Federation of Conservative Students

Last updated

The Federation of Conservative Students (FCS) was the student organisation of the British Conservative Party from the late 1940s to 1986. It was created to act as a bridge between the student movement and the Conservative Party. It produced several magazines, and had regular Assembly meetings in which motions would be voted on. It had supported some controversial actions, such as the legalisation of various drugs, and the privatisation of the Trident nuclear missiles. There was continual tension between central party, which funded the organisation, and the Federation – which often used the funds on exploring unconventional policies. [1]

Contents

The Federation had considerable influence on national politics (considered by some to be "the fast track to the next Conservative Party"), as committee members were consulted by MP's, and Ted Heath specifically had speeches written by the Federation's chairmen. [2]

In its final years it became known colloquially as "Maggie's Militant Tendency", [3] in reference to then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and to Militant, an entryist group active in the Labour Party at the time. The FCS was then broken up by the Chairman of the Conservative Party, Norman Tebbit, after one of its members had accused previous former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan of war crimes in extraditing Cossacks to the Soviet Union. [4] The FCS was replaced by the Conservative Collegiate Forum.

History

The organisation was originally founded as the Federation of University Conservative and Unionists Associations (FUCUA) in January 1930 with Col. John Buchan MP [1] (later Lord Tweedsmuir and Governor General of Canada) as its first President.

FUCUA was renamed the Federation of Conservative Students in 1967. [5] From the 1980s onward it became a more controversial group.

Paradigm shift

The policies of Margaret Thatcher had a polarising effect on British politics and the student left moved towards radicalism in their response to them. Many students' unions would pass motions instituting a policy of "No Platform for Racists or Fascists". Starting in the early 1980s, the organisation adopted a more confrontational approach toward the left-leaning National Union of Students. Leaders, most notably from Scotland, started advocating "voluntary students' unions". They organised campaigns aimed at disaffiliating individual students' unions from the NUS to weaken the so-called block vote, and deprive it of taxpayers' money which the NUS used for various causes. [6] Posters and other publicity material became much more provocative and hard-hitting. [7]

Factionalism

In the early years FCS was moderate in its outlook and elected a number of National Chairmen reflecting a mainstream outlook. These included Mark Carlisle MP, Andrew Neil and Antony Buck MP. [2]

However the 1970s saw increasing factionalism mirroring the internal conflicts between Monday Club and the Heathite leadership. In its last years, the FCS, perhaps reflecting the debate within the Conservative party of the 1980s and the generally fractious nature of student politics, was notably prone to factionalism. The three main factions were:

Authoritarians

The authoritarian faction centred on the student Monday Club, and was not particularly well known compared to the much larger Libertarian faction. It was linked with traditional British nationalism, an isolationist posture in relation to foreign affairs, opposition (as espoused by Enoch Powell) to immigration, scepticism about liberal economics, and staunch support for the Union. [8]

Libertarians

The Libertarian faction (the "Libs") was closely linked to the Libertarian Alliance run by Chris Tame, [9] and the Adam Smith Institute, run by Madsen Pirie. [7]

The Libertarian faction was the largest faction in the FCS in its last few years. Its overall dominance is illustrated by the passage of a libertarian motion in favour of free migration at the Leicester conference, shortly before the demise of the FCS, which was opposed by both the wet and the authoritarian factions. [10]

Under Glendening, elected Chairman in 1984, the FCS became more controversial than ever as it embraced social liberalism in addition to the already established endorsement of economic libertarianism; issues such as supporting the legalisation of drugs were no longer taboo. [7]

Many former leaders of the libertarian faction, such as Mark MacGregor, went on to hold senior office in the Conservative Party. Other notable members of "the Libs" included Brian Monteith, [11] Robbie Gibb, and Douglas "Dougie" Smith. [12] [13] John Bercow and Andrew Rosindell were once also members, although they had also been part of the authoritarian faction. [14]

Moderates

The Moderate faction had controlled the FCS until 1980. Some of them were members of the Tory Reform Group (TRG). Eight prominent members of the moderate faction including several former chairmen joined the SDP in 1981. [7]

Despite a relatively high number of supporters and control of some large student bodies, they only once gained influence in the national federation after 1980, through a controversial last minute alliance with the authoritarian faction in 1983.

