The appointment of Ian McGregor as head of the NCB can be seen as a failure on Thatchers behalf showing that the governments preparations were insufficient to cause the strike to fail. However, if the outcome of the 84-5 strike can be regarded, at one level, as a tragedy, then Scargills post-85 trajectory can only be viewed as an even deeper tragedy. The End of an Era Diaries 1980-90. Arthur Scargill (born 11 January 1938) [1] is a British trade unionist who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) from 1982 to 2002. In his diary he documents the battle at Orgreave on Monday 18th of June, 1984; Ive never seen so many of our lads altogether, it brought tears to my eyes[16]. In January 2014, the Prime Minister, David Cameron stated, "I think if anyone needs to make an apology for their role in the miners' strike it should be Arthur Scargill for the appalling way that he led the union. [41], In 1993, Scargill tried to use Thatcher's flagship Right to Buy scheme to buy a flat on the Barbican estate in central London. Joining the NUM at the age of 19 in 1957, Scargill was one of its leading activists by the late 1960s. London: Vintage, 2008. Page 164. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the trade union movement. [24] Letwin, Shirley Robin. She makes some bold accusations about when Scargill and his cohorts were accused of serious irregularities in the handling of union funds but this is unconvincing as it has never been proven true. Arthur Scargill was in attendance but it was noteworthy (and significant) that he remained a peripheral figure being greeted by only a few of those attending. Right click on the X and choose Properties. Exciting, witty Arthur Scargill brought coalmining to a close in Britain far faster than would have happened had the NUM been led by some prevaricating, dreary old-style union hack. Many of us started in the 1950s in the Young Communist League. John Campbell sums up the mainstream media view by saying The Governments only role was to uphold the liberty of those miners and others who wanted to work[31]. The strike was called under Rule 41 of the NUM rule book, which said that local strikes can be made official by the National Executive without a ballot. Arguably, one of the most important factors in the failure of the Miner's Strike in 1984 was the leadership of the head of NUM, Arthur Scargill. It was a major political victory for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party. Therefore, we must conclude that whilst Arthur Scargills leadership was an important factor in the failure of the strike, it would be wrong to assume that this was the main reason as without the lack of support, especially from the Nottinghamshire miners, as well as the governments preparations, such as the stockpiling of coal, the miners strike might not have failed. This strengthens Milnes argument that the police brutality, authorised by Thatcher, was unjustified. Arguably, one of the most important factors in the failure of the Miners Strike in 1984 was the leadership of the head of NUM, Arthur Scargill. If you have already uploaded the file then the name may be misspelled or it is in a different folder. Scargill had the ability to do great things; Pity he got in the way of his own opportunities, and could not see Communism as a failed ideology that blighted every country in which it held sway. He left school in 1953 at fifteen years old to work as a coal miner at Woolley Colliery, where he worked for nineteen years.[2][3]. A dialogue box may appear asking you about encoding. Without their support, victory for the miners looked uncertain as they were the best paid, with better conditions promised by Thatcher[13]. Looking for a flexible role? Yet he still gives credit to Thatcher and her government for their actions during the strike which legitimises his view. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. "It was Thatcher's legislation, actually giving council tenants the right to buy their own houses. [5] In 1957 he was elected NUM Yorkshire Area Youth Delegate, and attended the 6th World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow as a representative of the Yorkshire miners. EconBiz.Logger.logPageView(); [31] There was much criticism of Scargill within the NUM from the Welsh and Scottish areas, who briefly considered splitting from the NUM. Downing Street Years. The Enemy Within: The Secret War against the Miners. Page 51, [9] Lawson, Nigel. His one man mission to bring down the elected government, for a second time, and destroy Thatcherism was not only not accomplished ,it only served to strengthen the Conservative Government and Thatchers dominance of the political landscape for over a decade. In fact, other factors such as the governments intense preparations came into play. You may get a 404 error for images because you have Hot Link Protection turned on and the domain is not on the list of authorized domains. Having read the above (barely, dont like reading lies) I felt the immediate need to respond, if anything to comfort myself. Their support would have been vital if they were to win the strike; this is presented by Cabinet minutes which show that Thatchers priority was to settle the dock strike as quickly as possible in order to allow the government to concentrate on winning the miners strike[15]. The strike of 1984 was covered in detail by the press. ", "Cabinet papers reveal 'secret coal pits closure plan', "Cameron rejects Labour call for miners' strike apology", "SCARGILL LEAVES HIS WIFE AFTER 37 YEARS; My marriage is over he tells pals", "Scargill used Thatcherite policy in bid to buy London flat", "National Union of Mineworkers 'expels' Arthur Scargill", "Arthur Scargill wins 13,000 union damages", "Why Arthur Scargill is reluctant to leave his 1.5m Barbican flat", "In search of Arthur Scargill: 30 years after the miners' strike", "List of candidates for the EU Parliamentary elections", "Stalin apologists drink to the memory of Uncle Joe", "Scargill angers unions with Solidarity attack", "Old comrades rub hands with glee at return of hard left", "Scargill highlights policy differences with Jeremy Corbyn", "Brexit means we can reopen the mines and cotton mills, says Arthur Scargill", "Ex-miners' leader Arthur Scargill announced among speakers for 'Rebel Town Festival' in South Tyneside", "Arthur Scargill joins RMT picket at Wakefield", "Arthur Scargill joins striking rail workers on picket line", "Engagements - Debated on Wednesday 22 June 2022", "Johnson and Starmer spar over rail strikes at PMQs", "National Assembly for Wales Election Results 19992007", "Arthur Scargill and the Battle of Saltley Gate" BBC News 10 February 2012, Review of BBC Radio Play: "The Duel", by Michael Samuels the struggle for control of the UK coal industry in 1984, Trade Union International of Energy Workers, Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom, List of political parties in the United Kingdom, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthur_Scargill&oldid=1137688669, Young Communist League of Britain members, Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress, Presidents of the National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain), Short description is different from Wikidata, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from April 2021, Articles with dead external links from October 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. ", Gildart, Keith. [5] Benn, Tony. Nothing good about it. [38] Thatcher, Margaret. Tony Benn. Wikipedia. However, another reason that many people blame Scargill for the downfall of the miners is due to the fact that Scargill authorised the flying picket strategy in order to stop miners going to work. He was not addressed or greeted from the platform, though as Honorary Life President of the NUM it might be expected, as a courtesy if nothing else, that his presence would be acknowledged. A debate on workers' control. Arrow, 1994. [9][11], A few months later, the president of the Yorkshire NUM died unexpectedly, and Scargill won the election for his replacement; the two posts were then combined and he held them until 1981. Many people blame him for the failure of Miner's Strike due to his poor leadership skills and bad judgement. Yet he was a trade union leader who helped lead a strike that brought down a Tory government (1974) and correctly understood that Thatcher was out to smash the unions and that they needed to fight back. Margaret Thatcher began a media campaign in order to win over the public and demonise the miners. They were released from prison in November 1989. Page 345. [7] Scargill, Arthur. Page 342. "Two Kinds of Reform: Left Leadership in the British National Union of Mineworkers and the United Mineworkers of America, 19821990. It was not , and will not ever be the liberator of the working Class, but their oppressors. The Enemy Within: M15, Maxwell and the Scargill Affair. Another important factor in the failure of the miners strike was Thatcher and her governments actions during the strike such as using the police force. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. Scargill, Arthur (1938- ) English trade union leader. "Goodbye to all that? (You may need to consult other articles and resources for that information.). The authorities must be using the army[32]. [8] Nigel Lawson, who takes a clear mainstream media view on the Miners strike and even admits the left-wing majority on the NUM executive insisted, however dubiously, that Rule 43 of the union allowed for a strike without a ballot[9] showing that although many people didnt agree with it, including him, it was actually permissible. [14], Scargill was a very vocal opponent of Thatcher's Conservative government, frequently appearing on television to attack it. The Myth of Control: Created by Mikail Chowdhury, Sana Soni. Some scholars have concluded that Scargill's decisive tactical error was to substitute his famous flying picket for the holding of a national strike ballot. It is possible that you may need to edit the .htaccess file at some point, for various reasons.This section covers how to edit the file in cPanel, but not what may need to be changed. The movement faced a huge confrontation from the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher, and the union was eventually defeated. Page 341. However, it can be argued that the government limited its role in upholding law and order in a dispute between the NUM and the NCB. Yet he was a decisive figure in the great strike of 1984-85. *You can also browse our support articles here >. First shown: 06/. Regardless, we have to be careful when using Arthur Wakefield as a source as his diary entries will reflect his heightened emotions after a day of striking that may not truly reflect the real situation. London: Pan Books, an Imprint of Pan Macmillan, 2017. Articles like the above, years later are actually a compliment to Arthur. [30] Lawson, Nigel. If not, correct the error or revert back to the previous version until your site works again. This was a complete reversal of the policy that was promised by the Labour Government before it was put into office this represents a betrayal of the mining industry. [58][59] Scargill's appearance on the picket line was alluded to by Prime Minister Boris Johnson the next day at Prime Minister's Questions, accusing the Labour Party of "literally holding hands with Arthur Scargill". The media characterised the strike as "Scargill's strike" and his critics accused him of looking for an excuse for industrial action since becoming union president. This sparked an individual ballot of members, in the autumn of 1984, whereby the ballot obtained an 80% plus vote for strike action, a decision which, if implemented, would have been sufficient to save pits and jobs, and win the dispute which had been brought by the National Coal Board[35]. [31] Campbell, John. [26], There is a prevailing view that Arthur Scargill, the NUM National President, called the strike. London: Fontana, 1992. The names of all incoming telephone callers are recorded on a central log. In the 1981 election for NUM president, Scargill secured around 70% of the vote. Downing Street Years. This page was last edited on 5 February 2023, at 23:36. London: Verso, 2014. 100 1 _ a . Therefore, Milnes interpretation is supported by Ridleys in the fact that government preparations led to the downfall of the miners. This is true as we know that Thatchers government backed down from a confrontation with the trade unions in its first parliament in 1979-83 as the government felt like it needed more time in order to stock pile coal in preparation for the next inevitable strike. Arthur Scargill (born January 11, 1938) is a British trade unionist. When you have a missing image on your site you may see a box on your page with with a red X where the image is missing. 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