musket you are being unfair to richard bridge. he's not an armchair socialist, he's an armchair socialite.

this thread has been a sad reminder. i was over there during the ted heath strike, an briefly for the eighties strike. having been a driller and blaster--we guys who go in before the miners--long before i went to university and became a lawyer, i have long been horrified by the treatment of miners in the uk, especially the occupational health and safety standards. when i was drilling and blasting we had tough work and lots of risk but we were hot house flowers compared to what the miners faced everyday over there. the safety standards looked eighteenth century to me. people who take such risks and power the nation deserved a lot better. hwoever the "city" boys run it all now.