Challenge- defeat Thatcher save the British Coal Industry

You are President of the National Union of Mineworkers from some time around Thatcher's second electoral victory.

How do you preserve your industry against a government which actually hates you?

If Maggie had decided to bring in the Poll Tax in 1984, coinciding with the Miners clashes, then you're talking about a right royal national riot, almost worthy of bringing out the armoured cars. Having an equally intelligent but less loathable miners leader than Arthur Scargill. And having more Conservatives than just Macmillan speak up for the miners.

How about the miners admitting that much of their membership was simply redudant, and accepting some compromises? Going for the whole-hog class-warfare thing didn't help them much (I agree completely with Dunash that Scargill was a catastrophe for the miners), and the fact that Labour was deep in the embrace of the looney left at the time didn't help things at all...

Of course, I was delighted with the outcome, so I must confess some bias in my analysis...

Cheers!