Scargill joined the Labour Party in 1962. Read online at https://workersliberty.org/node/34498, Submitted by AWL on 18 September, 2019 - 11:48, Letters: Hands off Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemburg, Holodomor: the Ukrainian famine of 1932-33, Tubeworker (London Underground) (bulletin), Off the Rails (national rail workers) (bulletin), Off the Rails (national rail workers) (blog), Notts Off the Rails (Nottingham rail workers) (bulletin), On Guard (Sheffield rail workers) (bulletin). The two men had been convicted of the murder of David Wilkie, a taxi driver, by throwing a block of concrete from a bridge onto his car. (1998), Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10000684676, Occasional papers in industrial relations. It's easy to mock Arthur Scargill. Please click on a checkbox next to an item and try again. Margaret Thatcher even described McGregor as lacking in guile as he was used to dealing with financial difficulties and hard bargaining and had no experience with dealing with trade union leaders[25]. You've been found out. var Logger = new EconBiz.Logger(); 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. Airport staff at Leeds-Bradford Airport identified Scargill attempting to travel under a false name (Arthur Fenn) wearing a disguise on 20 July, and turned him away to purchase a genuine ticket with his true identity. Arrow, 1994. The myth of workers' control; More details; The myth of workers' control . Riddled with Stalinist politics and practice and some of the worst sectarianism imaginable, it has no meaningful existence today. [33] Milne, Seumas. [9] When Bullough (unwell at the time) attempted to rule Scargill as "out of order", he was voted out by the area's delegates and a strike was declared across Yorkshire on the issue. Lawson takes an objective view of the events as his book was published in 1993 after a very public dispute with Thatcher where he eventually resigned. Therefore, Tony Benns argument is more convincing than Eric Evans as he takes into account the failures of the miners as well as giving credit to the amount of support the strike had as well. [29], In 1998, Scargill and his wife, Anne, separated.[30]. London: Corgi Books, 1993. [7] Scargill, Arthur. Brexit: Labour movement debate, not talk with Tories! They were released from prison in November 1989. Perhaps theyre embarrassed by this reminder of how the Stalinist and reformist left squandered the power and influence it once had in British politics. The Enemy Within: M15, Maxwell and the Scargill Affair. These days he only gets to speak at the crankiest of Stalinist events. Seumas Milne portrays the Marxist view that the government went over the top with the preparations in order to see the miners strike fail and bring down the unions altogether. Tony Benn. Wikipedia. Edit the file on your computer and upload it to the server via FTP. [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. Scargill was often accompanied by his then wife Anne Harper to speak at picket lines and to media appearances; Harper was simultaneously involved in founding and leading the National Women Against Pit Closures movement. March 07, 2009. On the appointment of Ian MacGregor as head of the NCB in 1983, Scargill stated, "The policies of this government are clear to destroy the coal industry and the NUM". One source described them as the iron ladies of the coal fields[17]. Many people argue that government preparations led to the failure of the strike. Harpercollins Publishers, 2012. How the Miners Strike Could Have Won. Socialist Worker (Britain). He had no means of calling a strike in Yorkshire.[27]. On platforms that enforce case-sensitivity PNG and png are not the same locations. Seumas Milne, who takes the Marxist view, supports Thatchers argument that government preparations werent sufficient enough to cause the failure of the strike. "Goodbye to all that? This confirms the fact that Thatcher and Ian McGregor often didnt see eye-to-eye, an example of this is the issue with the NACODs strike. "Two Kinds of Reform: Left Leadership in the British National Union of Mineworkers and the United Mineworkers of America, 19821990. [18] Still the Enemy Within (2014). IMDb. This is given credence by striking miner, Arthur Wakefield; This time the police go berserk and the Riot Squad charge up the field with the Calvary they turn to where we are standing peacefully picketing and start hitting whoever they come across[34]. . Following these results, Thatcher urged Ian McGregor to fix the problem, she describes how time and time again he (Ian McGregor) and his colleagues were outmanoeuvred by Arthur Scargill and the NUM leadership[36]. Nothing good about it. Carrying the Fire in The Road T he dystopian world of Cormac McCarthy's The Road is best summarized by the following lines from the novella: "Nights dark beyond darkness and the days more gray each one than what had gone before. This is because had the NUM come out nationally in favour of the strike, Nottinghamshire area would have won permission for its own ballot and remained at work. Page 57-59. 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. Page 343-344. This was seen as violent and was deemed illegal. Look for the .htaccess file in the list of files. