No they didn't go on strike they illegally left their place of work and intimidate thousands of colleagues into no going. The soldiers were employed to keep the peace at the illegal picket lines. Mr £450,000 house Scargill was a bully who thought he and his cohorts were above the law. Those pits needed shutting because of the financial losses being incurred. Indeed Budge Mining Co brought many of these defunct, unsafe places of work and are still unable to make any type of profit. Where are the thousands of ex coal workers now Boab? Sitting pretty on their £50,000 redundancy payments which I am still paying for through my taxes. Thatcher took on the bullies and won, as she did with the car worker and the steel worker. Admit it she was the best leader this country had for the time she was in power. She brought you all there is good in Britain today, by being a powerful woman and a leader. You shhould be proud you lived under her rule as it will never be repeated. Then again, it doesn't have to does it!