Did herrings have a political significance in Cinderford? (General)

by tuffers64, Cinderford, Friday, February 16, 2018, 16:18 (2258 days ago) @ Jefff

I have recently read somewhere (and I cannot find where now) that the significance of the herring was to show that that is what the miners would be eating (food of the poor) if the Tories got elected. The Liberals supporting mob would show a loaf of bread suspended from a long pole, to show that that party would get them some decent working man's food.
This episode, I think, might be taken from Timothy Mountjoy's book "62 years in the life of a Forest of Dean Collier".
Not sure about the oranges though. I'll bet the miners did not get much Vitamin C, so why throw them?