Shoulder to shoulder: An analysis of a miners' support group during the 1984-85 strike and the significance of social identity, geography and political leadership

Abstract

Drawing on the extensive archive of a support group in the 1984-5 British miners' strike, this study considers the process of establishing such a group, its primary welfare and fund-raising role, its attitude to picketing, women's role and activity, and the role of a particular Marxist group within it. Three interrelated explanatory themes are emphasised: the process of social identification with the strike, geography and political leadership. Some qualification to this analysis is suggested in conclusion, as is the potential for applying and developing the approach more generally in explaining the success of support groups in the 1984-5 miners' strike, in spite of their diverse forms and membership.