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Western Goals Institute (WGI) was a
far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
pressure group and think-tank in Britain, formed in 1989 from Western Goals UK, which was founded in 1985 as an offshoot of the U.S.
Western Goals Foundation Western Goals Foundation was a private domestic intelligence agency active in the United States.Staff writer (Jan. 2, 1989)"Western Goals Foundation."''Interhemispheric Resource Center/International Relations Center''. Archived frothe original./r ...
.''Labour Research'', November 1988, p. 2. It was
anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...
and opposed non-white immigration.


Early aims

The Western Goals Institute was founded (as Western Goals UK) in May 1985 as the British branch of the American organisation the Western Goals Foundation. In March 1987, Western Goals UK had filed a complaint with the
Charity Commission for England and Wales , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , ...
against three major British charities,
Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...
, War on Want, and
Christian Aid Christian Aid is the relief and development agency of 41 Christian (Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox) churches in the UK and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster ...
stating that they were involved in political campaigning work (which was then contrary to UK charity law) in support of left-wing organizations due to their campaigns against
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
in South Africa. The Charities Commission partially upheld the Western Goals complaint, obliging War on Want (which at the time was led by
George Galloway George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician, broadcaster, and writer who is currently leader of the Workers Party of Britain, serving since 2019. Between 1987 and 2010, and then between 2012 and 2015, Galloway was a Member o ...
, later an MP) to halt political campaigning. In October 1988 Western Goals held a well-attended fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference addressed by their patron, General Sir Walter Walker, former Commander-in-Chief of NATO forces in Northern Europe, Sir Patrick Wall, the MP for
Beverley Beverley is a market and minster town and a civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre and north-west of City of Hull. The town is known fo ...
, the Reverend
Martin Smyth William Martin Smyth (born 15 June 1931) is a Northern Irish unionist politician, who served as the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast South from 1982 to 2005. He was a vice-president of the Conservative Monday ...
, Ulster Unionist MP for Belfast South, and others on terrorism, claiming to highlight the links between the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
and the
Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...
. Western Goals subsequently issued a paper summarising the issues raised at this meeting. As a result of their expanding activities, membership and organisation, Western Goals UK was relaunched in 1989, becoming the Western Goals Institute, independent of the U.S. foundation. Gregory Lauder-Frost, then a leading member of the
Conservative Monday Club The Conservative Monday Club (usually known as the Monday Club) is a British political pressure group, aligned with the Conservative Party, though no longer endorsed by it. It also has links to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unioni ...
, was invited in February to join Thomas J. Bergen, Peter Dally, Professor
Antony Flew Antony Garrard Newton Flew (; 11 February 1923 – 8 April 2010) was a British philosopher. Belonging to the analytic and evidentialist schools of thought, Flew worked on the philosophy of religion. During the course of his career he taught at ...
, Linda Catoe Guell, Dr. Joseph Labia, Tryggvi McDonald, Rev.
Martin Smyth William Martin Smyth (born 15 June 1931) is a Northern Irish unionist politician, who served as the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast South from 1982 to 2005. He was a vice-president of the Conservative Monday ...
, MP, the Lord Sudeley, Dr.
Harvey Ward Harvey Grenville Ward (1927 – April 1995) was a Director-General of the Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation noted for his anticommunism and for supporting Ian Smith's government in Rhodesia and South Africa. Ward was a leading member of the ...
and Rev. Basil Watson, OBE, as vice-presidents of the institute. The institute's stated aims were to "combat the insidious menace of liberalism and Communism within all sectors of British society" and its initial activities included denouncing what it described as "extremist" left-wing Labour Party candidates. The institute was also critical of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
, its Director Andrew Smith stating "western nations (when dealing with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait) have seen fit to submit themselves to the writ of the UN, a body largely composed of regimes hostile to western democratic values." The institute stated its aims on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in 1991: :"Western Goals works to establish networks and links with conservative groups dedicated to the preservation of the cultures and identities of western nations. We are conservatives who believe in traditional conservative values. A
multicultural The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...
society does not work. We wish to protect the way of life we had before immigrants arrived. It was a mistake to permit these people to come here. Politicians must now accept this. Large numbers of immigrants reject European culture and wish to remain alien in religion and culture. We want European culture in European countries. We would seek to have treaties with countries to permit resettlement." Initially, the Western Goals Institute drew some support from Conservative parliamentarians, and the London magazine ''City Limits'' stated that "Western Goals is talking the same blunt authoritarian language as many Tory back-benchers and rank and file Tories. It is a group to be reckoned with ... having a formidable list of honorary patrons and Vice-Presidents". With an increasingly public role Western Goals attracted left-wing hostility. In September 1991, the Campaign Against Fascism demonstrated outside the home of Lord Sudeley, they said, "to expose his involvement in setting up an international network of right-wing extremists". In response, Sudeley refuted the claims and described Western Goals "as being committed to the traditional values of conservatism in England". Mike Whine, Defence Director of the Board of British Jewish Deputies, described the institute as "not fascists or anti-Semitic, but they inhabit the shadowy, nether-world of the far right-wing".


