London Swinton Circle
Template:Short descriptionThe London Swinton Circle (otherwise known as the Swinton Circle) was a British right-wing pressure group. The group stated its purpose is to uphold traditional conservative and Unionist principles.
The group formed part of a number of Conservative Party-linked fringe groups which came to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the Monday Club, Tory Action and WISE (Welsh, Irish, Scottish, English), but later became positioned outside the Conservative Party.
History
Origins
A few city-based discussion groups with the suffix "Swinton Circle" were formed for those Conservative Party activists who had attended Conservative Party training at Swinton College. The London Swinton Circle was founded in 1965, early members included Rhodes Boyson and T. E. Utley.<ref>Knight, Christoper, The making of a Tory education policy in post-war Britain 1950-1986 The Falmer Press (1990) p81 n24</ref> Another prominent early member was Roger Moate MP.<ref name="Peter Barberis 2005 p185">Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley entry on London Swinton Circle Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations Continuum International Publishing Group (2005) p185</ref> The London Swinton Circle was the only one of the groups to continue beyond the 1970s.
Bee Carthew
The London Swinton Circle came to be run during the eighties by Mrs Beryl 'Bee' Carthew<ref name="Peter Barberis 2005 p185"/> who was described by the satirical Private Eye magazine as a "well-known right-wing looney".<ref name="ReferenceA">Private Eye no. 567 9 September 1983</ref> Carthew had previously formed and ran the "Powellight Association" which published a magazine, Powellight, in support of Enoch Powell during the late 1960s and early 1970s.<ref>Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley entry on Powellight Association Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations Continuum International Publishing Group (2005) p192</ref> An executive member of the Monday Club with George Kennedy Young, she was expelled from the Club in 1974 as part of a purge made by Jonathan Guinness.<ref>Walker, Martin The National Front fontana Second Edition (1978) p131</ref> She briefly joined the National Front in 1975, before later rejoining the Conservative Party.<ref>Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley entry on Powellight AssociationEncyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations Continuum International Publishing Group (2005) p192</ref> She briefly ran the London Office for the nascent UK Independence Party (UKIP).<ref>Searchlight, July 1995, issue 242, p 11</ref>
From the early 1980s
In the early 1980s, the group held several meetings of "right-wing Tories and neo-fascists" with the aim of "co-ordinating anti-immigration campaigns".<ref>Ciarán Ó Maoláin (1987) The radical right: a world directory, Longman, p328</ref> By this time, the Conservative Party was concerned that "co-ordinating groups" like the Swinton Circle were being infiltrated by the far right.<ref>Larry O'Hara (1992), Lobster magazine 23, p47 "British Fascism 1974-83"</ref> Its most commented-upon meeting was in 1983 with Ivor Benson as guest speaker.<ref>Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley (2005), entry on London Swinton Circle, Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations, Continuum International Publishing Group, p185</ref><ref>Tribune 28 October 1983 </ref> Revelations about the extreme-right past of one member led to a motion in Parliament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Adrian Davies was for a time secretary of the Circle<ref>Searchlight Magazine March 2013 Template:Webarchive Searchlight Magazine Website</ref> after Bee Carthew. He is now in the Traditional Britain Group.
Allan Robertson
From 1992 to 2020 the Circle was run by Allan Robertson, a former member of the Scottish Monday Club and contributing editor of Right Now! magazine.<ref>Ultra-right conservative and quasi-patriotic organisations active in Britain Template:Webarchive Searchlight Magazine January 2013</ref> Robertson produced a newsletter Tough Talking From The Right magazine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Robertson died unexpectedly in February 2020.<ref>Obituary Traditional Britain Group</ref><ref>In Memory of Allan Robertson London Swinton Circle</ref> Following his death the Swinton Circle was wound up.
Critics
Conservative MPs, including Liam Fox and Owen Paterson, were criticised in 2014 for speaking to the group whose publications have expressed views such as the mass deportation of British people of African descent to Africa. The Circle had also suggested that "an earthquake in New Zealand might have been a warning against gay marriage".<ref name="Mason">Template:Cite news</ref>
Sheila Gilmore MP described the Circle as holding "vile views" and has questioned why the Conservative Party continues to be associated with the group.<ref name="Mason"/>
Policies
The Circle was strongly Unionist and supported the restoration of capital punishment, and was against immigration and same-sex marriage. It backed Brexit, although the Swinton Circle continued to endorse the Conservative Party.