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Revision as of 10:58, 11 February 2006 by Lightoftheworld (talk | contribs) (Additional information)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Western Goals (UK) was a right-wing anti-communist pressure-group, founded as the British branch of the American organisation the Western Goals Foundation.
It's early 1988 publicity brochure stated that: "Western Goals UK is active on a number of fronts - highlighting and combating the insideous menace of liberalism and communism in all sectors of British society. The directors are experienced politicians and professional Public Relations executives, lawyers, authors, and journalists - a unique portfolio of skills which enables Western Goals both to counter the Marxist agenda and to strengthen the Western values of civilization and free enterprise. Our media pack contains chioce vitriol, lies and smears from the liberal and radical media - proof that Western Goals UK is hitting the Marxists where it hurts! Western Goals UK currently has three main projects: Domestic Affairs Unit (Charities), Africa Desk, and International Desk (mainly Europe).
Western Goals also participates in the World Anti-Communist League and sent delegates to the WACL Conference in Geneva. WG's Director of Information is the Secretary of the WACL Committee on international freedom struggles. Western Goals is also active in conjunction with a number of organisations involved in countering terrorism and terrorist propganda, particularly that of the IRA in Ulster, and the ANC in southern Africa. Western Goals UK is affiliated to similar anti-terrorist groups worldwide, most notably 'Victims Against Terrorism in South Africa'."
The group was formed in May 1985 with Stuart Notholt, MA (Oxon),FRGS., and Andrew V R Smith of the Young Conservative Monday Club) as its directors. In 1987 the group was active during the General Election "exposing Leftist candidates - of all major parties - and ensuring they were defeated. During the course of the campaign a list of 100 Labour candidates with Marxist affiliations was circulated and gained widespread press attention. WG then produced an additional report on 67 candidates engaged in covert ultra-Left activities. This list formed part of a special 4-page supplement in the Daily Mail.
By 1988 Mark D Haley, BSc., was Chairman, and other members of the board of Directors were Michael McCrone, LLB, AKC, Paul Masson, BA,. and Gideon Sherman. Its initial Parliamentary Advisory Board included the Rev. Martin Smyth, Ulster Unionist MP for South Belfast, later also a Vice-President.
In "An Open Letter to the Conservative Party Conference" in October 1988, the group's Patrons were: General Sir Walter Walker, KCB, CBE, DSO., Major Sir Patrick Wall. MC, VRD, RM (Retd)., and its Vice-Presidents were Peter Dally, Professor Antony Flew, MA (Oxon), DLitt, Linda Catoe Guell, Tryggvi McDonald, Rev Martin Smyth, MP, Merlin Hanbury-Tracy The Lord Sudeley, Rev Basil Watson, OBE, MA, RN(Retd).
Western Goals was essentially an anti-communist and ultra-conservative organisation. Its activities included campaigning against charities such as Oxfam, War On Want, and Christian Aid which it saw as left-wing and denouncing as "extremist", left-wing Labour Party candidates such as Ken Livingstone during the 1987 election campaign.
In 1988, one of their pamphlets stated that they were "Britain's leading political research organization for investigating and exposing liberal and Marxist threats to Western values. It has been involved inn highlighting Marxist control of 'Third World development agencies'."
In 1988 they helped organise a visit to Britain by Jonas Savimbi leader of Angola's UNITA rebel group, following which WG Director Stuart Notholt visited Angola and South Africa.
At the October 1988 Conservative Party Conference, Western Goals UK held a fringe meeting on the subject of "International Terrorism - how the West can fight back". The speakers were Sir Alfred Sherman, Andrew Hunter,MP, and Harvey Ward. Peter Dally of WACL's UK Chapter, the British Freedom Council, was in the chair and an message was read to the meeting from General Sir Walter Walker. Andrew Hunter spoke on high-level connections between the IRA and ANC, in which he stated that "the ANC ultimately relies on the USSR for virtually all its weaponry and explosives. The IRA also depends appreciably on Eastern European sources for its weapons of war." In September Hunter had given the Prime Minister a lengthy dossier detailing his evidence. (Refer WG Press Release, 13 October 1988).
The group published numerous policy sheets and a newsletter entitled Young European and edited by Stuart Notholt. The October 1988 edition carried a leading article by Andrew V R Smith, 'Freedom from Communism - the hope of millions'. The December edition cited AVR Smith as the Young Europeans for World Freedom Secretary-General.
Smith had a very long letter from Western Goals UK published in The Sunday Telegraph on 1 January 1989, entitled Links with Terrorists, which was wide-ranging in those it encompassed.
On 5 May 1989 Western Goals UK issued a joint Press Release with Major-General John K Singlaub's Free World Foundation attacking Nicaragua's Marxist dictator, Daniel Ortega, referring to him as "Latin America's Gaddafi", and "a modern-day Stalin", and urging Margaret Thatcher to shun him during his visit to London the following week.
As a result of their expanding activities, membership and organisation, Western Goals UK was reformed later in 1989, becoming the Western Goals Institute, independent of the US foundation.
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