With the lovely advantage of hindsight she maybe cost the government a bigger amount of money by closing the things too quickly without putting in place alternative employment, therefore creating a generation of dole dependence.
62% of mine closures in the 70's were more costly to close, not because we imported German/Polish coal -as we pay for coal whether we buy it on the open market or produce it domestically and other nations were more price competitive. The local deflation and negative multiplier impact and the increased cost from welfare payments made many closures economic madness.
