BOTH SIDES HARDEN

AS THE national miners' strike enters its third week, the Tory government's strategy is emerging ever more sharply.

With continued co-operation of the TUC and the other trade union leaders, the Tories hope to isolate the miners and starve them back to work.

Robert Carr, the Employment Secretary, demonstrated his plans after Friday's separate meetings with NUM leaders and Derek Ezra, head of the National Coal Board.

In a brief statement Carr said: "There is no further move I could make which would help them towards a settlement.' In other words, he has completely rejected any suggestion of an increase in the offer. But what's more important, he has instructed Ezra and company to sit tightthey are not to give an inch.

Following his three • hours with the Tory Minister, Ezra's attitudes had hardened considerably.

He attacked the union's picketing policy, particularly at Doncaster. Later on Friday night the NCB press (propaganda) office issued a statement which said:

'We are reasonably cértain that Trotskyists and the Institute for Workers' Control (!) were involved at Nottingham.

This accusation - like the one made by a Notts NCB director last week-has been completely repudiated by local miners.

Thoresby colliery strike committee member Padds Hanlan told Workers Press:

'These people are seeing reds everywhere. The people running the picket lines here are miners.' A WEEK without pay and two new rebuffs from the NCB and the government has strengthened S Wales miners' determination to make the strike bite, lan Yeats writes from Merthyr Lydil There were tense moments at the end of last week when many miners feared the NUM national executive would settle for £3 if Ezra offered i Cliff Jones, won _ compensation secretary at Colliery, near Pontypridd, told me:

"The men are 100 per cent for the strike now. At our mass meeting this morning cvery man voted for the full £9 or nothing!' On the opposite side of the coalfield,. Blainsearchan lodge Ted . Priddle, said: 'After week's talks in London, I think it is going to be a long fight.

'We had not really organized the picketing until now. But this week we will have our boys out every day at the steelworks and power stations' Thousands of miners received less money than they were expecting for their dependants when they queued for. social security benefits on Thursday and Friday.

'anti-Soviet activities' returned to Moscow at the weekend after completing his five-year jail sentence. Ginsburg was arrested in 1967 and tried with three other writers Because they went back to work after a week during the 1970 strike, miners were given payments as well as executive to co-ordinate strategy with the NUM for strike action in support of power workers' claim • for a substantial pay increase.