Conservative Democratic Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Conservative Democratic Alliance (CDA) was a United Kingdom
pressure group. The CDA referred to itself as the "authentic voice of conservatism". It closed down in December 2008.
, another right-wing pressure group, who disagreed with the club's response to the Conservative Party's
severing of links with the Club in 2001. A journalist writing in The Daily Telegraph
described the CDA as "a hardline offshoot of the Monday Club".
The group was described as "ultra-right" by opponents.
The group's Chairman was Michael Keith Smith
, who had been a member of the Conservative Monday Club
since the early 1970s, and served on its Executive Council, 1986 - 1993.
Original members of the CDA's steering committee included:
Millson and Lauder-Frost are both former members of the Conservative Party, the Monday Club's Executive, as well as the Western Goals Institute
, and both were members of the council of the Traditional Britain Group, of which Lauder-Frost remains Vice-President.
carried a letter from the CDA, signed by Mike Smith, attacking the Conservative Party
and its Chairman Francis Maude
for "the sleaze, double-dealing, arrogance, incompetence, Europhilia, indifference and drift with which the party is still associated. "Voters", he said, "deserve a real alternative to Blairism and his 'straight kinda guy' chicanery. Mr. Maude and his C-Changing Tories are incapable of providing it." ("C-Change" was a now-defunct Tory modernising pressure group headed by Maude.)
The CDA often criticised free-market economics and Americanisation in the United Kingdom, both of which it perceived to be after-effects of Thatcherism
. That may be seen as istinguishing it from Iain Duncan Smith
's Conservative Party leadership, which CDA members often criticised as neoconservative
. The CDA was also fervently opposed both to the European Union
and to close links with the George W. Bush
administration.
, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party
; Ashley Mote
, prominent UKIP MEP
and author of "Overcrowded Britain - Our Immigration Crisis Exposed" (2004); John Gouriet
, a founder with Norris McWhirter
of the Freedom Association alongside Derek Turner
, editor of Right Now! magazine; and Adrian Davies
, chairman of the fledgling Freedom Party, a barrister, and prominent critic of the British National Party
.
On 6 October 2004, the Conservative Democratic Alliance held a rally in tribute to Enoch Powell
as a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth
.
The CDA planned to field its own candidates against Conservative MPs with small majorities at the 2005 General Election
, concentrating on Oliver Letwin
, the then Shadow
Treasury Spokesman
, and MP for West Dorset, whom they described as "simply not a Conservative at all".
No candidates actually stood for the CDA at the 2005 General Election
, and Letwin held his seat. However, CDA Chairman Michael Keith Smith
stood as the United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate for Portsmouth North. Both unsuccessful Tory candidate Penny Mordaunt
and political commentator Richard North blamed Smith's intervention for the Tories' failure to win back the seat.
The CDA's June 2005 Summer Dinner in Fleet Street
, London, was addressed by the 'metric martyr', Neil Herron, who led the campaign against the adoption of the metric system
in the UK
. The CDA produced a regular bulletin, and formerly maintained a website with discussion forums.
MP withdrew his patronage from the magazine due to the appearance of the advert, saying that he was 'appalled' by the "antics" of the CDA and that he no longer wanted to be associated with the magazine "in any way".
Michael Keith Smith later described the advertisement, penned by former CDA supporter Peter Gibbs, as "regrettably homophobic". Smith branded the incident "an untoward event" and promised that CDA will take a more "forward-looking and inclusive role in future".
In 2002, Iain Duncan Smith
expelled CDA Chairman Michael Keith Smith
from the Conservative Party
for threatening to stand candidates against Conservatives. Mike Smith issued a writ claiming Breach of Natural Justice and the party was obliged to re-admit him to membership.
Soon afterwards, Smith resigned from the Conservative Party, and stood as a parliamentary candidate for the United Kingdom Independence Party
in Portsmouth North
where the Labour victory was claimed by the Conservative candidate to be a result of the UKIP candidacy, a claim also made by Richard North of the Bruges Group
. During 2008 Mike Smith rapidly changed his stance and announced on the CDA's forum that he had rejoined the Conservative Party: "After wide-ranging initial doubts, Mike Smith has now enthusiastically accepted David Cameron
's reform agenda and returned to the Conservative Party from UKIP".
As a result, the CDA Committee met in September 2008 and agreed that it would be best if the CDA was wound up. In December, Mike Smith announced on the CDA forums that the CDA would be disbanding as he himself had now come to support the Tories again and wanted to campaign for them in the run-up to the next UK general election and circulated a letter to all members and supporters saying that the CDA would be effectively replaced by the Traditional Britain Group and urging their support.
Michael Keith Smith
died unexpectedly at Portchester, Fareham, Hampshire, on 3 July 2010.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pressure group. The CDA referred to itself as the "authentic voice of conservatism". It closed down in December 2008.
