It all started with a view like this . . .

INSPIRATION for setting up the Rural Conservative Movement came while on a camping holiday in 2017 with my wife and children near Betws-y-Coed in the Snowdonia mountains.

I sat outside our tent looking out at a towering ridge covered with tall conifers. All around was the most beautiful countryside. I gazed upwards in awe. I felt privileged to belong to a land of such beauty. But at the back of my mind was a nagging fear – that this country we love so much is under threat and future generations will not be able to enjoy it as we can. I felt an overwhelming desire, as I looked up at those Snowdonia peaks, to play my part in protecting this country and wresting it back from those who seek to destroy it.

For many years, as a staff newspaper journalist, I was unable to get involved in active politics but now, as a freelance writer, the opportunity was there. The question was how? As a naturally-conservative individual I ought to be drawn to the Conservative Party but saw little to inspire me. UKIP, having done so magnificently under the talented leadership of Nigel Farage, seemed to have lost its way after the referendum. Other groupings on the Right came across as unduly negative and harsh, talking too much about what they feared and disliked rather than presenting a positive case for the future.

I wanted to be part of a movement which was deeply-conservative; determined to protect our priceless rural heritage which I saw all around me and supportive of our Christian faith and centuries-old traditions – yet operating in a reasoned, gentle and intelligent way. I decided that we needed a rural conservative movement, offering itself as custodians of our wonderful land. If it didn’t already exist, then I – hopefully with the support of a few others  – would be willing to start it.

Three years on and we’ve acquired hundreds of followers on our Twitter account, including a number of high profile Parliamentarians, an Australian ambassador, Oxbridge academics, top journalists and political commentators. Above all, we have attracted many people from all walks of life who feel despair and frustration at the failure of those who govern us – the actual custodians of this land – to understand the gravity of the situation we face and act accordingly.

Sadly, earlier this year, the RCM largely disappeared. Repeated attacks by political opponents and the constant attempts to hijack our previous website took its toll and that, combined with my personal need to get on with earning money as a freelance writer, meant that for long periods, the RCM was put on the back burner and effectively went into hibernation.

I want to change that now. We live in ever more dangerous and uncertain times, with Cultural Marxism gaining in strength and pitting population groups against each other. I hope that the Rural Conservative Movement can play its part in turning back the tide and repelling the perverse attempts to wreck Western civilisation in the name of progress and egalitarianism. We face a miserable future if radical action is not taken, and soon. I hope you, reading this, will feel able to help us in this endeavour, by getting involved or perhaps sparing us a few pounds towards the cost of our work. Over the coming weeks I will be expanding this new, improved website with more information on our policies and strategies. I would also welcome writers who support the aims of the RCM to offer to write articles for us.

With the final stages of Brexit on the horizon, there has never been a better time to halt and rethink where we are at and where we’re heading. Regaining our independence gives us a precious opportunity to undo the damage already wrought – and move forwards to a better future.

Robert J Davies
Founder and Leader
Rural Conservative Movement

December 9th, 2020