The Durham Miners' Gala

Socialist Party members in the North East held a stand at the Durham Miners' Gala on Saturday as in previous years.

The Gala used to be a big Labour Party event but has now become a bit folkloric with brass bands passing through the streets of Durham in front of the banners of the various lodges of the Durham Miners' Association. Not all these banners are original. They are still being made with new designs. And not all say things we might approve of such as "Production for Use not Profit". One paraded through the city showed Jesus walking on water with a slogan saying something about Ye of little faith. Another had a picture of a miner sitting at the feet of Jesus. He seemed to be washing his feet (anyway, wasn’t it supposed to be the other way round?) This reflects the internal politics of the union, where Catholics and Communists vied for power with the different lodges supporting one side or the other. There are of course no longer any pits in Durham, the last one having closed in 1993 so the work of the union now consists essentially of helping former miners get all the benefits and pensions they are entitled to.

In the past Prime Ministers and Leaders of the Opposition used to speak at the Gala. This year it was a minor Scottish MP called Hamilton (or maybe he was the MP for somewhere in Scotland called Hamilton). The Secretary of the Durham Miners union David Hopper also spoke. Our members couldn’t help scoffing when they heard of him calling on the Labour Party to return to its "socialist roots". What socialist roots? we said. He probably meant that Labour should return to trying to promote and defend the interests of workers (but which they've never done when in office anyway, not that they could once they've taken on responsibility for managing the political affairs of UK capitalism). The present Labour government is unpopular even here in one of its supposed heartlands, with clues as to where this support had gone from comments by people who came to our stall. One said she was never going to vote Labour again but had been voting for independents and the Greens instead. Another said that Britain was not longer Great because there were too many foreigners here (not that there are many in this part of Britain).

The organisers must have a sense of humour as (as last year) they put our stand next to Militant's who were asking passers-by (as a way of getting names and addresses) to sign a petition for a New Workers Party, i.e. to try to repeat in the 21st century the failed experience of Labourism in the 20th. But the maddest people there were the "Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)" whose handout advertised a meeting to "Celebrate the Historic Victory of the Korean People". The ordinary Communist Party of Britain, who bring out the Morning Star, probably thinks that state-capitalist North Korea is "socialist" too but prefer to concentrate on more Cuba with its better image.