Ian Grieg

IAN GREIG, who has died, aged 70, was one of the founders of the

right-wing Monday Club, for a period one of the influential groups

within the Conservative party. Though born in London he was of Scottish

descent from the McLeans of Col on his mother's and the Earls of

Stirling on his father's side.

He was a close friend of Sir Alec Douglas-Home although their

political views only coincided on the dangers of Communist expansion.

Greig's book The Assault on the West (1968) spelled out the dangers

which he believed insufficiently alert democracies faced from

expansionist Communism aided by those engaged on internal subversion. It

carried an approving preface by Home.

Educated at Stowe school Ian Greig was commissioned at the age of 18

in a cavalry regiment and saw service in Holland after the D-Day

landings. He had the almost accidental distinction of taking a large

number of Germans prisoner after his tank became separated from the rest

of the regiment. Surrounded by superior numbers he was relieved to see

the Germans throw down their weapons and raise their hands in the air.

He remained in the Army after the war and time spent in Palestine

prompted his lifelong fascination with terrorism and its methods. After

a spell as a Conservative constituency agent he worked as a journalist

and broadcaster. On one of his frequent return visits to Scotland he met

his wife Isabel Campbell who worked as his researcher.

The Monday Club was formed by Conservatives who looked for leadership

to the Marquis of Salisbury and were dubious about the rapid

decolonisation of Africa foreshadowed in Macmillan's ''wind of change''

speech to the South African Parliament. They were doubtful about the

former colonies' ability to rule themselves satisfactorily and worried

about the opportunities this offered the Communists to further their

strategic aims.

The group published papers on South Africa and Rhodesia and remained

well disposed to the Smith regime after it declared UDI in 1965.

Another keen interest was Ulster and Greig made frequent visits to the

province, a poor sense of direction often taking him inadvertently into

dangerous areas. He wrote several pamphlets on Northern Ireland, some

dealing with the influence of ultra-left groups.

He and his wife, who survives him, also engaged in a good deal of

charitable work which included efforts to help Vietnamese war orphans.

Greig was identifed by those unsympathetic to his views as a fully

paid up member of the ''reds under the bed'' school of thought.

Certainly he shared the views of those like retired General Sir Frank

Kitson that more should be done to prepare the armed forces to cope with

terrorism.

But evidence that there were some spies around came when he and Sir

Alex, then Foreign Secretary, attended a performance of Robert Bolt's

play Vivat! Vivat! Regina along with several Russian diplomats due to be

expelled the following day. After a reference in the play to ''spies in

our midst'' Sir Alec winked at the Greigs and advised them to read the

newspapers next morning.