International links

The institute and its predecessor were affiliated with the
World Anti-Communist League The World League for Freedom and Democracy (WLFD) is an international non-governmental organization of anti-communist politicians and groups. It was founded in 1952 as the World Anti-Communist League (WACL) under the initiative of Chiang Kai-shek ...
. As Western Goals delegate, Andrew Smith attended the 21st conference of the
World Anti-Communist League The World League for Freedom and Democracy (WLFD) is an international non-governmental organization of anti-communist politicians and groups. It was founded in 1952 as the World Anti-Communist League (WACL) under the initiative of Chiang Kai-shek ...
held in
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
27–29 August 1988, which was addressed by one of Western Goals UK's patrons, Major-General
John K. Singlaub Major General John Kirk Singlaub (July 10, 1921 – January 29, 2022) was a major general in the United States Army, founding member of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and a highly decorated officer in the former Office of Strategic Servi ...
, (the other two patrons being General Sir Walter Walker and Major Sir Patrick Wall, M.C.). Smith contributed an article on the speech in WACL's ''Free World Report'' the following January. In July 1990, WGI sent a delegation to the 22nd WACL Conference in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and from 1991 WGI was the UK chapter of the senior World League. In line with the ‘ Reagan doctrine’ policies of its American patrons, Western Goals UK had established links with militant, and often violent, anti-Communist groups internationally. These include the Angolan
UNITA The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( pt, União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the Popular Movement for ...
movement (in October 1988 Western Goals facilitated the visit to London of UNITA's leader,
Jonas Savimbi Jonas Malheiro Savimbi (; 3 August 1934 – 22 February 2002) was an Angolan revolutionary politician and rebel military leader who founded and led the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). UNITA waged a guerrilla war agai ...
) and the Salvadoran
Nationalist Republican Alliance The Nationalist Republican Alliance ( es, Alianza Republicana Nacionalista, ARENA) is a conservative, right-wing political party of El Salvador. It was founded on 30 September 1981 by retired Salvadoran Army Major Roberto D'Aubuisson. It defines it ...
(ARENA) party, whose leader, Roberto D’Aubuisson, became one of the group's international patrons. It was also claimed that Western Goals may have been used by its U.S. partners as a conduit for funds to the Nicaraguan
Contras The Contras were the various U.S.-backed and funded right-wing rebel groups that were active from 1979 to 1990 in opposition to the Marxist Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction Government in Nicaragua, which came to power in 1979 foll ...
following the ' Contragate' scandal. The institute was reaching out to a variety of robustly conservative associations which were also opposed to communism. In August Lauder-Frost was forging links with Joachim Siegerist of Die Deutschen Konservativen e.V., in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
, and London's ''Time Out'' magazine carried a report headlined "Bad Taste" in September saying that the Western Goals hierarchy, in addition to courting
Jean-Marie Le Pen Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015. Le Pen graduated fro ...
, and
Franz Schönhuber Franz Xaver Schönhuber (10 January 1923 – 27 November 2005) was a German right-wing extremist journalist, politician, and author. He gained fame as a founder and eventual chairman of the right-wing German party The Republicans. He was a membe ...
of the German Republikaner Party, had been dining at
Simpsons-in-the-Strand Simpson's-in-the-Strand is one of London's oldest traditional English restaurants. Situated in the Strand, it is part of the Savoy Buildings, which also contain one of the world's most famous hotels, the Savoy. The restaurant has been "temp ...
, London, with
El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...
's Arena Party President Major
Roberto d'Aubuisson Roberto D'Aubuisson Arrieta (23 August 1943 – 20 February 1992) was a neo-fascist Salvadoran soldier, politician and death squad leader. In 1981, he co-founded and became the first leader of the far-right Nationalist Republican Alliance ...
, who subsequently became one of the institute's patrons. This was followed by a letter in ''The Times'' signed by Lord Sudeley, Sir
Alfred Sherman Sir Alfred Sherman (10 November 1919 – 26 August 2006) was an English writer, journalist, and political analyst. Described by a long-time associate as "a brilliant polymath, a consummate homo politicus, and one of the last true witnesses to th ...
, Professor
Antony Flew Antony Garrard Newton Flew (; 11 February 1923 – 8 April 2010) was a British philosopher. Belonging to the analytic and evidentialist schools of thought, Flew worked on the philosophy of religion. During the course of his career he taught at ...
and Dr.
Harvey Ward Harvey Grenville Ward (1927 – April 1995) was a Director-General of the Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation noted for his anticommunism and for supporting Ian Smith's government in Rhodesia and South Africa. Ward was a leading member of the ...
, on behalf of the institute, "applauding
Alfredo Cristiani Alfredo Félix Cristiani Burkard (born 22 November 1947) is a Salvadoran politician who was President of El Salvador from 1989 to 1994. Life and career Born into a wealthy family in San Salvador, his father Felix Cristiani was an Italian imm ...
's statesmanship" and calling for his government's success in defeating the Cuban and Nicaraguan-backed communist FMLN terrorists. The following year, on 21 February 1990, Lauder-Frost appeared on BBC's ''Newsnight'' opposing Labour MP Alice Mahon's support for Communist insurgents in
Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
. The institute's tabloid newspaper ''European Dawn'' also reported that in September 1990 that Burkhard Schmidt, executive director of Western Goals Europe e.V., and the American European Strategy Research Institute had contacted the institute urging them to forge links with young people opposing communism in
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
, and that the following month an eight-strong delegation from the institute visited Munich for discussions with the German
Republikaner Party The Republicans (german: Die Republikaner, REP) is a national conservative political party in Germany. The primary plank of the programme is opposition to immigration. The party tends to attract protest voters who think that the Christian Democr ...
which at that time had six members in the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
Parliament.


