Arthur Scargill

Scargill was born in Worsbrough Dale, just south of Barnsley, the son of Harold, a miner and hard-line Communist. He became a miner after leaving school, working at Woolley Colliery from 1953. He soon became a left-wing political activist, joining the Young Communist League from 1955-1962. He became a member of the Labour Party 1962-1996. Then he became the leader of the Yorkshire miners union 1973-1981 and became president of the NUM in 1981.

He became renowned as a fiery and effective orator. And he bitterly opposed the industrial policies of Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, and rose to national prominence during the 1984-1985 miners' strike, which failed to damage the Conservative government and split the miners' movement. He founded the Socialist Labour Party after criticizing what he saw as a lurch to the right by the main Labour Party. His breakaway party has had little success in the polls.