A message from the Durham Miners Association, to our coalfield communities as we prepare to go to the polls in the council elections on May 1...
There are many within our communities who feel disaffected and abandoned by the current Labour Government. We at the Durham Miners Association (DMA) understand your disappointment. Some people are considering voting for Reform UK as a solution to the many problems faced by constituents within our proud communities. The message from the DMA is simple – look at the track record of the leader of Reform UK. It does not make pleasant reading for workers.
- He was given the opportunity to vote to protect workers on zero hour contracts whilst he served in the European Parliament. He declined to do so
- He abstained on a vote to help small farmers
- He abstained on a vote to help workers on Minimum wage
- He turned down funding from the European Union for food banks
- He opposed taxes on very rich corporations
- He backs tax cuts for the wealthiest in society.
- He supports replacing our state funded NHS with the introduction of healthcare insurance which would deny the vast majority of us access to medical treatment.
This is what the leader of Reform UK said about Thatcher and the closure of our pits and steelworks:
"I supported Margaret Thatcher. She was right and it may have caused a little pain for some people but it had to happen".
So effectively, if you vote for Reform UK, you are voting for an old Tory posh boy millionaire who was fine with throwing miners on the dole, closing pits and destroying our communities. While he was making money as a stockbroker in the 1980s and supporting Thatcher's destructive policies, he clearly didn’t give a damn about us up here. Don't be fooled. He hasn't changed. A vote for Reform is a vote for the policies of Thatcher.
Reform are not on your side.
Durham Miners Association