A 1936 confrontation with Mosley’s BUF became part of a wider international struggle, with local activists later joining the fight against fascism in the Spanish civil war. TONY FOX tells the story ahead of a 90th anniversary commemoration event
Looking back to the 1984-5 strike, Durham miners' leader Davey Hopper believes that the dispute was not primarily about the coal industry.
He explains his comment, which is at face value surprising, by asserting that the main concern of Margaret Thatcher's Tory government was to neuter the trade union movement.
"I believe the strike wasn't about the coal industry. It was about trade unionism and the miners were seen as in the vanguard of that movement," Hopper says.
Plaid Cymru’s Caerffili by-election win raised hopes on the left — but the complex realities of Wales suggest the Senedd election may be far less predictable, argues CATRIN ASHTON
MIKE QUILLE applauds an excellent example of cultural democracy: making artworks which are a relevant, integral part of working-class lives
The Home Secretary’s recent letter suggests the Labour government may finally deliver on its nine-year manifesto commitment, writes KATE FLANNERY, but we must move quickly: as recently as 2024 Northumbria police destroyed miners’ strike documents
Durham Miners’ Association general secretary ALAN MARDGHUM speaks to Ben Chacko ahead of Gala Day 2025


