Marching to the Fault Line by Francis Beckett

Marching to the Fault Line by Francis Beckett

The 1984 Miners' strike was one of the defining moments in modern British history. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was determined to transform Britain and break the power of the Unions. On March 5, steered by the leader of the NUM, Arthur Scargill, the miners decided to protest the closures and called for industrial action. Over the next eleven months, Britain would be dragged to the precipice of civil war as violence and resentment spilled out along the picket lines and on the streets. Thatcher was convinced to the end that the government might fall. However, the final defeat of the protest would mark the end of a way of life for hundreds of thousands as Attlee's vision of a welfare state, trade unions and strong government was replaced by Thatcher's Britain. In "Marching to the Fault Line" leading journalists Francis Beckett and David Hencke have unrivalled access to key government and union players at the heart of the story; they have also uncovered material that the powerful would have liked to remain secret, including 'dirty tricks' and secret payments, jaw dropping incompetence, back biting, and double dealing. From Downing Street to the picket lines, this book will reveal the true story behind the strike. Praise for "The Blairs and their Court" 'Hugely entertaining' - Roy Hattersley. 'A fascinating book' - "Daily Mail". 'An exceptional and well-researched piece of work' - "Tribune". 'A fascinating read' - "TES".

Francis Beckett is a distinguished journalist who regularly writes for the Guardian and other national papers. He is the author of amongst others Enemy Within: The Rise and Fall of the British Communist Party, biographies of Clement Attlee and Gordon Brown and co-authored The Blairs and their Court with David Hencke. David Hencke has worked on the Guardian as their Westminster correspondent since 1986. He has won numerous awards including 'Scoop of the Year' and 'Journalist of the Year' three times and memorably has scooped Neil Hamilton, Peter Mandelson and John Prescott amongst others. He is described by Andrew Marr as the leading parliamentary journalist of our era.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781845296148
ISBN 10	1845296141
Title	Marching to the Fault Line
Author	Francis Beckett
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Little, Brown Book Group
Year published	2009-02-26
Number of pages	420
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable