The Conservative Monday Club (widely known as the Monday Club) is a British pressure-group with its origins in the Conservative Party. It was founded in the early 1960s during the party's internal debate over decolonisation. Its published aims state that "The Monday Club stands for traditional Tory principles". The club is notable for having promoted a policy of voluntary, or assisted, repatriation for non-white immigrants^[1][2] which mirrored the pledge made in the Conservative Party's General Election Manifesto of 1970. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... Decolonization generally refers to a movement following the Second World War in which the various European colonies of the world were granted independence. ... Repatriation (from late Latin repatriare - to restore someone to his homeland) is the process of return of refugees or soldiers to their homes, most notably following a war. ...

After the 1997 General Election defeat, the Conservative Party began decisive moves towards becoming more centrist; its chairman, Theresa May, stated that it had been perceived by voters as "the nasty party". The then party leader Iain Duncan Smith subsequently 'suspended' the Monday Club's longstanding links with the party in October 2001^[3] saying his party would have nothing to do with the organisation unless it stopped making "distasteful" remarks on race and immigration ^[4] even though the Club's policies had remained unchanged since the 1960s. Theresa Mary May (born in Eastbourne, Sussex, England, on October 1, 1956 as Theresa Mary Brasier) is a British politician, former chairman of the Conservative Party, and Member of Parliament for Maidenhead. ... Rt. ...

New full members of the club must be members of the Conservative Party, the Ulster Unionists or the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) though there is no such requirement for associate membership^[5]. Monday Club observers, such as Denis Walker have attended DUP Party conferences. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP) is a political party in Northern Ireland representing the unionist community, and was the party of government in Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. ... This article is about the political party in Northern Ireland. ... WILFRED DENIS WALKER (born in east London before 1945) was a Methodist missionary in southern Africa, who left the mission to settle as a minor industrialist in Bulawayo, Rhodesia. ...

Part of the club's agenda stresses support for what it claims are "traditional Conservative values", including "resistance to 'political correctness'". Most traditionalists who left or lapsed after 1992 have been refused re-entry to the Club and even to its occasional meetings. The current club chairman is Lord Sudeley. Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ... Merlin Charles Sainthill Hanbury-Tracy, 7th Baron Sudeley (born 17 June 1939) is a British peer. ...

History

Foundation and early years (1961 - 1979)

The club was founded on 1 January 1961, by four young Conservative Party members, Paul Bristol (the first Chairman - who left the Club in 1968), Ian Greig (Membership Secretary until 1969), Cedric Gunnery (Treasurer until 1992) and Anthony Maclaren. The club was formed as a reaction to Harold Macmillan's 'Wind of Change' speech made at Cape Town, South Africa, which many Tories saw as the last straw. The club stated that Macmillan had "turned the Party Left", and their first pamphlet opposed these policies, as indicative of the Conservative Party's move towards liberalism.^[6]. is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986), was a British Conservative politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. ... The Wind of Change speech was a historically-important address made by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to the Parliament of South Africa, on 3 February 1960 in Cape Town. ... Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope Cape Town (Afrikaans, Dutch: Kaapstad; Xhosa: eKapa or SaseKapa), is one of South Africas three capital cities serving as the legislative capital (executive capital and Bloemfontein the judicial capital). ...

The 5th Marquess of Salisbury (d.1972), who had resigned from Macmillan's Cabinet over the Prime Minister's liberal direction, became its first president in January 1962, when he stated "there was never a greater need for true conservatism than there is today" ^[7]. By the end of 1963 there were eleven Members of Parliament in the Club, which then only had an overall membership of about 300.^[8]. Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury KG (August 27, 1893-February 23, 1972) was a grandson of the great 3rd Marquess. ...

The Club was courted by many Tory politicians, not least the Conservative Party leader Alec Douglas Home who was guest-of-honour at the Club's annual dinners of 1964 and 1969, and Enoch Powell, in a speech in 1968, claimed that "it was due to the Monday Club that many are brought within the Conservative Party who might otherwise be estranged from it"^[9]. Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel,[1] KT, PC (2 July 1903 - 9 October 1995) 14th Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963, was a British Conservative (actually SUP) politician, and served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a year from October 1963 to October... John Enoch Powell, MBE (June 16, 1912 – February 8, 1998) was a British politician, linguist, writer, academic, soldier and poet. ...

