Round Table movement

The Round Table movement, founded in 1909, was an association of organizations promoting closer union between England and its self-governing colonies. The movement began at a conference at Plas Newydd, Lord Anglesey's estate in Wales, over the weekend of 4th-6th September. [cite book
title=Historical Dictionary of the British Empire
isbn=0313279179
date=1996] The framework of the organisation was devised by Lionel Curtis, but the overall idea was due to Lord Milner. Former South Africa administrator Philip Kerr became secretary to the organisation. [cite book
title=Forgotten Patriot: A Life of Alfred, Viscount Milner of St. James's And Cape Town, 1854-1925
author=J. Lee Thompson
date=2007
isbn=0838641210]

Organisation

The groups are a collection of small discussion and lobbying groups in every major capital city of the world coordinated by a headquarters in London. In 1910, "The Round Table Journal: A Quarterly Review of the Politics of the British Empire" was founded by Lord Milner and members of Milner's Kindergarten (Lionel Curtis, Philip Kerr and Geoffrey Dawson) to unify the political thinking of the groups internationally. After World War II the journal was renamed "The Round Table Journal:A Quarterly Review of British Commonwealth Affairs" to reflect changing postwar realities.

By 1915 Round Table groups existed in seven countries, including England, South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and a rather loosely organized group in the United States (George Louis Beer, Walter Lippmann, Frank Aydelotte, Whitney Shepardson, Thomas W. Lamont, Erwin D. Canham and others).

ociety of the Elect

Some people believe that the Round Table Groups were connected to a secret society called the Society of the Elect, which South African diamond baron Cecil Rhodes is believed to have set up with similar goals. Rhodes was believed by some to have formed this secret society in his lifetime. Others believe that his project failed to attract converts, and was stillborn at its inception.

Rhodes first formalised his idea with William T. Stead, editor of the "Pall Mall Gazette", when he and Stead agreed on the structure of the secret society. This proposed secret society had an elaborate hierarchical structure, based on that of the Jesuits, which comprised: at the top, the position of "General of the Society"—a position modelled on the General of the Jesuits—to be occupied by Rhodes, with Stead and Lord Rothschild as his designated successors; an executive committee called the "Junta of Three", comprising Stead, Milner and Reginald Baliol Brett (Lord Esher); then a "Circle of Initiates", consisting of a number of notables including Cardinal Manning, Lord Arthur Balfour, Lord Albert Grey and Sir Harry Johnston; and outside of this was the "Association of Helpers", the broad mass of the Society. One of the puzzles surrounding this meeting is whether the "Society of the Elect" actually came into being. Carroll Quigley claims in "Tragedy and Hope" (1966) that Rhodes's "Society of the Elect" was not only "formally established" in 1891, but also that its "outer circle known as the 'Association of Helpers'" was "later organised by Milner as the Round Table".

In several of his wills, Rhodes left money for the continuation of the project. However in his later wills, Rhodes abandoned the idea and instead concentrated on what became the Rhodes scholarships, which enabled American, German and English Scholars to study for free at Oxford University.

imilar organisations

Lionel Curtis founded the Royal Institute of International Affairs in June 1919. A year later its sister organisation, the Council on Foreign Relations, was formed in America. It is perhaps in such organisations that the legacy of the Round Table still lives on.

Current organisation and membership

Although the Round Table still exists today, its position in influencing the policies of world leaders has been much reduced from its heyday during the First World War. Today it is largely a Commonwealth ginger group, designed to consider and influence Commonwealth policies. It also continues to run "Round Table", a journal, and hold dinners and conferences.

Informally, the Round Table is known as 'The Moot'.

A list of the Round Table membership is below:

*Pal Ahluwalia
*Amitav Banerji
*Terry Barringer
*Richard Bourne (Chairman)
*Stephen Chan
*Stephen Cox
*Alexander Evans
*Paul Flather
*David French
*Amelia Hadfield
*Meredith Hooper
*Derek Ingram
*David Jobbins
*Alexandra Jones
*Peter Lyon
*Claire Martin
*Sir Humphrey Maud
*Alex May
*James Mayall
*Sir Michael McWilliam
*Stuart Mole
*Martin Mulligan
*Alastair Niven
*Mark Robinson
*Prunella Scarlett
*Victoria Schofield
*Tim Shaw
*Nicholas Sims
*Tim Slack
*Kayode Soyinka
*Sir Robert Wade-Gery
*Jennifer Welsh
*Andrew J. Williams

International Advisory Board

*Godfrey Baldacchino
*Sir Zelman Cowen
*Gajaraj Dhanarajan
*Sir Henry Forde
*Brenda Gourley
*Cedric Grant
*Wang Gungwu
*Norman Hillmer
*Sir Kenneth Keith
*Wm. Roger Louis
*D. A. Low
*Don Markwell
*Ali A. Mazrui
*Richard Nile
*M. Ohta
*Ato Quayson
*Mizanur Rahman Shelley
*Gowher Rizvi
*L. K. Sharma
*K. M. de Silva
*Farooq Sobhan
*Sir Roger Tomkys
*Bernard Wood
*Ngaire Woods

References

External links

* [http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/Rhodes&SecretSocieties.html Will Banyan, "A short history of the round table", NEXUS Magazine, (Parts 1-4)]
* [http://www.moot.org.uk/ " The Round Table official web-site"]