Front National

In Europe, Western Goals gave their open support to the French
Front National The National Rally (french: Rassemblement National, ; RN), until 2018 known as the National Front (french: link=no, Front National, ; FN), is a far-rightAbridged list of reliable sources that refer to National Rally as far-right: Academic: * ...
, the far-right political party led by
Jean-Marie Le Pen Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015. Le Pen graduated fro ...
. On 12 October 1989, the Western Goals Institute hosted a controversial fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference in
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...
, at which Pierre Ceyrac, a Front National
Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
, was the Guest Speaker. Western Goals also hosted a widely reported dinner for Jean-Marie Le Pen, whom they had invited to Britain, at the
Charing Cross Hotel Charing Cross railway station (also known as London Charing Cross) is a central London railway terminus between the Strand and Hungerford Bridge in the City of Westminster. It is the terminus of the South Eastern Main Line to Dover via Ashf ...
in the
Strand, London Strand (or the Strand) is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster, Central London. It runs just over from Trafalgar Square eastwards to Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar, where the road becomes Fleet Street in the City of London, and i ...
in December 1991. There was a large demonstration against the dinner outside the hotel and some damage to property took place, including the hotel's front doors and surroundings, which were smashed. After the visit by Le Pen, the Western Goals Institute Director Andrew Smith was quoted as saying: :"There is scope for a radical right alternative outside the Conservative Party. The Tories have betrayed their principles since Mrs Thatcher fell. With this contact with European leaders we are laying the foundations for a new party.". The possibility of founding a new right-wing party, on the model of Le Pen's Front National, appears to have been abandoned by Smith after the Conservative Party's win in the 1992 General Election ensured that
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
stayed off the political agenda for the foreseeable future. However even at the time, the gradual defection of the parliamentary advisory committee and the decision of the leadership of the Monday Club and associated MPs to stay away from the Le Pen Dinner made the prospect unlikely. The institute maintained its contacts with the FN and were invited to send delegates to their congress in Strasbourg in March 1997. The Western Goals ''Newsletter'' of January 1998 carried an article of praise, reporting on the "FN Successes in France".