By 1970 sixteen Members of Parliament were Club members^[10]:

• Geoffrey Rippon, (Hexham)
• Julian Amery, (Brighton Pavilion)
• Ronald Bell, Q.C., (S. Bucks)
• Harold Gurden, (Selly Oak)
• Teddy Taylor, (Glasgow Cathcart)
• John Peyton, (Yeovil)
• Joseph Hiley, (Pudsey)
• John Biggs-Davison, (Chigwell)
• Stephen Hastings, M.C., (Mid-Bedfordshire)
• Victor Goodhew, (St. Albans)
• W.H.K. Baker, T.D., (Banff)
• Jasper More, D.L., (Ludlow)
• Jill Knight, M.B.E., (Edgbaston)
• Patrick Wall, M.C., (Haltemprice)
• Mark Woodnutt, (Isle of Wight)
• Sir Jerry Wiggin, (Weston-super-Mare)

In the 1970 Conservative Party election victory, six club Members of Parliament (MPs) were given government positions [cf.Messina, p.138]. In addition, the following club members were elected that year^[11]: (Aubrey) Geoffrey Frederick Rippon, Baron Rippon of Hexham, PC, (May 28, 1924- 28 Jan 1997) was a British Conservative politician. ... Harold Julian Amery, Baron Amery of Lustleigh (March 27, 1919 - 1997) was a British conservative politican. ... Sir Ronald McMillan Bell, (April 14, 1914 - February 27, 1982), QC (1966), Knight Bachelor (1980), was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament representing Buckinghamshire South 1950-1974 and Beaconsfield 1974-1982. ... Harold Edward Gurden (28 June 1903 - 27 April 1989) was a British Conservative politician. ... Sir Edward MacMillan Taylor, usually Teddy Taylor (born April 18, 1937) was a British politician, and a Conservative Member of Parliament 1964-1979 and 1980-2005. ... John Peyton (born July 28, 1965) is a politician of the Republican Party, serving as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida since July 1, 2003. ... Joseph Hiley (18 August 1902 - 17 November 1989) was a British Conservative politician. ... Sir John Alec Biggs-Davison (born 7 June 1918, died 17 September 1988) was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Chigwell from 1955 and then, after boundary changes in 1974, Epping Forest until his death. ... Template:The Daily Telegraph and private reminiscences Sir Stephen Lewis Edmonstone Hastings MC (4 May 1921–10 January 2005) was a British Conservative Party politician who was elected as Member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire in a 1960 by-election caused by the elevation to the peerage of Alan Lennox... Sir Victor Henry Goodhew (b. ... Jasper More (July 1907 - 28 October 1987) was a British Conservative Party politician. ... Joan Christabel Jill Knight, Baroness Knight of Collingtree, DBE (born on July 9, 1927) is a Conservative member of the House of Lords. ... Sir Patrick Henry Bligh Wall KBE (1981), M.C., VRD (14 October 1916–May 1998) was a British Conservative politician. ... Sir Alfred William (Jerry) Wiggin (born 24 February 1937) is a British Conservative Party politician. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ...

• Geoffrey Stewart-Smith, (Belper)
• Patrick Cormack, (Cannock)
• Anthony Fell, (Yarmouth)
• Robert Boscawen, (Wells)
• Harold Soref, (Ormskirk)
• William Benyon, (Buckingham)
• Roger White, (Gravesend)
• Peter Rost, (Derbyshire, S.E.)
• Norman Tebbit, (Epping)
• Piers Dixon, (Truro)
• David James, (North Dorset).

