Political campaigns

92 Committee
The 92 Committee, an internal Conservative Party pressure group, was established in 1964 at a dinner at 92 Cheyne Walk, the London home of its first Chairman, Patrick Wall MP. The Committee had one main aim, to keep the Conservative Party conservative, and to this end, put forward its members as officers on internal Party Committees, as well as inviting Party leaders and senior Party figures to dinner. The Conservative victory in the 1979 general election resulted in six of its members being appointed Ministers, and its influence within the Party reached a peak in the early 1980s. Its members were appointed to a record number of Party Committees and it became known as the Prime Minister's 'Praetorian Guard'.

Patrick Wall's papers include over 20 files of 92 Committee records, comprising correspondence, lists of members and notes. A typescript history of the Committee over a twenty year period is also available, produced by Patrick Wall after stepping down as Chairman in 1984. [U DPW/37]

Campaign for Labour Party Democracy
The CLPD started in a very small way in 1973/74, but at its height in the late 1970s and early 1980s it had nearly 300 affiliated organisations and some 450 individual members. The main stated objective of the group was 'To campaign for greater participatory democracy within and between all sections of the Labour Party'. Major support and membership came from constituency Labour parties and trade unions, and the CLPD was active in increasing the role of such groups within the national Party. The group had some success, beginning in 1979 with the adoption of an electoral college for the selection of the party leader.

The History Centre has a small collection of papers relating to CLPD from Dave Merrett, who was its 'Yorkshire Regional Key Person' for a number of years. There are minutes (of Annual General Meetings, Executive Committee meetings, etc.), reports and discussion papers for the years 1973 to 1991. [U DX/222]

Council for Academic Freedom and Democracy
The CAFD was established by a small group of radically-minded academics in 1970. It is essentially a civil liberties organisation in the field of British higher education. It was initially led by Professor John Griffiths, of the London School of Economics, and his colleague, Ralph Miliband. Professor John Saville, of the University of Hull, became its Chairman on Griffith's retirement in 1982. The CAFD has fought hundreds of cases on behalf of university and college staff in defence of their academic freedom and democratic rights. The Council is still active and is now known as the Council for Academic Freedom and Academic Standards (CAFAS).  As well as undertaking casework, it campaigns more widely against declining academic standards and abuses of power within higher and further education.  Its patrons include Noam Chomsky.

The archive held at the History Centre is made up principally of case files for individual academics and Higher Education Institutions for the period 1967-1982. The archive has not been catalogued.  [DAF] 

Conference papers, committee minutes, reports and case files are also to be found amongst the archives of Liberty (formerly the National Council for Civil Liberties) for the period 1969-1983 [DCL/354/5, 429-440, 472/4, 488/10, 492/3, 606/1, 655/1, 674/3].

Fabian Society (Hull Branch) 
The Fabian Society was established in 1884 as a socialist society committed to gradual social reform rather than revolution. The Society joined with the trade union movement to found the Labour Party in 1900. It remains an influential left of centre think tank. A branch was established in Hull in November 1943, with 16 members, including Commander Harry Pursey (elected as Labour MP for Hull East in 1945), and a committee chaired by local businessman Alec Horsley. Its main activities included organising public meetings, 'Brains Trusts' and film shows, as well as providing practical help to local Labour parties and their candidates during elections.

The Secretary was Eileen Fletcher, from whom this small collection of records was received. It comprises manuscript annual reports (1944-1948) from her period in office, some correspondence (including letters from Edith Summerskill and Aneuran Bevan), and notices of meetings and other publicity material between 1944 and 1949. [U DX/217]