Fundamentals at stake : the Conservatives, industrial relations and the rhetorical framing of the miners’ strike in 1984/1985

Abstract

The importance of the Thatcher government’s success in the miners’ strike of 1984/1985 for the further course of industrial relations politics has often been underlined. This article argues that it was equally important for the ideological development of Conservatism: it was essential for the strengthening of Thatcherism as a particular strand of Conservative thought, culture and practice within the party and the wider realm of political culture. The miners’ strike was a keystone in the long-term Thatcherite project of shaping the political language employed in public discourse and hence in defining the categories in which people would conceive of the political world. By evoking ideas about the nation, society, the cold war and democracy Conservatives contextualised the miners’ strike and established a Conservative narrative of the events. The political language of Thatcherism was strengthened and popularised during the year of strike action. Here lies the lasting legacy of the miners’ strike.