Early Start

At COP26, Boris Johnson reframed the 1980s pit closures, claiming: “Thanks to Margaret Thatcher, who closed so many coal mines…we had a big early start and we’re now moving rapidly away from coal” (Davies, 2021). In reality, renewables only overtook fossil fuels in 2020 (National Grid, 2024). Such revisionism masks the neo-liberal project behind closures—driven less by “market forces” than by efforts to weaken unions and dismantle the post-war consensus (Kaizuka, 2023). This mix sits in that tension: between narratives of progress and political realities. It weaves songs, soundbites, and compositions interrogating how climate change, resistance, and “green” agendas are exploited, rebranded, or aestheticised for power.