Verla or George, Verla or George…Verla it Must be

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Some of us are looking to the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) later this month with more than a little interest. It is after all the other half of the duopoly that has ‘ruled’ Barbados without serious challenge for the last 60+ years. Since its decimation at the polls in 2018 the electorate has observed President Verla De Peiza struggling to keep pace with her counterpart. All agree De Peiza was dealt a bad hand, however, she accepted the job and it is what it is. The AGM will give Barbadians the opportunity to acquire a more informed position.

The DLP brand despite the unprecedented defeat in 2018 is ‘seared’ into the political psyche of Barbadians. This has made it difficult for a third political party to create a foothold to offer serious challenge to the duopoly. In the short term the electorate will have to make do with the main combatants being DLP versus BLP contest in 2023 when the next general election is constitutionally due.

To the surprise of many including the blogmaster there has been the appearance of the ‘old guard’ offering themselves as candidates for posts. Of interest is the contest between George Pilgrim who will challenge Verla De Peiza for the presidency of the party. Pilgrim was the long standing general secretary of the DLP during an unflattering time. As hard as the blogmaster tried to apply logic to Pilgrim’s decision to challenge De Peiza, there is no logic except to state the obvious- it is his democratic right to run if he satisfied the nomination criteria of the party.

The blogmaster anticipates De Peiza will overcome Pilgrim’s challenge, she must because he is a weaker candidate. Pilgrim represents everything the electorate rejected in the DLP two years ago. There is no credible alternative on show with the 2023 general election appearing in the political rear view mirror. You may recall the result of the vote in the DLP stronghold of St. John between Charles Griffith and George Pilgrim. The final result Griffith 2,963 to Pilgrim 1598. Should the performance in a general election influence internal nominations and elections? Political parties are in the business of harvesting popularity. The DLP needs a president guaranteed to inspire members of the party and to be the architect of a good strategic and tactical plan. Members of the DLP have hobson’s choice, what gives De Peiza the edge is that the DLP headquarters located at George Street was literally allowed to rot under Pilgrim’s watch.

A political party is defined as an organised group of people with at least roughly similar political aims and opinions, that seeks to influence public policy by getting its candidates elected to public office.

The Electoral Knowledge Network

Given the design of our political setup the DLP is a private entity and is permitted to manage its affairs as outlined in its constitution. Decisions taken at party conference however have implications for the country especially in an entrenched duopoly. We have an inkling what is De Peiza’s plan – see link. There is no recent update on Pilgrim’s Facebook page to indicate he is politically active.

In both parties over the years we have seen a tendency to recycle the same old, same old. Rising apathy should be a barometer for political parties that the public is expecting more or expect to be punished with laughter at the polls. Unfortunately a vibrant democracy requires more from citizens than placing an X every five years.

131 thoughts on “Verla or George, Verla or George…Verla it Must be”


  1. (Quote):
    The Dullard is not anti Bdos but pro data. The evidence is clear.The results are known…But you know all this already! (Unquote).
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Are you implying that tomorrow’s parade will be just another serving of the same bowl of warm-over cold soup containing the same old ingredients hot enough to expel the gas of BS?

    Can we expect to see floating some ‘old’ pigtails laced the following sound-bites:

    The need to restructure the economy through digitization.

    Tighter alternative energy targets while prospecting for oil offshore the long-promised island of paradise off the West Coast.

    A revised map to find the long-promised hotel corridor fit for a post-Covid world; even without a Hyatt and no booming Bridgetown.

    A revamping of the justice system to turn Barbados into the World No.1 hub for doing business just like it was destined to be the Entrepreneur capital of the world by 2020.

    How about a rehash of the promise to give Barbadians a taste of Republican status by November 2021 even if it involves a very costly re-branding exercise and massive cultural reconditioning? Shouldn’t this gift horse of republicanism have been delivered in 2016?

    Old Queen Lizzie will soon be leaving the throne so this might be the perfect time to make such an announcement even if it is just to comfort the brigade keen on seeing the removal of that remnant of the curse of slavery and colonialism, the Nelson statue.

