I was recently involved in a twitter thread concerning the use of troops during the miners strike. How the miners strike of 198485 changed britain for ever. The british coal miners strike of 198485 was the most significant labor battle in. Several scenes powerfully depict the chaos at the picket lines, clashes between armies of police and striking miners, and the shame associated with crossing the picket line. The catalyst for the strike was the announcement by the. Ascap, exploration group music publishing, pedl, sony atv publishing, warner chappell, latinautor, and. The literary mise en scene of tony harrisons v may be grays elegy but the political background is the miners strike. If you buy one book on the miners strike make it this one. The 1972 uk miners strike was a major strike involving a dispute over pay between the national union of mineworkers num and the conservative edward heath government of the united kingdom. Even veteran mirror journalist geoffrey goodman, whose book the miners strike is dedicated to british miners, argued that the refusal of the.
See more ideas about coal mining, billy elliot and history. Nov 01, 2011 my first year of work was in 1984 and therefore i recall much of the drama of the miners strike, which was really a turning point in uk history. The miners strike of 198485 was a major industrial action to shut down the british coal industry in an attempt to prevent colliery closures. The strike began on 9 january 1972 and ended on 28 february 1972, when the miners returned to work. Tes global ltd is registered in england company no 02017289 with its registered office at 26 red lion square london wc1r 4hq. Margaret thatcher branded the leaders of the 198485 miners strike. In loving memory of work, a visual record of the uk miners strike 198485. Miners strike in nottinghamshire the diary of john lowe. They kept the strike together by raising funds, running communal kitchens and looking after each others children. John lowe was at the forefront of the fight for jobs during the 19845 miners strike. The miners strike day by day paperback pen and sword books. Mar 29, 2018 picture book licensed to youtube by sme on behalf of sanctuary.
Gascoyne, a forceful 59yearold exfaceworker who swears a lot, was the branch secretary of the national union of mineworkers throughout the strike of 198485 and until the pit closed. Cover image of book reform, revolution and direct action amongst british miners. Booklist miners and miners strikes news from nowhere radical. This website and its content is subject to our terms and conditions. For some, even though 25 years later, the legacy of. A lost play about the miners strike by the acclaimed author behind kes is to be performed in public for the first time, more than 30 years after it was deemed too controversial for television.
They did so in the midst of the 1984 miners strike the most bitter and. Several scenes powerfully depict the chaos at the picket lines, clashes between armies of police and striking miners, and the. One miners incredible true story of deceit, betrayal and back stabbing during the miners strike of 1984 by ken ambler, simon ambler, et al. It was led by arthur scargill of the national union of mineworkers num against the national coal board, a government agency. In a book published by the national coal mining museum for england, david john douglass argues that too much focus has been put on the. The secret war against the miners is a book by british journalist and writer seumas milne, first published in 1994. The miners strike by mark harvey overdrive rakuten.
The story of the miners strike, 19845 1st by ian macgregor, rodney tyler isbn. The failure of the miners strike in 1984 has been seen by many as the result of bad leadership of the head of the num, arthur scargill, the lack of support for the strike as well as giving credit to the governments preparations. Opposition to the strike was led by the british government of prime minister margaret thatcher, who called scargill the. Set up in the dying days of the 198485 miners strike, the udm positioned itself as an alternative for moderate miners who felt that the hardleft num, under scargill, no longer. Accounts of the miners strike, and its aftermath, as recorded by the whitehaven news. Richards book, miners on strike, dedicated a chapter to how unusual it was in 1984 for a largescale strike to be launched in protest at job cuts. The miners strike 1984 was one of the longest and most brutal in british labour history. The fourth series of the bbc2 television show peaky blinders is set in the period immediately prior to and during the general strike, emphasising the involvement. Feb 02, 2004 the 1984 miners strike was a last attempt by the mining unions to stop mining closures and the loss of jobs.
