Declassified Documents Confirm Thatcher Strategy Against Num

[Blade Runner]

 

Question is how many would still be open if Scargill hadn't taken on Thatcher or Foot had won the 83 election? One or two other countries have closed most of their pits now.

 

Was it ever just about closing the mines? I think it was a pure left v right fight and thank god Maggie won, even if you dont like her politics, we really would be in a lot worse position now if AS had won.

 

One of my parents best friends was a retired miner and he hated Scargill and all he stood for. He retired on a huge wage, for the time and got as much free coal as he could sell on to mates (it was part of a "deal" agreed and he had gas central heating in his main house) He also had a portfolio of rental properties, all bought and paid for from his wages, no mortgages.

 

Imagine it now, with Putin as our main friend?

[pongo]

we really would be in a lot worse position now if AS had won.

We would have been much better off if the spirit of the post WW2 consensus had been valued - full employment, re-distribution of wealth, capital controls etc.

 

What we have ended up with is neither one thing nor the other and is intellectually and democratically unsustainable. On the one hand people today talk about liberal free markets - on the other hand they want to still try to clumsily restrict the movement of capital, people, investment etc.

[chuter ede]

The question of AS winninng is irrelevant as someone of that character cannot "win". To "win" in the normal sense is to have a set goal. Once you reach that goal you stop. AS would just keep changing the terms of reference if he thought he was winning which explained why he never negotiated any type of settlement.