UK miners' strike (1984–85) the NUM's assets, it began to look abroad for money, and found supplies in the Soviet bloc and, it was mistakenly thought, also from Libya. These countries were highly unpopular with the British public. The Soviet Union's official trade union federation donated £1.5 million to the NUM. Media reports alleged that senior NUM officials were personally keeping some of the funds. In November 1984, it was alleged that senior NUM officials had travelled to Libya for money. Cash from the Libyan government was particularly damaging coming seven months after the murder of policewoman Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in
The Girl Who Was Plugged In could only fulfill the ideals of the science fiction community by assuming a male persona. By the numerous ways Tiptree touched on essential feminist topics in a single short story, it becomes clear why she was one of the most prominent feminist science fiction writers in her time. The Girl Who Was Plugged In "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" is a science fiction novella by American writer James Tiptree, Jr., a pen name used by American writer Alice Sheldon. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 1974. The story takes place in the future, where almost everything