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London Swinton Circle

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The Swinton Circle (aka the London Swinton Circle) is a right-wing conservative British pressure-group with links to the Conservative Party. It proclaims itself Unionist and Eurosceptic. [1]

The chief significance of the Swinton Circle today is that, following the repudiation of the Monday Club by the Conservative Party Leadership [2], the Circle is now the only right-wing pressure group to enjoy the favour of the Party, which permits MPs and other senior figures to address its meeting. (Conservative MPs are forbidden to be members of the Monday Club or to address its meetings) However, it has been repeatedly claimed in the national press that the views of the Circle are at least as extreme as those of the Monday Club.[3]

Given that the Circle claims a membership in excess of 500 [citation needed] and increasing while the membership of the Monday Club is stated to be "back below 600" [4] it can be argued that the Circle has now supplanted the Monday Club as the leading pressure group of the Conservative right.


History

The London Swinton Circle was founded in 1961 by Conservatives who had attended Party training schools at Swinton Castle in Yorkshire, and who wished to maintain contact through regular meetings in London. Since 1996 the group has widened its membership.[5]

Prominent early members included Roger Moate MP and Bee Carthew of the Monday Club [6]

At the 1982 Conservative Conference the Swinton Circle held a fringe meeting entitled "Repatriation - a Constructive Alternative" addressed by Enoch Powell, and the Circle regards itself as Powellite.

Recent speakers have included:[7]

References

  1. ^ LSC Official Website
  2. ^ Conservative Monday Club - Suspension of links by the Conservative party (2001)
  3. ^ The Independent, Mirror, The Guardian, Progress Magazine, Independent on Sunday
  4. ^ Conservative Monday Club - Suspension of links by the Conservative party (2001)
  5. ^ LSC Official Website
  6. ^ Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations
  7. ^ LSC Official Website
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