Isn’t it ironic?
Possibly the most interesting story to emerge out of Watford since - well, ever - and The ThunderDragon isn’t around to give us his opinion on matters. Might be the most interesting thing to come out of Watford actually, but I’m just a biased Northerner and assume that all goings on in places where they can’t talk proper are wrong in some way. Still, doesn’t stop me talking about it.
“It” of course being Ian Oakley - and his admission of a campaign of harassment against the Lib Dems. I’d have thought they’d be quite proud that they were viewed as a target instead of being the eternal third place - but that’s probably a sore point.
I missed this story breaking, but knew there would be mention of it on these humble pages:
Personally, I do not believe that Ian has done this. I don’t think that he is so stupid as to conduct such a campaign. However, if he is convicted of this in a court of law, then I will stand corrected. (Ian Oakley Resigns as Watford PPC - 20th July)
Well, he’s not been convicted exactly…
I’ve noticed though that a lot of commenters are jumping on this post though. I’m not going to try and pre-empt what the invariable comment will be from the Dragon on his return from the desolate wastelands that is Scotland, but perhaps it’s a case a misplaced loyalty.
Let’s look at it objectively though.
Is Ian Oakley the first parliamentary candidate to resort to shady dealings? Certainly not, and I doubt he’ll be the last. It happens with any job - some people want it so much they do things they shouldn’t have.
So, does it mean that all Conservatives are vandals? I don’t think anyone can even think about suggesting as such - it’s an isolated incident. I’ll say with some confidence that it’s not official Tory policy - or indeed that of any political party. Well, maybe the BNP….
And so what that people who knew Oakley better than you, me, or the cat next door didn’t believe he could have done it. More intelligent people than I have been duped by criminals in the past. It’s seemingly very easy to keep criminal activity hidden - it’s often difficult enough for the police and courts to know if someone’s committed an offence with all the evidence in front of them.
Therefore, I’m left with the classic comment “So what?”. It’s not like Oakley was actually an MP and with the responsibility attached to it. He’s done the crime, so he’ll serve the time (whatever it might be). Unfortunately for the Tories, he’s almost certainly cost them any chance in Watford next time out. Give it a few years, there’ll be some scandal affecting some other party. And providing it’s not a systematic approach by an entire party, I’ll still be saying “so what?” The people then will also serve the time as appropriate. We don’t live in a world where everyone is morally sound. If we did, I wouldn’t have much of a job.
~Asp (With no allegiance to any particular party before anyone comments)
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“So what?” “proud to be a target”
Do you have any idea what Sal Brinton, her friends, familiy etc have been put through? All for darig to be involved in politics.
Very convenient for thurnderdragon to be absent after his support for the “hilarious” Ian Oakley-well i think some apologies should be flying about instead of the filth seen recently. This will hit the Tories hard.
[...] postings on ThunderDragon (a blog hosted by a Watford Conservative, who stood for Three Rivers council earlier this year) [...]
“Shady dealings”?
I think you’ve badly misunderstood the seriousness of what happened. Here’s an extract from http://sarabedford.com/blog/2008/08/removing-the-cancer-from-watfords-politics/
The incidents have included:
* anonymous leaflets, alleging that LibDem councillors and candidates were convicted child sex offenders;
* fake leaflets purporting to be from the LibDems, alleging that another mosque was to be built on public land, close to where the town’s second mosque had recently been erected. Another leaflet issued a ‘denial’ that a candidate was a convicted fraudster or that he had been convicted for assaulting his ex-wife (he is happily married);
* repeated late-night silent phone calls;
* sexual and racist graffiti being sprayed on cars, walls, doors, fences and hedges;
* damage to cars, including slashed tyres, smashed lights and offensive graffiti;
* anonymous letters distributed to councillors, suggesting that the parliamentary candidate should be dropped;
* hard-core pornography sent to activists;
* poster boards broken and/or daubed with the words ‘f**k the LibDems’ or ‘c**ts’.
There are many ways of describing that. “Shady dealings” doesn’t get close in my view.
Well you’ve admitted you called it wrong, which is good.
And I’m happy to accept that this kind of thing isn’t normal Tory practice. I’ve heard about various incidences of intimidation over the years but nothing of this type or for so long.
But your ’so what’ comment really underestimates the very serious impact this had on the individuals that were targeted and the fact that this was a serious attempt to undermine democratic politics in Watford.
