Dorking Radical Film Festival – Still The Enemy Within

Still the Enemy Within is a unique insight into one of history’s most dramatic events: the 1984-85 British Miners’ Strike. No experts. No politicians. Thirty years on, this is the raw first-hand experience of those who lived through the UK’s longest strike.

Follow the highs and lows of that life-changing year. In 1984, a conservative government under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher declared war on the unions, taking on the strongest in the country, the National Union of Mineworkers. Following a secret plan, the government began announcing the closure of coal mines, threatening not just an industry but whole communities and a way of life. Against all the forces the government could throw at them, 160 000 coal miners took up the fight and became part of a battle to change the course of history. Still the Enemy Within tells the story of a group of miners and supporters who were on the frontline of the strike for an entire year. These were the people Margaret Thatcher labelled ‘the Enemy Within’. Many of them have never spoken on camera before.

Using interviews and a wealth of rare and never before seen archive, Still the Enemy Within draws together personal experiences – whether they’re tragic, funny or terrifying – to take the audience on an emotionally powerful journey through the dramatic events of that year. Follow Norman Strike, from devising ingenious ways of getting past police road blocks in a key battleground, Nottingham, to suddenly finding himself a minor celebrity after a mishap on national television; Paul Symonds, from the optimism and excitement of a young man fighting for his future to the tragic death of his best friend on a picket line; Joyce Sheppard, from her life as an ordinary housewife to becoming a political activist and facing violence as huge numbers of police are sent in to Yorkshire villages to break the strike.

They, along with a range of fascinating characters who fought alongside them, give a frank, emotional and ultimately inspiring account of ordinary people at the centre of extraordinary events. From the infamous Battle of 0rgreave, where miners found themselves in a brutal confrontation with over five thousand police, to the hardship endured after almost a year on strike – their story is not just one of personal drama but one that shaped the world we live in today.

Running Time: 112 mins + intro & Q&A with Executive Producer

IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3815426/

Executive Producer – Mike Simons

Mike is a journalist, editor and author who has worked on two acclaimed books about the 1984-85 Miners Strike: ‘Striking Back’ and ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears: Photographs from the Great Miners’ Strike’ alongside photographer John Sturrock. He is an expert on the period and has had relationship with miners, supporters and photographers from across the coalfield for over 40 years.