    PS:
    It would be nice to hear of a programme to facilitate, urgently, the privatization of the BWA and TB into the hands of ordinary Bajans as an initial pathway towards the economic enfranchisement of black Bajans with savings sitting idle in non-interesting bearing accounts at the commercial banks and credit unions.

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  2. Miller…same old warmed over lies…..we already had the big head fraud come out last week telling the same lies from the 1970s about vendors, we were teenagers when we heard those empty promises over 40 years ago, donkeys were still on the road, not many road were paved and there were hardly any vehicles on the road, they figured most people had died off and those still around would not remember shit, and they would be right, but they never factored in people like myself who tend to remember every shit…….different faces, same old lies.

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  3. The Republic and Nelson themes are the perfect distraction for the corona disaster. Let’s spice it all up with a little racism against minorities – and the naive black masses are like under drugs and don’t realize that they have to live with permanent wage cuts.

    All in all a perfect production of our government and Charles “Chopstick” Jong. Bravo!

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  4. DLP gearing up for next election

    THE DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTY (DLP) is readying itself for the next General Election, and chairman of the St James South branch, Ashton Turney said it will be seen as a viable option.

    “Once the process has started and we hit the road and start putting our programme out there, the party will be seen as a viable alternative at some time. The party will present itself as a political group in the next election,” he said.

    The last representative for the branch was former Minister of Commerce and Industry Donville Inniss, who has been convicted on two counts of money laundering in the United States and is awaiting sentencing, scheduled for next year.

    “There are persons who have shown interest to represent the party as a candidate for St James South, but the process of selection has not yet commenced,” Turney said.

    Turney said St James South had not sent forward any person to be a candidate for the position of president at the annual general conference, which comes off on September 25 to 27. However, former general secretary George Pilgrim has put forward his name to take on president Verla De Peiza for leadership, while general secretary Guyson Mayers will not be seeking re-election. The other candidates will be made known at the start of the annual conference.

    “At the annual general meeting of the branch, which was held last July 26, we elected the committee of management for the year 2020-2021 and two branch members, the chairman and vice chairman to serve on the general council, which takes effect after the annual general conference.

    “There was also the nomination of eight members to be elected at the annual general conference to serve as party officers, which include the positions of president, four vice-presidents, treasurer, general secretary, and assistant,” he said.

    Additionally, six members have been nominated to be elected at the annual general conference to serve on the general council.

    “We put forward six names for the general council who have been approved at the branch level but now has to be voted for,” he explained. (RA)

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  5. Use own media, Dems urged
    THE DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTY (DLP) is being urged to use its own mechanisms to get their message out to the wider public, rather than depend on other forms of media.
    The advice was given by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxine McClean, who was speaking during a St James South branch meeting at St John the Baptist Church Parish Centre, Holders Hill, St James, on Sunday.
    She was responding to a branch member who said the party had people who were still capable of making a significant contribution to the country.
    “We need to just follow through on a number of initiatives that we’ve spoken about, but the party has to have its own mechanisms,” she said.
    McClean, a former moderator on Voice of Barbados’ Down To Brass Tacks radio show, said they could not rely on the general media to get their point across for them.
    “We have to use the technology to make information available, to remind people of what we stand for, what we’ve accomplished and what our vision is. We would not see anything if we rely on traditional media . . . but the onus is on us to use creative ways to do it.
    “I personally pick up the phone and call in on the call-in programmes, but that is just one mechanism. [We] put information out there via Facebook and other platforms as well. We also have to recognise we have a mix of age groups that use various mechanisms,” she said.
    The former Government senator said DLP TV was in the developmental stage and there was the long-standing Academy of Politics.
    “If I were at home, I might be going to church
    at St Stephen’s, but sitting at my dining table. We need to use more of those mechanisms to communicate. We also need to work in small groups within our constituencies, rather than wait on officialdom in the party to do that. A lot of the plans that were in place for the last year before COVID were stymied by that,” she said.
    McClean added that the party would now be forced to think outside traditional mechanisms.
    “I can tell you some of that is happening but, again, it is the publicising of those things. What I would like to see happen is if anybody in here can mobilise some of our young IT whizzkids, and some of the older ones, to work with the ones who are already working with those things, we would be able to better disseminate and make visible a lot of what we do,” she said.
    (RA)

