Western Goals (UK)

Western Goals (UK) was a right-wing anti-communist organisation in the United Kingdom. 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. It was founded in May 1985 as the British branch of the American organisation the Western Goals Foundation, with Paul Masson, BA, Stuart Notholt, MA (Oxon), FRGS., and Andrew V R Smith, all members of the Young Conservative Monday Club), as its directors.

Western Goals also participated in the World Anti-Communist League and sent delegates to the WACL Conference in Geneva. WG's Director of Information was the Secretary of the WACL Committee on international freedom struggles. Western Goals also opposed several which it considered to be terrorist, particularly that of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland, and the African National Congress (ANC) in southern Africa. Western Goals UK was affiliated to similar groups worldwide, most notably 'Victims Against Terrorism in South Africa'."

The group's stated purpose in the 1987 general election was "exposing Leftist candidates - of all major parties - and ensuring they were defeated". Ken Livingstone, who had been leader of the Greater London Council before its abolition the previous year, was high on their list. During the course of the campaign, a list of 100 Labour candidates with alleged Marxist affiliations was circulated and gained widespread press attention. One who was singled out for special vitriol was Kenneth Stewart, whom the Soviet government had presented with The Complete Works of Lenin after he had written to Kosygin complaining of "the shortage of Marxist literature" in his local public library. 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.

Its early 1988 publicity brochure stated that: "Western Goals UK is active on a number of fronts - highlighting and combating the insidious 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 civilisation 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)".

By 1988, Mark D Haley, BSc., was Chairman, and other additional members of the directorate were barrister Michael McCrone, LLB, AKC, and Gideon Sherman, son of Sir Alfred Sherman. Its Parliamentary Advisory Board that year included the Rev. Martin Smyth, Ulster Unionist MP for South Belfast, (later also a Vice-President), Neil Hamilton, MP, Bill Walker MP, and Nicholas Winterton, MP.

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 in highlighting Marxist control of 'Third World development agencies'."

In "An Open Letter to the Conservative Party Conference" in October 1988 (see below), 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).

Also in 1988, they helped organise a visit to Britain by Jonas Savimbi leader of Angola's National Union for Total Independence of Angola (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 a 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 London magazine City Limits (October 20, 1988) gave extensive coverage to what they called the "Tories' Loony Fringe" activities at that month's Conservative Party Conference at Brighton, and included Western Goals' finge meetings.

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 December edition cited AVR Smith as Secretary-General of the "Young Europeans for World Freedom".

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, editor of the Freedom Association's Freedom Today newspaper.

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.

In a BBC interview on 31 January 1989, Western Goals Director Andrew V R Smith, stated "Western Goals deplores the general and moral decay of the West, and opposes the free market. We are most concerned with national self-determination, independence, and non-alignment. It does not worry us if the media call us the 'loony right'. Such a comment can only be made by those who have not read our literature or ar too thick to comprehend it." This criticism of the free market distinguished the ideology of Western Goals from Thatcherism.

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 South-West Africa People's Organisation.

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.

Some Western Goals UK publications

• European Dawn -- short-lived tabloid newspaper on quality paper. The July 1989 edition carried headlines on European Parliament elections and "Reds to come clean over 1940?"; page 6 carries an article: "Outcry grows over Hong Kong sell-out", and on page 7 there is a "Tribute" to Senator Joseph McCarthy. The September 1989 edition carries the headline "AIDS Crisis Deepens" with quotes by Jean Marie Le Pen; another front-page article states "Drugs Menace Crosses Atlantic"; page 4 carries a full-page article by Gregory Lauder-Frost entitled "Legacy of Betrayal"; page 6 carried a picture and article on the visit to Britain of Dr. Andries Treurnicht, and page 7 carries an article entitled "Communist Tactics in Chile".

• Family Protection Scoreboard magazine - special full edition on Liberation Theology, [Western Goals were exclusive UK distributors], editor David W. Balsiger, published by the National Citizens Action Network, Costa Mesa, CA92627, USA.,1989.

• Hit-job on Margaret Thatcher WG Viewpoint Paper, by John Wilkes, April 1990, in which it was claimed that "there is a conspiracy to undermine the Prime Minister, led by liberal establishment figures."