Among sitting M.P.s who joined the Club after the election were: DUDLEY GEOFFREY STEWART-SMITH (28 December 1933 - March 2004) was a leading anti-communist activist, prominent member of the Conservative Monday Club, and a Tory M.P., whose election victory over the Labour Partys George Alfred Brown in 1970 caused a sensation. ... Sir Patrick Thomas Cormack (born May 18, 1939, Grimsby) is an British politician. ... Anthony S. Fell is a Canadian businessman. ... Robert Thomas Boscawen (born 17 March 1923) is a British Conservative politician. ... Harold Benjamin Soref (born 18 December 1916) was twice a Conservative parliamentary candidate before being elected Member of Parliament for Ormskirk, Lancashire, in the 1970 General Election. ... Sir William Richard Benyon (born 17 January 1930) is a retired British Conservative Party politician, Berkshire landowner and former High Sheriff. ... Roger Lowrey White (1 June 1928 – 16 February 2000) was a British Conservative Party politician, member of the Conservative Monday Club, and a company director. ... For other persons named Peter Rost, see Peter Rost (disambiguation). ... Norman Beresford Tebbit, Baron Tebbit, CH, PC (born 29 March 1931) is a British Conservative politician and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Chingford, who was born in Southgate in Enfield. ... Piers John Shirley Dixon (born 29 December 1928) is a British Conservative Party politician. ... David Pelham James, MBE, DSC (25 December 1919 – 15 December 1986) was a British Conservative Party politician. ...

• Sir Stephen McAdden, (Southend East)
• Richard Body, (Holland & Boston)
• Sir John Stokes, (Oldbury & Halesowen)
• Sir Ronald Russell, (Wembley South)
• Robert Taylor, (Croydon, N.W.)

A number of other Monday Club members contested socialist-held seats, some of which had large majorities, and although the challenge was unsuccessful the majorities were reduced. These included Tim Keigwin, who almost unseated the Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe at North Devon, and David Clarke who failed by only 76 votes at Watford.^[12]. Sir Stephen James McAdden (3 November 1907 - 26 December 1979) was a British Conservative Member of Parliament for Southend East from 1950 until he died in office in 1979. ... Sir Richard Bernard Frank Stewart Body (born 18 May 1927) is a British politician, and was Conservative MP for Billericay from 1955 to 1959, for Holland with Boston from 1966 to 1997, and for Boston and Skegness from 1997 until he stood down at the 2001 general election. ... Sir John Heydon Romaine Stokes, (Knight Bachelor, 1988), (23 July 1917 - 27 June 2003), was a British politician, a Conservative Party Member of Parliament, and a long-standing member of both the Conservative Monday Club, and the Primrose League. ... Sir Ronald Stanley Russell (29 May 1904 - 6 April 1974) was a British Conservative politician. ... Robert Taylor was Conservative Member of Parliament for Croydon North West, South London from 1970 until his death in 1981, which triggered the Croydon North West by-election. ... John Jeremy Thorpe (born April 29, 1929) is a British politician, who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976. ...

By 1971, the Club "undoubtedly had the largest membership of any conservative group and included 55 different groups in universities and colleges, 35 Members of Parliament with six in the government, and 35 Peers". ^[13].Enoch Powell was a constant supporter of the club until his death, although he never took up membership. John Enoch Powell, MBE (June 16, 1912 – February 8, 1998) was a British politician, linguist, writer, academic, soldier and poet. ...

John Biggs-Davison, MP, in his Foreword to Robert Copping's second book on the history of the club^[14], stated that "by its principles [the club] has kept alive true Tory beliefs and held within its ranks many who contemplated defecting from the Conservative and Unionist Party". Harold Wilson, twice Labour Prime Minister, described the club as "the guardian of the Tory conscience" ^[15].. The club's Chairman, David Storey, described it in June 1981 as "an anchor to a ship", referring to the Conservative Party. Sir John Alec Biggs-Davison (born 7 June 1918, died 17 September 1988) was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Chigwell from 1955 and then, after boundary changes in 1974, Epping Forest until his death. ... James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was one of the most prominent British politicians of the 20th century. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ...

The club's revised Constitution (21 May 1984) stated that "the objects of the Club are to support the Conservative & Unionist Party in policies designed is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

• to maintain loyalty to the Crown and to uphold the sovereignty of Parliament, the security of the realm, and defence of the nation against external aggression and internal subversion;
• to safeguard the liberty of the subject and integrity of the family in accordance with the customs, traditions, and character of the British people;
• to maintain the British constitution in obedience and respect for the laws of the land, freedom of worship and our national heritage;
• to promote an economy consistent with national aspirations and Tory ideals.
• to encourage members of the club to play an active part, at all levels, in the affairs of the Conservative and Unionist Party."

