Point 11 - coal from aborad is cheaper

See France. No longer operates any coal mines as cost wise was uneconomic given cheaper cost of importing coal from Australia and Eastern Europe which (even including transportation costs) was much cheaper. France now has to pay 320,000 ex miners 80% of their previous salaries each year for life for sitting around doing nothing.

The decade with the most coal mine closures was the 60's when under the LABOUR government 300 coal mines were closed with a loss of approx 430,000 jobs.

The closures under Thatcher could obviously have been handled on a more gradual basis with more of a support network put in place (and probably would have been had it not been for the stand off with the Unions) but Thatcher or no Thatcher most of those pits/mines would have closed anyway.

Posted By: Jim, Apr 9, 16:40:30