Five issues ago Michael Stewart expressed his hostility to Arthur Scargill’s leadership of the miners’ strike. Now Harold Hancock of Grimethorpe, who has taken part in the strike, says what he thinks

In January 1984, two months into an overtime ban, with the spectre of strike hanging over us, if anyone had asked me, ‘If we strike how long will we be out?’ I certainly would not have said eight months. But here we are: 32 weeks on strike, and prepared to do another 32 if need be. Why? Principles. To protect our jobs and, above all, our communities.