Conservative Party of South Africa

WGI supported the continuance of white-dominated government in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
, and formed close links with the South African
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
which some years previously broke away from the National Party after
P.W. Botha Pieter Willem Botha, (; 12 January 1916 – 31 October 2006), commonly known as P. W. and af, Die Groot Krokodil (The Big Crocodile), was a South African politician. He served as the last prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and ...
instituted limited reforms to
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
and which the institute saw as fighting communism in the form of the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
. WGI hosted a visit to the UK, in June 1989, of the Conservative Party of South Africa's leader
Andries Treurnicht Andries Petrus Treurnicht (19 February 1921 – 22 April 1993) was a South African politician, Minister of Education during the Soweto Riots and for a short time leader of the National Party in Transvaal. In 1982 he founded and led the Conse ...
, as well as other leading members, with close links continuing for many years. At the time the party held 22 seats in the whites-only chamber of the South African Parliament making them the official opposition. A press conference was held for the delegation in a committee room of the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
on 5 June. Conservative Party of South Africa MP
Clive Derby-Lewis Clive John Derby-Lewis (22 January 1936 – 3 November 2016) was a South African politician, who was involved first in the National Party and then, while serving as a member of parliament, in the Conservative Party. In 1993 he was convicted ...
, then one of sixty members of the integrated State President's Council, was made an honorary vice-president of the WGI and the following year joined the WGI delegation to the WACL Conference in Brussels. Derby-Lewis was described as a "right-wing extremist" by ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...
''; and as someone who "even by South African standards...has acquired over the years a reputation as a rabid
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
" by journalist and South Africa commentator John Carlin.Hani suspect a key figure of far right: Former South African Conservative MP arrested in ANC murder inquiry is president of controversial London-based think-tank
''The Independent''. 18 April 1993 He later served a life sentence for conspiracy to murder
Chris Hani Chris Hani (28 June 1942 – 10 April 1993), born Martin Thembisile Hani , was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He was a fierce ...
, a leader of the
South African Communist Party The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by the governing N ...
and of the
ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
s Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
, who was assassinated in 1993. The
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
(2 July 1993) lists the Western Goals Institute as an "impediment" to the elimination of racial discrimination in South Africa, saying of the institute that it "claims to be devoted to protecting the Western way of life by offering self-defence training to white South Africans".


Relationship with the Conservative Party

The WGI initially worked towards its goals via members of the British Conservative Party, and in particular via the right-wing
Conservative Monday Club The Conservative Monday Club (usually known as the Monday Club) is a British political pressure group, aligned with the Conservative Party, though no longer endorsed by it. It also has links to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unioni ...
with whom it also shared some members: Andrew Smith had been a former chairman of the club's Young Members Group, Paul Masson and Stuart Notholt, "one-time member of the editorial board of the Conservative 'Dreadnaught Group'", also Monday Clubbers, were all on Western Goals' first UK Directorate. Western Goals activists Lauder-Frost, Anthony Murphy, and Dr.
Harvey Ward Harvey Grenville Ward (1927 – April 1995) was a Director-General of the Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation noted for his anticommunism and for supporting Ian Smith's government in Rhodesia and South Africa. Ward was a leading member of the ...
all held "key positions in the Monday Club Executive". Others included Sir
Alfred Sherman Sir Alfred Sherman (10 November 1919 – 26 August 2006) was an English writer, journalist, and political analyst. Described by a long-time associate as "a brilliant polymath, a consummate homo politicus, and one of the last true witnesses to th ...
and his son Gideon. From the mid-1980s, Western Goals had established a parliamentary advisory committee of Conservative MPs which included Sir Patrick Wall,
Nicholas Winterton Sir Nicholas Raymond Winterton (born 31 March 1938) is a retired British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Macclesfield from 1971 until he retired from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election. H ...
, Neil Hamilton and
Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to: Australian rules football * Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon * Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy * Bill J. V. Wal ...
, as well as
Martin Smyth William Martin Smyth (born 15 June 1931) is a Northern Irish unionist politician, who served as the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast South from 1982 to 2005. He was a vice-president of the Conservative Monday ...
of the
Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule m ...
for Belfast South. In 1991, Western Goals was accused in a newspaper report of engineering a "take-over" of the Conservative Monday Club, and there were reports that some veteran members believed the club had become "more extreme". Gregory Lauder-Frost, writing in his capacity as Club Political Secretary, rejected these claims in a right-of-reply letter published the following week. In September 1992, Sir
Norman Fowler Peter Norman Fowler, Baron Fowler, (born 2 February 1938) is a British politician who served as a member of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major's ministries during the 1980s and 1990s. He held the office of Lord Speaker from 1 September 201 ...
, in an attempt to distance the Conservative Party from the institute, said that "No one in Western Goals is known by Central Office to belong to our party". This followed the institute's invitation to Jean-Marie Le Pen, and 31-year-old Italian parliamentary deputy,
Alessandra Mussolini Alessandra is a female given name of Italian origin, meaning ''defender of men''. It is the Italian form of the female given name Alexandra and the female form of the male given name Alessandro. Alessandra may refer to: * Alessandra Ambrosio (bo ...
, to address fringe meetings at the 1992 Conservative Party conference (although they both were unable to come to Britain and the meetings were subsequently cancelled). The invitation to Miss Mussolini reportedly "caused outrage", and led to calls for a ban on her entering the country. The ''
Jewish Chronicle Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
'' reported on 25 September 1992 that Marc Gordon, director of the libertarian
International Freedom Foundation The International Freedom Foundation (IFF) was a self-described anti-communist group established in Washington, D.C. founded in 1986 by former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Its purported aim was to promote individual and collective freedoms worldwide: f ...
, a US-based organisation wholly funded by the revisionist de Klerk government in South Africa, urged the Conservative Party to expel members of Western Goals, doubtless because of the WGI's support of the South African Conservative Party. In the same newspaper on 2 October, Julian Lewis (now a Member of Parliament, then deputy head of Conservative Central Office's Research Department), said he would strongly advise local associations that Western Goals was hostile to Conservative objectives. ''The Guardian'' subsequently accused the WGI of attempting "to infiltrate fascists into the Conservative Party", which the WGI disputed as "rubbish".