The Thatcher years (1979 - 1990)

During the period that Margaret Thatcher led the Conservative Party, the Monday Club were prolific publishers of booklets, pamphlets, policy papers, an occasional newspaper, Right Ahead, and a magazine, Monday World edited for some years by Adrian FitzGerald, Sam Swerling, and later, Eleanor Dodd. The September 1984 edition of Monday News carried the headline 'Kinnock Talks to Terrorists', quoting former Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock's declaration to the South African African National Congress's Oliver Tambo that the ANC in South Africa could expect financial and material assistance from a future Labour government. Other attacks were made upon then-Greater London Council leader Ken Livingstone inviting Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams to visit London in 1982. Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (née Roberts; born 13 October 1925) served as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 until 1990, being the first and to date only woman to hold either post. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock, PC (born 28 March 1942) is a British politician. ... For political parties with similar names in other countries, see Northern Rhodesian African National Congress and Zambian African National Congress. ... Oliver Reginald Tambo (27 October 1917 - 24 April 1993) was a South African anti-apartheid politician and a central figure in the African National Congress (ANC). ... Arms of the Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. ... Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born June 17, 1945) is an English politician who became Mayor of London on the creation of the post in 2000. ... For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... Gerard Adams MP (Irish: [1]; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish Republican politician and abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. ...

Due to slack administration, inertia in recruiting, and the continuing Thatcher government, national club membership (as opposed to branch membership) plummeted in the mid-1980s, reaching just under 600 in 1987. Among them was Derek Laud, who was sometimes said to have been the only black member of the club, although in 1988, the Students' Group Chairman was Sanwar Ali. In 1988-9, a group of longstanding members led by Gregory Lauder-Frost, the club's Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, succeeded in getting elected to the key posts on the Executive Council, with Dr. Mark Mayall as Deputy Chairman, and Gregory Lauder-Frost as the Political Secretary. By 1992, the membership was over 1600 again. Derek George Henry Laud (born August 9, 1964, in Battersea, London) is a British political lobbyist and former Conservative parliamentary candidate, who achieved celebrity status during his run as a contestant in the sixth (2005) series of the UK Big Brother TV show. ...

Change of direction (1990s)

At the beginning of January 1991, the Monday Club News announced the abolition of the only salaried position, that of Director, (then held by the Club's Treasurer, Cedric Gunnery, one of the Club's founders), and the club's office was moved to new premises, belonging to W. Denis Walker, opposite Highams Park railway station, with new telephone numbers, and a new Post Office Box number in central London. The newsletter stated that "it is our long-term aim to relocate back to the very heart of London". WILFRED DENIS WALKER (born in east London before 1945) was a Methodist missionary in southern Africa, who left the mission to settle as a minor industrialist in Bulawayo, Rhodesia. ... Highams Park is a place in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, England, adjacent to Epping Forest. ...

The chairman, David Storey, lost an almost unanimous vote of no confidence on 17 January 1991, and his membership was terminated by the Club's Executive Council on 11 February on the grounds that "he has engaged in behaviour prejudiced to the best interests, reputation, objects, and other members of the Monday Club; by abusing his position as Chairman in encouraging members to leave the Monday Club and to join a new political group". [cf. Club's Minutes]. is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Executive Committee members Gregory Lauder-Frost, Denis Walker, Sam Swerling, Dr.Mark Mayall, April 1991.

Personal and legal problems forced Lauder-Frost's departure on 31 May 1992 and subsequently the Club descended into in-fighting, with more departures and failed expulsion attempts resulting in huge legal bills. Control passed effectively into the hands of Denis Walker, a former Minister for Education in the Rhodesian government. He changed the role of the club from a pressure group to a Conservative Party support group, bringing in a rule that all members must firstly be members of the party, something that prior to 1992 had been constantly and unanimously opposed.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Monday01. ... Image File history File links Monday01. ... is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... WILFRED DENIS WALKER (born in east London before 1945) was a Methodist missionary in southern Africa, who left the mission to settle as a minor industrialist in Bulawayo, Rhodesia. ...

