The last word on the Osborne donation saga...

Congratulations to

Donal Blaney

who has

scalped

Raf Sanchez the editor of York University's left wing campus rag "Nouse" over the

illegal donation

scandal to the Obama campaign.

What TB found interesting was the Labour PPC's (whose idea the fundraiser was,) response:

"In a joint statement Hazelgrove and Sanchez said: “As far as we know it is not a crime to have a bad idea and then not act on it in either this country or the United States. No money was exchanged and none will be. Nor did we solicit, it was just an idea we decided against.”

Hazelgrove remains a parliamentary candidate. At the time of going to print, Sanchez is understood to be preparing to resign from his editorial post."

"As far as we know it is not a crime to have a bad idea and then not act on it." For all the stink that Labour kicked up over the Osborne donation nonstory, it's nice to know that the Labour grassroots are on the Shadow Chancellors side and agree with his defence.

The nouse is tightening on Hazelgrove...

haha sorry TB couldn't resist that last line

Exeter beach party

Last week TB did a small call to arms to start sending in video content of what Conservative Future is up to around the country. You can watch the video in the TBtv player on the right. Keep sending TB your stuff...
Exeter CF have sent this video in talking about their recent Sex on the Beach club night that apparently saw over 300 attending. That is damn good for any campus event and the organisers discuss it in the video below...

However TB has just one recommendation... It might be wise to tag the video with some slightly more umm respectable content because at the moment, as you can see below YouTube has jumped to some conclusions:

Click to enlarge

This sort of thing has happened before. Joking apart it sounds like the event was a storming success and similar events should be put on across the country. It's nights like this that show just how much of a force CF has become on campuses across the country and no doubt made the branch a hefty bit of cash...

The final push...

TB was rather chuffed with the American blogs that linked to his remix of John McCain's stand up and fight speech. However that was a couple of months back and he was beginning to think no one was listening to it in the run up to the big day...

Until he saw this on his Messenger contact list:

For those of you that missed the tune you can watch it below or download the MP3 here.



Send it on to your McCain supporting comrades across the pond... They need all the help they can get for that final fight.

Nottingham says No.

TB understands that Nottingham University has begun a disaffiliation campaign from the NUS. It is not clear at this point if CF are involved but no doubt they will enter the fray in what is set to become a pitched campus battle.

Conservative Future are big players in Nottingham and as far as TB can tell the student population has a strong right of centre base. The last time a disaffliation campaign was run (by CFer Edward Keene,) the union staff were very worried it would pass...

This could get interesting...

Social Action saves the world...

Just when Tory Bear thought that the CF gossip had gone a bit quiet recently, news of a new super exciting, super secret, super project has just reached TBHQ...

TB understands that Conservative Future will be recording a special version of "Do They Know it's Christmas?" and continuing the style of this year's fresher recruitment material, special t-shirts have been ordered for the fundraising event for the mysterious project.

This is all hush hush of course because apparently no one wants to make it obvious that this is a CF project for fear of putting off members of the Shadow Cabinet from singing on the track. Apparently the whole thing is effectively being distanced from the whole Party, so TB can't really see who is going to come out looking all glossy from this. other than the specific people organising it. It's almost as if they are just in it for personal aggrandisement...

TB is not sure at this point whether Bob Geldof is involved yet.

New CF website under development...

TB has heard that Conservative Future will finally get a new website that is currently under construction. For months now the good aspects of the

executive blog

have far exceeded the poor official

.com

site.

The site needs to be updated reguarly, not only with news but pictures, video and interactive content too. And please no more pictures like this...

Anyone going to the current official CF site can't be blamed for saying no thanks...

Another great idea from Obama...

Obama is really pulling out all the stops to show his economic credentials in the final week of this campaign. In these times of economic downturn and faltering markets, small businesses are really feeling the full force of these declines.



Is it really a good idea then to encourage a mass movement to pull sickies on election day? Say

two million

sheep were to blindly follow the messiahs word then the US economy would be hit by a $300 million doller loss. Great idea.

Let's put this idiot in the White House.

What's up with Jon Craig?

The Sky News political team are normally very neutral, bordering on friendly to the Party. Apart from the odd blip of pissing off Dave in the early days they are on the whole a good bunch.

What has happened though today to Jon Craig? Firstly he

laid into

George Osborne this morning, giving him a solid kicking while he was down and dog whistling the class card with a dig at his full name. Then this evening he actually slipped the words

"tory toff"

into a piece in all seriousness. He seems to have it in for Osborne especially at the moment and generally seems to be leading the media in turning on the tories.

Has Mandy found a little friend to whisper to at Sky?

Guest Post - YBF

TB caught up this morning with Christian May from the Young Britons' Foundation who offers this insight into their 5th annual conference at the weekend.

