THE recent break-in at the Conservative Party's HQ in Thame brought back memories of the Watergate scandal in which the Democratic National Committee's complex was broken into in 1972.

Hum...is it me or is the timing a coincidence given the soon-to-be-held by-election in Henley, the constituency covering Thame?

We are not for one minute suggesting opposition parties had a hand in the raid, but what on earth was whoever was responsible hoping to find in there?

Actually, it was an office previously used by Boris Johnson, so one suspects a few interesting items were left behind.

YOU have to admire the resilience of Chrissie Curry, former Mayor of Witney.

The old saying 'if at first you don't succeed...' appears to have been penned just for her.

Despite two previous failures trying to engage with and mobilise the town's teenagers to do something positive, she is pressing ahead with a new fad called The Battle of the Talents later this year.

She said: "This time I'm confident we are on to a winner.

"We already have at least 10 local bands that want to take part."

A town council gig for under 18s at the Langdale Hall was scrapped when no advance tickets were sold.

A second gig was abandoned after only a handful of teenagers turned up.

Perhaps events publicised with the words "town" and "council" and organised by someone with no street cred have something to do with it, Chrissie?

OXFORD'S Liberal Democrat city councillor Patrick Murray may not have Barton and Sandhills, the seat he held on to on May 1 by just five votes, as his sole political interest soon.

There is the whiff of a general election victory in nearby Reading and a mole along the M4 tells of frequent sightings of Mr Murray, who is hoping to overturn sitting Labour MP Martin Salter's 5,000 majority in Reading West.

He is certainly putting in the legwork, but will it be enough for a victory?

ONE man could turn the recent heavy rainfall in Oxfordshire into a political football.

Step forward Keith Mitchell the county council leader who, somewhat remarkably, has fired a broadside at the Government for wanting to build (much-needed) homes.

He said: "Almost a month's worth of rainfall hit Oxfordshire a week ago and the effects are still there for all to see.

"The county council has spent a great deal of money on highway drainage and I know the Environment Agency is also working hard.

"The Government needs to think long and hard about how and where it places the thousands of new homes it wants to build - and what impact this might have on drainage.

"Given the national nature of this problem, the Government needs to come up with a defined way forward."

WE would like to wish John Goddard, who recently quit as the city's Lib Dem leader after a disastrous local election night, all the best ahead of an operation to open up a heart valve.

Dear John blacked out while riding his bike recently and suffered a nasty arm injury as a result. We wish him a speedy recovery.