Suspension of links by the Conservative party (2001)

In 2001, Conservative Party chairman David Davis informed a deputation from the club's National Executive that links between it and the party were being severed until it stopped promoting several of its long-held views such as the voluntary repatriation of ethnic minorities. Davis later told the media: "I have told them that until a number of things are concluded - particularly some concerns about the membership of the club, and a review of the club's constitution and a requirement that the club will not promulgate or discuss policies relating to race - the club is suspended from any association with the Conservative party"^[16]. Three MPs Andrew Hunter, Andrew Rosindell and Angela Watkinson, were ordered to resign from the club. David Michael Davis (born December 23, 1948) is a British politician, Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Haltemprice and Howden and Shadow Home Secretary. ... Andrew Hunter (born January 8, 1943) is a United Kingdom politician and a member of the Orange Order. ... Andrew Richard Rosindell (born March 17, 1966) is a British Conservative Member of Parliament for Romford. ... Angela Eileen Watkinson (born 18 November 1941, Leytonstone) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ...

On the 10 May 2002, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported that the club sought to restore its links with the Conservative Party,^[17]. The Times reported (2 June 2006) that as the club "is now slowly nudging back into the mainstream many members feel that it is time to return to the fold", but went on to claim that chairman Lord Sudeley had made what it considered to be racist and Hitler-sympathising remarks which, it asserted, would damage the club's reputation. is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Merlin Charles Sainthill Hanbury-Tracy, 7th Baron Sudeley (born 17 June 1939) is a British peer. ... Hitler redirects here. ...

At the following Club Annual General meeting in April 2002 members approved two motions proposed by Michael Keith Smith, (also Chairman of the Conservative Democratic Alliance), one reaffirming the Club's opposition to mass immigration, and another empowering Club officers to institute legal action against the Conservative Party following the Club's 'suspension' by them. A third motion, calling for the sacking of John Bercow, then shadow Chief Secretary, and former Monday Club member, for his "hypocrisy" was defeated. (Refer: The Independent, 18 May 2002). Michael Keith Smith (born 1953), commonly known as Mike Smith, is the chairman of the Conservative Democratic Alliance (CDA), and an activist in the United Kingdom Independence Party. ... The Conservative Democratic Alliance is a strongly right-wing United Kingdom pressure group which considers the Conservative Party to have swung overtly to the left and to no longer represent Toryism. ... John Simon Bercow (born January 19, 1963) is a politician and Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Buckingham in the United Kingdom. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

The Monday Club, now having changed its original raison d'être as a pressure group, and whose membership is now said to be back below 600, now has very little influence on the agenda of the Conservative Party. Many of its former members are now in the Conservative Democratic Alliance^{[citation needed]}. The Conservative Democratic Alliance is a strongly right-wing United Kingdom pressure group which considers the Conservative Party to have swung overtly to the left and to no longer represent Toryism. ...

Organisation

The national club established itself in offices at 51-53 Victoria Street, a few minutes walk from Westminster Palace. The club was, however, always a pressure group, remaining separate from the Conservative Party organisation. Around 1980, the Victoria Street building was cleared for demolition, and the club moved its offices to 122 Newgate Street, London, EC1, opposite the Old Bailey. Clock Tower and New Palace Yard from the west The Palace of Westminster, on the banks of the River Thames in Westminster, London, is the home of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, which form the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The Old Bailey. ...

In addition to the national club, which operated through an elected Executive Council and numerous policy groups or committees, there were semi-autonomous county branches, a Young Members Monday Club, and numerous university Monday Clubs, the most prominent and active being at Oxford University. The Oxford branch no longer exists. The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ...

Policy committees

The Monday Club had various study groups (later renamed policy committees) including:

• Immigration and Repatriation: notable chairmen being George Kennedy Young, Jonathan Guinness, and K. Harvey Proctor, MP; (John Bercow, now an MP, was committee secretary 1981-82);
• Africa and Rhodesia: Harold Soref, MP;
• Home Affairs;
• Aviation;
• Economics: George Kennedy Young;
• Ulster;
• Taxation;
• Universities Group;
• Defence: The Hon. Archibald Hamilton, MP, Patrick Wall, MP, and Commander Anthony Courteney (former MP for Harrow East); and
• Foreign Affairs: Geoffrey Stewart-Smith, MP (joined Club 1964), John Carlisle, MP.

