Standing With The National Conservative Party
OCA was, until recently, an independent organisation which was not part of the national Conservative Party or Conservative Future. Historically, relations between OCA and the national party have been weak, for example OCA (together with Cambridge University Conservative Association and Durham University Conservative Association) were automatically treated as organisations separate to Conservative Future when it was founded in 1998, and after various unflattering stories in the national press, Conservative Party Central Office has traditionally been quick to distance itself from OCA. However, as of 6 October 2009, the Association officially voted to affiliate to the Conservative Party, and is now an official representative branch of Conservative Future.
In March 2010, an Association event in support of the Oxford West parliamentary candidate, Nicola Blackwood was used to launch Conservative Future's national 'Time to Get Involved Campaign' and the association was praised by the party for its campaigning efforts
OCA members are often asked to stand for election to Oxford City Council. The Council has traditionally been Labour dominated and the Conservatives haven't held a seat on the council since 2001. Alex Stafford (President, Michaelmas 2007) stood unsuccessfully for Holywell Ward in the 2008 Oxford City Council Election achieving an 8.2% swing for the Conservatives - his brother, Gregory Stafford, now a Councillor in the London Borough of Ealing, stood in the same ward in 2004 for OCA.
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