Notable activities

On 12 August 1989, a delegation from the Western Goals Institute attended an anti-communist demonstration at Mölln, near
Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...
which over 20,000 people attended. The rally was organised by '' Die Deutschen Konservativen e. V.'', led by Joachim Siegerist, now a
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
n parliamentarian.''The Guardian'', 24 April 1993, article: "Guns, Goons and Western Goals", by
David Pallister David Pallister (born as David Pallister Clark; 15 March 1945 – 4 September 2021) was a British investigative journalist. He worked on ''The Guardian'' for many years, specialising in miscarriages of justice, the arms trade, corruption in int ...
, David Beresford and Angela Johnson. On 25 September 1989, Lord Sudeley chaired a Western Goals dinner at
Simpson's-in-the-Strand Simpson's-in-the-Strand is one of London's oldest traditional English restaurants. Situated in the Strand, it is part of the Savoy Buildings, which also contain one of the world's most famous hotels, the Savoy. The restaurant has been "tempo ...
for El Salvador's president,
Alfredo Cristiani Alfredo Félix Cristiani Burkard (born 22 November 1947) is a Salvadoran politician who was President of El Salvador from 1989 to 1994. Life and career Born into a wealthy family in San Salvador, his father Felix Cristiani was an Italian imm ...
, and his inner cabinet. The guest list included figures such as Sir
Alfred Sherman Sir Alfred Sherman (10 November 1919 – 26 August 2006) was an English writer, journalist, and political analyst. Described by a long-time associate as "a brilliant polymath, a consummate homo politicus, and one of the last true witnesses to th ...
(policy advisor to Margaret Thatcher), Lord Nicholas Hervey,
Antony Flew Antony Garrard Newton Flew (; 11 February 1923 – 8 April 2010) was a British philosopher. Belonging to the analytic and evidentialist schools of thought, Flew worked on the philosophy of religion. During the course of his career he taught at ...
,
Zigmunt Szkopiak Dr. Zygmunt Szkopiak (12 December 1926 – 21 October 2002) was a Polish scientist, diplomat, and historian who from 1986 until its dissolution in 1990, served as the last Minister of Foreign Affairs in the London-based Polish government-in-exil ...
,
Denis Walker Wilfrid Denis Walker is a former Rhodesian cabinet minister resident in the United Kingdom. He is known for his monarchist activities and anti-communism and is also company secretary, director and treasurer of the International Monarchist L ...
and
Harvey Ward Harvey Grenville Ward (1927 – April 1995) was a Director-General of the Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation noted for his anticommunism and for supporting Ian Smith's government in Rhodesia and South Africa. Ward was a leading member of the ...
. The group hosted social events including an Annual Dinner at the Grosvenor Hotel at
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
on 24 November 1989 when the guest of honour was
Kenneth Griffith Kenneth Griffith (born Kenneth Reginald Griffiths, 12 October 1921 – 25 June 2006) was a Welsh actor and documentary filmmaker. His outspoken views made him a controversial figure, especially when presenting documentaries which have been ca ...
. On 20 November 1990, they hosted the
General Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 193 ...
Memorial Dinner in Whitehall, commemorating the anniversary of his death. This was also chaired by
Baron Sudeley Baron Sudeley is an unelected hereditary title that has been created three in the history of Britain, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1299 when ...
. A WGI notice in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
'' stated that the late ruler of Spain was "remembered as a hero against communism".


