[2] By 1972, Nicholson was a member of TGWU's executive, regarded as being on the left wing of the union, and a vice-chair of the Institute for Workers' Control.
[4] A strike took place, but it was poorly organised and supported, and after unions members voted to return to work without gaining any concesions, Nicholson accepted the decision.
This was revealed in 2001, at which time Nicholson claimed that he was playing games with the secret service, and only told them things which were not significant.
[6] On 1 January 2001 The Guardian published an article about Brian Nicholson and his relationship with MI5 under the title "Dockers' leader passed strike tactics to MI5 agents......."[17][18] and steve Turner of Unite The Union wrote on 5 August 2020 "Phone taps, mail intercepts and undercover ‘plants’ inside our movement were all utilised in the attack on our unions and class.
I’ve got no doubt that today’s Brians are being groomed for office by those same organisations – who never changed their view that our unions represented an ‘enemy within.’" http://www.tradeunionfreedom.co.uk/remembering-tony-merrick-of-the-pentonville-five/