I was lucky - I never had to work down the pit, but I've huge respect for those who did. They were portrayed as greedy by the media, but the silly buggers spouting such propaganda wouldn't have lasted two minutes faced with the reality of the job. You're right to be proud of your grandad, Peace; miners and farmers were the lifeblood of this country. Perhaps I'm being naive, but it worries me that no-one seems to be actually producing stuff any more, and most of the money they're spending isn't actually real.. How long can that carry on? I think it's the effect of losing all the industry that has given rise to the apparent concentration of right-wing twattism around Codnor though. Once upon a time, people knew who and what they were; now they're all doing what I call non-jobs which provide them with no real sense of worth or identity. That psychological gap has to be filled somehow. Not that I'm defending them - line up the BNP and I'd happily pull the trigger. Even pacifists need a day off now and again. :-)