This year's YBF5 was the best yet. Nearly 100 activists (including three former National CF Chairs, a host of seasoned CF activists and loads of new faces) were joined at Wellington College by leading figures from the Conservative Party and the wider conservative movement. Highlights included:

- David Davis talking about the importance of freedom and liberty

- Iain Duncan Smith passionately reminding us why social justice is a conservative priority

- John Whittingdale OBE MP talking about his memories of the Thatcher years at the Eric Forth Memorial Dinner

- Douglas Murray delivering his chilling assessment of the state of the world

- Eric Pickles talking frankly about public sector language - apparently the only stakeholder he has any time for is Van Helsing

- Iain Dale's media training

- Matt Richardson, of YBF's Legal Support and Advice Unit, talking about how YBF's legal team can help you out on campus.

- Ed Vaizey stressing the importance of 'appearing normal' to the public

- Nigel Evans reminding us to never, ever give up

Feedback from the attendees has been really encouraging - showing not only an increase in support for YBF but for conservative politics amongst the youth in general. Here's a sample of the comments:

"My impression of YBF has very much improved - I am now an evangelist!"

"I love you guys!"

"YBF is going from strength to strength."

"My impression has really improved - morale here is brilliant."

"This was my first YBF event so I had no idea how organised YBF would be. Having been here for the weekend I can say I'm really impressed."

"I've always had a high opinion of YBF but it has improved due to the high quality of the whole conference."

"I'm inspired. Very impressive speakers, friendly people and great fun."

"I had very little knowledge of YBF before this weekend, but have been hugely impressed by its ethos and the work that it does."

"The conference exceeded all expectations - the speakers were brilliant."
"I'm new to YBF so wasn't sure what to expect, but I've got a lot out of it and have really enjoyed it."

There was also a lot of interest in YBF's Summer 2009 USA Conference Tour. Details of this are to follow.

Donal and I would like to thank all those that attended and helped to make this weekend the success that it was. Plans are now coming together for YBF's Christmas Party. Watch this space.

A monday morning treat...

Look what Tory Bear managed to dig up to brighten up your day...



A true gem... IDS and Peter Stringfellow... That conference speech... Action Abercorn!

Truly a piece of Conservative history...

Friends in high places...

Not everyone seems to have descended on Wellington this weekend for the YBF gig, it seems Conservative Future's rebel alliance had talking to do with a certain someone...

It's great to see CF throwing their weight behind George Osborne in the wake of last weeks non-story and completely stage managed declaration of war. Despite dealing with the Dark Lord Mandleson on a daily basis and being Shadow Chancellor, George stopped to chat about the inner workings of Conservative Future with two of it's executive. Chairmanship elections, CF's success and possibly even a whisper of reforms that which will not be named was overheard by TB's ear at the Tatton Association dinner.

Osborne apparently still keeps a membership card in his wallet that was given to him by the CFer who founded his fan club. It's fantastic news to know that despite the moaning that CF isn't taken seriously enough by CCHQ, the top of the party, or at least very very close to it, still keeps enough of an eye on us to be able to hold a detailed conversation. This weekend has proved the high figures in the Party and the movement are taking young conservatives seriously, not just at the YBF conference but around the country, and now the ball is in our court. CF has potentially 18 months to the general election and needs to whip itself into shape and build the ground army, Obama style, to teach the doubters in the party one hell of a lesson...

TB is not sure if £50,000 was solicited from Mr Patrick Sullivanovitz...

The Eric Forth Award

Congratulations to Matt Sinclair and Mark Wallace who won the

YBF Eric Forth Award

this year. Their fantastic work for the

Tax Payers' Alliance

is outstanding and their work for the movement is second to none.

By all accounts the YBF5 conference was a roaring success...

TB is very sad he couldn't be there.

The coolest barn ever?

TB is tired after a great weekend of canvassing and the campaign launch party last night in Perth and North Perthshire...

Tory Bear wants the banner...

Conservative loses his way...

Who got a little confused with their SatNav when going to pick up a couple of YBF5 delegates from Wokingham Station?

You will end up in Woking (some 45mins drive away,) if you only type in the first five letters of your destination...

Wonder what the race would look like now...

...if Ron Paul had won the Republican nomination:



"Not the old way, not the same way but a new way..."

Is the campaiging just beginning for Sarah?

The Atlantic think so...

PILF.

Edinburgh University Conservatives officially endorse McCain/Palin

The newly rebranded

edconservatives

have written to McCain HQ officially endorsing the Republican ticket.

Dear John and Sarah,

It with great pleasure that the Edinburgh University Conservatives would like to officially endorse your ticket for the President and Vice President of the United States of America. Though the nearest American city is over 3,000 miles away we can assure you that we at Edinburgh University have been following closely the developments of this most interesting presidential race. It saddens us to see the amount of popular support your opponent receives, both in America and abroad, as we experience daily the infringements and wrongdoings of a strong, leftist state. We can only hope that the American people look to their history and realize that only a President McCain is capable of ensuring the protection of those liberties and values that, born here and matured in your great country, are the pillars of Western liberalism. On behalf of the Edinburgh University Conservative and Unionist Association we would like to wish you and your campaign all the best in these final weeks.

