I BELIEVE that the former Labour leader and father of New Labour Neil Kinnock should also apologise to the miners.

Back in 2009 he accused Arthur Scargill of “suicidal vanity” and said that his leadership of the miners’ strike was a “gift” to the then prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Arthur Scargill thought the roles played by Neil Kinnock, the Labour movement and Margaret Thatcher led to the failure of the Miners Strike.

At that time Neil Kinnock and the Labour Party had no control over the unions, Labour spent the unions’ donations but long to break the unions’ stranglehold over the party.

The miners’ strike was a perfect chance for Labour to take control. If the Tories could defeat the biggest union within the Labour ranks, which they did, Neil Kinnock then could start the ball rolling for reforming the Labour party and the unions hold on the Labour Party.

Andrew Nutt Heolddu Road Bargoed