President of the National Union of Mineworkers thanks the Irish people for their support during the British miners' strike.
Arthur Scargill thanked the Irish people for raising money to support the British miners during the recent dispute in the mining industry.
Had it not been for the generous contributions from all over the world, and in particular from Ireland, we could not have sustained the dispute.
He is sure that if the need should ever arise, the miners would show their reciprocal support to the people of Ireland.
A member of the audience asks Arthur Scargill about media coverage of the miners' strike. Some newspapers placed the blame for the strike on him, while other newspapers hailed him as a hero. Arthur Scargill joked that he wished he knew which newspaper praised him as he was not aware of one. He describes the media coverage of the strike in British media as absolutely appalling. He is consoled by something an old socialist told him: if the media is smearing you, you know you are doing the best that you can for the people you represent.
They tended to personalise the issues and to smear individuals like myself.
Arthur Scargill refutes any claims that the strike failed as many of the pits remain open. He says that the biggest victory was the struggle itself and the emergence of women's support groups. He praises the more than 50,000 women who campaigned to win support for the dispute and the cause of the miners.
This episode of The Late Late Show was broadcast on 20 April 1985. The presenter is Gay Byrne.