This is literally a missive from the coalface and is quite a harrowing account of the daytoday traumas of the. The uk miners strike of 198485 was a major industrial action affecting the british coal industry. In britain, trade unions had traditionally launched strikes for claims on wage rises and rights at work, but strikes in defence of jobs had been very rare. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. It has long been rumoured that thatcher sanctioned the use of the army and that squaddies were dressed in police uniforms and let loose on picket lines, to aid in crushing the strikers. The strike is constantly mentioned in david peaces book gb84, in which the older characters often mention the 1926 strike to draw parallels with the long miners strike of 19845. However, during the 19845 miners strike both sides entered the fray unwilling to back down. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. The strike began on 9 january 1972 and ended on 28 february 1972, when the miners returned.
Loss without limit new edition by adeney, martin, lloyd, john isbn. I have read many books on this subject and none measure up to this a great read. Facing probable redundancy in his midfifties, south elmsall miner arthur wakefield, fought for jobs and communities throughout the great strike of 198485. Updated editions were released in 1995, 2004, and 2014.
Ascap, exploration group music publishing, pedl, sony atv publishing, warner chappell, latinautor, and 5 music rights societies. The strike by the national union of mineworkers num was led by arthur scargill, although some num members considered it to be unconstitutional and did not observe it. Apr 15, 2015 one of thatchers main aims during the miners strike was to weaken the trade union movement because, during her time as an mp, she had witnessed the downfall of heaths conservative government in 1974 as a result of a miners strike, she saw the problems that the mass striking during the winter of 197879 the winter of. The strike became a symbolic struggle, as the national union of. The book investigates the circumstances surrounding the uk miners strike 198485 and the involvement of intelligence services in destroying the miners and the lengths the police, intelligence. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Verso books stated that in this 30th anniversary edition new material brings the story. When the gay community stood up for the miners pride, a movie about the unlikely miners strike link up between london based gays and. It has a fantastic collection of black and white photographs, some familiar and some never published before. Shirley dent on how literature reflects the 1984 miners strike. Across frontiers brings to life the fascinating story of the men and women who travelled overseas to speak to workers and raise support for the miners strike. Arthur scargill, leader of the national union of mineworkers, called on miners to strike.
How does literature reflect the 1984 miners strike. The miners wives formed the hub of a big support organisation that saw us all through. International support for the miners strike 198485. The son of a communist miner, he has kept its memory alive at the shirebrook miners welfare social club, founded in 1920. A community fighting for jobs and survival was wholly denigrated and depicted as violent by the majority. The miners strike of 19841985 was one of the most bitter industrial disputes britain has ever seen. As gary oldmans new film is dismissed as a fantasy, there remains a deep hatred for churchill in the coalfields of wales and northern england.
Even veteran mirror journalist geoffrey goodman, whose book the miners strike is dedicated to british miners, argued that the refusal of the leadership to hold a strike ballot eventually finished. Was ian gilmour right to argue that the governments handling of the 19845 miners strike was brilliant. Dr katy shaw is a leading authority on the literature of the 198485 uk miners strike and twentyfirst century writings. Assess the view that the main reason for the failure of the miners strike in 1984 was the leadership of arthur scargill. Impact of arthur scargill on the failure of the miners strike. Loss without limit new edition by martin adeney, john lloyd isbn. The 1972 uk miners strike was a major dispute over pay between the national union of mineworkers num and the conservative edward heath government of the united kingdom. A period of great labor unrest marked the year leading up to the massive walkout from. The miners strike of 198485 will always be remembered in british working class history as the most significant turning point in the power relationship between the working class organisations of the trade unions, and the state representing the interests of the privileged minority in the late twentieth century.
The book investigates the circumstances surrounding the uk miners strike 198485 and the involvement of intelligence services in destroying the miners and the lengths the police, intelligence services and government went to in subverting public opinion. Pride is a 2014 british historical comedydrama film written by stephen beresford and directed by matthew warchus. Browse the worlds largest ebookstore and start reading today on the web, tablet, phone, or ereader. The miners strike began on 5 march 1984 and lasted until 3 march 1985. Opposition to the strike was led by the conservative government of prime minister margaret thatcher, who wanted to. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. It was led by arthur scargill of the national union of mineworkers num against the national coal board ncb, a government agency.
