harold wilson closed more coal mines than thatcher, we left industry to market forces, thatcher rationalised government spending, didn't close a thing.. maggie's dream was a free flexible strike free workforce, with more jobs created than ever before in our history..

I was on strike in '84 but not through a ballot box but intimidation. Thatcher dead hopefully Scargill soon

The coal is still under the ground ,waiting to be mined .

so what is your question ?

1....Arthur scargill called a ballot and won and then the strike continued, and would the nottinghamshire miners have then come out with the rest of the miners?

2.. they voted to go back to work, and then the coal mines would have remained open. but more likely thatcher would have continued to close the pits to get a strike.

3...Thatcher called in the NUM to talk about pit closures but there was no chance of this.

A plan had been drawn up to close the coal mines and it would have happened whatever scargill did.

To atttack scargills leadership is totally wrong.