The Freedom Association

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The Freedom Association is a non-partisan conservative pressure group pledged to support individual freedom in the United Kingdom. It has seven core principles:

Individual Freedom
Personal and Family Responsibility
The Rule of Law
Limited Government
Free Market Economy
National Parliamentary Democracy
Strong National Defences

It was founded as the National Association for Freedom in 1975, by the Viscount De L'Isle, Norris McWhirter, Ross McWhirter and John Gouriet ^[1]. It became The Freedom Association (TFA) in 1980. It produces a bi-monthly magazine, Freedom Today.

The group's Honorary President was for many years the late Norris McWhirter. The former Conservative MP Christopher Gill is the current (2006) Honorary Chairman. Professor Antony Flew, the philosopher, serves on TFA's management committee. Its Council Members include Sir Rhodes Boyson and Gerald Howarth MP^[2].

[edit] Campaigning

The Freedom Association was involved in numerous anti-trade union actions in the run up to the election of Margaret Thatcher, including Operation Pony Express during the Grunwick dispute^{[citation needed]}.

More recently, the Association has campaigned against ID cards and the EU, in defence of free speech (e.g. during the Mohammad cartoons controversy) and civil liberties^{[citation needed]}.

In April 2006 The Freedom Association launched Better Off Out, a new mainstream campaign to leave the EU, which has so far attracted the support of a number of MPs, MEPs and Peers^{[citation needed]}.

"Freedom is usually appreciated only by those who have lost it, consequently it requires not praise but intelligent, active and continuous defence. We campaign for limited government and the fundamental freedoms essential to the maintenance of a humane and civilized society."^[3] Norris McWhirter C.B.E. (1925-2004)