Wickham slams DLP pres for opposition leader’s delayed membership

Pollster Peter Wickham has slammed DLP President Dr Ronnie Yearwood for the slow pace of accepting newly appointed opposition leader Ralph Thorne back into the Democratic Labour Party, describing the development as “sad” and “stupid”.

“The only thing standing in the way is [President Dr] Ronnie [Yearwood].” the pollster told Barbados TODAY in an interview conducted before the party announced Thorne as its leader on Monday evening.

But while Thorne’s switch from the Bees to the Dems might be seen as a power play by both the public and DLP insiders, the developments were driven by the DLP’s constitution, political scientist Devaron Bruce suggested.

Wickham suggested Thorne’s approach to rejoin the party was a “win” for the party. He also highlighted his lack of a future within the BLP as a key factor in his strategic move to explore opportunities within the DLP.

“Certainly, for the DLP, it’s a win for them quite frankly, because all the stuff that he’s able to bring with him, in terms of the subvention, and the opposition leader’s office and the senators and stuff like that.,” Wickham said. “He’s able to bring a lot of stuff that’s useful.”

Two Fridays ago, Thorne announced that he would be sitting in opposition to the ruling Mia Mottley-led Barbados Labour Party, who up until then had commanded a 30-0 majority in the House of Assembly.

A week after being appointed the sole member and leader of the official opposition in the House of Assembly, the DLP was yet to signal whether it would accept Thorne into the fold throughout the weekend. With his acceptance into the party, Thorne has been named political leader under the 68-year-old party’s constitution.

Wickham said: “It’s sad, tragic, what’s happening now. I guess it is essentially Ronnie making a power play, but I find the whole thing a bit silly, to be honest. The reality is that the train is moving. It is leaving the station and Ronnie needs to get on board whether he’s captain or not.”

Last Friday, Thorne arrived at the DLP’s George Street Headquarters to deliver his application and the next day, following a meeting of the DLP Executive to determine whether his application would be accepted, the party’s General Secretary Steve Blackett told reporters, after an over two-hour long meeting, that a decision had been taken to delay Thorne’s admittance.

“That is premised, of course, on the fact that we will have further consultations with him on his coming into the fellowship of this party, so that is where we’re standing,” Blackett said.

“By majority vote, the executive council of the party made that decision . . . that we will have further consultations with Mr Thorne, And therefore, the decision to admit or not admit into the party has been deferred until then.”

The DLP general secretary added: “All of these decisions, all of these scenarios really are new to the Democratic Labour Party. We are treading this path for the first time and therefore, it is all new to us.”

Wickham suggested the situation could be interpreted as a strategic move on the party president’s part to negotiate and secure advantages for himself. However, he questioned whether this move by Dr Yearwood could potentially harm the party, adding that this initial response demonstrated a lack of understanding of the impact Thorne’s move could have on his leadership.

“It is stupid [and] it is hurting the DLP in the long term,” Wickham declared. “Essentially, you’re depriving the DLP of an opportunity to demonstrate real unity behind a leader who can be effective.  The problem is that [he] does not buy into the logic that he is not effective as a leader and feels that this is a way for him to preserve his leadership to some extent.  I think it is unwise and ill-advised.

“He’s creating problems for himself in the long term.  But it’s not the first time that the [DLP] has been ill-advised, so here we go again . . . my thing is, look at the opportunities before you, seize them and move on as quickly as possible . . . because this has damaged the prospects of persons who may want to offer themselves as a candidate in the future.  And it’s clear that the public is watching with some disappointment at the behaviour of the DLP.”

The political scientist’s advice to the Democratic Labour Party, he suggested, would be to move forward quickly and seize the available opportunities, while acknowledging that they were in a “less-than-ideal situation”.

Once a two-time candidate on a DLP ticket, Thorne abruptly switched to the Barbados Labour Party and campaigned for Owen Arthur’s third term in 2003. He eventually entered the House under Mottley in the 2018 election that shut the DLP out of the House and Senate for the first time since its founding in 1955.

