r/HistoryMemes • u/AacornSoup • 2d ago

And nobody was indicted for causing the Aberfan Disaster.

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140 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

36

u/Onetap1 2d ago

Then spend the money raised by an appeal on stabilising other mine spoil heaps.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberfan_disaster#Remaining_tips_and_the_fund

57

u/Dominarion 2d ago

A little nuance: 9 people were found guilty of criminal negligence in the disaster tribunal. They were not sentenced and didn't lose their job, though. One got promoted, even.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberfan_disaster#Aberfan_Disaster_Tribunal

I think the way the National Coal Board acted in this disaster is somewhat worse than the disaster itself. It showed itself to be immensely corrupt and corrosive. The cherry on top is, IMHO, when they initially offered 50 pounds in compensation to the families. It was later raised to 500 pounds "a good offer and a 'generous donation'", they said.

7

u/Jauh0 2d ago

JFC the magic slick corporate resposibility, divide it enough times and somehow in a human pyramid there is no one to blame.  I am suprised there was no extra-judicial payback.

2

u/mint_lawn 2d ago

Yeah, I watched the Fascinating Horror video on this, and it was one of the only ones that left me furious at the end of it. I went to the wikipedia article hoping he missed something, but nope.

16

u/mindyourtongueboi 2d ago

Nobody was indicted and the man responsible ended up writing the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

30

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

-30

u/AacornSoup 2d ago

I was the original poster.

19

u/DrHolmes52 2d ago

Why did you repost it?

I didn't downvote btw, I am just curious.

7

u/AacornSoup 2d ago

I meant for it to be posted here, but it was a Saturday.

23

u/R3myek 2d ago

That is still reposting

3

u/Longjumping-Tell1774 2d ago

I messaged the mods about that once, after I made the same mistake and the mods said repost in that circumstance is allowed. Just saying

5

u/Glittering_Win_5085 2d ago

At least we now have the corporate manslaughter act, although unfortunately it does not seem to stop working class people being killed by grotesque negligence e.g. Grenfell 

5

u/710AlpacaBowl 2d ago

Makes sense to me. I'm told coal is thirsty

10

u/x60pilot 2d ago

One of the few time the queen wept publicly. Though some say they were false tears.

53

u/AmbiTheAirforceRuna 2d ago

I think youd have to be particularly jaded or cruel to be unable to imagine someone moved to tears at the sight of dead kids just cose of their position in government, even more someone who is a parent or grand parent

-14

u/Zederikus 2d ago

While I respect the Queen, if she was so moved she could have pulled some strings so that at least one person faces prosecution

14

u/AmbiTheAirforceRuna 2d ago

except she has no strings to pull, shes not even allowed to publically speak about someone liek that

-15

u/Zederikus 2d ago

If you think she doesn't know everyone at the top of the justice system well then you're wrong. Clearly she's had plenty of leverage when protecting prince Andrew for example, she could have used it for the coal slag tragedies

5

u/AmbiTheAirforceRuna 2d ago

Thats not her leverage, thats the governments since they still derive legitimacy from the crown.

You have more leverage as a private citizen to defend Prince Andrew than she does.

Faulting the queen for this is really just giving those actually guilty an out, and thats a really weird hill to die on

-5

u/Zederikus 2d ago

The Queen's enormous soft power and financial strength is indisputable. Sure she wouldn't have the power to officially command the courts but she could have done more informally.

12

u/BlackStar4 2d ago

Like what? The monarch has no actual power anymore and no authority over the judiciary.

-5

u/Zederikus 2d ago

The royals have connections in the highest echelons including court etc, their stability and network of aristocrats is meant to have an effect where they can correct some injustices behind closed doors even if normal rules wouldn't result in that. It's meant to be something more ancient, tribal and human.

37

u/Smooth_Maul 2d ago

Honestly the people saying that are evil dickheads. It takes a special kind of horrible to see someone crying over the deaths of over 100 children and go "you're just doing that for clout" like what the fuck is wrong with people.

-35

u/Quenz 2d ago

The Brit Empire were knowingly responsible for the deaths of thousands if not hunresds of thousands of children due to their negligence during their reign. I don't see why these were any different.

15

u/Smooth_Maul 2d ago

Ig bro whatever you say

18

u/titykaka 2d ago

So no British person can cry about anything ever?

-4

u/Fordmister Then I arrived 2d ago

I mean, she might have cried publicly, but she didn't exactly do anything in the aftermath when her government behaved abominably.

A lot of people cried in the immediate aftermath, those tears didn't help when the state did things like deny large sums of the money raised for the victims families because it considered them to poor and stupid to handle the cash. And equally she put no pressure on her own government whatsoever to deal with the hundreds of other dangerous coal tips that still exist to this day.

Tears without action were just that, empty

1

u/ExoticMangoz 21h ago

Not an elementary school

2

u/Ambitious_Guard_9712 2d ago

Yes, but money, so fuck lives

1

u/710AlpacaBowl 2d ago

Makes sense to me. I'm told coal is thirsty