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Keith.
History proves, we should have taken on Thatcher on our terms at the right time and if we had won, what would this country be like today?
The truth is, we never wanted to go on strike, we only went on strike when we were forced to, on her terms, with her timings and we do know the consequences of losing that strike.
However, to go on strike to bring down a government, would have been wrong and counterproductive, let alone against many miners principals, it was their pits that was important to them, not the government. As I have said many times, the only reason we went on strike was to try and save our pits.
Their plan was never about coal production or cost cutting, it was all about taking the miners out of the equation, beat the miners, bring the rest of the unions to heel.
Ironically, had we been the politically militant rampant beasts, we were portrayed as and planned our action as they did, we would have won.
As PaulW has said on here before, we were outflanked and out manoeuvred.
It wasn't just the miners who suffered by losing that fight, the whole country is still feeling the selfishness and hatred they had for unions. Today it the turn of the NHS and the Benefits System.
Both flawed, both in need of fixing but not by declaring war on them and demolishing them, like they did to the unions back then.