Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. Ten years ago, Billy Liddon, a friend of mine, and an activist from Cwm Colliery National Union of Mineworkers, who has since sadly passed away, told me that he would do no more interviews about the miners' strike because it was being over-romanticised in the media, whereas the reality is that it was a year-long struggle of intense poverty and hardship. So, today, the thirty-fifth anniversary of the day the south Wales miners returned to work, is an opportunity to reflect on the reality of the strike and how it continues to shape our communities today. 

In defence of their jobs and communities, some 12,000 miners were arrested; 9,000 charged and five died. The miners lost the strike, and the Tory Government proceeded to shut all the pits, including those that were profitable. In the words of Michael Heseltine, 'That was the price they paid for taking us on.'