Remembrance Day/Coal Not Dole

John Tams wrote the parody 'There is a green hill' to lament the passing of a way of life down the pit. The song blends into 'Coal Not Dole' written by Kay Sutcliffe, wife of a miner from the Kent coal-fields, during the mid-'80s dispute between the Conservative government of Maggie Thatcher and the miners' unions. "Coal Not Dole is one of the most moving testaments of the Miners' Strike of 1984-5. Under attack from a government determined to end the power of the unions, the mining communities fought with a spirit in keeping with a proud tradition—a tradition of strikes, pickets and marches, for better pay and improved working conditions. In 1984 the miners were fighting for their jobs, and the strike became a landmark in English political history." The vocals were rendered perfectly by Coope, Boyes and Simpson + friends.