MINERS' leader Arthur Scargill had them stomping in the aisles with a stirring call for a return to true Socialism when he spoke in Bolton last night.

It was standing room only at the Wood Street Socialist Club in Bolton town centre as the Yorkshire firebrand delivered his Socialist Labour Party message.

And 10 members of his audience were so impressed they immediately signed up to become party members!

Mr Scargill should have been making his speech in the much larger Bank Street Unitarian Chapel, a couple of hundred yards away.

But, as reported in the BEN, trustees voted against allowing the meeting to go ahead.

Mr Scargill was in Bolton to support Lancashire NUM general secretary Billy Kelly, who is to fight Bolton North-east for the SLP at the next general election.

Mr Scargill said the SLP was Britain's fastest growing political party as he outlined policies.

Mr Kelly also spoke, but the most rousing applause of the night was reserved for the party's youngest member, 15-year-old Katrina Lomas, daughter of a redundant Parkside miner, who spoke of her vision for a fairer Britain.

The fourth speaker was one of the party's newest recruits, Bakers' Union official Pauline Nazir.

Mr Kelly said today: "It was disappointing that we could not use Bank Street, because I'm sure we would have filled it. It was standing room only at Wood Street, but it was a very successful meeting in the end."

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