David Peace - GB84

Tight —

‘How the mighty have fucking fallen.’

Upstairs downstairs. In one minute. Out the next. In, out. In, out. They shook Terry all about. This way. That way. Here. There. And everywhere –

Rally. Rally. Rally. Meeting. Meeting. Meeting –

Speech. Speech. Speech. Talk. Talk. Talk –

The Chairman said one thing. The President said another –

Forever reacting. Never acting –

The Chairman said the strike could be defeated with the support of Nottingham. The President said the strike could be won without the support of Nottingham –

You say hello. I say goodbye —

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye –

Terry slipped his leash. Terry had his own plans.

Terry drove straight down from Sheffield. Clive Cook down from Barnsley. Desmond Toole straight up from Kent. Gareth Thomas up from Cardiff –

They met in the Leicester Forest Service Station.

Terry was early. Desmond on the dot. Clive late –

Gareth pissed off. Tired from the drive. He hated all this cloak-and-dagger shit.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Terry. ‘The President insists we take the utmost precautions.’

Gareth pushed his tea away. Gareth said, ‘They want damages.’

‘How big are these firms?’ asked Desmond.

Gareth shook his head. Gareth said, ‘Not big at all. Ten wagons at most.’

‘What about their lawyers?’ asked Terry.

‘Local,’ said Gareth. ‘From Neath.’

‘How much they after?’ asked Clive.

Gareth looked at Terry. Gareth said, ‘Fifty grand.’

‘It’ll be contempt if you picket again,’ said Desmond.

‘Then sequestration,’ said Clive.

Gareth nodded. Gareth tapped the table. Gareth looked at Terry again –

Terry stared back at him. Terry said, ‘Did you do the things I asked, Comrade?’

Gareth nodded again.

Terry looked across the table at Clive and Desmond. Terry said, ‘Comrades?’

Desmond Toole nodded. Clive Cook bit his nail –

Bit his nail and said, ‘You know I fucking did.’

These men are hard. Think they are —

Territorials. Reserves.

These men have debts. Think they have —

Southern Nazis. London hooligans.

These men stare at the walls. The briefing-room walls –

The OS maps. The aerial photographs.

These men read the words on the wall –

Internal Defence and Development. Stability Operations.

These men sit. These men wait.

The side door opens. The Brass step inside. Dressed in black. Their hair cropped. The Brass walk to the front of the room. Put their leather cases on the table next to the OHP. The Brass take out their files. Three big pens. Markers. The Brass turn to the board behind them. The Brass write down two words —

Counter Insurgency.

The Brass replace their pen tops. The Brass look up at these men before them –

These hard men. These men with debts.

The Brass look from these men to this one man at the back —

This one hard man. This man with debts. David Johnson –

The Mechanic.

‘Welcome home, soldier,’ say the Brass. ‘Welcome home.’

Neil Fontaine is at the bridgehead; the Mansfield HQ of the Nottinghamshire Area NUM. The Prime Minister has taken up the Jew’s suggestion. The Minister for Energy has taken up the Prime Minister’s suggestion: the Board has taken up the Minister’s suggestion. The Board has given every miner in Nottinghamshire the day off with full pay and a bus ticket into town on an NCB coach for a demonstration –

A Right to Work demonstration.

Miners from Derbyshire and Yorkshire who planned a counter-demonstration have been turned back in their thousands at the roadblocks on the borders –

The scabs have had a police escort. There are seven thousand of them here –

Just two thousand strikers penned in on the sports field behind the HQ –

Penned in by horses. Penned in by dogs. Penned in by pigs:

Hundreds of Hampshire policemen have been flown in aboard a Boeing 737. From Hum to East Midlands airport. Billeted in Nissen huts. Paid time and a half –

Tax free —

To stand with thousands of local policemen. Three deep in human walls –

Human walls to keep miner from miner. Striker from scab –

Neil Fontaine walks among them. He takes photographs for the Jew:

The people. His people. Their protest. His protest. Their placards. His placards —

Adolf Scargill. Nottinghamshire miners have a lot of bottle. Right to Work.

Neil Fontaine takes notes for the Jew. He listens to their leaders. He hears:

‘— you are the only friends MacGregor has got —

‘— it’s about time you acted like bloody men —

‘— showed your solidarity with other miners.’

He takes notes. Records their response. Hears:

‘— resign —

‘— traitor —

‘— we’re off to work tomorrow. We’re off to work tomorrow. Off to work —’

Neil Fontaine hears –

Possibilities.

Neil Fontaine leaves Mansfield. He drives up the M1. Onto the M62 –

Eastbound. Maps out. Notes –

Possibilities.

Neil Fontaine passes Ferrybridge. Turns off at Goole. Takes small roads through Scunthorpe. To Immingham Dock. He parks. He walks about. He takes photographs. Notes. He listens. He hears –

Possibilities.

Neil Fontaine gets back in his car. He drives back through Scunthorpe. He comes to Flixborough. To Gunness. He parks. He walks about. Takes more photographs. Notes. He inhales. He smells –

Possibilities.

Neil Fontaine gets back in his car. He follows the lorries back down to Sheffield. He comes to the black chimneys. To the giant ovens. He parks. He walks about –

He listens. He hears. He inhales. He smells. He watches. He sees –

Railways. Roads. Slag heaps. Disused workings –

He sees land. Space –

Open space.

He closes his eyes. He remembers. He opens his eyes. He sees –

Batons. Shields. Horses. Dogs. Dust. Blood –

Victory.

Neil Fontaine has his notes. His photographs. His plans. His battle-plans –

The Jew will have his victory –

Here.

Neil Fontaine stands in the telephone box. Neil Fontaine makes the call –

The Jew is at his suite on the fourth floor of Claridge’s.

‘This place is called what again?’ asks the Jew.

Neil Fontaine stares out at the possibilities. Neil Fontaine says, ‘Orgreave.’

Training days. They march him across moorland. Put bags on his back. Handcuff him to the next man. Walk him through the days. Warminster and Sandhurst accents in the rain. Whispers in the rain. Echoes. Training nights. They sit him in the back of Transits. Put bags on his head. Handcuff him to the next man. Drive him through the night. Camberley and Latimer accents in the dark –

Whispers in the dark –

Echoes.

The Brass give him a cell. Make him Team Leader. Two thieves and a rapist from the Army of the Rhine. Military Prison. Time off the block for a bitof bad behaviour backin Blighty.Remission. Parole. Early doors —

Whispers. Echoes –

The Brass give his team photographs. The Brass sit them down at the top table. The Brass yawn. His team stare. The Brass pick their noses. His men scratch their balls.

The Brass give his team videos. The Brass sit them down before the big screen. The Brass yawn. His team watch. The Brass bite their nails. His men crack their knuckles.