DURHAM Miners’ Association secretary Alan Mardghum says there is one theme to this year’s Big Meeting: celebrating the key workers whose sacrifices got us through the pandemic.

“It’s about saying thanks for the dangers workers faced, for the work they put in. We’re giving them the biggest platform in the working-class calendar.”

For the first time in its 152-year history, there will be no politicians addressing the Gala field nor on the balcony saluting the silver bands as they march past.

Two key workers — nurse Holly Johnston, a GMB member, and postie Rohan Kon of the CWU — will address the crowds, alongside the leaders of unions fighting to get essential workers the pay rises they deserve — Sharon Graham of Unite, Jo Grady of the UCU, Christina McAnea of Unison, Patrick Roache of NASUWT and Mick Lynch of RMT, as well as Yvette Williams from the Justice4Grenfell campaign.

“We want people to hear what it was actually like for a nurse on a cancer ward, for a worker on the front lines, not more from the politicians.

“It’s a conscious decision to hand the Gala to key workers.”

Mardghum waves away my suggestion that the absence of political figures is a statement about their failure to deliver for working-class people.

“No, no. It’s that we don’t want to detract in any way, shape or form from the importance of celebrating workers. At the end, the politics is secondary.

“There’ll be a lot of political statements made during the speeches. I intend to make a political statement.

“But that’ll be in the context of supporting key workers and appreciating what they have done for us, some lost their lives for us — you cannot ask for any more than that from anybody.”

But that doesn’t mean the Gala is any less political than it’s ever been. Tories may have tried to present it as a non-political cultural event — after the 2019 election newly elected Conservative MPs in the “red wall” made much of their plans to attend.

“It’s gone really quiet,” Mardghum says. “In 2019, early 2020 they were shouting from the rooftops they would attend. 

“We didn’t want people like that. I mean if they chose to turn up they could turn up... but they are not interested in our values. But they’ve gone quiet now.

“I remember Michael Gove bragging on the television that the two biggest cultural working-class events were now held in Tory-held constituencies.

“It was a lie, because he named one as the Gala and Durham city is still Labour. And the other was the Notting Hill Carnival. Well, it should frighten the life out of him that the two are coming together and the Mangrove Steel Band will be at the Gala. They are our friends and comrades and they will be made very welcome.

“We are reciprocating by sending a brass band to Notting Hill Carnival in August. 

“This is about inclusivity. About tolerance. About love and peace and about workers.

“Because the Gala is our heritage, our history. The past we inherit, the future we build. And we are sharing that heritage with everyone who shares our values.

“It’s political, and it’s cultural. Some people come for the politics. Some people come just to see the beautiful banners — 60 this year, with six new banners to be blessed in the cathedral. Some to listen to the bands, the music, and there will be over 50 bands coming.

“And the backbone of the Gala are those groups, representing pits that have been closed for donkey’s years but where there is that pride in the community, a community spirit. The pits of the Durham coalfield, all the way from the north bank of the Tees to the south bank of the Tyne, a massive area.

“As socialists we’ve known for years who the real heroes are — certainly not the politicians, but the workers.”

Those workers though are being betrayed by government — with pay being forced below inflation. What’s the significance of the Gala to the industrial battles of today?

“It’s massively significant. This is the biggest platform in the working-class movement. And this year it will be huge.

“It will be reminiscent of the 1960s when you had hundreds of thousands coming. Pre-pandemic the Gala was increasing in size again, up to 2019 when we had about 200,000 on the streets — but it’ll be a hell of a lot more than that this year. 

“It’s going to be massive. It won’t get much coverage on the TV, they’ll be more interested in showing you the Yorkshire Show, a few animals and tractors and stuff rather than these hundreds of thousands on the streets, but we’ll be there and we’ll be celebrating those key workers.”

Having been online for two years because of Covid, Mardghum says there’s an even greater demand for the Gala now.

“People just want to get together. I’ve never known anything like it, the excitement building ever since we announced it was definitely on. A constant stream of interest.

“And these key workers, and their representatives, will get the biggest working-class platform — in the world, I think — and we will stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters across the world.

“The Durham Miners are not a registered trade union any more, we have no working members. We have our own battles — battles over pensions, the scandal of the miners’ pension scheme [robbed of billions over decades by successive governments], Orgreave.

“It is difficult to organise the Gala — the cost of it rises every year — so we’re grateful to support from the movement, and from the Marras, the friends of the Gala. Anyone can become one and there’ll be a stall with details on the field.

“We have the support of the trade union movement in those and we show our solidarity today. Those industrial battles are exactly what we’ll be hearing about.

“A late addition to our platform is Mick Lynch. The rail workers were lauded as heroes and heroines a few months ago and now they’re the new enemy within — with the media and government demonising them.

“Well, the miners know what that’s like. And we’ve watched as the media have tried to catch Mick Lynch out and he’s absolutely hammered them. And he’ll be doing just that as a representative of key workers alongside other general secretaries representing workers in struggle on the platform.”

I spoke to Mardghum as Cabinet ministers lined up in No 10 aiming to give Boris Johnson his marching orders. But scathing as he is about the prime minister who “got drunk with his mates” while working people risked their lives to keep the country running and others safe, the DMA leader won’t be satisfied till “the lot of them” are gone, and a general election puts an end to the whole government.

“They are absolutely corrupt. And that will be said on the day, but what we want is to concentrate on the value of working people, of the key workers, the front-line workers.

“It’ll be a great day.”