ABSTRACT

The election of a Conservative government would inevitably cause tensions in the NUM - government relationship. Not only were Conservatives hostile to nationalisation but the legacy of 1926 and the responsibility of Conservative dominated governments for the woes of the inter-war years exerted a strong influence in NUM politics. Churchill was personally reviled in many mining communities as the Liberal Home Secretary who deployed troops against striking miners at Tonypandy in 1909 and subsequently as Chancellor of^the Exchequer in Baldwin's government for being the leading Cabinet 'hawk' in 1926.1

Many Conservatives had little sympathy for the miners. During the unofficial strikes of early 1944 one backbench MP had written; 'would to God that they could be treated by Russian methods - but what the Russians may do if done here would arouse a tremendous uproar, from the Archbishop of Canterbury to Mr Shinwell would come shrieks of dismay, and yet the shooting of a few miners would end strikes.'2 Significantly, the Conservative attack on mines nationalisation was circumspect and 'in 1945 the party had opposed nationalisation in principle, while making exceptions in practice; in 1951 it opposed nationalisation in practice but claimed to be pragmatic in principle. Neither position entailed radical action.'3 The 1945 Conservative manifesto argued for a new start in the industry based on the Reid Report which would remain privately owned.