The National Union of Mine Workers (NUM) is one of wealthiest trade union organisations in the world due to its now very small membership and the way it has handled its investments in recent times.
In regards to Arthur Scargill, since the end of the 1980s miners strike and his subsequent retirement as General Secretary of that organisation, Scargill has been offered ever-increasing millions to give his account of all that happened in those turbulent years while he held the above position. However, Scargill has repeatedly turned down such offers, and remained silent.
Undoubtedly he and those surrounding him made a series of poor judgements at the start of that strike, but there were many in in the Labour movement that totally betrayed not just Scargill but all who engaged in that year-long battle.
Reports that Scargill "pocketed" funding sent from Russia during the miner's strike are total rubbish in my view and no one has ever brought forward any evidence to support such accusations.
Accounts written of the strike have been produced, in the main, by the right-wing media and writers. Those of us that worked in the transport industry as drivers at the time of the strike and were running into areas such as South wales in all probability have the greatest knowledge of what was really happening "on the ground" throughout that terrible and very complex situation. However, in regard to many of those accounts written, I and many of those who I am still in contact with find there content truly laughable.
Many involved in that dispute (including myself) would wish to see Arthur Scargill produce his version of what occurred prior too and during those many months of the miner's dispute. However, I feel that after so many years have passed he now never will.