Foundation and organisation
The CDA was formed mostly by disaffected members of the Conservative Monday ClubConservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
, another right-wing pressure group, who disagreed with the club's response to the Conservative Party's
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
severing of links with the Club in 2001. A journalist writing in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
described the CDA as "a hardline offshoot of the Monday Club".
The group was described as "ultra-right" by opponents.
The group's Chairman was Michael Keith Smith
Michael Keith Smith
Michael Keith Smith , commonly known as Mike Smith, had been founder-chairman of the Conservative Democratic Alliance, a British right-wing pressure group. He was also the successful claimant in Keith-Smith v Williams, a landmark English libel case in 2006 that confirmed that existing libel laws...
, who had been a member of the Conservative Monday Club
Conservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
since the early 1970s, and served on its Executive Council, 1986 - 1993.
Original members of the CDA's steering committee included:
- Sam Swerling, lately a British National PartyBritish National PartyThe British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
activist who was formerly a Conservative Party parliamentary candidate and Councillor on Westminster City CouncilWestminster City CouncilWestminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
; - Stuart Millson, an independent councillor for East Malling and Larkfield Parish Council, founder of the short-lived Revolutionary Conservative CaucusRevolutionary Conservative CaucusThe Revolutionary Conservative Caucus was a small, hard-right pressure group which attempted to introduce a new radicalism into British conservatism....
. - Gregory Lauder-Frost, former Political Secretary, and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, of the Monday Club.
Millson and Lauder-Frost are both former members of the Conservative Party, the Monday Club's Executive, as well as the Western Goals Institute
Western Goals Institute
The Western Goals Institute was a conservative pressure group in Britain, re-formed in 1989 from Western Goals UK, which originated in 1985 as an offshoot of the U.S. Western Goals Foundation...
, and both were members of the council of the Traditional Britain Group, of which Lauder-Frost remains Vice-President.
Politics
On 27 June 2002, The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
carried a letter from the CDA, signed by Mike Smith, attacking the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and its Chairman Francis Maude
Francis Maude
Francis Anthony Aylmer Maude is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he currently serves as the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, and as a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Horsham...
for "the sleaze, double-dealing, arrogance, incompetence, Europhilia, indifference and drift with which the party is still associated. "Voters", he said, "deserve a real alternative to Blairism and his 'straight kinda guy' chicanery. Mr. Maude and his C-Changing Tories are incapable of providing it." ("C-Change" was a now-defunct Tory modernising pressure group headed by Maude.)
The CDA often criticised free-market economics and Americanisation in the United Kingdom, both of which it perceived to be after-effects of Thatcherism
Thatcherism
Thatcherism describes the conviction politics, economic and social policy, and political style of the British Conservative politician Margaret Thatcher, who was leader of her party from 1975 to 1990...
. That may be seen as istinguishing it from Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
's Conservative Party leadership, which CDA members often criticised as neoconservative
Neoconservatism
Neoconservatism in the United States is a branch of American conservatism. Since 2001, neoconservatism has been associated with democracy promotion, that is with assisting movements for democracy, in some cases by economic sanctions or military action....
. The CDA was also fervently opposed both to the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and to close links with the George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
administration.
Activities
The CDA fringe meeting at the Conservative Party conference in October 2002 was addressed by Roger KnapmanRoger Knapman
Roger Maurice Knapman is a British politician and the former leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party ....
, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
; Ashley Mote
Ashley Mote
Ashley Mote was a non-inscrit Member of the European Parliament for South East England. An outspoken critic of fraud in the European Institutions, he himself was convicted of benefit fraud in 2007 for which he served a nine-month prison sentence and was described by the trial judge as "a truly...
, prominent UKIP MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
and author of "Overcrowded Britain - Our Immigration Crisis Exposed" (2004); John Gouriet
John Gouriet
Major John Prendergast Gouriet was a British Army officer, company director and political activist. He was best known as a founder of the National Association for Freedom , and for pioneering the use of legal action to oppose actions of trade unions and campaigning groups which he believed...
, a founder with Norris McWhirter
Norris McWhirter
Norris Dewar McWhirter, CBE was a writer, political activist, co-founder of the Freedom Association, and a television presenter. He and his twin brother, Ross, were known internationally for the Guinness Book of Records, a book they wrote and annually updated together between 1955 and 1975...
of the Freedom Association alongside Derek Turner
Derek Turner (journalist)
Derek Turner is a freelance journalist. In the early 1980s he served in the Irish Navy and moved to England in 1988.Derek Turner was editor of Right Now! magazine from 1995 until its demise in December 2006...
