RIGHT FROM the beginning of the miners' strike two of its key figures have been absolutely sure of what they wanted.
Arthur Scargill, resting on the member ship of the NUM, has oriented to a total vic tory over Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher has aimed for total victory over the NUM. Any compromise which emerged between these two would simply be because one side was unable to crush the other. Thatcher would only compromise when she is convinced the only alternative for her government is total defeat.
On the side of the NUM it is the determintaion of its membership, and the nature of its leadership, eight months. Each escalation by Thatcher has met with an equal escalation by the NUM -until by last Tuesday total victory lay within the hands of the miners union.
From last Tuesday until the beginning of this week, with the leadership to hold steady could have written any settlement he wanted on a piece of paper and Thatcher and MacGregor would have been forced to sign it But also dispute another less has known exactly what it dispute. That force is Basnett, and the leadership of the TUC Basnett was not actually lying at the TUC when he said that he did not want crush oright its ay NUM.
TUC to back to table' that is another matter). openly crush the NUM would not serve that purpose. Hence the efforts of GMBATU, and other unions, to gain support for the TUC guidelines in the But if Basnet not want the NUM simply to be crushed it does not want a victory for lothing would terrify han a triumphant NUM which had crushed Thatcher's policies. Because members of other unions would simply ask 'if he And that would mean years of trouble for people like David Basnett and Normal Willis So the TUC, Reat this year's Congress, finds it is riding a tiger The resolution of support for the miners at the TUC Congress, from delegates together with the atmosphere which surrounded NACODS ballot which made total victory for the miners possible. Therefore, TUC, that victory must be stopped and a compromise' delivered.
This process became public last Thursday with the quite incredible Peter Walker/Neil Kinnock all talking, all action TV show.
First Walker made his dramatic innock to intervene to persuade the NUM to a cept the ACAS settlement.
eared and started negotiating inding the strike over heads of the NUM The basis of the whole operation is simple. To break up the united front the NUM has created around itself, to isolate Scargill and the NUM leadership prevent course of the struggle heads of the NUM, why the NCB-NACODS talks on Tuesday excluded the NUM, why the TUC is naking no campaign against the legal attacks or he NUM The bourgeoisie in effect says 'we can't do business with Scargill's leadership, or the rank and file of the NUM, so therefore we propose to go round it, over it, underneath it, ny route possible to negotiate without it.' Anc this is just what the TUC and Kinnock propose to deliver. It should be given its proper name.
Scabbing.
Editor: ALAN FREEMAN Published weekly except two weeks in August and the last week of December.
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Photo: JOHN HARRIS which has kept the strike going for NACODS strike going ahead, all needed was for the labour and union and Arthur Scargill right from the beginning of the openly spectacular force wanted out of the Neil Kinnock, David Thatcher to Basnett's strategy is for the the negotiatin where of course it will surrender (bu Allowing Thatcher to and the TUC leadership, does scargill and the miners the TUC leadership more led by Arthur Scargill, can do it, why can't our leaders?' been of the miners to give support for the the overwhelming support at the Labour Party conference, created a dynamic for the labour bureaucracy and the Appeal t Then Kinnock ap terms Tol any case that the NUM will