After what can only be considered an inauspicious return to Parliament after almost six years in the political wilderness, we have been afforded a blinding glimpse of the obvious; the Democratic Labour Party treats to opposition quite much the same as they did to governing. That is to say, they aren’t very good at it.
Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne’s performance on the bench opposite during the Estimates debate so far has been uninspiring at the least and outright disappointing at most. I say this not because it was too theatrical, but rather because it was just simply bad theatre. Rather than deal with the facts, Thorne seems to be prosecuting his one-man war on reality, in what can only be described as his politics of protest.
Thorne, who is viewed by DLP old guard acolytes as a modern-day political parable akin to the return of the prodigal son, has failed in his so-called promise to defend the interests of the public. He has chosen to squander the opportunity to engage in serious debate with the government and has opted instead to partake in political game-playing.
The low point you ask? Well, that would be Thorne’s acrimonious suggestion that the government’s 2018 debt restructuring exercise was a form of “theft.” He disproves his own statement by his failure to voice objection to the Debt Holder (Approval of Debt Restructuring) Bill 2018 when laid in the House of Assembly. He should also be reminded that the party he now leads was solely responsible for the inaction, mismanagement, and economic vandalism that demanded such an acute response.
Thorne’s motif of arrogating blame to a government he formed part of up until recently, whilst simultaneously trying to distance himself from the failures of the party he now leads must be quite exhausting. Indeed, if one were to attend more closely to what he is saying rather than how he is saying it, one would surely conclude that behind his bellicosity lies a man trying to grab smoke with his bare hands.
Ross Maynard
