The man most listened to by Barbados Labour Party (BLP) supporters these days is not their leader Owen Arthur, say key insiders, but Prime Minister Freundel Stuart.
In fact, if our usually reliable sources are on the ball as is customary, it seems that the Bees hang on to every word from the Prime Minister – maybe more than even his colleagues do.
Top Bees confided that their attention is fixed on Stuart because it seems he is getting a makeover. That is, they are seeing him seeking to change his lacklustre, lame-duck image to that of a strong, decisive leader. They point to his recent speeches and how he has increasingly been rattling the sabre to ready the Dems for battle.
Apart from speaking with more authority, Stuart is also speaking more often and has been going out of his way to make political points – a sure sign he is preparing for battle.
These Bee strategists noted too that Stuart was attending more community events and being photographed mingling and chatting with people.
They even point to the fact that he seems to have rid his wardrobe of plaid shirts and now dresses in colours that complement his complexion and befit the occasion.
They are now wondering if, like Sandi, he will change his spectacles and modify his haircut to produce a better-looking picture for the general election posters.
Only time will tell if this so-called makeover works, or if, as one Bee told Cou Cou, a leopard can’t change his spots, no matter who tries to help him.
Who Wood it be?
While there is a three-person elimination fight among the Bees to decide who will try to topple Dr David Estwick from the St Philip West throne when the bell rings, there is still uncertainty as to who will seek to take another St Philip seat.
Though constituents have been calling for a rematch there, it seems the licking the Bee got the last time has made him reluctant to re-enter the fray.
Cou Cou understands that this individual who stands tall among the Bees was hurt by the beating and eventual knockout Brathwaite delivered because he felt he had worked hard in the constituency and should have prevailed, even if only by a narrow margin.
That is why, say our sources, Wood has hardly been heard or seen in the last four years.
Cou Cou understands though that Wood will soon be forced to declare his hand, because the Big Bee is said to want someone in place very soon. And if Wood isn’t prepared for the fight, one of the two neophytes who have been doing road training preparing to step into the ring at the last moment will be called up to battle Brathwaite.
Avoiding another 2007 disaster
The date for the launch of a nationwide event was recently put back again by the hand-picked team of organizers.
Those who are aware of the event which was supposed to be ongoing during the summer months say that this recent postponement makes it seem that the whole thing is not a case of people making “mock sport”.
Cou Cou was told that the event will be financed jointly through a little-heard-of fund in a particular ministry and a number of people who are supposed to bid for a franchise.
But sources report the delay in getting it off the ground is due to concerns that this event may just turn out to be a costly exercise similar to that of 2007 and, like that one, could work against the principal hosts.
