jack Dormand Labour MP for Easington, Dennis Murphy President of the Northumberland National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Beatrix Campbell English writer and activist and Ann Lilburn Secretary of Women Against Pit Closures. Title: Tyne Tees February 6th 1986 and four women from Durham walk along a snow-covered byway carrying a ‘Durham Miners Support Group’ banner. They are marching to join other women protesting outside RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire against cruise missiles that are being held there. Title: Briefing In the studio at Tyne Tees Television in Newcastle presenter Anna Raeburn introduces this special edition of Briefing on the 1st anniversary of the ending of the 1984-85 Miners' Strike. She explains that the programme will look at two groups of women from Easington and Durham who came together during the strike to support their menfolk. Anna introduces a film made with them over the past year, she explains this is not Tyne Tees’ view of events rather the women and their views of themselves. The film begins with a group of women and children enjoying a display of fireworks. Title: Trouble and Strife Standing beside the Easington Lodge banner a group of women sing a miners protest song. The film changes to the front cover of a book of poems, stories and songs by the women of Easington Colliery called ‘The Last Coal of Spring’. A series of archival still from the dispute are intercut with a woman sitting in an armchair reading an extract from the about the strike. Sitting around her a group of other women listening, she is interviewed and says that while some women have reverted to being a housewife again, if there was another strike they would be back. She goes to talk about those who have continued to be politically active. Beside a stage inside a local working-men’s club a group of mainly Easington women discuss a new theatrical production they are putting on about the strike entitled ‘Not by Bread Alone’. The discussion over they get up and prepare to rehearse. Interview Teesside playwright Margaret Pine about her play and why it was written, she explains that the battles facing these women are not new. Back in the community space rehearsals begin with the women singing the protest song ‘The Red Flag’. As one of the women steps forward to perform a monologue she in intercut with her being interviewed and explaining her involvement in the play, about enjoying herself and her desire to do more. Back at the rehearsal a second woman is chased of stage as part of the performance. She is also interviewed and talks about her involvement. Returning to Margaret Hope, she talks about another miners' strike from 1894 and how the play contrasting that with the present day. Back in the club room the woman seen previously now performs a monologue while nearby two women, one holding a copy of the script, listen on intently. As the monologue continues general views of the pit wheels at Easington Colliery turning and smoking come from the chimneys of terraced housing. The woman seen previously performing the monologue comes out of her backyard into an alley pushing her small child in a pushchair. As she walks past other terraced streets towards the town centre she speaks in voiceover about her early involvement in politics and about what women have achieved because of the strike. Inside a bank she writes a cheque and is given cash by cashier followed by her in a local butcher buying sausages for her family, in voiceover she talks about her family’s financial difficulties before going onto talk about the support she and others in the dispute received from the people of Easington. She continues by talking about how the attitude of some of the men towards the women changed because of the strike, she provides further details. Margaret Hope joins the Easington women as they sit in front of a television watching National Union of Mineworkers President Arthur Scargill making a speech. Margaret talks with the women about what they are now doing to improving the position of women within political organisations. The two women who have already featured in this programme provide their responses making reference to the women at Greenham Common. From the top of a hill rows of terraced houses in Easington changes to Durham Cathedral lit up a night. Inside a local working men’s club women from Women Against Pit Closures talk about why Durham City was a good central hub for protesting during the miners’ strike, some of their first actions during the dispute and why they are continuing as a group now the strike is over. The film returns to the snow-covered byway in Cambridgeshire and the Durham women putting up their banner and making their way along the lane passing a police van full of officers driving in the opposite direction. Ribbons are draped over barbed wire perimeter of RAF Molesworth and protesting women sitting against a metal gate singing a protest song as the Durham women arrive and are greeted warmly with cheers. As the police watch over the protestors, one of the women speaks in voiceover about taking part and why they are there. One of the protesting women speaks with one of the Durham women asking them for help with regards another protest in American involving the Navajo Nation and the mining of uranium and coal. They agree to take the issue to other members of Women Against Pit Closures. All the women, including those from Durham, join hands and sing as they walk around a snowman. As the four women from Durham depart RAF Molesworth the film changes to a meeting of Women Against Pit Closures taking place in a large room inside a local working men’s club. Various topics are discussed including a musical event taking place at Dawdon, one of the committee provides names of some of those musicians taking part. At the bar inside Dawdon Miners Welfare Social Club pints of beer and other drinks are poured. On stage local comedian Mike Elliott is compare for the nights musical entertainment and reminds the surrounding audience why they are there. The crowd applaud and shout as Alan Hull, founder member of the Tyneside folk-rock group Lindisfarne, comes on stage and performs an acoustic version of the band’s song ‘Heroes’. One of the women on the committee for Women Against Pit Closures sits in the audience listening to Alan Hull. The film fades to a photograph of her and her family with her talking in voiceover about her husband’s arrest, how he lost his job and his subsequence court case. As she continues to talk about the family’s experience, she is filmed as a lollypop lady or crossing guard helping children cross a busy road. She goes onto talk about become more aware of politics. Back in the meeting room where Women Against Pit Closures first featured, one of the women talks about wanting to bring the Labour party back to its grass-roots while another is fearful that if the Tory government want to close the pits they are going to do it anyway. Returning to Dawdon Miners Welfare Social Club all the women stand on stage singing Mal Finch’s ‘Here We Go’. Taking the programme into the commercial break and to Eve Bland singing ‘Coat Not Dole’ general views of a derelict colliery and pit yard over the following inter-titles. Title: Since the miners’ strike ended in March 1985 25 pits closed, 5 in the North-East Since the miners’ strike ended in March 1985 35,000 men left the industry nationally, 10,000 likely to go this year Since the miners’ strike ended in March 1985 520 miners remain sacked, 78 in the North-East Title: End of Part One Title: Briefing The programme returns to the Tyne Tees Television studio and Anna Raeburn who leads a discussion on the issues raised in the programme with Edwina Currie Conservative MP for South Derbyshire, Jack Dormand Labour MP for Easington, Dennis Murphy President of the Northumberland National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Beatrix Campbell English writer and activist and Ann Lilburn Secretary of Women Against Pit Closures. The discussion begins with a clip from an edition of the Tyne Tees Television programme ‘Nightline’ recorded nearly a year previous in which Anna Raeburn speaks with Ann Lilburn who states that many of the women who have played an active role in the miners’ strike will not want to go back to just being a housewife, they will want to remain politically active. Returning to the studio Anna ask Ann Lilburn her opinion on the film, about women’s involvement during the strike and what they are looking for now from Women Against Pit Closures. The discussion is opened up to the other members on the panel where there are several heated debates including one between Edwina Currie and both Jack Dormand and Dennis Murphy whom she considers are both being patronising and see women as being like ‘another species’. Beatrix Campbell makes a point about organisations such as the NUM who state that they represent the interests of women but have traditionally fought against them such as now where women are excluded from the union. Title: “Heroes” written and sung by Alan Hull “Coal Not Dole” written by Kaye Sutcliffe, sung by Eve Bland Credit: Stills Photography Keith Pattison Film camera Fred Crone, Dave Dixon Film sound Ian Richardson, Bob Rhodes Electrician George Bush Film Editor John Louvre Film Director Bernard Preston Associate Producer Ian Krause Producer Bob Farnworth Executive Producer Michael Partington End title: TTTV Tyne Tees © Tyne Tees Television Ltd. MCMXXXVI