In march 1984 more than 187,000 miners came out on. This is literally a missive from the coalface and is quite a harrowing account of the daytoday traumas of the striking miners in an area where most miners broke the strike. The tuc called the general strike on the understanding that they would take over the negotiations from the miners leaders. Yet when baldwin met with the tuc he recognised that the leadership was as worried about a general strike as he was. Sep 22, 2018 j ames clarkes sprawling debut novel, a family saga set during the miners strike of 19845, can be clumsy and cliched, but it is an ardent, energetic piece of work, with shades of barry. Winston churchill only rode on the underground once. The most abiding memory was the way that the country had polarised. Waged with complete unity, the strikes of 1972 and 1974 brought the miners substantial material gains, contributed to the downfall of a government, and reinforced the national. The miners strike in films and books the uk miners strike was the background for the critically acclaimed 2000 film billy elliot. New documents reveal true extent of miners cooperation. Picture book licensed to youtube by sme on behalf of sanctuary. It was the aftermath of the great war that remained with every miner, docker and steelworker forever. Mar 12, 2009 the literary mise en scene of tony harrisons v may be grays elegy but the political background is the miners strike. J ames clarkes sprawling debut novel, a family saga set during the miners strike of 19845, can be clumsy and cliched, but it is an ardent, energetic piece of work, with shades of barry.
Jan 28, 2018 a day later, one million miners were locked out of their workplace. Kes authors lost play about miners strike to be staged. Nearly one million coal miners went on strike in great britain. Skillful negotiation is essential during any strike according to john richard hicks. My first year of work was in 1984 and therefore i recall much of the drama of the miners strike, which was really a turning point in uk history. Feb 05, 2012 the miners strike 1984 was one of the longest and most brutal in british labour history. The bbc has referred to the strike as the most bitter industrial dispute in british history. The yearlong strike involved hardship and violence as pit communities from south wales to scotland fought to retain their local collieries for many the only source of employment.
In march 1984 more than 187,000 miners came out on strike when the national coal board. Miners wages had not kept pace with those of other industrial workers since 1960. A history of the coal miners of the united states, from the development of the mines to the close of the anthracite strike of 1902, including a brief sketch of early british miners by roy, andrew and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Aug 20, 2007 the miners strike in films and books the uk miners strike was the background for the critically acclaimed 2000 film billy elliot. This book, one of a number that are being published to mark 30 years since the start of the miners strike of 198485, will most certainly be one of the better ones.
Based on a true story, the film depicts a group of lesbian and gay activists who raised money to help families affected by the british miners strike in 1984, at the outset of what would become the lesbians and gays support the miners campaign. For a year over 100,000 members of the national union of mineworkers, their families and supporters, in hundreds of communities, battled to prevent the decimation of the coal industry on which their livelihoods and communities depended. This is a very good book that fills in the background to the 1984 uk miners strike. In addition to being the most bitter industrial dispute the coalminers strike of 19845 was the longest national strike in british history.
Her research interests include contemporary fiction, poetry and drama, working class literature, literatures of postindustrial regeneration and the languages of comedy. The 1984 miners strike was a last attempt by the mining unions to stop mining closures and the loss of jobs. Feb 09, 2012 newspaper articles, personal quotes, photos and poems to help study the causes and effects of the miners strike. When contrasted with their dramatic strike victories of 1972 and 1974, the shattering industrial defeat suffered by british miners in 1985 has been seen as evidence of the further weakening of workingclass solidarity. The book investigates the circumstances surrounding the uk miners strike. Did thatcher use soldiers during the miners strike. Ive got a half decent book entitled across frontiers. For a year over 100,000 members of the national union of mineworkers, their families and supporters, in hu. The miners dispute began on 6 march 1984 when the head of the national coal board, ian mcgregor, announced plans to cut production, the equivalent of 20 pits or 20,000 jobs. In 1984, with the uk miners strike at its peak, the young german photography student michael kerstgens decided to travel to britain and document the dispute. Memories of the 198485 miners strike by beverley trounce 20150202.
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