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  6. Honorable Blogmaster:

    Back to the issue you raised “Verla or George”. …!It was around August 22 – 23, 2010?, that the late Comrade E. Besley Maycock (R.I.P), perhaps against his better judgment and despite the odds, kindly moved my nomination for the position of DLP General Secretary. Suffice it that another Pilgrim, (no relation), won with overwhelming support.

    Donville, then a Minister of the Crown, closed out the matter, in a squeeze play, when he sought and accepted the position of Deputy General Secretary.

    I do not know what General Secretary Pilgrim’s platform was. (Nor Inniss’s for that matter). I do not know anything about his vision, his accomplishments, and what one of his supporters deemed his “vibrant leadership”, as DLP General Secretary.

    No doubt the question you will pose to him is what does he offer this time around as he seeks an upgrade and contests DePeiza’s leadership of the Party.

    He is experienced and articulate and In fairness to him, beyond cheap excuses, he will explain in detail his list of accomplishments over time – in terms of party finances. organization, outreach, etc, etc – and why he should now preside over the DLP instead of Ms. DePeiza.

    Ms. DePeiza, on the other hand, in a system of “personality parties”, will attempt to show us why she and her party are preferable to Ms. Mottley and the current Administration. This may well be a daunting, if not impossible task. She can hardly do this with the albatrosses around her neck, the so-called “old guard”, totally rejected by the Barbadian electorate a mere two (2) years ago, annihilated 30-0 making Barbadian history.

    Arguably, a substantial majority of the Barbadian electorate perceived them as non-productive, useless, venal, corrupt and ineffective, notwithstanding ludicrous chatter about “good governance”, while in Opposition.

    Obviously, DePeiza has no choice but to seek to re-build the Party with younger, sharp, positive, energetic talent, rather than carry the weight of the cadavers of yesteryear.

    In this context of wholesale rejection, as with Jeremiah, can the Ethiopian (e.g “the old guard”) now “change his skin, of the leopard his spots”? The pickings seem slim.

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  7. So since we are on the topic of sellout governments, we all know someone(s) at BWA TIEF 10 YEARS WORTH OF WATER, took a bribe and gave the water away to the residents at Jamestown Park and then ran off to UK, none of the sellouts in the parliament, office of DPP or COP ever tried to extradite the person or investigate who else tief the people’s water, is that the same place that has had a burst main for the past two days and is the repair work the cause of half the island now not having any water…just asking.

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  8. Say it ain’t so Honourabke Blognaster

    Not George Pig grin!

    Dat boy is as ingrunt as de day is long!

    So years ago when asked to describe George Pig grin the late told me

    “Several Police Stations, locally and internationally, have an APB out for him”

    De ole man asked “is he a wanted man, is he a criminal that they are looking for him?”

    “No, no there are several APB Notices with picture of him saying

    “MISSING, VILLAGE IDIOT!”

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  9. Interesting last paragraph by young Stuart.

    Article Image Alt Text

    President of the Young Democrats, Kemar Stuart.

    STUART SUGGESTS PATH FOR DLP LEADER

    Tue, 09/15/2020 – 6:00am

    By following the five philosophical principles set out by former Prime Minister of Barbados, Errol Barrow, the leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) could bring the dream of the late prime minister into reality.

    These were the words of President of the Young Democrats, Kemar Stuart, in his feature address at the recently held DLP St. Michael Central Branch meeting at the George Street Auditorium. Stuart outlined the five principles crafted by Prime Minister Barrow into the constitution and he stated that he believes that if the newly-elected president of the party, would go back to these guidelines, the DLP would get back to the foundation it was built on and would again be a force for the people.

