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TRIBUTE TO SOUTH DERBYSHIRE MINERS We gather here today to pay tribute to South Derbyshire miners.   We honour those who over the generations  fought to build and sustain  their trade union. In just a few months, we will see the 40th Anniversary of the miners’ strike of 1984/85, a historic struggle which drew support from all around the world, in which the Thatcher Government tried to destroy the National Union of Mineworkers.  In the aftermath of the strike, South Derbyshire was a key battleground. It would be remiss of me, not only as former NUM President but as President of the International Energy and Mineworkers’ Organisation, the IEMO, not to mention how the NUM in South Derbyshire was sustained in that traumatic time. Following the creation of the breakaway UDM in 1985, the NUM faced two challenges in this Area.  First, to compel the National Coal Board to deduct NUM contributions from NUM members to pay to the NUM.  Kevin Richards and other NUM Officials including the Chairman today, Paul Liversuch, who became Area President, did a magnificent job in sustaining the NUM membership. Sources such as Wikipedia state that the NUM South Derbyshire miners (NOT the NUM Area) voted by a split ballot decision to merge with the Leicester breakaway UDM — NOT TRUE.   Over half the South Derbyshire miners who had been members of the South Derbyshire Area continued as an Area of the NUM, electing Kevin Richards as Area Secretary. During this turbulent period, the Area Union had no office – and therefore the IEMO, or the IMO as it was then, purchased 62 Alexandra Road, Swadlincote, for the benefit of the NUM South Derbyshire.   I was proud that the IMO was able to give that support to the NUM membership in this Area. SUPPORT PALESTINE As we meet today to honour mineworkers who went before us, others around the UK and the world are gathering in support of the Palestinian people. I can tell you as President of the IEMO that alongside my political party, the Socialist Labour Party, we have condemned the fascist state of Israel which illegally occupies land which belongs to the various peoples of Palestine. References made by the media to the invasion by Hamas into Israel on 7 October are misleading – in that Gaza, and the West Bank, and East Jerusalem are unlawfully occupied by Israel, and people in an occupied state will campaign and fight for their freedom. The Polish Jews, for example, trapped in the Warsaw Ghetto, broke out and fought against the occupation by the German Nazi Army. The slaughter which Israel is now committing in Gaza, and on the West Bank, has been condemned by the United Nations Security Council with the exception of one vote – the United States. Earlier this week, the UN General Assembly voted by 153 votes for a ceasefire, with 23 abstentions and only 10 votes against:  among those 10 were Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States. It seems the United States has forgotten that when they were occupied by the British they rose up and fought for independence – and were right to do so. The IEMO and Socialist Labour Party have called for a ceasefire in Gaza – which must lead sooner rather than later to the end of Israel’s occupation and the liberation of Palestine. Israel’s leaders should be tried for war crimes and genocide by the International Criminal Court.   Just as the struggle of the miners became an international cause in 1984/85, the struggle of the Palestinians is our struggle too. Arthur Scargill 16 December 2023

The vote of the Security Council supported by 13 of 15 of the permanent members, co-sponsored by 100 countries was vetoed by the USA with the UK abstaining. This vote was  crucial to stop the Genocide which is being inflicted on the Palestinian people in Gaza. It would’ve provided for a Ceasefire;  a permanent one, humanitarian aid, an end to the displacement of 1.9 million Palestinian people and demand the establishment of a Palestinian State.The State of Israel is being granted permission by it’s ally; the USA, to carryon committing Genocide. Today, 75 years after a resolution was  brought forward from the  General Assembly on the Prevention And Punishment Of The Crime Of Genocide, the UN has shown it is powerless to stop Genocide. Kathrine Jones, Socialist Labour Party, Wales. 9/12/2023

From Chris Butler, Yorkshire Region, Socialist Labour Party 1/12/2023

2024 will include the 40th anniversary of the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike in which great sacrfices were made to improve the lives of working people. Each year a wreath is laid at the Miners’ Memorial Statue at Swadlincote near Burton in Derbyshire. You are welcome to attend along with National Union of Mineworkers’ leader at the time, Athur Scargill.