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I then thought of things rather differently. Scargill, once the hero of the miners, now cuts a rather sad, isolated figure and this is a complex post-1985 story. This article about a political figure is a stub. RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d If not, correct the error or revert back to the previous version until your site works again. Both the Marxist view and the mainstream media view gives credit to government preparations showing this was definitely an important factor in the failure of the strike. In any case, the will of the people has decided the UK will leave, we have even had a General Election over the matter. The easiest way to edit a .htaccess file for most people is through the File Manager in cPanel. There are those on the would-be left who will willingly attempt to defend people accused of rape, individuals who beat their partners, those who think there is vast Jewish conspiracy against Corbyn, and elements that think trans people are mentally ill. Scargill seems to have almost no one to advocate for him. Without their support, victory for the miners looked uncertain as they were the best paid, with better conditions promised by Thatcher[13]. [22][23], Many found Scargill inspiring; many others found him frankly scary. [14] The section under "staff procedures" details how Scargill monitored head office staff: Mr. Scargill's vendetta against Head Office staff has at times descended to the most puerile and paranoic [sic] levels. Another controversial action that Thatcher took was giving the police ultimate power during the strike. [9] This performance strengthened his popularity with the Yorkshire miners. For other uses, see, Early political and trade union activities. [33], In July 1990, the NUM executive voted unanimously to sue Scargill and general secretary Peter Heathfield. If being ignored is the ultimate retribution forscargill, then he is a lucky man, for if he had espoused his views in some of the countrieswith which he wanted to align us, his best outcome would have been breaking rocks but more likely he would have disappeared never to be heard of again. 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. Scargill admitted there was 'bad blood' between him and the NUM general secretary Chris Kitchen, who said, "I honestly do believe that Arthur, in his own world, believes that the NUM is here to afford him the lifestyle that he's become accustomed to. [45] Milne, Seumas. These preparations included the Ridley Plan, stockpiling coal, the appointment of Ian McGregor as head of NCB, the involvement of MI5 and MI6 and the introduction of the new trade union laws. Harpercollins Publishers, 2012. Robert Taylor depicts Scargill as an 'industrial Napoleon' who called a strike 'at the wrong time' on the 'wrong issue', and adopted strategies and tactics that were 'impossibilist', with 'an inflexible list of extravagant non-negotiable demands' that amounted to 'reckless adventurism' that was 'a dangerous, self-defeating delusion'. The staff at headquarters issued a press statement in January 1983 to deny this and to list twelve grievances against Scargill's treatment of his staff. [36] Thatcher, Margaret. 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]. Year of publication: 1980. The editor of the Daily Mirror at the time, Roy Greenslade, wrote an article in The Guardian in May 2002 to apologise to Scargill for the false claims about paying off the mortgage and for putting too much trust in Roger Windsor, who at the time had still not repaid the 29,500 that he had taken from the Miners' Welfare Fund and that the Lightman Report had asked that he repay. The myth of workers' control The myth of workers' control by Arthur Scargill, Peggy- Kahn Filter Results Shipping Eligible for Free Shipping Expedited Shipping Available Item Condition Seller Rating Other Options Change Currency + Add to Wishlist All All Copies ( 0 ) Currently there are no copies available. I think if it had been made public before then there'd have been a huge outcry. After looking at the evidence, I believe that the Marxist view is more valid than the Mainstream media view in the fact that it is clear that Thatcher and her government went above and beyond in order to bring down Scargill and the miners. Many of us started in the 1950s in the Young Communist League. On the other hand, the Marxist/Left Wing view suggests that the strike was part of Thatchers wider attack on political consensus and suggest that the miners could have won the strike had it not been for the concerted, illegal government campaign to smash the miners union, something they had been planning for some time. Scargill, Arthur. The view that the failure to call a National Ballot, by Scargill, cost him valuable support is advocated by Shirley Letwin; Nor did he bother to abide by his own unions rules which required that a strike shall be entered upon as the result of a ballot vote of the members.