Orgreave

It is quite astonishing that the events of over thirty years ago during the Miners Strike of the early 1980’s continue to be the subject of parliamentary attention. This week the Home Secretary announced that there was not going to be a further inquiry into what happened at the so called battle of Orgreave when striking miners clashed with police. It is not clear to me what would be achieved by such an Inquiry after so many years have passed. It was three decades ago. Police officers will have retired or moved on. In terms of the oversight of the police the arrangements have completely changed. In the case of South Yorkshire there is a democratically Police and Crime Commissioner – a member of the Labour Party as it happens. I do no think it would be a good use of public money to start up an Inquiry after all these years. Labour MP’s complained loudly but seemed oblivious to the fact that they were in power for 13 years when they could have ordered an Inquiry themselves – but they never did.