In view of the failure of the U.K. Parliament to call for a Cease Fire at a critical point of genocide in Gaza, with the Labour Party opposition being directed not to support it there is an urgent need for Trade Unions, Trade Councils within the Labour Movement to lead in taking action for peace and justice in Palestine. According to the Morning Star a significant number of members of the Shadow Cabinet in Westminster have received payment from Israeli support groups. How far this has reached across all parties in the U.K. Parliament is hard to say, including affecting the vote on an immediate Cease Fire held this week. Such corrupt practices must be dealt with. Clearly the longer a cease fire takes to be put in place the longer people will die and suffer. At the moment hospitals in Gaza can no longer help save life or tended to the thousands of wounded. This is totally against International Law and those who support it must be held to account. Chris Butler, Socialist Labour Party Yorkshire Area 17/11/2023 Boycott, Divest, Sanctions site https://bdsmovement.net/get-involved/what-to-boycott

It’s more than likely that the vote for a Cease Fire in Gaza would have been higher in the U.K. parliament – and the result for Leader Sir Keir Starmer significantly worse – had not 2/5ths of his Shadow Cabinet had not received funding from sources in supportof Israel. The Morning Star reports donations were received by Starmer, Deputy Rayner, Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and Shadow International Secretary, Lias Nandy. Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves was given £17,000 for a visi to Israel. More than half of the Shadow Cabinet are Labour Friends of Israel. https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/two-fifths-starmers-cabinet-have-been-funded-pro-israel-lobbyists-declassified-uk What goes on in Westminster is very poorly served by the so-called news services available to us which serve propaganda in place of accurate information i.e. what we all need to know. Votes on a cease fire are a matter of life and death to countless people without basic needs for existence. It is a matter that needs to be referred to the International Criminal Court when what is being supported are war crimes and crimes against humanity. John Tyrrell, Socialist Labour Party 17/11/2023

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, (Bibi) has been left holding the babies thrown out of their incubators at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Amazingly they are not dead or buried under tons of rubble, and Israel is talking about sending ambulances to take them away. Where they don’t say because there is no where to go and shortages of supplies in power, water and all essentials for life. Maybe Bibi has a safer place to hide before being summoned to the International Criminal Court to answer accusations of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. There’s quite a queue, including those world leaders who not only supported him in unleashing an unprecedented genocide of civilians, largely children and women, but who donated amazing sums of money from taxpayers, none of whom consented to this. Hopefully they will soon be out of office and lining up in the Hague. John Tyrrell, Socialist Labour Party 13/11/2003

RTE reports on an Irish parliamentary debate advocating that Ireland should refer Israel to the International Criminal Court for its action in bringing about Genocide on a massive scale against a civilian population, including an extremely high proportion of women and children. This was raised by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald. http://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2023/1111/1415924-sf-ardfheis/ The most recent assaults have included children’s hospitals. Already starved of the essentials to allow work to continue: power for incubators, supplies of medicine, access to heat, light and water and so on. Israel claims that people were warned to evacuate the North of Gaza, but then reports emerged of unprotected people walking along the road south, supposedly a safe thoroughfare. Similarly bombing has continued in the south of Gaza, including at the Rafah crossing which Egypt has tried to keep open for essential supplies. Arthur Scargill, John Tyrrell, Socialist Labour Party 12/11/2023

The Socialist Labour Party has asked why those calling for a cease fire in Gaza don’t take action. It has been reported on November 5th that Jordan did just that by dropping supplies to a hospital fast running out. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/jordan-says-air-force-dropped-urgent-medical-aid-gaza-2023-11-06/ Now Italy is sending a hospital ship into coastal waters and considering a field hospital. Humanitarian aid is clearly possible without waiting for the United Nations to get agreement on a cease fire or humanitarian pause. It has also been noted that a number of countries have recalled their Israeli ambassadors. However Ireland whose people have shown tremendous solidarity with Palestinians failed to do this when Sinn Fein abstained on the motion to do just that. We don’t understand the failure to lose the opportunity to take a united stand against this apartheid state at odds with the will of the people and Ireland’s record in standing up against oppression by occupying powers. We call upon all those other states who have stated their solidarity with those trapped in Gaza, expressing revolt against killings and suffering from relentless bombardment, to follow Jordan and Italy in their example. Furthermore they should be prepared to take action should their aid be threatened with destruction as has happened to some of that already delivered. In addition to announcements of numbers of dead it is rarely mentioned that thousands are still trapped in rubble, dead or alive. Reports today speak of operations carried out without power and equipment needed to carry out operations. Amputations have to take place without anaesthetic. Both Jordan and Italy must be saluted for their bold stand in giving some hope in this respect. Others still supporting this barbarity should hang their heads in shame. We hope those who elected them will take action to remove them from office and far out of positions of power. Their part in actively supplying Israel with the means to carry out these outrages gives firm ground for prosecution for war crimes. A number of commentators shown on Youtube, some of whom are close to the U.S. administration, have identified this as a possible outcome. Arthur Scargill and John Tyrrell, Socialist Labour Party 8/11/2023

Rob J. Hawkins, Socialist Labour Party, South West Region 7/11/2023