[1] This led to the miners losing the support of many, including Labour Partys- Neil Kinnock, who felt emotionally disposed to support the miners but aware that it would be political suicide to do so[2]. [27] Thatcher, Margaret. He then goes on to say with incidents of appalling violence on both sides showing that even Campbell who takes the mainstream media view is forced to acknowledge the unnecessary violence of the police force when facing the miners. Atvery lease Mr Scargill was a leader of man and lead them unlike our current prime minister who couldn't lead a pack of sheep out of a field even though he resemble one. Scargill also cleverly manipulated the NUM rule book creating a serious constitutional debate. Page 414. In fact, other factors such as the governments intense preparations came into play. Would JD care to say why he writes in such a vindictive and aggressive style? That is what we need to remember these days when we think of Scargill. He used the NUM for his own advancement, and ended up thinking he was bigger than the Union and everything else. Industrial Democracy in Italy: Workers Co-ops and the Self-management Debate Mark Holmstrom, Mark Holmstrm Snippet view - 1989. If this doesn't work, you may need to edit your .htaccess file directly. April 23, 2022 the myth of workers' control arthur scargill . [10] Still the Enemy Within (2014). IMDb. John Campbell argues that It was the job of the police to protect the freedom to work, and the job of the government to support the police[37]. 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. These days he only gets to speak at the crankiest of Stalinist events. A dialogue box may appear asking you about encoding. Harpercollins Publishers, 2012. 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]. Staff members suddenly taken ill, or with long-standing medical appointments, require his personal consent to be absent from the office. Notice that the CaSe is important in this example. The party was established in 1996 and is led by Arthur Scargill, a former Labour Party member and the former leader of the National Union of Mineworkers. This is supported by Margaret Thatcher herself; His (Ian McGregor) impression was that the police were failing to uphold criminal law and that the pickets had been able to prevent people going to work[38]. "Analysing the British miners' strike of 19845.". He also represented the Barnsley Co-op at Cooperative congresses. After a Labour Party conference speech on energy policy by Richard Marsh in July 1967, Scargill said: I can honestly say that I never heard flannel like we got from the Minister he said that we have nuclear power stations with us, whether we like it or not. Arthur Scargill: We Could Surrender or Stand and Fight. The Guardian. I've always said that if Arthur can no longer control the NUM, he'll try and destroy it. Some historians have provided interpretations and explanations of the defeat. Accessed October 11, 2018. Page 18. He had a powerful speaking capability which garnered much passionate support from those who watched or saw his speeches. Person/Body (Historic): A. Taylor & Sons Ltd. Essay Writing Service. 100 0 _ a Arthur Scargill c British trade unionist (born 1938) 100 1 _ a Scargill, Arthur d (1938- ). The Guardian. : A Review of Literature on the 1984/5 Miners' Strike. Beyond Service: State Workers, Public Policy, and the Prospects for Tous les rsultats Google Recherche de Livres». Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. Downing Street Years. Nevertheless, Government intervention such as the use of police and the actions of Ian McGregor was not the most important factor in the failure of the strike as many people openly criticised McGregor, including Thatcher herself. I think people would be astounded if they knew that."[42]. [9] He had challenged Sam Bullough, the President of the Yorkshire area NUM, to act on the working hours of surface workers, given that the union's conference had passed a resolution that their hours be shortened the previous year. The Miners Strike Day by Day: The Illustrated 1984-85 Diary of Yorkshire Miner Arthur Wakefield. [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. jQuery(function() { The strike became a symbolic struggle, as the NUM was one of the strongest unions in the country, viewed by many, including Conservatives in power, as having brought down the Heath government in the union's 1974 strike. Milne, Seumas. " 11: Britains Longest-serving Cabinet Member Recalls the Triumphs and Disappointments of the Thatcher Era. Sadly, all these new political halfwits who think it is smart to ignorethe pieces of history that doesnt suit them, bangingon about the way theysee the future ignoring the fact it should be the way we all would like to see it, should remember the silent majority is just that, ignore it of forget it at your peril. He did not take the Eleven-Plus exam and went to Worsbrough Dale School (now called the Elmhirst School). A household name in the seventies and eighties, it was easy to imagine the strike as a personal conflict between Scargill and his nemesis, Margaret Thatcher. In 1958, he attended the World Federation of Trade Unions youth congress in Prague. Page 340. We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. January 26. The Myth of Workers' Control (booklet) Person/Body (Historic): Scargill, Arthur. 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. Therefore, Thatcher and her governments actions could have caused the failure of the strike but to what extent these actions can be justified is still widely argued. It can be argued that both Marxist and Mainstream Media view give credit to the fact that government preparations were a factor in the failure of the miners strike but they have opposing views on to what extent. No plagiarism, guaranteed! He lost on both occasions, winning 2.4% of the vote in Hartlepool at the 2001 general election. I could write a million words and not be able to adequately describe the misery,hardship and dispare these leaders bought upon the people of this nation. (1998), The third way : the promise of industrial democracy, Lawrence, Dennis, The motto, An injury to one is an injury to all, applies world-wide.