Glyn Mathias
Prime Minister, is the country now faced with the prospect of the miners' strike continuing for many months ahead?
Prime Minister
Well, I most earnestly hope not both for the sake of the country and for the sake of those who are on strike because they must be very worried indeed after twenty-two weeks without a proper wage packet and they must be very worried about the debts that are building up. But more than that, this government did everything possible to try to prevent the strike. It gave the miners the best deal in history, by the best pay offer they've ever had, by the best investment in the future they've ever had, we've been investing with taxpayers money, two million for every single day we've been in office, in the future of the mines, and we intend to go on that way, to express our faith in the future, no compulsory redundncies, voluntary redundancy pay is the best ever. That was what was on offer and we didn't think it possible with all that to the good the miners could come out on strike and many of them didn't. Then a new argument developed about the closure of uneconomic pits. Uneconomic pits have always been closed, both during the lifetime of the last labour government and during our period. In the debate we had yesterday in the House the opposition agreed that uneconomic pits had to be closed. They even put it into legislation and so the argument then came down to the procedures. But we haven't changed the procedures, the procedures are still the same, so we tried to deal with that by the national coal board putting out a statement about the procedures which were followed, are still being followed, and will continue to be followed. So as between government and opposition there is no difference on this matter.
G. Mathias
The involvement of the courts, the sequestration of NUM funds may serve to deepen and widen the conflict. Are you concerned about that?
Prime Minister
Yes. Just please remember a road haulier had his lorries severely damaged. That means that people who thought they were trying to protect their own jobs, although I don't accept they were, were nevertheless prepared to inflict severe damage on other people's jobs, inflict severe damage on the lorries which enable lorry drivers to go to work. That was the damage. It would be wholly wrong if those who suffered the damage had no redress—wholly wrong—the law is there to uphold the law which has been passed by Parliament. It is administered wholly impartially by Her Majesty's judges.
G. Mathias
What are you going to do to help to stop the industrial conflict getting worse?
Prime Minister
We have done everything we can in this government as I indicated, by making those resources available, by actually agreeing to very heavy social grants, very heavy amounts in voluntary redundancies, paid for by the taxpayer, most of whom don't get that amount offered to them in voluntary redundancies. You look for example at some of the people who've had to come out of jobs in the textile industry, they haven't had some of the voluntary redundancy money that is being offered to the miners. [end p1]
Both sides have been together for seven days. They haven't managed to agree. Mr. Macgregor made a fair and reasonable offer. That's all we can do and hope to goodness that those to whom the offer has been made will realise how fair and reasonable it is, realise the government has great faith in the future, has indicated that faith in the future by the amount of taxpayers money that has been invested in it and now says, look, we believe the coal industry has a duty to other workers, it has a duty to mine pits at a price which will enable us to have electricity at a lower price because so many many people in industry need low price energy because it's a big cost in producing their goods. Do you know France is already offering us electricity at a lower price than we can produce it from coal? That's not good. We have to get our prices competitive.
G. Mathias
Is one of the consequences of the dispute higher electricity bills for everybody?
Prime Minister
Well we'll have to see a little bit later. Unfortunately we … the price of generating electricity at the moment … the cost of generating electricity is up, we'll have to see what happens, it will depend how long the strike goes on. But of course we have a duty to the twenty-three and a half million people in work to keep the wheels of industry turning, twenty-three and a half million people, so many of their jobs would be at risk and indeed unless the government had been very firm and taken the action it has in keeping the industry being produced, many many other people would fear for their jobs—that's hardly brotherly love from one trade union to another. Indeed the steelworkers have had quite a lot to say about that.
G. Mathias
Prime Minister, there have been some recent criticisms of your style of government, some of the adjectives used, even within your own party, are strident and uncaring, are you going to change your style?
Prime Minister
It isn't uncaring, it isn't uncaring in any way. Can I just put one point to you: this government has got a better National Health Service than any other previous government. This government has spent more per pupil on education than any other previous government. This government has got a better deal on the social services than any other previous government. We don't talk a lot about it but that's what we've done and it's what you've done that counts, not how much you say. Secondly, about the other thing that you raised, about the style, I can't change my style. It has to be a style of firm leadership. One isn't here to be a softy. You are here to be a good and firm leader—that's what I try to be. [end p2]
Glyn Mathias
Are you planning a Cabinet reshuffle in the autumn, and how extensive will it be?
PM
There normally is a Cabinet reshuffle merely because so many people who have an ambition to come into Cabinet and work their way up the political ladder must see the possibility of fulfilling that ambition and given an opportunity as we were in the past. I don't plan any extensive reshuffle. There is no need or wish to do that. I don't enjoy them but usually during the recess we have a small one.
Glym Mathias
Are you prepared to allow Mr. Prior to go to the backbenches?
Answer not transcribed.G. Mathias
Are you saying you expect him to continue in the Cabinet?
Prime Minister
I have nothing to say about my reshuffle, I can't reshuffle on television.
G. Mathias
May I ask one final question then. Mr. Cecil Parkinson, will we expect to see him in the Cabinet?
Prime Minister
I don't rule it out before the end of this Parliament, but I think it's a little soon at the moment.
G. Mathias
Prime Minister thank you very much indeed.
Prime Minister
Thank you.