Miners’ Strike, The: Twenty Years on

Synopsis: The Miners’ Strike arouses debate like few other contemporary political events. The 25th anniversary re-opened old divisions, with arguments still raging around the miners’ leadership, the motives of the Conservative government and the position adopted by Neil Kinnock’s Labour Party.Whatever your standpoint on these issues, it is incontestable that the strike changed the face of industrial and political Britain, perhaps irrevocably. Its legacy continues to be felt in former mining communities across the country, and it remains a defining moment in the history of the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Trade Union movement.

This is an audio recording of a discussion held at the RSA on 26/3/2009 which brought together a distinguished panel of experts, all authors of studies looking at the strike, who discussed their own recollections of 1984/85 and the lasting consequences for the country. Those taking part were: Dr Hywel Francis MP; Professor David Howell, York University; David Hencke, The Guardian; Tyrone O’Sullivan, Tower Colliery; Michael Crick, BBC Newsnight (Chair).
Series: Thinking on Thursday, Series
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Year of release: 2009
Year of production: 2009
Subjects: History; Politics & government
Keywords: industrial relations; political events; political history; miners’ strike (1984-5)

Contributor: David Hencke; David Howell; Francis Hywel; Michael Crick; Tyrone O’Sullivan

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