Bow Group
Formation | 7 February 1951 |
---|---|
Type | Public policy think tank |
Headquarters | London |
Official language | English |
Chairman | Ben Harris-Quinney |
Key people | Geoffrey Howe, Norman Lamont, Roger Scruton, David Starkey, Norman Tebbit |
Website | www |
The Bow Group is a UK-based
Profile
Although often associated with the Conservative Party, the group is now perhaps better categorised as a right-wing think tank.[1] The Bow Group exists to publish and promote the research and policy proposals of its members, through policy papers, policy briefs and larger collaborative projects.[citation needed]
The group's journal, Crossbow, usually published four times a year, and the group's programme of meetings during the parliamentary year also provide its members and guest speakers and writers with a forum for political debate.[citation needed]
The Bow Group accepts applications for membership. It also accepts outside donations, sponsorship and advertising.[2]
The chairman of the Bow Group has been
History
The Bow Group was founded by a group of students with the aim of providing an effective counter to socialism and the Fabian Society. Since then, it has expanded under chairmen such as Geoffrey Howe, Leon Brittan, Norman Lamont, Michael Howard, Peter Lilley, Christopher Bland, and David Campbell Bannerman.[7]
Much of the group's thought can be categorised as conservatism supporting both a
In July 2012, the Bow Group, reflecting on 60 years of its history in British politics, appointed former British Prime Minister John Major as its President and Lords Howe, Howard and Lamont as its Senior Patrons to serve on the advisory board of the organisation.[10] In 2014 the conservative academics David Starkey and Roger Scruton joined the advisory board,[11] with Scruton addressing the Group on the difference between modern Conservatism and ideological conservatism.[12] In 2015 Norman Tebbit, former Conservative Party chairman and long-term confidant of Margaret Thatcher, also joined the board. Addressing the organisation at a lecture prior to his appointment he criticised the centrism and lack of ideological clarity in the modern Conservative Party,[13] and called for an end to the "Bedroom Tax".[11]
In May 2015, with polls pointing to a
In 2015, Lord Tebbit was appointed as the Bow Group's President, replacing Sir John Major who had stepped down in 2014.[16]
Policies
The Bow Group was a supporter of Brexit and worked with both pro-Brexit campaigns to support Britain's exit from the EU.[17]
In 2016, long-standing member Heseltine was removed from the organisation on the basis that he did not support conservative ideals. He was criticised by the group's then-President, Lord Tebbit, for being a "backstabber" and betraying Britain in favour of the European Union.[18]
Chairmen of the Bow Group
Years | Chairman |
---|---|
1951–52 | Bruce Griffiths |
1952–53 | James Lemkin (first term) |
1953–54 | Richard Stone |
1954–55 | Robin Williams |
1955–56 | Geoffrey Howe |
1956–58[A] | James Lemkin (second term) |
1958–59 | Russell Lewis |
1959–60 | David Hennessy (first time) |
1960–61 | Tom Hooson |
1961–62 | David Howell |
1962–63 | David Hennessy (second time) |
1963–64 | John MacGregor |
1964–65 | Leon Brittan |
1965–66 | Henry Bosch |
1966–67 | Julian Critchley |
1967–68 | Reginald Watts |
1968–69 | Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler |
1969–70 | Christopher Bland |
1970–71 | Michael Howard |
1971–72 | Norman Lamont
|
1972–73 | Peter Lloyd |
1973–75[A] | Peter Lilley |
1975–76 | Patricia Hodgson |
1976–77 | Ian Clarke |
1977–78 | Michael Stern |
1978–79 | Douglas French |
1979–80 | Richard Barber |
1980–81 | Richard Simmons |
1981–82 | Nirj Deva |
1982–83 | Colin Coulson-Thomas |
1983–84 | David Shaw
|
1984–85 | Michael Lingens |
1985–86 | Nick Perry |
1986–87 | Nigel Waterson |
1987–88 | Cheryl Gillan |
1988–89 | Marie-Louise Rossi |
1989–90 | Ian Donaldson |
1990–91 | David Harvey |
1991–92 | Dexter Jerome Smith |
1992–93 | Nick Hawkins |
1993–94 | David Campbell Bannerman |
1994–95 | Alexander Nicoll |
1995–96 | Nick Button |
1996–97 | Jeremy Bradshaw |
1997–98 | Nick Green |
1998–99 | Nick Edgar |
1999–2000 | Andrew Jones |
2000–01 | Guy Strafford |
2001–02 | Damian Hinds |
2002–03 | Jocelyn Ormond |
2003–04 | Giles Taylor |
2004–05 | Chris Philp |
2005–06 | Kwasi Kwarteng |
2006–07 | Sam Gyimah |
2007–08 | Chris Skidmore |
2008–10[A] | Annesley Abercorn |
2010–11 | Brian Cattell |
2011– | Ben Harris-Quinney |
^A Two consecutive terms. |
Recent contributions
In March 2012, the Bow Group released a report opposing the Government's plans to trial badger culling in England, stating that the findings of the previous Labour government's major badger culling trials several years earlier were that culling does not work. The paper was authored by Graham Godwin-Pearson with a foreword by Brian May and contributions by leading tuberculosis scientists, including Lord Krebs.[19][20][21]