For political scientist Bruce, Thorne’s automatic elevation to political leader upon joining the DLP was an understandable source of discomfort, warranting negotiations and a more comprehensive understanding among party members.

He told Barbados TODAY: “The DLP’s constitution, Ralph’s joining automatically makes him the political leader and to have a political leader thrust themselves onto the Democratic Labour Party practically out of nowhere, that would cause some level of discomfort understandably. I believe that there is need for negotiations, there is need for greater understanding and there is need for just bringing people together certainly, but strategically,

“I think that had to occur prior to the real discussion of admittance of his membership. So have a closed-door session with the individuals involved and get going on those matters. Because what you have known as a bit of blowback, and I would say considerable blowback from the public because it does look like a power play and it does look like they don’t have their affairs together.”

He also highlighted what could be perceived as an existing division within the DLP, and suggested that unity is crucial for the party’s effectiveness against the dominant Barbados Labour Party.   According to him, a unique opportunity has been presented to the DLP by Thorne’s emergence; one which could potentially bridge existing factional gaps, and provide a chance for the DLP to regroup and present a united front to the public.

“I think going forward, what will be necessary is [for] those in leadership in essence letting bygones be bygones and recognizing that the body needs to be united, if it is going to put up a meaningful fight against the Barbados Labour Party, and if it’s going to put up a plausible alternative for the public of Barbados.   What may be necessary, recognizing that a unique opportunity currently exists, where an individual might have emerged that could possibly, not guaranteed, possibly bring the factions together because they may not be as sufficient baggage, as sufficient damage, may not be as sufficient division that Ralph may come with.

“So I think the opportunity may present itself where those in DLP particularly in leadership may be able now to, I don’t want to say step aside, but certainly let bygones be bygones and allow the party to move forward in a more holistic way because currently it’s certainly not holistic,” Bruce added.

Turning his attention to the BLP, he downplayed Thorne’s significance within the ruling party, noting that, despite his intellectual and professional capacities, Thorne has not held a prominent position. He further contended that the Christ Church South member of parliament’s departure, while reducing the BLP’s majority, may not significantly impact the party given its continued strength and attractiveness to potential candidates.

Regarding potential defections from the BLP, Bruce acknowledged that while some members may have considered crossing the floor to join the opposition, Thorne’s move complicates this scenario.

“We’ve seen persons in the BLP flirt with the idea of leaving the BLP bench, so to speak and possibly sitting on the opposition bench,” said Bruce. “People have raised that consideration, for instance, with Neil Rowe, for instance, and Sonia Briwne and Trevor Prescod. If Ralph [is] in fact, be accepted into the Democratic Labour Party, now certainly you can cross the floor and sit on the other side without joining a political party. But the reality is, is that if you’re interested in your political future, it usually makes sense to solidify yourself with a mass-based political party.

“Now will some of the individuals mentioned be willing to join the Democratic Labour Party as well?  That is a consideration that would have to be determined but I think it makes it far more complicated given the fact that Ralph is likely going to be DLP.”

Bruce suggested the DLP should embrace Thorne for the assets he brings, such as a national platform in both the lower and upper houses of parliament. He also sees Thorne as a potential funding source for the party and a capable opposition leader.

He said: “I know persons certainly have their beliefs, but a belief really ought not to trump reality and I think the party really has to move forward sensibly and see to what extent Ralph Thorne can be embraced and become a member of the party.

“The reality is that it does not particularly negatively impact Dr Yearwood. [He] is an elected member of the party, to the presidency of the party specifically, and Ralph Throne might be the political leader due to the party’s constitution, so Dr Yearwood is not losing anything in the absence of someone in parliament, Dr Yearwood was the president, but constitutionally, it’s just the president.

“I don’t think anything is particularly lost, and I think both would have to coexist, quite similarly to how it would have coexisted before.”
(RG)