Durham Miners' Association

The annual service to commemorate the leader of the first mining trade union, the Northumberland and Durham Pitman’s Union formed by Thomas Hepburn in 1825 will be held in St. Mary’s Church, Heworth, Gateshead on Saturday 10^th October commencing at 11 a.m.

Yesterday’s magnificent 100,000 strong demonstration in Manchester shows that people will stand together in solidarity and oppose the Tory government’s plans to decimate our public services, our social security system and to attack trade union rights.

A film showing of the critically acclaimed Tony Benn: Will and Testament hosted by Durham Cathedral last year has raised £2,000 for the Durham Miners' Gala.

Congratulations and a massive thank you to Darren Meadows from Horden in County Durham who completed the Great North Run in 2 hours 45 minutes this weekend to raise funds for the Durham Miners' Gala.

The Durham Miners' Association congratulates Jeremy Corbyn for his landslide victory as Labour leader and sends him our very best wishes. His victory is a massive step forward in the fight against this Tory government's austerity agenda and in the struggle for social justice and peace.

Pictured: DMA President Alan Cummings and Darren Meadows

Later this month, 21 year old Darren Meadows from Horden in County Durham is helping to secure the future of the Big Meeting by taking part in the Great North Run to raise funds for Friends of Durham Miners' Gala.

Pictured: Dave Hopper with Jeremy Corbyn MP and Ronnie Campbell MP at the North East rally in support of Jeremy Corbyn for Labour leader

The Durham Miners' Association joined with over 1,000 people who packed into the Tyneside Theatre in Newcastle to support Jeremy Corbyn for Labour Leader.

Pictured: Jeremy Corbyn MP addressing the 131st Durham Miners' Gala, 11th July 2015.

The Durham Miners' Association fully supports Jeremy Corbyn in his bid to become the next leader of the Labour Party.

Pictured: Dave Hopper, DMA Secretary addresses the 131st Durham Big Meeting, 11th July 2015.

It is my privilege, once again, to welcome all miners, their families and supporters from the wider trade union and labour movement to the 131st Durham Miners’ Gala. 

Despite all the attempts by the Tory press and media to write us out of history, we are still here in massive numbers to celebrate our community spirit and carry our socialist message on behalf of the working class. 

Pictured: Clement Attlee addressing the Big Meeting in 1936

In 2008, the world financial system failed, creating a crisis, economists tell us, far more dangerous than the crisis of 1929. Consequently, the economy of the advanced capitalist countries has entered the longest period of stagnation for a century and the Greek economy is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, threatening to pull down the whole of the European economy with it. In this article, Dave Temple revisits the 1929 crisis and looks how the Labour Party then dealt with the question of austerity. (Published in the official Gala brochure, 2015)