Elliott - Yorkshires Flying Pickets

BRITTAN, Leon

Born 1939. Conservative politician. Educated Cambridge, Yale & Inner Temple. Chief Secretary at Home Office and Trade Secretary. EU Commissioner in 1988 and later Vice-President.

HEATHFIELD, Peter

Secretary of Derbyshire Area NUM, to 1984 and then General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers. Described by Tony Benn as a negotiator and diplomat during the NCB/NUM talks, 7 July 1984.

KINNOCK, Neil

Labour Leader, 1983 92. Born in Gwent, 1942. Degree in Industrial Relations & History at Cardiff. Elected MP for Bedwellty (later Islwyn), 1970. PPR to Michael Foot, 1974 75. Shadow Minister of Education, 1979 83. Resigned after 1992 election defeat. European Commissioner, 1995. Currently Vice-President of the European Commission.

McGAHEY, Mick

President of the Scottish Area NUM, 1967 87. Vice-President of the National Union of Mineworkers, 1973 87, Chairman of Communist Party of Great Britain, 1974 78. One of the three (with Scargill & Heathfield) key miners union figures during the 1984 85 strike, described as a straightforward old statesman by Tony Benn.

MacGREGOR, Ian

Born Kinlochleven, Scotland, in 1912. Middle class, comfortably off family background. Studied Metallurgy at Glasgow University. 1936 40, worked as a metallurgist in armoury department of Beardmores on Clydeside. During the war worked in Canada and USA and afterwards stayed, becoming an American citizen and marketing manager of Campbell, Wyat and Cannon. By early 1950s was general manager of Manning, Maxwell & More and had experience of dealing with trade union disputes. Joined board of Climax Molybdenum, countering labour problems there, and later with Amax, both in the context of aluminium, steel and mining. Retired in 1977 but was then involved in US banking. Appointed as non-executive director at troubled British Leyland and, from 1980, moved to British Steel with a similar remit. When he was appointed as chairman of the National Coal Board, on 1 September 1983, he was almost 71-years-old, described by Arthur Scargill as that geriatric American butcher. In his autobiography MacGregor regarded the heroes of the 1984 85 strike as the working miners of Nottinghamshire and the UDM.

NESBIT, John

Former Yorkshire miner who became a senior police officer (Chief Superintendent). Arrested Arthur Scargill at Orgreave. Injured during picket and police confrontation at Maltby Colliery. Speaking to the Daily Mirror after the Heseltine pit closure announcement of 1992, he stated that ..a lot of the forecasts made by Scargill were spot on. You have to concede what he said would happen to the coal industry has come to fruition.

RICHARDSON, Henry

Nottinghamshire Area NUM President, loyal to the Union during the 1984 85 strike but having to deal with a large membership who continued to work.

SCARGILL, Arthur

Born 1938, Worsbrough Dale, Barnsley. Son of a miner. Worked at Woolley Colliery after leaving school in 1953, starting on the screens and later underground. Young Communist League,1955 62. NUM Branch Committee at Woolley Colliery, 1960 and Delegate, 1964. Came to national prominence during the 1972 miners strike and the Battle of Saltley Gate when he was a key figure on the Barnsley Area Strike Committee, successfully deploying flying pickets. In 1972 was elected as full-time Yorkshire NUM Compensation Agent, and, shortly afterwards, as President of Yorkshire Miners Union (1973 81). Had a major role representing the NUM in the enquiries following the Lofthouse (1973) and Houghton Main (1975) colliery disasters. Elected President of the National Union of Minerworkers, 1981, when only 35 years-old. Served for a record 30 years, until 2002. Also President of Miners Federation of Great Britain and (from 1985) the International Miners Federation. The last of the great and charismatic miners leaders of the twentieth century, alongside Herbert Smith, Joe Hall and A J Cook who he much admired. Member of TUC General Council, 1980 83 & 1986 88. Described as totally unyielding and a field commander in a Benn diary entry for 7 July 1984. Fell out with New Labour and founded the Socialist Labour Party (SLP), 1996.

TAYLOR, Jack

Popular and respected Yorkshire Area NUM President during the 1984 85 strike.

THATCHER, Margaret

Born 1925, daughter of a Grantham grocer. Studied at Somerville College, Oxford (Chemistry, and later Law). Worked briefly as a tax lawyer. Elected as Conservative MP for Finchley, 1959 (to 1992). Junior Minister, Pensions & National Insurance, 1961 64, Secretary of State for Education and Science, 1970 74. Leader of Conservative Party, 1975 90. Prime Minister, 1979 90. Her Press Secretary was Bernard Ingram when the Maggie Out! protest became popular. Unemployment reached a 3 million peak in 1982. Her monetarist policy was combined with a reduction in the power of the trade unions. On October 12 1984 she escaped attempted assassination when an IRA bomb was detonated at Brightons Grand Hotel during the party conference, five people dying following the attack. Introduced the community charge or poll tax in 1989 which resulted in a number of serious riots. Entered House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, 1992. Continued to be in demand as an international speaker until 2002 when her doctors advised her, on health grounds, to cease public speaking. Volume Two of John Campbells recent (2003) biography, The Iron Lady includes an assessment and account of her activities during the miners strike of 1984 85.

WALKER, Peter

Born 1932. Conservative politician and leading wet during Thatcher leadership. MP for Worcester, 1961 92. Secretary of State for the Environment, 1970 72 and Trade & Industry, 1972 74. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Food, 1979 83. Energy Secretary during 1984 84 miners strike. Secretary of State for Wales, 1987 90. Entered House of Lords in 1992.