Monday Club
Sir Patrick Wall was an early member (1963) of the Conservative Monday Club, sat on several of its committees, served on its Executive Council, and was National Club Chairman 1978-80. He collaborated on many papers and publications for the Club, and spoke for Club policies and concerns in the House of Commons.
On May Day 1970, the Club held a 'Law and Liberty' rally in Trafalgar Square where he, and several other of the Club's MPs were principal speakers. In November 1971, he and John Biggs-Davison, joined, as observers, British troops in action in Northern Ireland against the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
As University Groups Parliamentary Liaison Officer, he was active in supporting the 55 Monday Club groups formed in universities and colleges. He became a target for the Left and was denounced by the Marxist-led National Union of Students. In 1968, he was attacked at Leeds University and Mrs. Wall was knocked to the ground and kicked. Speaking at Portsmouth Polytechnic in December 1972, his meeting was broken up by a shouting group of students who pelted Patrick Wall with missiles.
In May 1974, Patrick Wall, John Biggs-Davison, and Robert Taylor tabled a motion in the House of Commons deploring the Labour government's decision to cancel the visit of the Royal Yacht Britannia to Cape Town, describing it as "vindictive and selective spite." In August Commander Anthony Courtney, OBE, and Patrick Wall issued a Monday Club Paper attacking the "high proportion of official Communist representatives in London, who are known to be engaged in 'legal' espionage under diplomatic cover." They warned also that Britain would become increasingly vulnerable following the opening of a Soviet Embassy in Dublin as the IRA was Marxist.
In a letter published in the Daily Telegraph in November 1974, Patrick Wall wrote "Conservatism has lost millions of votes because the man in the street no longer believes that they stand primarily for Britain's interests." He added: "to the man in the street the Conservative leadership has been more intent on crushing the Rhodesians than the IRA; more interested in the Ugandan Asians than in maintaining the rights of Britons living abroad; more worried about Enoch Powell than Messrs. Hugh Scanlon and Arthur Scargill".
Sir Patrick Wall was presented with a Fellowship Certificate of the Chartered Institute of Journalists at a formal Reception for the occasion, held at the National Liberal Club, London, on Wednesday 12 July 1989.
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