    The young democrat president highlighted that the principle of economic activity and policy should not only benefit the privileged few, but all Barbadians alike. The principle also stated that the concept of economic enfranchisement would be utilised for the betterment of all society. Stuart referenced the fifth principle which states that the people of Barbados should participate in regional, hemispheric and world meetings in pursuit of world peace and economic justice.

    He then quoted the late prime minister from a lecture, Development and Democracy”, delivered to the Academy of Politics, in 1980, “It stands to reason, that any political party seeking to fulfill the expectations of the populus for equality, for jobs, for security and for the end to privilege, that the about to accomplish these means, should be in planned people centric manner and not in any whimsical and opportunistic and patronising manner.”

    The young democrat passionately expressed his belief that the party was the one that gave Barbados and Barbadians real human development. He contended that if the two leaders battling for the presidency, current President Verla DePeiza and former DLP General Secretary and former candidate for Christ Church West George Pilgrim, could see and understand that the support of the people came first, it would be the first step in the right direction.

    “The Democratic Labour Party has always been held in the highest regard as it relates to leaders and leadership. The traditional leaders of the Democratic Labour Party crafted social initiatives which captured the imagination of a voting public,” said Stuart.

    He further argued that the traditional leaders of the DLP, coupled with a growing middle class and an aspiring working class, had linked the fortunes of those people to the party which made it an attractive party to the voters. The young leader made the conclusion that this stance was once again necessary however stating that the election of the president must also be based on the future.

    Stuart also made the point that it was not enough to speak locally but the leader of the DLP has to be able to continue to let the voice of the country and region be heard on an international scale. He referenced the appearances of Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados on CNN and the BBC, saying that the next president of the party must also be one that can represent the needs and views of the people on that level and beyond.

    “A leader of the Democratic Labour Party must step forward and fill a void. Articulate his or her position on regional integration and the furtherance of Caribbean unity,” stated Stuart. (AS)

    Source: Barbados Advocate

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  10. Article Image Alt Text

    DLP’s Christ Church East representative Denis Lowe, left, looks on as Former DLP General Secretary, George Pilgrim, drives home a point during Sunday’s branch meeting.

    DLP TO MEND FENCES

    Tue, 09/15/2020 – 6:00am

    The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has a hefty assignment ahead of them if they intend to find their way back into government in the next general election and this was acknowledged by former General Secretary, George Pilgrim. Pilgrim, who is set to vie for the position of President of the party, was speaking this past Sunday during a branch meeting hosted in Christ Church East by representative Denis Lowe.

    During the meeting in Chancery Lane, which saw the likes of former government ministers Ronald Jones, Steven Blackett, James Paul and current party President, Verla Depeiza, Pilgrim held a captive audience of party-faithfuls as the feature speaker. During his presentation which was titled Dems Onward: Everyone Has Value, Pilgrim noted that there needed to be a national admittance that there were persons falling through the cracks and that it needed to be rectified. “Right now in this country, labour is unrepresented, because you have conflicting agendas within the labour movement. You saw the NUPW going to arbitration and you are seeing the Barbados Workers Union where there are elements of the Barbados Workers Union who are more concerned with securing a nomination for a seat than securing the rights of workers. When I tell you in this country that we have to have an appreciation that everyone has value, and I say to you today that the workers of this country have been thrown under the bus and we have to contend with the fact that until we have a plan, that a lot of people in this country are going to fall by the wayside,” he said.

    Stating that the DLP needed to become a party of ideas by connecting and engaging members of the public, Pilgrim highlighted the importance of recognising the value of each member of society. Noting that at present, there was a lack of public participation, he said that the shortfall of engagement was not just as a party, but as a society and that it was eating away at the fabric of the nation’s democracy. “We have to find a way to increase our networks, we have to find a way to rebuild our relationships, we have to find a way to rebuild our community. We must become that party of ideas. This government is not about building communities. It is not about connecting in that way. They have shut the country down and you have to understand that. In all of my years of research and teaching and moving around, I have never seen or read of anything like this yet, where a country is shut down and life goes on normal as if there is a brighter tomorrow when we know that things are getting tougher in the country.”