George Kennedy Young was a deputy director of MI6 who was involved in British far right politics. ... Jonathan Bryan Guinness (born March 16, 1930) succeeded as 3rd Baron Moyne in 1992. ... (Keith) Harvey Proctor (born 16 January 1947) was a British Conservative Member of Parliament. ... John Simon Bercow (born January 19, 1963) is a politician and Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Buckingham in the United Kingdom. ... Harold Benjamin Soref (born 18 December 1916) was twice a Conservative parliamentary candidate before being elected Member of Parliament for Ormskirk, Lancashire, in the 1970 General Election. ... George Kennedy Young was a deputy director of MI6 who was involved in British far right politics. ... Archibald Gavin Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom, PC (born 30th December 1941) is a British Conservative politician. ... Sir Patrick Henry Bligh Wall KBE (1981), M.C., VRD (14 October 1916–May 1998) was a British Conservative politician. ... Harrow East is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... DUDLEY GEOFFREY STEWART-SMITH (28 December 1933 - March 2004) was a leading anti-communist activist, prominent member of the Conservative Monday Club, and a Tory M.P., whose election victory over the Labour Partys George Alfred Brown in 1970 caused a sensation. ... John Russell Carlisle (born 28 August 1942) was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament at Luton, Bedfordshire, and was a leading member of the Conservative Monday Club. ...

Political activities

Decolonialisation and Africa

The club opposed what it described as the "premature" independence of Kenya, and the breakup of the Central African Federation, which was the subject of its first major public meeting in September 1961 ^[18]. It was fundamentally opposed to decolonisation, and defended white minority rule in South Africa and Rhodesia. The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was a short-lived, semi-independent state in southern Africa which existed from 1953 to the end of 1963, comprised of the former British colony of Southern Rhodesia and the Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland protectorates. ... A dominant minority is a group that has overwhelming political, economic or cultural dominance in a country or region despite representing a small fraction of the overall population (a demographic minority). ... This article is about the former British colony of Southern Rhodesia, todays Zimbabwe. ...

During the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) period in Rhodesia, the club strongly backed the white minority rule government of Ian Smith and the Rhodesian Front, being seen as its strongest supporters in Britain. In November 1963, the club had hosted a large reception for Smith at the Howard Hotel in London. That was followed the next year by receptions for Clifford Dupont and Moise Tshombe. The Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) of Rhodesia from the United Kingdom was signed on November 11, 1965 by the Smith administration, whose Rhodesian Front party[1] opposed black majority rule in the then British colony. ... This article is about the former British colony of Southern Rhodesia, todays Zimbabwe. ... A dominant minority is a group that has overwhelming political, economic or cultural dominance in a country or region despite representing a small fraction of the overall population (a demographic minority). ... The Rt Hon Ian Smith, Prime Minister of Rhodesia, 1964 (official portrait) Ian Douglas Smith GCLM ID (born 8 April 1919) was the Premier of the British Crown Colony of Southern Rhodesia from 13 April 1964 to 11 November 1965, and Prime Minister of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) from 11 November... The Rhodesian Front (RF) was a political party in Southern Rhodesia, later known as Rhodesia, now called Zimbabwe, when the country was under white minority rule. ... Clifford Walter Dupont (1905 - 1978) was a British-Rhodesian political figure. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Northern Ireland

Following an Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombing at Aldershot, Hampshire, in February 1972, club member and MP Jill Knight called for legislation to outlaw the IRA and its political wing, Sinn Féin. The club was opposed to the dismantling of the Stormont government in Northern Ireland and the imposition of direct rule.^[19], This article is about the historical army of the Irish Republic (1919–1922) which fought in the Irish War of Independence 1919–21, and the Irish Civil War 1922–23. ... Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland approximately 55 km (35 miles) southwest of London. ... For other uses, see Hampshire (disambiguation). ... Joan Christabel Jill Knight, Baroness Knight of Collingtree, DBE (born on July 9, 1927) is a Conservative member of the House of Lords. ... For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ...

