Growing up in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales under the glorious rule of Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher and her goose-stepping government was quite an experience to behold. The National Coalmine Union was crushed and the workers were brought to their knees. South Wales was one of the geographical regions that were rich with coal and the society depended both local and national were dependant on the services that this industry provided. There were two choices for boys growing up in working–class South Wales; you could go and work underground or join the army. The coalmines were closed without any government support to provide any infrastructure for people who did not have any work or related skills to apply for other forms of employment. One could argue that the strong and vibrant British economy that we see today owes itself, in part, to the doctrines of the Thatcher years. I witnessed a local economy that was crushed and the doors opened to drugs and crime. One of her ministers told the many unemployed that if they wanted work they should get on their bikes and look for it. Years later I took their advice and got on a plane and came to America.
These posters depict many of my fondest memories of Merthyr Tydfil as a young boy. They are juxtaposed against some of the phrases used by the Thatcher Government. We would go to a local shop in high school lunch break and purchase half a round loaf of bread (called a Cob) and then scoop out the dough and fill it with either crisps (chips) or chips (fries). The result was glorious sensory overload. We would purchase delicious candies with fantastic names like ‘flying saucers’ and ‘sherbet fountains’ that were both filled with a bitter white sherbet powder. The sensation of dipping the licorice stick into the sherbet powder is a memory that will stay with me forever. We would eat handfuls of Flying Saucers as we blindly made our way home from the baths (swimming pool), in threes, because there was too much chlorine in the water.
Limited edition posters will be available for sale in the near future.
