Thatcher vs The Miners tells the behind the scenes story of how Margaret Thatcher defeated the miners in 1984 and changed the face of Britain forever.
For the first time, we see her cunning at work. How she planned. How she prepared. We watch as she revolutionises how the police are organised, turning them into a national fighting force, unafraid to wield power.
She had waited years for her moment. Having watched the coal miners take down and humiliate Ted Heath’s government in 1974, she was determined that that would not happen to her. When she got the opportunity she was ready to strike. She took on Britain’s strongest union and wore them down over the course of a year.
Though Scargill, McGregor and Energy Secretary Peter Walker were in the spotlight, behind the scenes Thatcher was getting daily reports on what was happening on the ground and controlling their every move.
Downing Street insiders talk of her determination to win, at all costs.
And on the miners’ side we hear of the struggles, of the hardship and of the bloody pitched battles between those on strike and those who wanted to work.
And for the first time, the documentary examines the critical role of her secret weapon, David Hart, an Eton educated avant-garde filmmaker, an “irregular” who worked with Thatcher behind the scenes. He was her enforcer and ultimately delivered the final blow.
