Coal: filthy, dangerous, and vital to Britain’s economy — but not any more. What did coal mining really mean to people? And why is coal so key to the biggest issues in politics — from the founding of the NHS, to Thatcherism, and even the issue of who should take the blame for the climate emergency? 

Ros Taylor talks to Joerg Arnold, a historian at the University of Nottingham, and Ian Winwood, whose family were coal miners in Yorkshire, about why you have to understand the black stuff to understand Britain. 

• “It was just so brutal.” – Ian Winwood on the Miners’ Strike. 

• “The Thatcher government was taken by surprise that the miners weren’t united, but they were quick to exploit that split.” – Joerg Arnold 

• “Nobody openly acknowledged that we were going to phase out coal.” – Joerg Arnold 

• “They talk about the Red Wall. In 2019 when much of the Red Wall went blue but Barnsley didn’t. That’s not going to happen.” – Ian Winwood 

Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Jade Bailey. Original music by Dubstar. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Jam Tomorrow is a Podmasters production 

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