YP Letters: Why drag up the past over Orgreave violence?

Should there be an inquiry into the policing of Orgreave during the Miners' Strike?

I WAS amazed to read that Tom Richmond has joined the bandwagon calling for the waste of more taxpayers’ monies in dragging through the embers of the Orgreave riots (The Yorkshire Post, May 14).

The facts were quite clear that Arthur Scargill having removed Ted Heath from office, was looking to do the same  to Margaret Thatcher, both of whom had been democratically elected to run the country.

To achieve his political aims, Scargill was using striking miners and others in an attempt to close the coking plant and, once again, bring misery to householders and disruption to vital energy supplies. The police were there to a) protect the right to work of the Orgreave workforce b) to protect and maintain our energy supplies and c) to ensure that the  ballot box wishes of the majority could not be overthrown by a minority.

At Orgreave, where violence was predicted, there were more police casualties than picket casualties and, it is stressed, the police were defending our interests.

If, as is suggested, senior  police officers massaged some  of the evidence, then they  should have been dealt with at the time – as should the instigator of the violence,  Mr Scargill.