A bad move that shows up Ralph Thorne’s lack of political understanding and a decision that creates an opening for the Prime Minister to swoop in.
That is political analyst Peter Wickham’s assessment of the decision to run politically inexperienced attorney Simon Clarke in the St Philip North constituency instead of his cousin, the three-time winner of the constituency and former Cabinet minister, King’s Counsel Michael Lashley.
News broke this week that the hierarchy of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) had selected Clarke to run in Lashley’s former stomping ground, in which the two have family ties, whenever the next General Election is called.
Wickham said the decision “creates an unnecessary tension at this point”.
“I think that Ralph Thorne has demonstrated a lack of understanding of the nature of the tasks that he has at hand. He has not created alliances within the Democratic Labour Party with the persons that can actually impact on his ability to move forward.
“I think that [Thorne] mistakenly believes that he has the leadership of the DLP and the next election sewn up and by virtue of being leader he automatically inherits a lot of power, which he really doesn’t have,” Wickham reasoned.
When contacted by the Saturday Sun, Lashley said he would not comment on the matter.
Wickham pointed to the situation with Dr Ronnie Yearwood, when the former president of the party was expelled last year, months after Thorne’s arrival and ascension to political leader of the party, saying that the breakdown of that relationship was the first of Thorne’s errors.
“This continues to demonstrate that he doesn’t understand that these are the alliances that he needs. So he’s created an opening now for the Barbados Labour Party, which in the past the Prime Minister has demonstrated the capacity to exploit all such opportunities that are given to her and I think this is yet another one,” Wickham stated.
Lashley, he said, had significant power and influence within the constituency and should not be angered.
“And I suspect that this will not make him very happy. So I think it’s a bad move,” he stressed.
Lashley first captured the seat in 2003 as a newcomer and won the two ensuing elections of 2008 and 2013. He lost to Dr Sonia Browne in 2018 and 2022 when the Barbados Labour Party won the government in clean sweeps.
Wickham said it was a case of the DLP shooting itself in the foot since Lashley had shown an interest in running and the marginal seat was well within the grasp of the party based on Lashley’s popularity.
King’s Counsel Thorne, the MP for Christ Church South, abruptly left the ruling BLP in February last year and days later became the Leader of the Opposition. He selected two DLP members as senators, Ryan Walters and Tricia Watson, dropping the latter during the party’s annual conference in August and replacing her with Andre Worrell.
The party has been hit with mass resignations and the exodus of some of its well known and longstanding members.
