the Miners' StrikeˈMiners’ ˌStrike, the a long strike by British coal miners in 1984–85, in protest at government plans to close mines. It is remembered for fights between the miners, led by Arthur Scargill, and the police. The prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, called the miners ‘the enemy within’ (=the enemy inside the country). This phrase is sometimes used to describe any group within a society or organization which is being blamed for causing problems.