The moderate faction was usually referred to by its opponents as the "Wets" in an allusion to the contemporary nickname for the anti-Thatcherite wing of the parliamentary party, although after 1980 this description was often vehemently rejected[ citation needed ] by members of the moderate faction in FCS themselves in favour of titles such as the "Party Faction"[ citation needed ] and "Conservative Student Unionists." This was partly because they saw themselves as seeking to represent the mainstream of the party and not just the left, and partly because this faction did contain a significant proportion of prominent members such as Paul Goodman and Mark Francois [ citation needed ] who later became MPs perceived to be to the right of the party leadership.

In many universities the TRG organised itself as a complementary political society to the main Conservative group. This is a policy that the TRG has maintained since, although the last of these societies, the Oxford TRG Society, merged with Oxford's Conservative Association in 2007. [15]

Controversy

Political stance

In the 1980s, the FCS was noted for being more radical than the main party, more Thatcherite than Thatcher – ministers invited to speak at conferences were routinely chastised for not going far enough. [7]

In addition to supporting privatisation, controversial positions embraced included the support for American intervention in Grenada, RENAMO, the UNITA rebels in Angola, and the Contras in Nicaragua. [16] The Federation made badges with the words "Nicaragua Must be Free". Some Labour students began wearing them without realising their origin and intended meaning. [17]

Alleged riot at Loughborough University

There was some damage during the 1985 FCS conference at Loughborough University, leading to press reports of a "riot". The officers elected at that conference were mainly of the libertarian faction who espouse many of the controversial libertarian ideals which have embarrassed the party leadership. [18] Although it was clear that some damage was done, the so-called riot was vastly exaggerated, the final bill for repairs that the University presented came to under £20, and there would not be enough evidence to close the FCS as the then Party Chairman John Selwyn Gummer wanted. Nevertheless, reports of "riots" in the media, including the Daily Star and the Daily Mirror , motivated Gummer immediately to suspend the FCS's £30,000 annual grant. [18]

The Daily Telegraph wrote that the "students cleared up the mess after the offending party, and journalists who saw the room the morning after reported a damaged door handle, a missing light bulb and beer stains on the carpet in a corridor to be the only visible signs of damage." [19] Inspector Patricia Perry of Loughborough Police Station said "there was no physical damage".[ citation needed ] In a letter to The Times , Professor Peter Havard-Williams of Loughborough University stated "The damage itself was not more than that done by many other conferences and was not excessive." [20] Mark MacGregor suggested that Gummer's actions were politically motivated: "Unfortunately, many of our supporters will see this as a move against the leaders they have elected. Our supporters are from working-class backgrounds, and the party establishment seems to feel that we don't quite fit in." [20]

In The Observer , Toby Young wrote: "As nights of mob terror go, last Monday's party at the Federation of Conservative Students' Conference was pretty tame". [21] Both Young and Sir Alfred Sherman believed that Gummer's actions were motivated by his opposition to the libertarian ideology of some of the FCS' members which closely resembled some of Mrs Thatcher's personal beliefs. Sherman wrote that Gummer's actions were "directed against the Prime Minister". [22] Tim Hames and Nick Robinson later admitted that the bill presented for damage was less than £20, [23] and that the media reports were as a result of an "astute spinning operation" by Wet delegates from the University of Oxford, who "directed journalists to students who offered harrowing accounts of the boorish behaviour of libertarian activists." [23]

Demise

The FCS was disbanded by Norman Tebbit, who succeeded Gummer as the party chairman. This was for publishing an article, penned by Harry Phibbs, following Nikolai Tolstoy's accusation that former Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was complicit in war crimes for his involvement in the forced repatriation of Cossack prisoners of war to Soviet Russia in the aftermath of World War II. [4] [7]

Past chairmen

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Tebbit</span> English politician (born 1931)

Norman Beresford Tebbit, Baron Tebbit, is a retired British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1981 to 1987 as Secretary of State for Employment (1981–1983), Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1983–1985), and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Chairman of the Conservative Party (1985–1987). He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1970 to 1992, representing the constituencies of Epping (1970–1974) and Chingford (1974–1992).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thatcherism</span> British conservative ideology from the 1980s onward

Thatcherism is a form of British conservative ideology named after Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher that relates to not just her political platform and particular policies but also her personal character and style of management while in office. Proponents of Thatcherism are referred to as Thatcherites. The term has been used to describe the principles of the British government under Thatcher from the 1979 general election to her resignation in 1990. In international terms, Thatcherites have been described as a part of the general socio-economic movement known as neoliberalism, with different countries besides the United Kingdom sharing similar policies around expansionary capitalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Hamilton (politician)</span> British politician from Wales, former UKIP leader