On 7 September 1989, the club denounced "the disgraceful Anglo-Irish Agreement" in The Sun. is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland which aimed to bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. ... This article is about a British tabloid. ...

Immigration

In September 1972, the club held a "Halt Immigration Now!" public meeting in Westminster Central Hall, opposite Parliament, at which the speakers, Ronald Bell, QC, MP, John Biggs-Davison, MP, Harold Soref, MP, and John Heydon Stokes, MP, (all club members) called on the government to halt all immigration, repeal the Race Relations Act (1968 Commonwealth Immigration Act), and start a full repatriation scheme. A resolution was drafted, approved by the meeting, and delivered to the Prime Minister, Edward Heath, who replied that "the government had no intention of repealing the Race Relations Act". When Reginald Maudling resigned from the Cabinet, the Liberal leader, Jeremy Thorpe, commented that "Mr. Heath has been left to wrestle with the Monday Club single-handed."^[20], Sir Ronald McMillan Bell, (April 14, 1914 - February 27, 1982), QC (1966), Knight Bachelor (1980), was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom representing Buckinghamshire South from 1950 to 1974 and Beaconsfield from 1974 to 1982. ... Sir John Alec Biggs-Davison (born 7 June 1918, died 17 September 1988) was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Chigwell from 1955 and then, after boundary changes in 1974, Epping Forest until his death. ... Sir John Heydon Romaine Stokes, (Knight Bachelor, 1988), (23 July 1917 - 27 June 2003), was a British politician, a Conservative Party Member of Parliament, and a long-standing member of both the Conservative Monday Club, and the Primrose League. ... Sir Edward Richard George Heath, KG, OBE (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. ... Rt. ... John Jeremy Thorpe (born April 29, 1929) is a British politician, who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976. ...

In October 1982, the Monday Club published its latest, slightly revised, policy on immigration. It called for:

1. Scrapping of the Commission for Racial Equality and Community Relations Councils.
2. Repeal of the race relations laws.
3. An end to the use of race or colour as criteria for the distribution of state benefits & loans.
4. An end to positive discrimination and all special treatment based upon race or colour.
5. An end to all further large-scale permanent immigration from the New Commonwealth and Pakistan.
6. An improved repatriation scheme with generous resettlement grants for all those from the NCWP countries who wish to take advantage of them.
7. The redesignation of the Ministry of Overseas Aid as a Ministry for Overseas Resettlement.

The Commission for Racial Equality is a non-governmental organisation in the United Kingdom which tackles racial discrimination and promotes racial equality. ... The term New Commonwealth was commonly used in the 1960s and 1970s to refer to members of the Commonwealth of Nations that had joined in recent years as a result of decolonization. ...

Controversies and criticism

The club has frequently been described in the media as "far-right"^[21][22][23]. and, in 2002, as a "bastion on the Tory hard right" by the British Broadcasting Corporation^[24]. However, the club for decades had campaigned against what they said was bias at the BBC. Gregory Lauder-Frost was interviewed by Garry Bushell in The Sun on 27 March 1991 when he stated, on behalf of the Club, that "the BBC does not support the British people" and of "history being rewritten by left-wing trendies". The playwright David Edgar described the Monday Club in an academic essay as "proselytis[ing] the ancient and venerable conservative traditions of paternalism, imperialism and racism." [cf.Levitas, p.60]. Roger Griffin [p.161] refers to the Club as practising an anti-socialist and elitist form of conservatism. This article is an overview article about the Crown chartered British Broadcasting Corporation formed in 1927. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Garry Bushell (born May 13, 1955 in Woolwich, South East London) is a newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter and author. ... This article is about a British tabloid. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... David Edgar (b. ... Image of traditional cultural paternalism: Father Junipero Serra in a modern portrayal at Mission San Juan Capistrano, California Paternalism refers usually to an attitude or a policy stemming from the hierarchic pattern of a family based on patriarchy, that is, there is a figurehead (the father, pater in Latin) that... Cecil Rhodes: Cape-Cairo railway project. ... This box:      Racism has many definitions, the most common and widely accepted is that members of one race are intrinsically superior or inferior to members of other races. ... Roger Griffin is a British academic at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, England whose theory on fascism determines that it is palingenetic ultra-nationalism with concepts and acts of national rebirth being the its defining feature. ... Elitism is the belief or attitude that the people who are considered to be the elite — a selected group of persons with outstanding personal abilities, wealth, specialised training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are the people whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously, or... Ths article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ...

