Miners waiting outside Congress House reacted with raw and unrestrained emotion when their president and guide, Arthur Scargill, confirmed the news that their strike had just been ended.
Voices from Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire screamed at their leader, ╥Arthur, you╒ve been betrayed╙, ╥Give us leadership╙, ╥We cannae go back╙.
Mr Scargill, surrounded by the world╒s press and his fellow leaders, Mr Peter Heathfield and Mr Mick McGahey, looked at sodden supporters over the crash barrier and through the police line and said: ╥I want to say this. We have been involved in the greatest industrial struggle ever seen. I want to say to each and every one of you, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.╙
He then retreated back into Congress House. As he did so, one of the Scottish miners, at breaking point, screamed out at the walls of Congress House and the delegates remaining inside: ╥We╒ve given you our hearts, we╒ve given you blood, we╒ve given you everything and then you sell us out. Davie Jones and Joe Green died on the picket line for this and you turn round and slap us in the face with a great big fish.
╥We╒ll never go back to work. You╒re tarred and feathered with the rest of the scabby bastards.╙
All breath and emotion expended, the miner collapsed in tears to be comforted by his colleagues.
John Swain, a Polmaise miner, was equally stunned: ╥I╒ve been sacked for pushing a police officer. I was sacked in September as soon as I was arrested. The judge has just given me a reprimand, but I╒m still sacked. And what have I done? I fought for my job.
╥Why should we go back? We╒ve been out for 12 months and we╒ve got nothing. What sort of a decision is this? It╒s some form of evil treachery.╙
Mr Rick Richmond, one of the Leicestershire Dirty 30 ╤ the Leicestershire miners who defied their area and supported the union since the start ╤ stood quietly crying.
╥I don╒t know what╒s going to happen to us. ╥Our union refused to recognise that we are on strike. They say we are absent from work. We╒re barred from union meetings.
╥But we╒ve proved one thing in this strike. We╒ve proved there are 30 men in Leicestershire.╙