Mostyn Neil Hamilton is a British politician and former barrister who was leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2020 to 2024. He was the Conservative member of parliament (MP) for Tatton from 1983 to 1997 and a UKIP Member of the Senedd (MS) for Mid and West Wales from 2016 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Forth</span> British politician (1944–2006)

Eric Forth was a British Conservative politician. He served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Birmingham North from 1979 to 1984. He then served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Worcestershire from 1983 to 1997. Finally, he served as MP for Bromley and Chislehurst from 1997 until his death in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tory Reform Group</span> British Conservative Party pressure group

The Tory Reform Group (TRG) is a pressure group associated with the British Conservative Party that works to promote "modern, progressive Conservatism [...] economic efficiency and social justice" and "a Conservatism that supports equality, diversity and civil liberties", values sometimes associated with Harold Macmillan's "Middle Way" or what the group consider a moderate one-nation conservatism. Senior figures include Michael Heseltine, Douglas Hurd, Kenneth Clarke, and Chris Patten.

The Freedom Association (TFA) is a pressure group in the United Kingdom that describes itself as "a non-partisan, classically liberal campaign group", which has links to the Conservative Party and UK Independence Party (UKIP). TFA was founded in 1975 as the National Association for Freedom (NAFF) and gained public prominence through its anti-trade union campaigns. Its popularity grew after campaigning against perceived abuses to individual freedom including big business, big government, organised labour and Irish political violence. By the end of the 1970s the organisation had around 20,000 members.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wets and dries</span> Faction in the British Conservative Party

Wets and dries are British political terms that refer to opposing factions within the Conservative Party. The terms originated in the 1980s during the premiership of Margaret Thatcher: those who opposed some of Thatcher's more hard-line policies were often referred to by their opponents as "wets"; in response, supporters of Thatcher were referred to as "dries".

The Cambridge University Conservative Association, or CUCA, is a student political society founded 1921, as a Conservative Association for students at Cambridge University, although it has earlier roots in the late nineteenth century. CUCA is not affiliated with the nationwide youth branch of the Conservative Party, the Young Conservatives, but is a fully independent Association distinct from other Conservative youth organisations. The association puts on a range of events for its members each term, notably its ‘Port & Policy’ debates, as well as addresses from a number of high-profile speakers.

Western Goals Institute (WGI) was a far-right 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. It was anti-communist and opposed non-white immigration.

Mark MacGregor is a British Conservative Party politician and entrepreneur. He fought several parliamentary elections for the party, became chief executive of Conservative Central Office from 2002 to 2003 and then ran Steve Norris' campaign to become Mayor of London in 2004. He has run various businesses, including a communications company, Marketforce Communications Ltd, an events firm and a cloud technology company, Connect Support Services Ltd. He was appointed deputy director of Policy Exchange in early 2013 a year after his eldest child was born.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Tame</span> British writer (1949–2006)

Christopher Ronald Tame was a British libertarian political activist. He is best known as the founder and Director of the Libertarian Alliance, a free market and civil liberties think tank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservative European Forum</span>

The Conservative European Forum (CEF) was founded in 1969 to promote the UK's entry into the European Economic Community. The organisation is committed to a positive and constructive approach to the UK's relationships with the democracies of Europe, including the European Union.

Libertarianism in the United Kingdom can either refer to a political movement synonymous with anarchism, left-libertarianism and libertarian socialism, or to a political movement concerned with the pursuit of propertarian right-libertarian ideals in the United Kingdom which emerged and became more prominent in British politics after the 1980s neoliberalism and the economic liberalism of the premiership of Margaret Thatcher, albeit not as prominent as libertarianism in the United States in the 1970s and the presidency of Republican Ronald Reagan during the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Hart (political activist)</span> British political activist (1944–2011)

David Hart was an English writer, businessman, and adviser to Margaret Thatcher. He also had a career in the 1960s as an avant-garde filmmaker. He was a controversial figure during the 1984–85 miners' strike and played a leading role in organising and funding the anti-strike campaign in the coalfields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Fuller (Conservative politician)</span> British politician (born 1962)

Richard Quentin Fuller is a British politician who has served as the interim Chairman of the Conservative Party since July 2024. He previously served as the Economic Secretary to the Treasury from July to October 2022. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for North Bedfordshire, formerly North East Bedfordshire, since 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, he represented Bedford from 2010 to 2017. He had previously achieved prominence as leader of the Young Conservatives from 1985 to 1987.

The Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA) is a student Conservative association founded in 1924, whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford. Since October 2009, OUCA has been affiliated with Conservative Future and its successor, the Young Conservatives, the Conservative Party youth wing.

Iain Sutherland Picton was a political activist in the Conservative Party, representing the One Nation tradition Toryism, and a television producer.

Philip Pedley is a British Conservative activist who held a number of positions in the Conservative Party at local, regional and national level and was appointed Deputy Chairman of one of the largest quangos in Wales.

Douglas Smith is a British political advisor who has worked as a senior Conservative Party aide for British prime ministers David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, although according to The Daily Telegraph his precise role is uncertain. He was formerly a political advisor to Sir James Mancham, former President of Seychelles, and Sir James Goldsmith.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Conservative Party Archive". www.bodley.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  2. 1 2 "BBC Desert Island Discs Interview 2007". bbc.co.uk. 2 March 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  3. ↑ Happold, Tom (8 October 2003). "Tory youth group accused of take-over plot". The Guardian Unlimited. London.
  4. 1 2 John Stevens (21 August 1986). "Tories sue student editor over Macmillan war crimes charges". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 9.
  5. ↑ Barberis, Peter; McHugh, John; Tyldesley, Mike (1 January 2000). Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations: Parties, Groups and Movements of the 20th Century. A&C Black. ISBN   9780826458148.
  6. ↑ "No2NUS". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Phibbs, Harry (30 October 2006). "FCS twenty years on – Harry Phibbs remembers his days in the Federation of Conservative Students". Social Affairs Unit . Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
  8. ↑ "Right Now! A forum for eugenecists". Searchlight magazine . July 1998. Archived from the original on 18 November 2006.
  9. ↑ Glendening, Marc (5 April 2006). "Chris Tame". The Guardian.
  10. ↑ "The Federation of Conservative Students – Tory Diary". ConservativeHome.
  11. ↑ Macleod, Angus (12 July 2005). "Tory turmoil as Monteith leaves post". The Times. London.[ dead link ]
  12. ↑ "New Model Tories: Tory tribes". The Independent. London. 24 September 2006. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008.
  13. ↑ Elliot, John (22 June 2003). "Top Tory aide is king of the urban swingers" . The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  14. ↑ "The most expensive MP at Westminster". The Guardian. 4 November 2002.
  15. ↑ Wisnom, Selena (28 November 2007). "OUTRG merges with OUCA". Cherwell. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  16. ↑ Nadler, Jo-Anne (4 December 2004). "The curse of Tory Boy". The Guardian. London.
  17. ↑ Nadler, Jo-Anne (2004). Too Nice to be a Tory: It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To. Simon & Schuster, 2004. p. 81. ISBN   9780743220767.
  18. 1 2 Evans, Timothy (1996). Conservative Radicalism: A Sociology of Conservative Party Youth Structures and Libertarianism 1970–1992. Berghahn Books. p. 36 (footnotes 107 and 108, citing the Daily Telegraph of 4 April 1985). ISBN   1-57181-872-3.
  19. ↑ Norman, Margot (6 April 1985). "unknown title". The Daily Telegraph. p. 37.
  20. 1 2 "Letters to the Editor". The Times. 12 April 1985.
  21. ↑ "Letters to the Editor". The Observer. 7 April 1985.
  22. ↑ "Letters to the Editor". Sunday Times. 14 April 1985.
  23. 1 2 Hames, Tim. "A Burst of Freedom". BBC Radio 4.
  24. ↑ Archer, Graeme (27 February 2004). "Michael Hooker". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 23 September 2004. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  25. ↑ Asthana, Anushka (11 October 2003). "Sir Antony Buck". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011.
  26. ↑ "Sir Dennis Walters". Who's Who.
  27. ↑ Asthana, Anushka (20 July 2005). "Lord Carlisle of Bucklow". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011.
  28. ↑ Goltz, Anna von der; Waldschmidt-Nelson, Britta (7 April 2017). Inventing the Silent Majority in Western Europe and the United States. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-1-107-16542-7.
  29. ↑ Pierce, Andrew (17 June 2005). "The backstreet bruiser hoping to knock sense into the Tories". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011.
  30. ↑ "Forsyth of Drumlean" . Who's Who . Vol. 2023 (online ed.). A & C Black.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  31. ↑ Ian Bradley, "Leading young Tories defect to join SDP", The Times, 12 August 1981, p. 1.
  32. ↑ Kite, Melissa (5 November 2002). "Frontbencher refused to 'go missing' again". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.