"So Obama is coming to York next Thursday. It's going to be awesome. We're all going to hang out in Pitcher & Piano and then he'll probably come to Gallery.

Not really.

But we are having a little party/fundraiser. It should be good fun. There's nothing political about it - no speeches, no discussions, just drinking. And McCain supporters are welcome too - you just have to give us £3.

It works like this: American law says that foreign nationals can't donate to political campaigns in order to prevent Roman Abramovich from buying his own president. Sensible. But what we can do is have a party, pay £3 each and give the money to Raf, who is an American citizen. Flush with his new found wealth Raf can then donate the exact amount made at the party to the Obama campaign.

The money we raise isn't going to win the election. Nor is Obama going to send you a handwritten thank you letter. Sorry. But the exchange rate is very strong and we hopefully can raise a couple of hundred dollars.

Even though stuff is looking good in the US right now the Republicans are going to flood the airwaves with negative advertising in the last weeks of the elections and the campaign is going to need cash to try and counter it.

So come along because you want to see friends and get drunk. But if you're just on the edge between coming and going somewhere else think for a second that it really would be quite nice to not have a Republican president and you coming might make a very very very small difference to the outcome of the election. Just saying."

Someone thinks you're a fool. On the other hand, they're also too fucking stupid to work out how to post a comment on your blog, so I wouldn't worry unduly about their opinion.

How about Ian Oakley, the Tory PPC who was convicted of attempting to “subvert the democratic process”?

Yes, Martin, and he was convicted by a court and expelled from the Party. Are you saying the Labour PPC should be expelled from the Labour Party?

Nope!

What I'm saying is you can look a little closer to home if you really want to expose wrong doing. There are a couple of good reasons why there's no need to expel Hazelgrove, the event hasn't happened yet, and it's no crime over here.

On the other hand, Oakley's campaign of harassment went on for over two years, was aided by at least one other, and the local Tories don't see fit to even apologise. BTW Oakley was never expelled, he resigned.

One of Oakley's tactics was to produce and distribute fake leaflets so there seems to be a printer involved too.

I accept your point about Oakley and condemn him. You won't condemn Hazelgrave. Says it all really.

Er, no, I won't condemn Hazelgrove for the reasons I gave above.

Your comment "Says it all really." seems to imply that I'm somehow connected to the Labour Party, but that is not the case.

It's fairly straightforward to condemn Oakley since he has clearly embarrassed the Conservative Party and he has been convicted by a court. What I don't understand is why you can't engage with the wider point about whether Watford Conservatives should apologise, or even if the local party should be suspended. Is it because you put political point scoring as more important than any expression of a moral viewpoint?

Riiiiiight, you're not connected with the Labour Party. LOL. Good one. Either Labour or the LibDems.

But as you've asked, no I don't think Watford Conservative Association should apologise for the actions of one rogue individual, nor do I think the local party should be suspended. Oakley was the criminal and he has been convicted after pleading guilty.

Donal, you don't seem to understand. Rogue Tories don't exist, it's corruption endemic at the heart of the Tory Party that merely exposes the true face of the Tories (note: the words 'Tory' and 'Tories' must be spat out with venom when reading this).

On the other hand corrupt leftists are all working on their own and their exposure is the brave work of the collective forces of good and socialism. Either that or their actions (as in this case) are illegal by the letter of the law but done for the greater global good and therefore warrant no apology.

Got it?

No, neither Labour nor Lib Dem.

Interesting that a party can offer up a candidate with a great fanfare (I believe Oakley was the very first to be selected by open primary) but when he turns out to be a bad one any responsibility is dodged. Not the kind of behaviour I would expect from a party which believes it is suitable to govern.

Come on then Martin, how would you seriously suggest your way forward works then? What's your proposal. That all x hundred members of Watford Conservative Association flagellate themselves in public while wearing sack cloths in Vicarage Road? That they are each forced to pay reparations to every resident of the constituency? That they sit in the stocks in the centre circle of the football club at half-time on Saturday?

You arse.

If I am an arse, then the same epithet should apply to leaders of the Lib Dems, the Labour Party and the the Green Party in Watford, who have all written to David Cameron asking that an apology is forthcoming and that the Watford Conservatives be investigated.

Maybe you are saying that everyone in Watford is an arse, except your beloved Tories, of course.

No Martin I am saying you are an arse.

Off you go, end of your "contribution" to this thread. Goodbye.

Now does anyone else have anything to say in defence of this Labour PPC? No. Didn't think so...

I linked to this blog on the event page about an hour ago and now it has mysteriously disappeared....I guess they dont like the free publicity.

Seems that they are changing it to just be a supporters party now with no fundraising. All hail the power of a blog post!

Thanks John: I'll look into it...

Martin, from one Martin to another:

Nobody in the bloody Green Party takes what the Green Party says seriously! So why should David Cameron? Or anyone else?

And as for the Lib Dems? Oh, God. Really are scraping the barrel there...

Wow. So, someone who feels strongly that change should come, and Obama should win... of course it's wrong of her to try and do her part. Of course it's wrong for her to try and stand up for what she believes is right.

She accepts that their plan was incorrect. The party went ahead, no fundraising took place.

Now, shush.