Later years

Despite his upbeat press comments at the time of Le Pen's visit in December 1991, Western Goals director Andrew Smith was quoted in April 1993 as saying that "on reflection the Le Pen visit was the zenith and also the beginning of the end" for him. However ''
Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised for its prominent critici ...
'' cited him at the same time as saying that the institute was "currently inactive, i.e: in a state of 'suspended animation', but we have other plans and projects under way." Negative publicity, the departure from the Directorate in late 1993 of Andrew Smith (replaced by Stuart Millson) and the end of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, meant that the group's activities diminished. In October 1994 Lauder-Frost, writing as WGI Vice-president, called for the Union of Great Britain to be strengthened and rounded on
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdon, formerly Hunting ...
and
Jeremy Hanley Sir Jeremy James Hanley, KCMG (born 17 November 1945) is a politician and former chartered accountant from the United Kingdom. He served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1994 to 1995, and as a member of parliament (MP) representin ...
's comments about traditional Tories being "the enemies within" the Conservative Party. A successful Annual Dinner, chaired by Lauder-Frost, was held at the Grosvenor Hotel, Victoria, in March 1995, at which the guest-of-honour was the
Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. Currently led by J ...
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
, Peter Robinson, later
First Minister of Northern Ireland The First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland are the joint heads of government of the Northern Ireland Executive and have overall responsibility for the running of the Executive Office. Despite the different titles for the two ...
. On 29 March 1997 Lauder-Frost sent a letter of fraternal greeting, on behalf of the Western Goals Institute, to the annual congress of Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National (FN) at Strasbourg which was read by Le Pen to the 2,200 delegates from the podium to much applause. The institute's January 1998 ''Newsletter'' attacked "Blair's Labour regime" which it accused of "breaking up the United Kingdom, diminishing the monarchy, endorsing
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gr ...
and destroying country traditions." In a further article in the same edition Lauder-Frost contributed an article "Christianity & the Millenium calling for "a great service" to be held in Westminster Abbey "representing this Christian Kingdom." In the September edition of the same year, economist James Gibb Stuart had the leading article arguing that "21st century Conservatism must be nationalist", with another by Lauder-Frost arguing that "the non-Anglican statues unveiled at Westminster Abbey in July show that left-wing politics are alive and well in the Church." The institute's regular contributor, Peter Gibbs, had a leading article in the Winter 1999 edition entitled "The Lies, the shame, the betrayal of
Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
" and called for "a rallying cry for the Union". Lack of adequate finances reduced campaigning to their occasional policy papers, the regular glossy newsletter, press releases, and letters to editors. The institute's last newsletter, which they called a "Special General Election edition", in June 2001, carried a leading article by Stuart Millson entitled "New Labour: A Disgrace to Britain"; an article entitled "MacPherson Report Condemned" in which they stated: "over the last quarter of a century, the racial-industrial complex, with its nasty, parasitical, semi-criminal fringe of self-styled anti-fascists and anti-racists, has emerged as a very serious threat to our freedom"; and a long article entitled "National Identity" by Gregory Lauder-Frost in which he argued "we must act now" and added that "within 20 years Britain's capital city will have a majority non-British population."Copies at the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...
http://catalogue.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=0&vl(174399379UI0)=any&frbg=&scp.scps=scope%3A%28BLCONTENT%29&tab=local_tab&dstmp=1362843984018&srt=rank&ct=search&mode=Basic&dum=true&tb=t&indx=1&vl(freeText0)=Western+Goals+Institute&vid=BLVU1&fn=search The organisation was wound up in 2001 following the death of its long-standing Patron, General Sir Walter Walker.


See also

*
Traditional Britain Group The Traditional Britain Group (TBG) is a British far-right pressure group that describes itself as traditionalist conservatism, traditionalist conservative and "home to the disillusioned patriot". It was founded in 2001 by Gregory Lauder-Frost, ...


References


External links


WGI archives
{{Authority control 1985 establishments in the United Kingdom 2001 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Anti-communist organizations Conservative political advocacy groups in the United Kingdom Euroscepticism in the United Kingdom Foreign policy and strategy think tanks based in the United Kingdom Political and economic think tanks based in the United Kingdom Political advocacy groups in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1985 Organizations disestablished in 2001 Anti-immigration politics in the United Kingdom