Mining Communities post 1980's coal closure.

Mining Communities in 1980's Britain 

Easington is a village in Durham which was founded with the specific purpose as serving as a mining community to house miners who worked in the nearby colliery. This village was one that was heavily influenced by mining and the expectation for most children (mainly boys) was that they were to go to work in the mines post-education. Easington was also a filming location of Billy Elliot. 

Following the closure of the colliery, Easington felt separated from the rest of the UK and there was a shared perception of anti-government and anti-establishment. In an article by the Independent, it shows the story of Douglass, whose grandfather and father were involved in previous disputes with the government, representing these disputes almost as if they were wars, showing how much these mines meant to their life and families. This conflict bared with it the idea that the government was against Easington which only furthered their anti-establishment beliefs. "We lost badly, but she didn't win". 

Easington in the current day, according to statistics from ILiveHere.co.uk, has one of the highest rates of unskilled workers and rates of people who accept welfare payments in the UK.  

Many of the mining communities, post closure of the collieries, are deprived and decaying many turning to drug addictions as their community collapses. 

goo.gl/1fmSB7

The backlash that miners faced when in opposition against the authorities was a muddled issue. In many cases it is safe to assume the police where just following their orders; However, one case at the British steel coking works in Orgreave, South Yorkshire during June of 1984 would indicate that the police may have overstepped their boundaries on occasion. During this incident, around 10'000 NUM pickets (including the leader, Arthur Scargill) assembled to halt the transfer of coal into the plant, when they were pushed back by around 5000 police officers. During the incident, riot gear and horses were used and furthermore the South Yorkshire police were sued for over £400,000 for malicious prosecution and assault. Even the tamer confrontations between miners and police probably increased hostilities between the two groups for decades. Therefore, one evident aftermath of the miner's strike is an increased sense of hostility between the authorities and working-class families (especially families that were supported by any of the pits that closed). This can be reflected in the 2011 riots, as those rioters were primarily from working-class families. 

https://goo.gl/5rCgEZ