The National Archives has released almost 500 files from 1984, including papers from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet Office.
Highlights from the files
The government’s handling of the miners’ strike is revealed in greater detail than ever before in papers released today. The strike by Arthur Scargill’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) presented Mrs Thatcher’s government with one of its most serious challenges and divided opinion in the country.
The newly released material also sheds light on Mrs Thatcher’s response to the Brighton hotel bombing in October 1984 and its effect on Anglo-Irish relations, the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, and the visit of future-to-be Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
The Prime Minister’s appointment diaries have been made public for the first time. This new series (PREM 32) provides a day-by-day summary of the Prime Minister’s appointments during her time in office. Mrs Thatcher’s 1984 diary is available online, while the diaries for 1979 to 1983 are available in the reading rooms at Kew.
Explore the files
You can view a selection of newly-released Cabinet Office and Prime Minister’s Office files online, the key events of 1984 and changes to the British Cabinet during the year.
You can listen to the National Archives podcast to hear contemporary records specialists Mark Dunton and Simon Demissie discussing highlights from the latest release and read more about the files on The National Archives’ Blog.
He has written over 700 business publications (see Glossaries at http://onesmartplace.com/resources/glossaries/) and is editor of Better Business Focus (see http://onesmartplace.com/resources/better-business-focus-magazine). His Blog, on a wide range of subjects can be found at: http://onesmartplace.com/blog/
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