I have previously mentioned [here and here] that some of the antics of supporters of the Federation of Conservative Students mirrored, from the opposite side of the political spectrum, those of the Trotskyist left.
These days Paul Staines is best known under his pen name, Guido Fawkes, for his popular political blog. But in the mid 1980s, Staines was an activist in the Federation of Conservative Students and in 1986 he produced The Right Handbook, and had it published by Hull University and Humberside College FCS. The back cover reads as follows:
NEITHER SOCIALISM OR CONSERVATISM BUT LIBERTY – DEATH TO THE REVISIONIST ENEMIES OF THE GLORIOUS THATCHERITE REVOLUTION – DESTROY THE NUS IMPERIALISTS – RESIST THE HEATHITE LACKEYS OF COLLECTIVISM – ONLY THROUGH CONSTANT VIGILIANCE AND LOYALTY TO THE PARTY CAN WE ACHIEVE THE HAYEKIAN IDEAL – YOUTH OF THE WORLD THROW OFF YOUR CHAINS AND RISE UP AGAINST YOUR NUS OVERLORDS – THE BOURGEOIS SOCIALIST YOKE MUST BE UNSHACKLED – THROUGH STUDY AND ADHERENCE TO HAYEKIAN-THATCHERISM THE PARTY WILL BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE INTELLECTUAL VANGUARD – REJECT WET EMPIRICISM – A THOUSAND DEFEATS TO THE ENEMIES OF THE MUJAHIDIN – BEWARE THE WET REVISIONISTS – SPONTANEOUS ORDER DEMANDS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE STATE – FREE ENTERPRISE – FREE MARKETS – FREE PEOPLE – ONLY THROUGH EXERCISING LENINIST DISCIPLINE CAN THE REVOLUTIONARY CADRES MAINTAIN THEIR VANGUARD ROLE –SOLIDARITY WITH THE LIBERATION OF ANGOLA AND MOZAMBIQUE – VICTORY TO SAVIMBI – TAXATION IS THEFT – SOCIALISM IS THE RED BRICK ROAD TO SERFDOM – DEFEAT TO THE ANTI-ZIONIST RACISTS – FREE THE PROLETARIAN FROM STATE SLAVERY WE MUST WORK FOR THE FINAL VICTORY OF CAPITALISM – TELL’EM TEBBIT – LIBERATE HAVANA, MOSCOW, TRIPOLI, MANAGUA AND KABUL – SING SOUND SLOGANS …..
Sadly, I have not been able to source the original document and have relied on a secondary source: Tim Evans’ book, Conservative Radicalism: A Sociology of Conservative Party Youth Structures and Libertarianism 1970-1992, (Berghahn Books, 1996) p.76n37. This particular book contains much more of such material and I thoroughly recommend this study to anyone interested in this area. On a different note, if anyone does have a copy of The Right Handbook, I would be very interested in seeing it, so please do contact me at Harry’s Place.