    Going on to cite some of the economic woes being experienced by the country, Pilgrim noted that although it was democracy that saw his party falling from grace, in his opinion, that same democracy was responsible for the situation the country found itself in at present. “Despite this country functioning within the framework of democracy, the democracy that we have is failing. We have to ask ourselves whether or not the whole concept of democracy has to be refined because democracy has the possibility of stunting and standing in the way of growth. One can say, on the outside, that the country had a fair election. The people of Barbados voted and they spoke to the issues and the government was replaced through legitimate means. You can all say those things, but then you have to ask pertinent questions about whether or not this democracy is working in the interest of Barbadians. Not along political lines, but along survival lines,” it was further pointed out.

    Reiterating the fact that relationships are key for political parties, Pilgrim said that the time had come for the DLP to move forward as a unit to regain the trust of the Barbadian people. “We have to reconnect as a party. There’s a perception – let’s accept that it’s real – that the voters were hiding. We have to fix that. We have to mend those fences with the voters of Barbados. Very, very important,” he said. (MP)

    Source: Barbados Advocate

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  11. Until thus complete lot if DLP candidates is totally eradicated they must never be allowed back into the HoA.

    Never!!!

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  12. As predicted here comes Lashley in today’s most popular Daily.

    Put money behind policy!

    by ANMAR GOODRIDGE-BOYCE anmargoodridge-boyce @nationnews.com

    [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="763"] FORMER MINISTER of Sport, Stephen Lashley is suggesting that the sports policy be supported by legislation and wants to see entities like the Wildey Gymnasium and Kensington Oval modernised. (FP)[/caption]

    FORMER SPORTS MINISTER Stephen Lashley is fully supporting Government’s plan to implement a national sports policy and sport development act to boost the industry in the future.

    However, the former Democratic Labour Party (DLP) minister is calling for the measures which were announced in Tuesday’s Throne Speech by Governor General Dame Sandra Mason to be backed financially.

    His comments came just one day after the Governor General said the Mia Amor Mottley administration is set to elevate sports in Barbados beyond recreational activity as a central pillar of national socioeconomic development.

    It’s all part of a move by Government to establish a vibrant sports economy along with highperformance frameworks for local athletes.

    “It is important that the policy is implemented. It is welcomed news that the Government would go that route. I believe that we have to get to the stage of professionalising sports as part of the national psyche of Barbadians, so we recognise its importance not only around occasions of competition but generally across the country,” Lashley told NATION SPORT yesterday during a telephone interview.

    “I hope along with the news of the Sports Policy that is already there, that we matched that kind of promise with resources. One of my pet peeves is that sports is not given the resources to achieve the things we want to achieve.

    “Quite a lot of the resources are thrown at tourism with the expectation and hope that tourism then turns around and shares some of the left out resources to sports, and that should never be. Sports should be given its own adequate amount of resources in order for it to get ahead,” he added.

    Lashley is also suggesting that the sports policy be supported by legislation and wants to see entities like the National Sports Council, the Wildey Gymnasiumand Kensington Oval modernised.

    “I believe the sports policy would have envisaged that those agencies would have been brought under a restructured sports council. I don’t know if that is still the intention, but that is the best model going forward. We also have to provide incentives for the sports sector. We must also ensure that the problem of duty-free access of equipment and clothing for our athletes is solved once and for all.

    “We would have a situation where the Barbados Olympic Association because of an outdated approach would have to acquire those items outside of Barbados for international competition. I really hope that comes to an end because it should not be that people have to hide and source equipment outside of Barbados because we have not brought that policy to the 21st century,” he said.

    Lashley took the opportunity to advocate for more attention to be paid to the island’s only indigenous sport, road tennis.

    He said a strategic plan must be in the pipeline to help road tennis become an Olympic sport.

    “I think that any plan for sports in Barbados in the future would be weaker if there is no plan for our sport road tennis. It is something we have to focus on because if we don’t we could lose road tennis to another country that wants to take it to a higher level,” Lashley said.

    Source: Nation News

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