Orgreave

[Norman Verona]

My information, from several who were there in the mounted section, was that the picketing mob (rent-a-mob, not miners) had spent 3 days bricking the Police and rolling marbles under the horses hoofs.

So, early on the 4th day they charged the mob and drove them over a hawthorn hedge at the end of the field. Problem was there was a 10 foot drop on the other side.

Apparently an inspector from Thames Valley Force was driving the Transit Hoolie van around the field at 5 am playing Ride of the Valkyries through the PA system.

They were given guidance on their statements so that there was a consistency, not to falsify evidence.

Anyway, that's my understanding of the riot.

[V8grunt]

Wont be long before they start opening the mines up again!

Jobs for all!

[Norman Verona]

Probably be blaming South Yorkshire Police for the Jimmy Saville scandal next.

[Norman Verona]

Just watched the BBC report on the Orgreave riot. Why were all the officers interviewed on the programme on the periphery of the incident. There are dozens of retired bobby's who were there for the 3/4 days before the battle but none were interviewed. They are well known and all in the phone book.

[jeff oakley]

I come from South Yorkshire and the pain of the strike still hurts those involved, most of my family was on strike at that time, Lions lead by a donkey.

At the time there were police from all over the country and if what people told me who were on the picket lines, the police from Yorkshire had sympathy with the miners plight, as they understood how much pain was being suffered by the miners. There were also officers from the met who had no such understanding and thought it was a good idea to wave pay checks at those on strike as they were earning a fortune whilst there.

On both sides there were those who wanted violence and it inevitably happened.

I have no doubt at that time some senior officers wanted to control every thing so news of "advice" on how to write statements, being given does not surprise me. I just hope that the legal vampires don't see this as another easy pay day on the back of the revalations about SYP following the Hillsbrough tragedy. It needs to put behind everyone

[Norman Verona]

Jeff, thank you for a voice of reason. It was common practice in all forces to get officers statements on incidents where large numbers of Police were involved to agree. This was to stop smart lawyers picking out the differences that would occur between statements in court.

Because statements were the same or so similar didn't mean they were untrue.

If you had been standing in a line for 3 days having bricks and bottles thrown at you how would you react? If the rent-a-mob couldn't take the violence they perpetrated they shouldn't have started it.

You are right about the feeling of the miners families to the Police. The original point of the Ring Farm show was to rebuild the bridges between the two communities. I remember talking to a chap from Cudworth about miners families and he told me his family wouldn't talk to a section of their family due to them being blacklegs. This was in circa 2003. He was talking about the miners strike in 1928, not the 1980's.

[Young Pretender]

So why were officers advised on statements for consistency?

[Norman Verona]

because, if they all had slightly different versions, as they would if they just wrote down there own narrow perspective the smart lawyers would pull any prosecution to pieces. As it happened they went too far and this led to the same happening.