I reckon it is you that is being totally disingenuous Macinblack. Approximately one third of Notts miners supported the strike, the remainder carried on working precisely because they were given cast-iron guarantees by the government, that their 'profitable' pits would be saved ……. do you not remember the much fabled "Super-Pits" and how they had a guaranteed future ?
And far from the government not attempting to influence their decision, the government did every thing possible to influence them and support them in every way possible. They fully supported and encouraged the setting up of the Union of Democratic Miners as a scab union, and Thatcher even rewarded the UDM president Roy Lynk with the honour of the 'Order of the British Empire' for "services to trade unionism".
As there was no national ballot (because Scargill knew he would lose it,) individual areas asked their members whether they wanted to strike. It was a simple yes/no question and the Notts miners overwhelmingly voted no. There was no influence from the government in that decision and it was down to each individual miner with little more that snap time conversation to mull it over. If there had been a national ballot and a strike decision Notts miners would have gone out, as they had in previous disputes. Whatever the government were saying before the strike largely fell on deaf ears and most Notts miners didn't work at "super pits" and so any such assurance wasn't valid, neither was the talk of profitable pits as most Notts mines were on shaky ground, including the one I worked at.
Of course the government supported those that chose to work, however the momentum gained by the UDM was born more from a rejection of the NUM than any acceptance of encouragement from the government, even working miners had little trust in the Tories or McGregor.
Your mention of the UDM advising the government does not relate to the time of the strike but the point that the union was losing its way holds water, Roy Lynk was a tosser but he jumped into a pool to deep for him to swim in.
You're right about the decimation of the number of pits, it's no comfort but there are three pits left and some of those that have gone went under labour.
My main point is that you seem to think that the Notts miners acted out of some belief in what Thatcher told them, you're wrong they weren't listening to her. The fact remains that if Scargill had had the bollocks to call a national ballot, then things may well have been so much different.
