Crucial talks on mine strike plea

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33455, 9 February 1974, Page 1

Crucial talks on mine strike plea

.V.J.P.A.-Kcutcr—CopprifiM 1 LONDON. February 8. Britain plunged into a crisis election campaign today, amid moves—which may be too late —to take sonic of the bitterness out of the poll, on February 28. by calling off the miners’ strike.

Despite personal back-ir ing by the Miners’ Union 1 president (Mr Joe Gorm- ] ley) for a postponement, t militants on his 27-man 1 executive are likely to press hard to go ahead i with the walk-out. , I The executive will hold a 1 crucial meeting this mooting 1 Ito discuss a plea from the 1 Prime Minister (Mr Heath).! iio postpone the national < jstrike, to start this week-end. It Union moderates say this | I would take much of the ran- t Icour out of the campaign, !< lalready billed as the most I I vicious of the century. The “Daily Mail” today; published a survey by I National Opinion Polls giving the Conservatives a 9 per | cent lead over Labour if an - election were fought over the ’ miners dispute. This would' be enough for a majority of possibly 100 seats. Present standings in the Commons are: Conservatives 320, Labour 286. Liberal 11. Independent 6 and Scottish > Nationalist 2. Heath gesture

1 The campaign, along the . theme “Who runs Britain — ' the Government or the 3 unions?” is being run during • a state of emergency which > was ordered three months , ago when the miners began "an overtime ban. r | But Mr Heath, in a new ■ gesture to the miners, yester- - 'day put their case to a Pay I'Board study which would see s if their claim could be con- - sidered a special case, permitting wages above the f maximum allowed under the t wage restraints. The Conservatives are 1. likely to go to the hustings e under the theme “Firm ac--1 tion for a fair Britain.” while v Mr Wilson has hinted on television that the Labour motto

might be: "Conciliation, not confrontation." The first bombshell of the Election came yesterday with the announcement by the Right-wing Conservative. Mt Enoch Powell, that he would not run. An Election at this time was "an act of gross trots ponsibility and essentially fraudulent," he said. The comments mav mean that some of Mr Powell’s conservative supporters might stay away from the polls, but it does remove a thorn from among Mr Heath’s Sown party.