key points of the excerpt from Seumas Milne
Disaffected employees at the government`s GCHQ`s electronic spying headquarters began to leak information about intelligence and secret service dirty-tricks operations against NUM leaders to the Guardian in the winter 1990-91.
Whistleblowers alleged that Margaret Tatcher personally authorized a „Get Scargill“ campaign during and after 1984-85 strike and ordered an unprecedented mobilization of British and American electronic surveillance networks .
There had been direct media campaign against the miners` leadership. In December 1991 Stella Rimington became first director-general of MI5 whose appointment would be publicly disclosed by the most secretive government bureaucracy in the Western world. She headed the department in charge of monitoring the trade-union movement at the time of its greatest industrial conflict with Tatcher`s government.
Former Labour Secretary, Merlyn Rees, supported Tam Dalyell who tabled the House of Commons motion calling for a statement on Tatcher`s activities.
Dalyell claimed that Roger Winsdor was MI 5 agent sent into the NUM by Stella Rimington to destabilise and sabotage the union and should be brought to account.
Allegation and persistent leaks against miners`s leaders was covert campaign openly deployed by the government to destroy the trade-union.
Tatcherite faction in the Cabinet encouraged any method available –from secret financing of strikebreakers to mass electronic surveillance to undermine or discredit the union and its leaders.
Tory Party was determined to avenge its humiliation in the historic strikes of 1972 and 1974 in a single-minded and ruthless drive to destroy the NUM and if necessary the British coal industry.
After years of suffering heavy pit closures and declining relative pay under a right wing corporatist leadership, miners clinched the victory in the decisive battle of the 1972 strike.
There was none more single-minded in the pursuit of political revenge against the miners than Margaret
Whistleblowers alleged that Margaret Tatcher personally authorized a „Get Scargill“ campaign during and after 1984-85 strike and ordered an unprecedented mobilization of British and American electronic surveillance networks .
There had been direct media campaign against the miners` leadership. In December 1991 Stella Rimington became first director-general of MI5 whose appointment would be publicly disclosed by the most secretive government bureaucracy in the Western world. She headed the department in charge of monitoring the trade-union movement at the time of its greatest industrial conflict with Tatcher`s government.
Former Labour Secretary, Merlyn Rees, supported Tam Dalyell who tabled the House of Commons motion calling for a statement on Tatcher`s activities.
Dalyell claimed that Roger Winsdor was MI 5 agent sent into the NUM by Stella Rimington to destabilise and sabotage the union and should be brought to account.
Allegation and persistent leaks against miners`s leaders was covert campaign openly deployed by the government to destroy the trade-union.
Tatcherite faction in the Cabinet encouraged any method available –from secret financing of strikebreakers to mass electronic surveillance to undermine or discredit the union and its leaders.
Tory Party was determined to avenge its humiliation in the historic strikes of 1972 and 1974 in a single-minded and ruthless drive to destroy the NUM and if necessary the British coal industry.
After years of suffering heavy pit closures and declining relative pay under a right wing corporatist leadership, miners clinched the victory in the decisive battle of the 1972 strike.
There was none more single-minded in the pursuit of political revenge against the miners than Margaret