Your friends

Harry Cole and Ed Kozak

Chairman and Vice Chairman

In a move that will no doubt cause controversy on campus, the Edinburgh tories are once again raising their profile in the student press. Along with building a very effective flying campaign squad designed to aid the five Edinburgh city candidates, edconservatives also have a highly efficient media team.

Talking to the student press Vice Chairman Ed Kozak said:

'It really disturbs me how blindly people support Obama in this race, a man who not only has ties to a domestic terrorist but who also was a registered member of the New Party, a front for the Democratic Socialists of America (before, during, and after his Senate campaign). What disturbs me even more is how people are blaming the Republicans for the current financial crisis. It was a Democratic president, Jimmy Carter, who brought in the Community Reinvestment Act forcing banks to lend to high-risk individuals. It was a Democratic president, Bill Clinton, who enlarged the CRA in 1995 allowing for the securitisation of CRA loans that included subprime mortgages. It was the Democratic Candidate for President, Barack Obama, who in 1994 was involved in a lawsuit against CitiBank for not issuing enough subprime loans to high-risk individuals. It was the Democrats who blocked Bush's efforts in 2003 to create a new department within the Treasury to supervise Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And it was the Democrats who blocked John McCain's attempt to introduce similar legislation, the Housing Enterprise Regulatory Act, in 2005.'

All coverage is good coverage eh?

Tory Bear urges all other unversity branches to get writing to McCain...

An unexpected surprise...

Tory Bear is rather chuffed to have been nominated for the Eric Forth Award for Activism...

Eric Forth was one of the true characters of British politics. A House of Commons man to his core, Eric not only knew parliamentary procedure inside out but he knew how – and when- to use the rules to maximum advantage. Eric was a committed Thatcherite and an admirer of Ronald Reagan. As Chairman of Conservative Way Forward and an advisor and friend of The Young Britons’ Foundation, Eric championed limited government, traditional values, freedom and the Trans-Atlantic Special Relationship. A man of principle, determination and courage, Eric Forth knew how important it was to be an effective activist and advocate for radical change. On Eric’s premature death in 2006, The Young Britons’ Foundation inaugurated an annual award to be given to the young conservative activist whose attitude, ethos and effectiveness best mirrors the values, beliefs and achievements of Eric – The Eric Forth Award for Activism.

TB is up against some very tough compitition but is very grateful to have even been nominated!

Here is the full list of nominees:

James Morton, for his excellent work in revitalising Conservative Future across Devon and Cornwall. James has shown great innovation in terms of fundraising and the number of new branches in the region is testament to his hard work, and that of his committee. Devon and Cornwall CF are also hosting a charity fireworks night in aid of Help for Heroes – an excellent example of activism.

Oliver Cooper, for his passionate defence of libertarian principles. Since returning from YBF’s US trip this Summer Oli has founded Students for Freedom and is planning a series of events to promote and defend libertarian ideals.

XXXXX XXXX, for he is none other than the infamous Tory Bear – purveyor of rumour gossip and intrigue, and defender of the sense of humour.

Ed Hallam and Tarasyn Whitehead-Patey, for their superb blog TheYoungConservative. Inspired by the time with YBF in the United States this Summer, Ed and Tarry have launched a blog aimed at bringing together and promoting all aspects of the young conservative movement.

Sonia Chohan, for her exemplary work as a CF Area Chairman. Who could forget such stunts as nominating Brown for a Guinness World Record as ‘worst Rogue Trader’ for selling our gold reserves at an all time low?

Matthew Richardson, in recognition of his past achievements as CF National Campaigns Director. During his time on the Exec , Matt oversaw an excellent record of national campaigns.

Liza Chantelle, for her inspirational work in social action. Liza’s energy and enthusiasm are to be commended.

Peter Cuthbertson, for his excellent work in promoting the Special Relationship between the UK and the US through AmericaInTheWorld.com

Mark Wallace and Matt Sinclair for their superb work at the TaxPayers’ Aliiance. The TPA is now the first place the media go when they want to talk about tax and government waste, and Mark and Matt have been instrumental in the organisation’s growth and success.

Obama stamps on the little guy...

Read and weep

Revenge...

Lord Machivelli's tongue has managed to land George Osborne in

all sorts of trouble today

. However as things stand this is more a warning shot than anything more damaging. Osborne has

taken the press

head on and in doing so openly declared war, this could well end up in the courts. However Mandelson hasn't exactly been subtle about this one - going around swearing revenge and then a week later creating this storm doesn't exactly create much of a cover. The intriguing part of this little episode is Nat Rothchild's role - why would Osborne's old friend and fellow Bullingdon boy turn on him like this?

The poison Mandelson drips must be highly potent stuff...

Either that or he has some very powerful friends...