Backwoodsman take a look at who did close the pits - more shut down under Labour than ever there were under the Conservatives. The NCB and a "nationalised coal industry" was great as long as you could afford to pay £250 million a day to subsidise it and keep it running. The cost of their coal was prohibitively expensive and it just did not make any economic sense for our industries to pay it in order to get power. Neither could we as a nation afford to have Trades Union Officials think and act as if they were a law unto themselves and feel that they could use their muscle to dictate to the elected government of the country.

Oh and by the way Backwoodsman if you want examples of leaders being elected on absolute minimalist turn outs look no further than the Trades Union movement (a 15% turn out is considered high!!!!).