Richard Thompson – Blackleg Miner (trad.)

I have a general fondness for the roots of music as a tool for political education and organization. And I naturally support the right of workers to organize for better wages and working conditions. Some complain about unions while ignoring how the institutions themselves organize into manufacturing associations (and other organizations) and use their collective wealth to leverage the laws and power over their workers. It’s completely fair for workers to have the right to organize in return, to leverage their strength in concert with one another. Anyhow, here is a traditional English folk song on scab (aka “blackleg”) miners. Performed by Richard Thompson, the song probably dates to the 19th or possibly early 20th century.

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