This is an unbelievably serious issue. I don’t care if he is a PPC, in fact I wouldn’t care if this was done by a supporter of a PPC - I’ve got no time for this kind of behaviour and I hope Mr Oakley gets what’s coming to him.
http://lettersfromatory.wordpress.com
What I love about blogging is how some people don’t read the whole post; and the “out of context” quoting. So, for the benefit of some (not all though), I’ll just stress a few things that I perhaps didn’t make clear enough.
1. I’m not the ThunderDragon. I’m a darn sight better looking for starters. Nor am I from Watford, infact, I’m not sure if I’ve ever been there.
My views are those of an a-political outsider with no extra knowlege of the issue; no personal relationship with Ian Oakley; and no membership of any political party.
2. I am, in no way, trying to understate the serious personal effects of what Oakley has done. Harassment is distressing for all concerned. It is only a good thing that he’s been found out, and therefore (hopefully) the harassment will now stop. The magistrates have said that custody is an option for his punishment. That shows how serious it really is.
3. I think my “so what?” line has been misinterpreted. As I’ve commented over at Sara Bedford’s blog (Awaiting moderation at time of this posting):
“As regards my “so what”, I’m looking at it from a political perspective. I’ll use the same cliché from my posting - Oakley’s done the crime, so he’ll do the time. It’s not “so what, it’s nothing major”. It is, and it’s good that he’s been found out and will serve a suitable punishment. Hopefully it’ll go some way toward recompense for the affected persons.
However, there’s no need to make a political story out of the actions of one person (and there’s no indications that I can read that it was anything but the actions of a solitary man). To mix my metaphors competely, there’s a bad banana in every bunch.
Are there examples of other PPCs harassing candidates? Well, I don’t know - but it has happened in local politics. But, I’m talking generally. There’ll always be politicians who think it’s necessary to resort to illegal ways to obtain their goal - dodgy loans; harassment; or any one of a multitude of ways. Just as there’s people so desperate in every way of life.
Does it make it right? Of course not. But it’s the *people* who did it, not the organisation.
So, instead of just “So what?” - “So what if he was a Conservative?” He could have been a Tory, LibDem, Labour, or Monster Raving Loony. He’s been found out, as others will in the future….”
4 - @ Mark specifically - “Shady dealings” is just my choice of words to cover the multitude of underhand tactics that some people resort to to get where they want to be. Most don’t have the same personal affect as Oakley’s actions. Some have wider political consequences. Just a choice of words, I do understand the seriousness.
As I said in the post, and simon said in comments, this is going to hit the Tories hard (specifically in Watford IMHO). A lot of constituents will be left questionning if the local party is as clean as it could be, even though that guilty party has now been found out.
But, from a national perspective - that’s where I’m saying “So what?” The actions of a single person should not have effects on an entire political party. That’s all….
Isolated incident my arse - too many politicians these days are the sort of idiot who did student politics and thinks that the sort of idiotic stuff they got up to a uni has a place in the real world.
Personally I’d shoot all politicians who hadn’t had at least 10 years in a real private sector non-political job.
I had no idea that the Conservatives in Watford were so scared of the advances of the Liberal Democrats-sounds like desperate times.
You don’t know me but…. I’ve been conducting a gratuitous, self-appointed rear-guard action regarding the Ian Oakley affair over on the relevant string of the Liberal Democrat Voice:
http://www.libdemvoice.org/conservative-watford-candidate-admist-to-75-offences-3118.html
I’m not sure I will have made any friends among Watford Conservatives but I have given people a little time to recover their equanimity, equilibrium and sense of reality, while getting at least a few answers to the questions that jumped into my head when I read about Oakley’s admission of guilt. I have used my thirty odd years experience in the Conservative Party to rebut some of the more outrageous allegations while engaging in a semi-civil debate with some of the key players on the Liberal Democrat side.
Currently they are in a froth of self-righteous outrage. They want to see heads roll and grovelling apologies made. I’m sure Conservatives in Watford would prefer the whole thing to be a bad dream. It’s an issue that won’t be going away, at least until all the facts are out in the open. If by some chance CCO or the area organisation doesn’t launch an enquiry it will be up to people like TD to call for a full internal one.
[...] to this blog, who wrote a post on this subject whilst I was on holiday, I am certainly not “left with the classic comment “So what?”.” What he has done is so very very wrong. It would be wrong is he wasn’t a politician [...]