5 March 1984: the miners’ strike begins

On this day in March 1984, the miners' strike, one of Britain’s most acrimonious industrial disputes, began when workers at Yorkshire's Cortonwood Colliery downed tools.

With 500,000 members, the National Union of Mineworkers, formed after the second world war, was a force to be reckoned with. In its early years, disputes were settled without resorting to industrial action. But in the 1970s, it became more militant. Strikes led to the three-day week, when electricity had to be rationed, and caused the downfall of the Conservative government of Edward Heath in 1974.

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Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.