One of the latest attacks on the Traditional Britain Group came from the Independent last week as it warned against the growing threat of a younger ‘loony right.’

In the article the journalist in question recounts his hassling of several young former committee members of the Traditional Britain Group and raises his concerns about the number of young people getting involved with traditionally conservative groups – including our own.  Indeed our membership, support and subscriptions are at an all-time high since our foundation in 2001, and already tickets are flying off the shelf for our Traditional Britain Conference in October.

The key thrust of the article was the implication that members of the TBG committee had resigned due to recent events. Indeed it was disappointing to see a couple of former committee members attack the TBG despite both having approved our standpoints, contributed to our blog and taken part in events during their time on the committee. The fact is, however, that the individuals mentioned all resigned amicably from the committee well before any of the recent publicity - Liam Stokes last year due to ‘career pressures’ and Calum Heaton-Gent due to university and political obligations. Another, Henry Hopwood Phillips left the committee nearly two years ago and remains a supporter. All these positions were filled immediately in every case. Additionally at our AGM back in April we elected a new committee where all five positions were filled - three of five are individuals under 25!

Obviously shaken with the media coverage, former committee member Calum Heaton Gent told the Independent, ‘I feel I have been entwined with something horrible’ and ‘I find their views on immigration and repatriation quite reprehensible’ as if he had only just read the TBG opinions. Calum is involved in The Conservative Party and its youth organisation, Conservative Future. Clearly his seniors in the party (the article mentions Oliver Cooper of CF) did not appreciate the recent publicity, and he, like Jacob, was asked to tow the party line. Similarly Liam Stokes bizarrely claims that he left (after nearly a year!) when he discovered the TBG were not ‘moderate, mainstream, or socially conservative.’ Obviously our core appeal is that we are socially conservative and that we are not ‘mainstream or moderate’ i.e. Liberal.

The idea that these individuals did not know what the TBG stood for is no more believable than Jacob Rees-Moggs wet statements on the 8th of August – yet again the media and the Conservative Party (institutions now dominated by the social ideas of the liberal-left) has taken to bullying conservatives and traditionalists, threatening their livelihoods, and forcing them to make public statements of sin, guilt and regret.

A former member and now leading critic of the BNP, Jack Buckby, is also mentioned in a dodgy attempt to associate the Traditional Britain Group with the BNP’s dubious brand. Jack has never been a member of the TBG and our events are open to anyone who gets a ticket online.  

All of this was told to the journalist before he wrote the article - although we were not naïve enough to expect a fair report from a socialist newspaper.  

The article at least got two of things right – we are growing and we are young. On average around one half to two thirds of our event attendees are under 30 and our committee has consistently been dominated by individuals in their 20s.  In the end this latest attack only demonstrated one thing, that The Traditional Britain Group remains one of the few genuinely radical conservative organisations in the United Kingdom.

PS The Independent had a circulation of 86,000 in 2012, smaller than some local titles. Read the Independent's article here: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/revealed-the-third-man-in-that-traditional-britain-photo--and-what-he-says-about-the-new-loony-right-8771448.html