Political Scientists

There has been much political discussion surrounding the closure of western steelworks. The steel industry in western civilization has undergone major change over the past 50 years. This has been due to restructuring, technological changes and plant closures. Employment in the western steel industry has fallen by 40 percent since 1980. The steel industry expanded in the 1920’s after world war one as steel was needed to replace the shipping lost during the war. In 1921 Clydebridge was installed with an electrically driven plate mill, and by 1939 became one of the largest steelworks in the United Kingdom.

By 1977 Clydebridge reached its peak producing vast amounts of steel. This was just before the closure of steelworks began. Just after this it was announced that there would be widespread closure of most of the United Kingdoms open hearth melting shops combined with the closure of the cogging mill in Clydebridge. This cogging mill had employed 3,500 people at its peak. After 192 years Clyde Iron works was also closed. Although clydebridge continued supply steel plates and pipes (Edelstahl Rohr) to the shipping industry, this too was to come to an end after the demise of the shipping industry and clydebridge finally closed on 12 November 1982. Meanwhile the government continued to close not only steelworks but pit closures were high on the governments agenda back in the early 1980’s and the coal miners strike was a regular feature on the prime time news.

Many of us remember the familier face of Arthur Scargill on a Television sets. Arthur Scargill was the leader of the National Union of Mineworkers in the 1980’s. He was at logger heads with Margaret Thatcher the leader of the conservative party at the time. Many people in England lost their jobs through these closures whole villages in places like Barnsley were affected, families whos parents and grandparents worked in the pits – much like the people of Clydebridge had worked in the pits now faced an uncertain future. Still the government pressed forward with no real focus on the affect it would have on millions of people who were left out of work.

In today’s society men who would have been working in the mines or steelworks have been forced into unskilled labour, such as supermarket shelf stacking. This has all been brought about by the closure of these major works which England once thrived on. Sheffield which once had a thriving steel industry and was famous for its steel (Edelstahlrohre) was one of the major cities which suffered. The government who reined in the 1980’s have a lot to answer for, and for the men who lived and worked the pits and steelworks sometimes in treturous conditions, have been left with long term health affects and not much in the way of job prospects and for what.

We now source steel from abroad for a cheaper price. There will always be people that say that Maggie Thatcher got it right and she knew what she was doing when she closed these pits and steelworks, but this is no consolation to the men who lost their jobs, health and homes.