Communities in Wales that grew strong on coal, grew fearful on the dole

[barryqwalsh]

Popular history in Wales holds that we were the first of the Brits: the original tribes that scraped a living from the sodden island before the Anglo-Saxons pushed us to the fringes.

Political history confirms that Wales was the first Act of Union, the 7,500 words in the 1536 act tying its laws and legal language to England.

But cultural history suggests a distinct identity - with a native language still widely spoken and a clamour to wear the red dragon proudly on the heart for any sporting event, from a Euro 2016 quarter final to a Six Nations clash to…well, a game of tiddlywinks.


Communities in Wales that grew strong on coal, grew fearful on the dole - Independent.ie

 

[barryqwalsh]

What really caused Brexit? Fear? Distrust? Opportunism?


I'd like to politely suggest an additional cause: robots.

Or, to be more precise, a creeping change in our sense of job security brought about by the internet and non-human work replacements.


Robots helped to cause Brexit - and they're not done yet - Independent.ie

 

[Mr. H.]

My grandfather landed in the U.S. in the early 1900's. He was a coal miner in Europe and he continued on as a coal miner in Minnesota before moving to Arkansas and then Oklahoma to mine coal before exploring for crude oil and natural gas. He was born in Austria and married a Slovenian Gypsy whose last name was Rom.

 

[Phoenall]

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Popular history in Wales holds that we were the first of the Brits: the original tribes that scraped a living from the sodden island before the Anglo-Saxons pushed us to the fringes.

Political history confirms that Wales was the first Act of Union, the 7,500 words in the 1536 act tying its laws and legal language to England.

But cultural history suggests a distinct identity - with a native language still widely spoken and a clamour to wear the red dragon proudly on the heart for any sporting event, from a Euro 2016 quarter final to a Six Nations clash to…well, a game of tiddlywinks.


Communities in Wales that grew strong on coal, grew fearful on the dole - Independent.ie

The coal was becoming harder and more expensive to remove from the ground, the mines were becoming unsafe due to water ingress and methane build ups. The miners leaders thought they were superstars and demanded wages to match their status, causing many deep pits to become unworkable when they went on strike so closing and making the miners unemployed. It was called the British disease by Europe, and was one of the reasons they did not want Britain in the EU.