Past Present Future Now & Then with Robert Saunders: The General Strike @100 Part 2
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May 6, 2026 
Robert Saunders, historian of modern British political and labour history, reflects on the 1926 General Strike at its centenary. He traces how the strike ended, the political costs for Baldwin, and the miners’ isolation. They jump to the 1970s and 1980s coal disputes and compare tactics. Finally, Saunders considers what a general strike might look like today, including wider forms of mobilisation and the role of unpaid and female labour.
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TUC Sought Negotiation Not Total Victory
- The TUC always sought an off-ramp and never intended prolonged confrontation with the government.
- TUC leaders felt a moral duty to miners but believed the strike's aim was to reopen negotiations, not to outlast the state.
Samuel's Paper Gave The TUC A Misleading Off-Ramp
- Sir Herbert Samuel offered a compromise reopening negotiations which the TUC seized as an honourable exit.
- Samuel even wrote proposals on Downing Street stationery, leading the TUC to misread his mandate as government commitment.
TUC Felt Betrayed By How Government Framed Samuel Deal
- The TUC felt deeply shocked when the government framed Samuel's negotiated terms as an unconditional surrender.
- Samuel's Downing Street stationery and implied contacts made the TUC believe they had an honourable exit.