Thirty years on since the miners’ strike of 1984, recollection suggests that had the previous NUM leader Joe Gormley been in charge:

A. No strike would have been called;

B. Neither would he have subjected his members and their families to the financial and social hardships they had to endure, plus the demise of the once-proud national union would not have accelerated at the pace it did.

However, with the benefit of hindsight how many other misfortunes of history could have been avoided?

Peter Rickaby, West Park, Selby.