It was claimed by opponents of the club that many members had drawn closer to the National Front, it being reported as early as 1973 that NF members were moving to take over branches of the club^[25]. The British National Front (most commonly called the National Front) is a British far right political party whose major political activities were during the 1970s and 1980s. ...

On 24 February 1991, The Observer ran a lengthy article entitled "Far Right takes over the Monday Club", stating that a number of senior members had tendered their resignations in protest at the Club's "takeover" by "extreme right-wingers" some of whom were associated with the Western Goals Institute. The Club's solicitors, Rubenstein, Callingham & Gale, sent a formal letter of protest to the editor of the Observer about the article, and demanded a right-of-reply for the Club. The editor agreed and Lauder-Frost, writing on behalf of the Club, subsequently challenged the article's accusations in a Letter to the Editor, which was published the following Sunday. He denied that a takeover had occurred, and claimed that none of the Club's policies had changed and that its direction was consistent with its aims and historical principles. is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Western Goals Institute (WGI) was a hard-right pressure group in Britain, formed in 1989 from Western Goals (UK), which originated in 1985 as an offshoot of the US Western Goals Foundation. ... A letter to the editor [1] (sometimes abbreviated LTTE or LTE) is a letter sent to a publication about issues of concern to its readers. ...

References

• Copping, Robert, No Punches Pulled - Britain Today, Current Affairs Information Service (CAIS), Ilford, Essex, n/d but probably circa 1970 (P/B).
• Copping, Robert, The Story of The Monday Club - The First Decade, (i) (Foreword by George Pole), Current Affairs Information Service, Ilford, Essex, April 1972 (P/B).
• Copping, Robert, The Monday Club - Crisis and After, (foreword by John Biggs-Davison, MP), (ii) CAIS, Ilford, May 1975 (P/B).
• Rose, Professor Richard, Politics in England - Persistence and Change, London, 1st published 1965. 4th edition 1985, p.301, ISBN 0-571-13830-6
• Levitas, Ruth, (editor), The Ideology of the New Right, Cambridge, 1986, ISBN 0-7456-0190-1
• Messina, Anthony M., Race and Party Competition in Britain, Clarendon Press, 1989, p.138, ISBN 0-19-827534-X
• Griffin, Roger, The Nature of Fascism, London, 1991, p.161. ISBN 0-86187-112-X
• Heffer, Simon, Like the Roman - The Life of Enoch Powell, London, 1998, ISBN 0-297-84286-2 (many references to the Monday Club).
• Coxall, Bill, and Lynton Robins, Contemporary British Politics, Macmillan Press, Basingstoke, 1993 reprint, (P/B), Monday Club profile on p.239. ISBN 0-333-34046-9

George Pole was a Conservative Party member and activist, and an early member (pre-1966) of the Conservative Monday Club, of which he served as National Chairman, 1970-2. ... Ilford is a district of the London Borough of Redbridge in east London, England. ... Sir John Alec Biggs-Davison (born 7 June 1918, died 17 September 1988) was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Chigwell from 1955 and then, after boundary changes in 1974, Epping Forest until his death. ... Ruth Levitas is a Professor in the Department of Sociology, University of Bristol. ... Roger Griffin is a British academic at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, England whose theory on fascism determines that it is palingenetic ultra-nationalism with concepts and acts of national rebirth being the its defining feature. ... Simon James Heffer (born July 18, 1960) is an English journalist and writer. ... John Enoch Powell, MBE (June 16, 1912 – February 8, 1998) was a British politician, linguist, writer, academic, soldier and poet. ...

Monday Club publications

• See List of Conservative Monday Club publications.

This is a list of publications of the Conservative Monday Club, a prominent Tory political pressure-group in the United Kingdom. ...

External links

• Official site

Notes