Strikers Instinct (4 page)

Harry could tell that Ed was annoyed as the Lindens left the room.

“Well that was a waste of time!” he fumed.

“Why do you say that?” asked Harry.

“I've spent all day schmoozing them and we never even got near to making Sue an official job offer! Why did those flaming kids have to come back then? It's Sarah's fault, she should have held on to them for longer.”

Harry smiled, “Sarah did exactly as we asked her. She entertained Tom and Lexi for over an hour and by the looks of things she made sure they had a great time.”

“So you think this was a success then?” demanded Ed.

“Of course it was,” answered Harry, “we have dangled the bait and I will leave it a few days before I approach Sue with a formal offer.”

“Harry, you don't seem to understand how urgent this is,” Ed shouted, “We haven't had a Chief Financial Officer since James left and we need to get someone in as soon as possible!”

“Ed, the reason James left was because the last time you chose a CFO you rushed your decision and picked the wrong person – and you are in danger of making the same mistake again!”

Ed hated being reminded that Harry had advised against hiring James. What Harry didn't add was that the main reason that James had resigned was that he was fed up with being bullied by Ed. Harry knew that Sue wouldn't be so easily intimidated.

Harry tried to calm Ed down. “Look”, he said, “do you agree that Sue seems to be the perfect person to become the next CFO?”

Ed begrudgingly agreed. “Yes she seems to tick all the boxes. Her CV is very impressive and her background checks show her in a very favourable light – but I'm tired with all the delays. She's good but I feel as though I am trying to woo a member of the aristocracy!”

Harry took a more hard-nosed approach. “Look Ed, you are just going to have to face facts. Any decent candidate – including Sue – is going to have to work a lengthy period of notice before they can begin work – for once you are just going to have to be patient.”

Harry had begun to notice a worrying pattern over the last year or so. It seemed that the more success Ed achieved – the more demanding he became. It did no harm to remind him occasionally that he couldn't always have everything he wanted.

Ed considered Henry's words. He didn't like being lectured by anyone but he was bright enough to understand that when Harry spoke he should usually listen. He had come to realise that Harry was one of the most intelligent people he had ever met and he seemed to have an uncanny knack of giving the correct answer. In addition to being a brilliant physician, Harry was a major factor in the rapid growth of the TxT group. However, Ed still felt that he needed to have the last word.

“Well, I agree Sue could be exactly what we need but I'm not sure that I like the look of her husband. I can't put my finger on it but he felt like trouble to me.”

Harry sighed again. Sometimes dealing with Ed was like dealing with a spoiled child.

“Actually Ed you could be absolutely correct with that assessment – Luke Linden may possibly be one of the most dangerous men you could ever meet but he may also prove to be a great asset to us.”

The puzzled look on Ed's face delighted Harry and also made it clear to him that Ed didn't have a clue what he meant. Harry glanced at his watch before he spoke again.

“Look, I don't have long, I have to call in at the hospital before I go home tonight but I'll quickly try to tell you why I think Sue will be the right person for this job and why her husband will also be the perfect person to get on your side. I've been quite open that they are both very good friends of mine but I'm sure you know me well enough by now to recognise that my advice to you is completely impartial.”

Harry hesitated as if wondering exactly how much of the story he wanted to reveal then he shrugged his shoulders and began to talk.

“OK,” he said, “I think it may help if you understand a bit about Sue and Luke's backgrounds and how we all came to be friends. I don't know if I can tell you the full story right now but I'll try my best.”

“Sue and I lived in the same street in the more affluent part of Wishton. Her father was a businessman and mine – as you know – was a doctor. We were in the same class throughout our time at the local Catholic Junior and Infant school. Back then we weren't exactly the best of mates but we were friendly enough to each other. After we finished at junior school, Sue went to a convent school and I started at the local grammar school. This was one of the few remaining Grammar schools in the country and it was run by Christian Brothers – the standards were very high and I loved my time there. That was where I first met Luke, he was a year older than Sue and I and to be honest I thought that he went through the whole of his time at that school without being aware of my existence!

Luke was almost the perfect pupil. He was extremely clever and very sporty. He played for the cricket team in the summer and the football team in the winter and could turn his hand to most other sports. In fact he was a better than average footballer – being quite tall for his age he played centre forward and scored a lot of goals. He seemed to have everything going for him but several of the parents warned their children not to associate with him. Most of the kids ignored the warnings but a small number refused to have anything to do with Luke.”

“I knew it!” Ed interrupted, “he's some kind of criminal!”

Harry smiled. “Far from it,” he said, “Luke was polite, hard-working and extremely courteous. But he did have some baggage – depending on your point of view. Luke's father was the chief union representative at Wishton Pit. Bob Linden was well respected by friends and workmates but the bosses hated him. They considered him to be a constant thorn in their sides and his name was poison at the local golf club and conservative club. He fought constantly to improve wages and conditions and to try to protect the miners futures.”

Ed interrupted again. “I knew there was something fishy about this – are you trying to tell me Luke is a communist?”

Harry shook his head irritably. “I thought you were a better judge of character than that. In fact it may interest you to know that Luke Linden is probably as wealthy as you.”

Ed's eyes widened in surprise.

“May I continue?” asked Harry.

Ed nodded.

“In 1979 the country elected a Conservative government and for people like Bob Linden the warning signs were quite clear. He began to tell anyone who would listen that there was an agenda to decimate the coal industry but he was mainly ignored and considered to be a troublemaker. However, over the next few years his words were proved to be true. Things began to deteriorate until finally, in March 1984, the government announced their intention to close 20 pits straight away, followed by plans for the staggered closure of 70 others. Wishton was one of the 70.

