Western Goals (UK)

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 choice 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 participated 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 alleged Marxist affiliations was circulated and gained widespread press attention. WG then produced an additional report on 67 candidates allegedly 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 Baron 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, and issued an "Open Letter to the Conservative Party Conference" in October 1988, the opening paragraph stating: "We urge all Conservatives to take cognizance of recent developments in South Western Africa where a disaster for Western Interests unparalleled since the loss of Vietnam is unfolding" and calling for "the Angolan patriots of UNITA" who faced "the might of a Cuban army equipped with the most modern Soviet equipment" to be given every possible support.

Following Andrew Hunter's claims that the ANC and the IRA had been "plotting" together, and his public call for Margaret Thatcher to deport ANC members from Britain (Daily Express, 16 July 1988), Western Goals UK held a fringe meeting at the October 1988 Conservative Party Conference on the subject of "International Terrorism - how the West can fight back". The speakers were Andrew Hunter, MP, Sir Alfred Sherman, and Dr.Harvey Ward. Peter Dally of the World Anti-Communist League'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).

Western Goals issued a Press Release on the 16 November 1988, headed "British Conservative Group warns Botha against 'going soft on communism'". On Saturday 10 December a delegation from Western Goals took part in the European Freedom Rally in Westminster Central Hall, organised by the European Freedom Campaign, whose Secretariat included the Rt.Hon. Sir Frederick Bennett, Norris McWhirter, CBE, and Philip van der Elst.

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, and an article by Peter Dally opposing the British withdrawal from Hong Kong. The The December edition cited AVR Smith as Secretary-General of the Young Europeans for World Freedom.

Andrew V R Smith had a 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 but included the ANC, Christian Aid, the British Council of Churches, and urged readers to write to the Charity Commission. On 15 January Smith had another letter on behalf of Western Goals in The Sunday Telegraph attacking Sir Brian Young, Director of Christian Aid and their political activities in Britain and abroad. On the 22 January Western Goals UK was mentioned in The Sunday Telegraph (in an article about the deportation of the Sri Lankan, Viraj Mendis) as criticising the British Council of Churches.

Western Goals UK issued a Press Release on 20 April 1989 headed "Namibian Crisis Worsening, say research group". The preamble states that the details herein are compiled form "first-hand material from the local population and inteeligence sources" and much is made of Sam Nujoma's connections with the People's Republic of China; it attacks SWAPO.

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 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. The same month, Western Goals UK published a Briefing Paper, entitled IRA/ANC: Partners in Terror

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.