The Social Affairs Unit

The Social Affairs Unit is a registered charity in the United Kingdom. "Though always an independent institute, it was started with active encouragement from the Institute of Economic Affairs.

Founder Chairman was Professor Julius Gould, founder Dr Digby Anderson a political sociologist who also served as a participant in the tobacco industry-funded front group Associates for Research in the Science of Enjoyment, or ARISE. He was considered a "top-class expert" who helped reinforce the tobacco industry's messages. Dr Digby Anderson is the director of the Social Affairs Unit and also on the board of the Centre for the New Europe.

Michael Mosbacher is Director of the Social Affairs Unit, and sits on the Advisory council of the Tax Payers Alliance.

Dr. Alejandro Chafuen president of the Atlas Foundation of Economic Research is in the Advisory Council along with;

John O'Sullivan, Editor, United Press Inc., Washington D.C. , former Editor of National Review, speech writer to Margaret Thatcher, member of the board of Atlantic Partnership.

Michael Novak of the American Enterprise Institute also member of the Mont Pelerin Society and a director of the National Endowment for Democracy. Recent short works of his published by the American Enterprise Institute include apologetics for intellectual property laws and CEO compensation (funded in part by the drug company Pfizer), and arguments for the Christian roots of the United States.

Antonio Martino is an Italian politican, and founding member of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia. President 1988-90 of the Mont Pelerin Society. Adjunct Scholar since 1978 of the Heritage Foundation. The Cato Journal, Washington - Editorial Board since 1990
He is the current Defence Minister.

Leonard Liggio, Executive Vice President of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, and President of the Mont Pelerin Society (2002-2004).

'In its early years the Unit was concerned with the critical evaluation of the welfare state. Many of its authors' ideas then very controversial especially on schools and higher education - local autonomy, parental accountability, curricular rigour - have now found their way into the policy mainstream, so too has early work on adoption and social security.'

The Social Affairs Unit has accepted funding from British American Tobacco.

Quotes;
"The slave trade was vile. Everybody can agree on that. But was it unambiguously the fault of the Western powers of the time? Was it something for which we should today apologize?"

Sources:
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