As soon as the closures were announced, mass walk-outs and strikes began throughout the coal industry, supported by other unions. Bob was at the forefront of the dispute but he was seen by many as one of the moderate voices. He wanted justice but he was willing to compromise if necessary. Bob saw that some closures were inevitable but he also thought that some profitable pits were being sacrificed for political purposes.

Luke went with Bob to many meetings and both could see that the dispute was hurting a lot of the mining families – the winter of 1984 was particularly cruel. People had no money, no fuel, no food and very little hope. The Conservative government were trying to starve the miners into defeat. Bob and several others helped raise money to keep the families fed and warm whilst at the same time trying to seek a face-saving compromise. However, the dispute dragged on and small knots of men in some parts of the country began to drift back to work. They could no longer bear to see their children hungry and they were offered huge incentives as bribes to cross the picket lines.

The day finally arrived at Wishton when a dozen men were persuaded by management to cross the picket line. They were offered big bonuses and were promised that when the dispute was over they would be given long-term jobs at other mines so they would escape possible retribution from their former workmates. Bob heard about the offer and he and some other committee members pleaded with the men not to cross the picket line. He managed to persuade two of the men to stay on strike but the other ten were determined to go ahead. The Wishton ten would become infamous in Trades Union history.

Monday morning found Luke stood on the picket line along with other families. Bob had insisted on a peaceful demonstration for the watching TV cameras and reporters. As the coach carrying the ten men approached the pit gates it suddenly became clear to the people on the picket line that there were a lot more strangers than usual – shouting and waving placards. Bob began to worry – the strangers seemed intent on causing problems. As soon as the coach and the police escort reached the picket line a group of men at the back of the pickets surged forward, pushing the striking miners and their families forward towards the path of the coach.

Suddenly, from side streets around the mine appeared dozens of police who had been concealed in removal vans and lorries. These weren't local police but a mixture of southern forces bussed in to bolster the numbers. In the space of a few seconds it was clear to all what was happening. The police made no attempt to calm the crowd – they steamed in with batons raised and crushed anyone in their path – women and children included. Strangely enough, the men who had started the initial shoving seemed to have melted away.

Bob Linden was horrified to see the peaceful demonstration turning into a bloodbath. He urged the men to stand together to allow the families time to get away – he ordered Luke to escort his mother and sister to safety. Luke obeyed his father and shepherded them towards the edge of the disturbance. Once he saw that they were safe he turned to go back and help his father. His mother tried to restrain him but he pulled away from her grasp and ran back towards where he left his father. It seemed like total chaos – all around him unarmed miners were trying to defend themselves against truncheons and miners were being dragged away in handcuffs. He dodged past a couple of policemen who tried to grab him and headed toward his father. Bob was still pleading for calm as Luke returned. Just as Luke turned the corner he saw four policemen manoeuvre Bob away from the main crush and then drag him towards a police van. Luke tried to follow and as he watched he saw his father thrown into the van. Through the open doors he saw the police systematically begin to beat his father until he seemed unconscious. Luke screamed and tried to push through the scrum towards the van but was blocked.

Suddenly he was grabbed roughly and dragged backwards – Luke tried to fight but then he realised that he was being held by two of his uncles.

“Come on lad – we need to get out of here!” Uncle Jack shouted.

“They've got dad in that van and they're beating him to death!” Luke screamed.

“Aye and we'll be next if we don't get away.” said Jack urgently.

Luke was pulled away by the two older men and then the ambulances slowly began to arrive for the injured miners and their families. It was a black day for the town. Accusations and counter-accusations flew. The miners believed that policemen in plain clothes had caused the initial crush and that the uniformed officers had been waiting for the pre-arranged signal before steaming in. The authorities scoffed at this – they accused the miners of deliberately using their families as a human shield in order to try to stop miners peacefully returning to work. What they couldn't explain however was – why did none of the uniformed officers show any insignia of rank or numbers on their uniforms?

Luke and his family struggled to get news of his father but it wasn't until the local Labour MP became involved that they discovered where he was being held. They wouldn't let Luke or his mother into the Police station but the MP managed to get inside. He was grimfaced when he returned.

“He's in a bad way – I've insisted they take him to hospital.” he said. “But that's not the end of it. They insist that he attacked the police and hit one of them over the head. They've charged him with assault.”

It took a few months for Bob to recover enough from his injuries to face trial. Everyone knew it was a farce but the police stood up and testified that Bob had attacked a sergeant with a brick. Luke testified on his father's behalf – along with other witnesses but it was pointless. The union arranged for a barrister to represent Bob but even he couldn't save the day. Bob was found guilty and sentence to 12 months in jail.

Bob served 9 months and by the time he was released there had been big changes. The strike had ended on March 3rd 1985 and although Wishton Pit was still open when Bob was released, he was unable to return to work because he had been sacked due to his criminal record. Bob never fully recovered from the beating he received and his increasing isolation caused depression to set in. However, his true friends didn't desert him and there was always a constant stream of visitors to the Linden home trying to raise his spirits. One piece of good news was that Luke had done very well with his A Levels and had won a scholarship to Oxford. Bob hugged his son and made him promise to stick at his studies and make something of himself. Maybe he had some kind of premonition because the day after their conversation, Bob Linden died from a massive heart attack. He was 48 and Luke was 18.

The town of Wishton came to a halt for Bob's funeral. The local police formed a guard of honour. They were ashamed at the treatment Bob had received and they wanted to show solidarity with Bob and his family. Their actions that day helped heal some of the divisions within the town.

Another funeral took place a few weeks later. One of the Wishton ten had taken his own life. He left a note saying he couldn't face the shame anymore and hoped people would understand why he had done what he did. The funeral was attended by Luke and his family – together with many others from the mining community. The only noticeable absences were the anonymous men of authority who had persuaded the men to cross the picket line.”