Arthur Scargill....

It would be wrong to write of Margaret Thatcher and the Miners strike in earlier posts without at least some reference to the politician and Marxist trade unionist Arthur Scargill... in my opinion, the true enemy of the Unions and the miners....

President of the National Union of Miners, from 1982 to 2002 he was accorded near hero worship.  He played a leading role in bringing down Sir Edward Heath's Tory Government in 1974 and "took on" the Thatcher Government in the 1980's, leading the miners through a year long strike, bringing about their own downfall and the ending of the power of the unions, hopefully forever.

Much is written and told about the miner's strike and always the blame is laid squarely at Maggie's feet.  She destroyed them, she didn't give in to bullying, whatever way you look at it, she got the blame, but IMHO, the choice was with the miners or more specifically, the choice was Scargill's!

There was no ballot, Scargill unilaterally decided the miner's were on strike, so much for democracy.  He called the strike in the Summer, hardly an intelligent strategy.  He personally was in touch with the Soviet Union, securing funds and making clear his communist leanings, and this at a time when the Iron Curtain was at full strength, a borderline traitor by my measures.

We all know that some animals are more equal than others and Scargill was always a fat cat.  While the miners struggled to make ends meet, he continued to pick up his pay chit as their so called leader.  He never suffered any personal hardship, in fact it is alleged that during the strike, he was even granted a loan to buy a nice country house in Barnsley!  Something the striking miners could only dream of.

The violence associated with the strikes was never publicly condemned by Scargill. 

After the strikes were over, Scargill joined forces with another famous Leftie of the era, Tony Benn, to [successfully] campaign against the murder convictions of Russel Shankland and Dean Hancock.  The two murdered an innocent taxi driver, David Wilkie by dropping a concrete block, from a bridge, onto his car and what was his crime?  Driving a man, David Williams, to work... Wilkie, a brave man taking the same route for the tenth time in an atmosphere so volatile, he required a police escort.  David Wilkie, who died instantly, left behind a 2 year old daughter and his pregnant fiancee who gave birth 6 weeks later.  Scargill must be very proud that his campaigning had the convictions downgraded to manslaughter and both men released from prison in November 1989.

Make up your own mind whether or not you consider that murder or manslaughter, I know what I think!

And post his NUM presidency?  Well I can't help but think his true colours have come to the fore.  Asked if they support him these days?  I think you will find the NUM prefer to disassociate themselves from his greed and self aggrendisement, his conviction that he is entitled to continue to have his £34,000 annual London rent paid for by the NUM for the rest of his life [oh and also for a widow who might survive him]!  A rent that the NUM have been paying for years, on Scargill's personal instructions and without the knowledge of the NUM members and indeed a number of senior NUM officials.  To quote the current general secretary, Chris Kitchen.... "I would say it's time to walk away, Mr Scargill. You've been found out. The NUM is not your personal bank account and never will be again."

You see, I cannot stand hypocrisy, I despise people such as Arthur Scargill, he is a sad old man who always sought to lay the blame at somebody else's door for everything wrong with his life.....Arthur Scargill destroyed many lives with his attitude and arrogance, his call to arms without a ballot, his enforced strike and the subsequent violence that came about as a result.....

..... And his response when he received a text telling him "Thatcher's dead"?  "SCARGILL ALIVE"... not even an ounce of decency or respect for an old adversary... she didn't bring him down - he can take, and has earned, the credit entirely as his own!

To my way of thinking, there were many good things that came from this era.  Empowering the workforce and ridding them of overly powerful trade unions was necessary for the future evolution of the nation and is possibly one of the Thatcher Government's biggest contributions.  Banning the "closed shop", encouraging [Government funded] secret ballots and the banning of secondary picketing all helped to stop the bully mentality of the unions.  The number of days lost due to strikes fell from 29.5 million in 1979 to just 278,000 in 1984.  Additional measures introduced later took the obligation off employers to automatically collect union fees from employees further helped to remove the all powerful unions ability to dictate policy.  The commercial world could not have survived without this overhaul.  That said, unions have a value, the commercial world cannot always be trusted but it is all about balance!

Margaret Thatcher owed Scargill a great debt, without his bloody mindedness, his hatred and pig-headed nature, she could never have so effectively tempered trade union power.  Had she paid him, she couldn't have hoped for more so as I say, the true enemy of the Union's and the miners was Arthur Scargill himself!  Thanks Arthur... your achievements stand here recognised for all time!

Protests in Trafalgar Square

Thatcher's Death "Party" In London Draws Hundreds

This event made the TV news in Australia and firstly, I felt a sense of shame and disgust on behalf of the British public, mainly because of the lack of respect towards a dead woman but confusion reigned when a man was interviewed to explain his rationale.  His father "went on strike and stayed on strike for a year".  He recalled being hungry and begging for money, there was no mention of Arthur Scargill, only that a choice made by his father was somebody else's fault....I guess this man needs somebody to blame for an unhappy time in his life, if he didn't blame Maggie, he might have to direct the blame at the person who made the choice - his father!

The Thatcher Government never brought in legislation forcing his Dad to go on strike. His Dad could have chosen to go back to work, although in fairness, he would have risked his life in doing so - not from Maggie but from the violence perpetrated by his so called brothers.  Maggie's crime was to stand up to bullies and not give in to blackmail.  Presumably, the interviewee felt that it was perfectly acceptable for his Dad and his comrades to repeat the events of the 70's where they brought the country to its knees.  It had to stop, the power of the union bosses was out of control and destined to take Britain into the third world. 

The miners are proud of the fact that they went on strike during WWII, they didn't deserve public sympathy.

As to the rest of the party animals, what do they hope to achieve?  Margaret Thatcher is dead, she never gave in to them in life, I can't imagine she will smile down on them in death.

Unions Show Their True Selves

BBC staff on strike 'would have returned to work if Nelson Mandela died... but not for the death of Thatcher'

And I would suggest that is just how she would want it.  It is certainly no surprise that striking unions would not break strike for the death of the woman who so effectively and efficiently killed their stranglehold on the country.  If only the nails in the coffin had held stronger!

It is sad to see the Unions rising again, fed and nurtured by 15 years of Blair's Labour!!  That UK teachers unions think its OK to teach kids to go on strike says it all, especially at a time when the country is down on its luck, struggling to get out of an ever returning financial crisis.  Giving lessons in how to be selfish and look out only for yourself, they must be very proud!

Unions have never changed and never will, the men and women who run them are fat cats, self serving and manipulative control freaks.  They wont go hungry when they call out their "brothers"... no .... they will still be getting their bread from the union funds!

That they suggest they would not break strike for the death of a highly regarded, respected and influential leader of the 20th Century says more about who they are than who she was and is.