ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on different forms of opposition to specific steel closure plans in different regions and localities, on the different forms of expression of attachment to locality, region and class in the face of the destruction of what often was effectively the economic rationale of these areas. The chapter explains a chronology of the politics of closure decisions in Lorraine, the Nord, and northeast England. The formation of the nationalized British Steel Corporation (BSC) in 1967 ushered in a period of considerable capacity closures and job losses in parts of northeast England. The resilience of the French and United Kingdom states in containing the protests associated with steel closures has effectively prevented criticism of the supranational European Community (EC) and its role in promoting the restructuring of the steel industry in those localities most severely affected by closures. The chapter seeks to identify important similarities and differences between the two regions and to explore their theoretical and political implications.
