Junior Imperial League

The Young Conservatives (YC) is the youth wing of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom for members aged 25 and under. The organisation shares the same values and policies as its parent political party with branches being an integrated part of local associations. College and university branches are not included, but run independently.

YC is both social and political, aiming to bring together young conservatives and encouraging young people to get involved in campaigning.

History

Origins

The ''Junior Imperial and Constitutional League'' was formed in 1906 with objectives to encourage practical political work and organisation among young people in Britain. Junior Associations were set up in each Parliamentary Division and throughout the British Empire, co-operating closely with Conservative and Unionist Associations with an ambition to create Imperial unity and to further the Conservative and Unionist cause.

In 1925 the ''Young Britons Organisation'' was formed as the juvenile branch of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations. It closed down during the Second World War.

After the Conservative Party suffered a catastrophic defeat in the 1945 general election, the ''Young Britons Organisation'' was reformed to cater for both boys and girls aged 6–16, while the ''Young Conservatives'' was set up to cater for an older age group.

Young Conservatives (1906–1998)

The Young Conservatives attracted a large following and, by 1955, claimed a membership of 150,000. This made it the largest political youth movement in a liberal democracy, though not all its members were strongly motivated by politics. A large part of its appeal lay in its social activities that brought young people together in a socially safe environment. Countless middle-class British couples met at the "YCs" dances, rambles, and charity events in the 1950s. In the period between it published a magazine entitled ''Impact''. One large factor in the rapid decline in membership was the factionalism that gripped the movement in the early 1980s, first manifesting itself during Eric Pickles' chairmanship.

... his year in office was not without its difficulties. The radical right was a growing force in young Tory politics. The S.D.P. had recently been founded and disillusioned liberals in both the Labour and Conservative parties were deserting to the new "centre" party. At the Young Conservative's national conference in Eastbourne in February 1981, Pickles presided over a growing split in the ranks, particularly between northern "liberals" and southern "right-wingers".

From that point onwards, a battle for leadership ensued between the moderates (' One Nation' Tories, termed 'Wets') and 'Drys' (Right-wingers from the Monday Club and Libertarians). The moderates attempted to play up the image problems the Young Monday Club and the Libertarians would present to the organisation. Publications such as the North West Area YC Rag Mag, the Sin, featured a page in 1985 attacking the Young Monday Club image. The 1989 Sin edition attempted to target the growing libertarian threat by featuring 'Loonie Libs.'

The capture of the Young Conservatives by the 'Dries' in 1989 led to increasing image problems as the more right-wing stance became pilloried in the media. "The very term 'Young Conservative' has actually entered popular culture in a derogatory way being used by comedians to lampoon a certain type of person."
The BBC series ''A Bit of Fry and Laurie'', featured a sketch entitled 'Young Conservative of the Year', the basis of which was an arrogant, right-wing and upper class Young Conservative competing in a mock contest on the reactionary and authoritarian content of his speech in a mock contest. In the BBC series ''Harry Enfield and Chums'', Harry Enfield played a character called ' Tory Boy', an arrogant and reactionary right-wing Young Conservative.

Membership fell from a peak of 250,000 to just a few thousand, while the rival organisation Conservative Students claimed significantly more members. The end came in 1998 when Conservative leader William Hague announced the closure of Young Conservatives and the launch of a new organisation, Conservative Future.

Past Chairmen

The National Chairmen of the Young Conservatives were associated with the moderate (One Nation - Tory Reform Group) tradition of the Conservative Party until the 1989 election, which resulted in the defeat of the moderate incumbent. Until then leadership had been from the Conservative party 'left' with only a couple of exceptions. Notable exceptions to the 'One Nation' moderate leadership were David Atkinson MP, who was a committed Christian campaigner and backer of corporal punishment, and Sir Fergus Montgomery MP, a supporter of apartheid South Africa and another corporal punishment advocate. Otherwise, the YCs produced a long line of Tory reformers, until the moderate faction was finally defeated in the late 1980s, although Clive Landa's defeat of Christopher Horne (the chairman of the Hyde Park Tories) in the 1973 election in Greater London was far closer than was expected, even by the supporters of both candidates.

* Sir William van Straubenzee MP, National Chairman 1951/53
* Geoffrey Finsberg MP, National Chairman 1953/57
* Fergus Montgomery MP, 1957/58
* Peter Walker MP, National Chairman 1958/60
* Sir Andrew Bowden National Chairman 1960/61
* Terence Wray, National Chairman 1960/63
* Nick Scott MP, National Chairman 1963/64
* Alan Haselhurst MP, National Chairman 1964/66
* David Atkinson MP, National Chairman 1970/1
* John Watson MP, National Chairman 1971/72
* David Hunt, now Baron Hunt of Wirral, MP, 1976-97 National Chairman 1972/73
* Clive Landa, National Chairman 1974/75
* Tony Kerpel, National Chairman 1975/76
* Michael Jack MP, 1987-2010 National Chairman 1977
* Chris Gent, National Chairman 1977/79. Chairman of GlaxoSmithKline
* Bob Hughes, National Chairman 1979/80, former MP for Harrow
* Eric Pickles MP, National Chairman 1980/81
* Iain Picton, National Chairman 1981/82
* Phil Pedley, National Chairman 1982/84
* John Guthrie, National Chairman 1984/85
* Richard Fuller MP, National Chairman 1985/87
* Nick Robinson, National Chairman 1987/88, later BBC
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