The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners
Milne revealed for the first time the astonishing lengths to which the government and its intelligence machine were prepared to go to destroy the power of Britain’s miners’ union. Using phoney bank deposits, staged cash drops, forged documents, agents provocateurs and unrelenting surveillance, M15 and police Special Branch set out to discredit Scargill and other miners’ leaders. Planted tales of corruption were seized on by the media and both Tory and Labour politicians in what became an unprecedentedly savage smear campaign.
In this new edition, published for the twentieth anniversary of Britain’s most important postwar social confrontation, new material brings the story up to date – and, in the wake of the Iraq war intelligence scandals, highlights the continuing threat posed by the security services to democracy today.
I read this book because I am a Union Rep and Activist and I wanted to learn more about the history of Trade Unions in The UK. What I took from it was an explanation for some previously inexplicable behaviour. There are a lot of people nowadays who disapprove or are afraid of Trade Unions. I believe that the various dodgy dealings of the press and government towards Scargill and The NUM are behind these peoples' negative opinions of the Trade Union Movement. History needs to be re-written to
Read this and them feel very afraid.
A valuable insight into Seamus Milne and his relationship with attacks and smears on persons on the left. He has clearly had extensive access to information and used it to great effect.If you enjoy espionage and spy stories this is a great non-fiction option for you. Or if like me your a left winger who wants to know more about the secret goings between the unions and the state then its a great read!
Been meaning to read this book since it came out but never got round to it. I really, really wish I'd read it sooner though. It's a book that will change how you view the country that you dwell in, how your thoughts of the benevolence of the state crumble to dust.How a book that exposes such corruption and malpractice at the heart of government, the state and the establishment didn't create an impetus for massive changes is beyond me. Now even in 2012 we can see and know that such duplicity and
For someone who lived through the miners strike and knows what happened first hand saw the effects that it had and still to this day is having this book is an interesting read. This is a. Book that should be in every school library.
It reads like a spy thriller, only it's all true. An enlightening account of the coordinated actions of political figures, media organisations and members of the security services to undermine and smear radical trade unionists. It's wealth of information helps to make it's case but can be a slog at times.
Seumas Milne
Paperback | Pages: 440 pages Rating: 4.2 | 228 Users | 28 Reviews
Mention Out Of Books The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners
Title | : | The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners |
Author | : | Seumas Milne |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 440 pages |
Published | : | September 17th 2004 by Verso (first published December 1994) |
Categories | : | Nonfiction. Politics. History |
Commentary Concering Books The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners
Margaret Thatcher branded the leaders of the 1984-85 miners strike “the enemy within.” With the publication of this book, the full irony of that accusation became clear. Seumas Milne revealed for the first time the astonishing lengths to which the government and its intelligence machine were prepared to go to destroy the power of Britain’s miners’ union. There was an enemy within. It was the secret services of the British state, operating inside the NUM itself.Milne revealed for the first time the astonishing lengths to which the government and its intelligence machine were prepared to go to destroy the power of Britain’s miners’ union. Using phoney bank deposits, staged cash drops, forged documents, agents provocateurs and unrelenting surveillance, M15 and police Special Branch set out to discredit Scargill and other miners’ leaders. Planted tales of corruption were seized on by the media and both Tory and Labour politicians in what became an unprecedentedly savage smear campaign.
In this new edition, published for the twentieth anniversary of Britain’s most important postwar social confrontation, new material brings the story up to date – and, in the wake of the Iraq war intelligence scandals, highlights the continuing threat posed by the security services to democracy today.
Describe Books To The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners
Original Title: | The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against The Miners |
ISBN: | 1844675084 (ISBN13: 9781844675081) |
Edition Language: | English |
Rating Out Of Books The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners
Ratings: 4.2 From 228 Users | 28 ReviewsPiece Out Of Books The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners
THE COAL WAR Seamus Milnes book takes as it's starting point the 1990 Daily Mirror/Cook Report "scoop" regarding Arthur Scargill and his National Union of Mineworkers associate Peter Heathfield. They were accused of embezzling monies to pay off their mortgages from donations made by Libyan Trade Unionists during the 1984-85 Miners Strike. The story led to Scargill and Heathfield being subjected to a number of lawsuits from their own Trade Unions executive, as well as a variety of GovernmentI read this book because I am a Union Rep and Activist and I wanted to learn more about the history of Trade Unions in The UK. What I took from it was an explanation for some previously inexplicable behaviour. There are a lot of people nowadays who disapprove or are afraid of Trade Unions. I believe that the various dodgy dealings of the press and government towards Scargill and The NUM are behind these peoples' negative opinions of the Trade Union Movement. History needs to be re-written to
Read this and them feel very afraid.
A valuable insight into Seamus Milne and his relationship with attacks and smears on persons on the left. He has clearly had extensive access to information and used it to great effect.If you enjoy espionage and spy stories this is a great non-fiction option for you. Or if like me your a left winger who wants to know more about the secret goings between the unions and the state then its a great read!
Been meaning to read this book since it came out but never got round to it. I really, really wish I'd read it sooner though. It's a book that will change how you view the country that you dwell in, how your thoughts of the benevolence of the state crumble to dust.How a book that exposes such corruption and malpractice at the heart of government, the state and the establishment didn't create an impetus for massive changes is beyond me. Now even in 2012 we can see and know that such duplicity and
For someone who lived through the miners strike and knows what happened first hand saw the effects that it had and still to this day is having this book is an interesting read. This is a. Book that should be in every school library.
It reads like a spy thriller, only it's all true. An enlightening account of the coordinated actions of political figures, media organisations and members of the security services to undermine and smear radical trade unionists. It's wealth of information helps to make it's case but can be a slog at times.
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