, editor of Right Now! magazine; and Adrian Davies
Adrian Davies
Adrian Davies is a barrister and a member of Lincoln's Inn, London. He was formerly a solicitor with the magic circle firm, Slaughter and May...
, chairman of the fledgling Freedom Party, a barrister, and prominent critic of the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
.
On 6 October 2004, the Conservative Democratic Alliance held a rally in tribute to Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
as a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
.
The CDA planned to field its own candidates against Conservative MPs with small majorities at the 2005 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, concentrating on Oliver Letwin
Oliver Letwin
Oliver Letwin MP FRSA is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he is currently the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, and a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of West Dorset...
, the then Shadow
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
Treasury Spokesman
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, and MP for West Dorset, whom they described as "simply not a Conservative at all".
No candidates actually stood for the CDA at the 2005 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, and Letwin held his seat. However, CDA Chairman Michael Keith Smith
Michael Keith Smith
Michael Keith Smith , commonly known as Mike Smith, had been founder-chairman of the Conservative Democratic Alliance, a British right-wing pressure group. He was also the successful claimant in Keith-Smith v Williams, a landmark English libel case in 2006 that confirmed that existing libel laws...
stood as the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
candidate for Portsmouth North. Both unsuccessful Tory candidate Penny Mordaunt
Penny Mordaunt
Penelope Mary Mordaunt MP is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North since winning the seat at the 2010 United Kingdom general election. She previously stood unsuccessfully for the same seat in the 2005 election.- Biography :Mordaunt's...
and political commentator Richard North blamed Smith's intervention for the Tories' failure to win back the seat.
The CDA's June 2005 Summer Dinner in Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
, London, was addressed by the 'metric martyr', Neil Herron, who led the campaign against the adoption of the metric system
Metrication in the United Kingdom
Metrication in the United Kingdom is the process of introducing the metric system of measurement in place of imperial units in the United Kingdom....
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The CDA produced a regular bulletin, and formerly maintained a website with discussion forums.
Controversies
An anti-Conservative Party advertisement for the CDA was published in Right Now!, containing the statement that the CDA was "horrified by Tory frontbench spokesmen advocating gay lifestyles and New Labour ideas". Andrew HunterAndrew Hunter (British politician)
Andrew Robert Frederick Ebenezer Hunter is a United Kingdom politician and a member of the Orange Order. He was Member of Parliament for Basingstoke from 1983 until 2005...
MP withdrew his patronage from the magazine due to the appearance of the advert, saying that he was 'appalled' by the "antics" of the CDA and that he no longer wanted to be associated with the magazine "in any way".
Michael Keith Smith later described the advertisement, penned by former CDA supporter Peter Gibbs, as "regrettably homophobic". Smith branded the incident "an untoward event" and promised that CDA will take a more "forward-looking and inclusive role in future".
In 2002, Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
expelled CDA Chairman Michael Keith Smith
Michael Keith Smith
Michael Keith Smith , commonly known as Mike Smith, had been founder-chairman of the Conservative Democratic Alliance, a British right-wing pressure group. He was also the successful claimant in Keith-Smith v Williams, a landmark English libel case in 2006 that confirmed that existing libel laws...
from the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
for threatening to stand candidates against Conservatives. Mike Smith issued a writ claiming Breach of Natural Justice and the party was obliged to re-admit him to membership.
Soon afterwards, Smith resigned from the Conservative Party, and stood as a parliamentary candidate for the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
in Portsmouth North
Portsmouth North
Portsmouth North is a borough constituency which elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first past the post voting system...
where the Labour victory was claimed by the Conservative candidate to be a result of the UKIP candidacy, a claim also made by Richard North of the Bruges Group
Bruges Group
The Bruges Group is a think tank based in the United Kingdom.The group is often associated with the Conservative Party, though it is independent of it and remains an all-party organisation...
. During 2008 Mike Smith rapidly changed his stance and announced on the CDA's forum that he had rejoined the Conservative Party: "After wide-ranging initial doubts, Mike Smith has now enthusiastically accepted David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
's reform agenda and returned to the Conservative Party from UKIP".
As a result, the CDA Committee met in September 2008 and agreed that it would be best if the CDA was wound up. In December, Mike Smith announced on the CDA forums that the CDA would be disbanding as he himself had now come to support the Tories again and wanted to campaign for them in the run-up to the next UK general election and circulated a letter to all members and supporters saying that the CDA would be effectively replaced by the Traditional Britain Group and urging their support.
Michael Keith Smith
Michael Keith Smith
Michael Keith Smith , commonly known as Mike Smith, had been founder-chairman of the Conservative Democratic Alliance, a British right-wing pressure group. He was also the successful claimant in Keith-Smith v Williams, a landmark English libel case in 2006 that confirmed that existing libel laws...
died unexpectedly at Portchester, Fareham, Hampshire, on 3 July 2010.