Arthur Scargill to be expelled from the National Union of Miners

By Paul Goodman

I know, I know: as a headline, it's roughly comparable to: "Norman Bates to be expelled from family motel".  It's not easy for people of my generation to imagine the NUM without him.

Still, according to the Press Association -

"Mr Scargill, who led the union through a bitter, year-long strike over pit closures in the 1980s, is among a number of people who have received letters saying they no longer qualify for membership. Mr Scargill, the union's former president, has told friends he intends to fight the move,

He retained an honorary position within the NUM after standing down as a full-time official and has been engaged in work for the union.

Ken Capstick, who has worked for the union for 30 years and currently edits its Miner magazine, has also been told he is being expelled.

"We have been told that the reason we are being expelled is that we don't qualify under the union's rules," Mr Capstick told the Press Association.

On second thoughts, forget the Norman Bates business.  After all, Bates was insane.  Soviet Union-supporting Scargill, on the contrary, had (and I presume still has) all his wits about him when he tried to utilise mass violence to overthrow an elected Government.

Lest we forget, have a look at this.