The Miners Strike - 20 Years On

[Pervert]

Certainly before the war her approval ratings were not very high. The war made her, but she didn't instigate it as such---just allowed it to happen through incompetence. Some years before, when the Argentinians made a claim for the islands and started some provocativenaval action in the area, Jim Callaghan and Denis Healey sent the then foreign secretary, one D. Owen, to count some paper clips and dealt with the situation by sending a Royal Navy presence to the area.

Thatch, in contrast, in a similar situation left one rundown vessel in the south Atlantic and already had a minister, Keith Speed, resign due to the cuts in the navy that were planned. The Argies saw all this as an almost open invitation, John Bull was caught with his trousers down---and thus the war happened.

Does anyone recall how special our relationship with the US was then? They couldn't afford to be seen taking sides and had to remain neutral, so as not to upset the tinpot dictators the CIA was keeping going in central and South America.

[jj]

Not so: the ice-breaker was ORDERED to leave the Falklands- and the FO advised the Foreign Secretary (Carrington, IIRC) that this would be seen by the Argies as a tacit indication that the UK no longer wished to claim them as Sovereign territory and would 'look the other way' if they occupied them. The FS passed this info on to Thatcher, who ignored him, for reasons that are now all too obvious.
It was all of a piece with the sinking of a capital ship of the Argentine navy, sailing in the OPPOSITE direction..........

[jj]

The KGB wouldn't have touched Scargill with a barge-pole. Too obvious, and way too stupid.
They always preferred to subvert respectable Brits like Oxbridge grads and high-ranking civil servants.

[jj]

Not just them: ANY organisation that was deemed too liberal, or critical of government policy.
They even bugged Anthony Burgess- while he was living in ITALY..........

[mart]

I still don't understand why Scargill didn't go for a ballot on striking. He surely would have got the backing of his members and the Tories major criticism would have been negated.

Mart

[WillieBo]

Yes magoo, mainly I seem to remember about my views on Michael Jackson. I called him a nonce and other nasty things that I still hold by. But that's my problem, no-one else's. Oh, and I was very disrespectful toward Richard Madeley who I called a cretinous thief and Sting who I believe to be a 'pompous fuckwit'. And many others, no doubt.

I've also been chastised for my unrepentant and some would say illiberal views on criminals.

I got severely bollocked by Deuce Bigolo for that one as well. I unfortunately have a Holden McGroyn-type position on the vast majority of people in 'Showbiz'. Untalented parasites and morons, growing rich on this nation's increasing stupidity.

Here endeth my Sunday morning sermon. Peace be with you all.

[jj]

I believe the concern was that the Nottinghamshire miners would have voted against strike-action.
But even if true, they would still probably have come out, if the majority had been against them.
And Scargill was egotistical enough to believe that a vote was unnecessary, and the workforce would do as they were told.