In April 2012, at a Bow Group debate with David Starkey, Shami Chakrabarti and Kwasi Kwarteng, Starkey described Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond as a "Caledonian Hitler".[22]
In May 2013, the Bow Group warned MPs of the dangers of privatising Royal Mail, including the potential for stamps to increase in price, the threat to rural Post Offices and the political danger to the Conservative Party. The Bow Group also warned that Royal Mail was being significantly under-valued by the Government in its flotation by over £1 billion, which proved to be accurate.[23]
In April 2014 Priti Patel, writing in the Bow Group's Crossbow magazine, called for the coalition to come to an end stating that the country wanted to see "more Conservative policies", and with growth figures of 2.7% the reasons for the existence of the Coalition Government had "effectively expired".[24] These calls were echoed by the Chairman of the 1922 Committee Graham Brady, at a Bow Group debate in July 2014.[25]
In October 2015 the Bow Group joined the Leave.EU organisation and declared it would be campaigning for Britain's exit from the European Union.[26]
See also
- List of UK think tanks
References
- ^ Porter, Tom (10 March 2017). "The Bow Group: How Britain's oldest conservative think tank became aligned with the populist right". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Join: The Bow Group". Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ "Exclusive: Bow Group patrons disown Ben Harris-Quinney - The Commentator". 2015-05-06. Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ^ Steerpike. "Ben Harris-Quinney suspended from Conservative party | The Spectator". www.spectator.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ^ "Tory bullying inquiry witness: 'BBC complicit in bid to defame me'". the Guardian. 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ^ Dale, Iain (27 November 2015). "Iain Dale: The Clarkegate scandal becomes more horrific and shocking every day".
- ^ www.bowgroup.org/history
- ^ Dusty heritage: a national policy for museums and libraries by Donald Adamson, 1971; www.bl.uk
- ^ www.bowgroup.org
- ^ "People". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ a b "Norman Tebbit Attacks 'Bedroom Tax', Tory Peer Says It Will Cost Conservatives At Election". The Huffington Post UK. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ "Roger Scruton: British conservatism and its future in the Conservative Party". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ "Reflections on the 'State of the Party'". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ Christopher Hope (4 May 2015). "Vote Ukip where Tories can't win, oldest Conservative think tank says". Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Election 2015: Bow Group think tank split over UKIP backing". BBC News. 5 May 2015.
- ^ Bow Group President, Lord Tebbit
- ^ "Telegraph: Bow Group Backs Brexit". www.bowgroup.org. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Bow Group's Norman Tebbit calls Lord Heseltine a backstabber for trying to derail Britain's exit from EU". www.bowgroup.org. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Bow Group urges the Government to Scrap Badger Cull plans". Bow Publishing. 25 March 2012. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
- ^ "Badger Cull divides Tories". The Guardian. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
- ^ "Now even Tories are calling for the badger cull to be scrapped". Western Morning News. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
- ^ "Starkey compares Salmond to Hitler". Press Association. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
- ^ Hope, Christopher (13 May 2013). "'Poisonous' privatisation of Royal Mail will cost the Conservatives votes in 2015, Bow Group warns Tory MPs". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ "Priti Patel: Reason for Coalition to exist has 'expired'". Telegraph.co.uk. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ Holehouse, Matthew (25 June 2014). "Senior Tories call for end of Coalition". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ "EU Referendum: grassroots 'out' campaign wins business and Tory backing". Daily Telegraph. 3 October 2015.
Further reading
- Copping, Robert, The Story of The Monday Club - The First Decade, Foreword by George Pole, Current Affairs Information Service, Ilford, Essex, April 1972, (P/B), p. 28.
- Coxall, Bill, and Lynton Robins, Contemporary British Politics, ISBN 0-333-34046-9
- Barr, James, The Bow Group: A History, Politico's Publishing, London, 2001, ISBN 1-84275-001-1
- Seawright, David (2010). The British Conservative Party and One Nation Politics. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8264-8974-6.