Thought I'd logged onto the ukip website for a moment. The fund is to help them live through the strike not to pay the subsides.

Presumably they could go back to work though?

Chris.

Given that uneconomic mines have been kept going by subsidies for years, and given the state of the Spanish economy and the Eurozone in general, is it not a tad self-defeating to strike at this time? What can they possible gain?

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Given that uneconomic mines have been kept going by subsidies for years, and given the state of the Spanish economy and the Eurozone in general, is it not a tad self-defeating to strike at this time? What can they possible gain?

Given that the mines will be closed lets turn the question around. What have they got to lose ?

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This reminds me a little of the fleet street debacle and their Spanish Practicies. Why are the miners any different to a quarter of the rest of Spain who are out of work. At least most of them haven't been subsidised for years.

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If their industry and their livelyhoods were not at risk,they would still be working,
Where are these Men going to find work when these Mines are shut,with 24percent unemployment already.

A Man when he has his back to the wall ,has only one way to go,lets hope some of you are never in this situation.

Maybe they could all get jobs as bankers then they'd get subsidised with out a second thought!

Part of the problem is it sounds like the subsidies were too much, subsidies should be used as a way of keeping an industry going through a rough patch and therefore a long term investment in that industry and it's personnel. By supporting a primary industry a government can make back the money (or should be able to) with the secondary industries it supplies, trouble is you can't make money by shuffling it about as Thatcher thought, you have to make stuff people want or need, if you want further evidence look at the Chinese, virtually the rest of the world in recession and the Chinese moaning they've dropped below 8% growth!

The EU should understand that in needs to manufacture things, buying the items form China or India just because they are cheaper isn't going to work long term, if this requires subsidising loss making industries this needs to be considered otherwise you ship money abroad until you run out of money, look at what Walmart did in the States!

Another consideration is the effect on a community, entire towns left wholly dependent on state handouts rather than partially dependent on them, never mind the 24% national unemployment you are looking at 100% local unemployment, those miners home's become worth f... all so can't even move to where there may be work.

I was on strike for about 6 months but without the support of a union, I was fortunate in I had a house else where to move to and the skills to be adaptable when I finally decided enough was enough, resigned and found new work.

Capitalism isn't the answer but nether is Communism! It's somewhere between the two.

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Maybe they could all get jobs as bankers then they'd get subsidised with out a second thought!

Part of the problem is it sounds like the subsidies were too much, subsidies should be used as a way of keeping an industry going through a rough patch and therefore a long term investment in that industry and it's personnel. By supporting a primary industry a government can make back the money (or should be able to) with the secondary industries it supplies, trouble is you can't make money by shuffling it about as Thatcher thought, you have to make stuff people want or need, if you want further evidence look at the Chinese, virtually the rest of the world in recession and the Chinese moaning they've dropped below 8% growth!

The EU should understand that in needs to manufacture things, buying the items form China or India just because they are cheaper isn't going to work long term, if this requires subsidising loss making industries this needs to be considered otherwise you ship money abroad until you run out of money, look at what Walmart did in the States!

Another consideration is the effect on a community, entire towns left wholly dependent on state handouts rather than partially dependent on them, never mind the 24% national unemployment you are looking at 100% local unemployment, those miners home's become worth f... all so can't even move to where there may be work.

I was on strike for about 6 months but without the support of a union, I was fortunate in I had a house else where to move to and the skills to be adaptable when I finally decided enough was enough, resigned and found new work.

Capitalism isn't the answer but nether is Communism! It's somewhere between the two.

Gets my vote

Well said Owain,
Reading the above,was like reading the situation this country is in,hardly ****** all to export to clear our deficit.

I was surprised to learn that the UK is actually 9th in the world league of manufacturers, although dropping. So if we have **** all to export, where does that put the 200 odd other countries below us in the table? Or are the only people who can afford what we manufacture the British? We do put ourselves down too much, I think. We have a strong economy but perhaps don't use it to it's fullest potential to get ourselves out of the mire.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bed7943a-53b5-11e0-a01c-00144feab49a.html 

Anyway, what's that got to do with striking miners in Spain? :confused:

Anyway, what's that got to do with striking miners in Spain? :confused:

Well they shouldn't have to be on strike in the first place.

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Some people are willing to stand up and fight!!!!Or should we all bow down and follow the udm example - good luck to the miners in Spain. Nice to see someone standing up to a right wing government.