The question being asked around town is what is up with Michael Lashley and the Thorne led Democratic Labour Party (DLP). Political pundits agree it is a legitimate question.
A DLP branch meeting was held last weekend and Michael Lashley, who is the 1st Vice President of the DLP did not address the meeting. Without looking at the numbers Lashley, despite the shellacking the DLP received at the polls in 2018 and 2022, remains a prominent and popular political figure in the St. Philip North constituency. It is reasonable to suggest he stands the best chance of ALL DLP candidates declared and undeclared to win a seat next time an election is called.
There has been no public position taken by the executive of the DLP to clarify the matter therefore the public is left to speculate. Managing public relations is something the DLP can improve upon, especially in the age of social media where information travels quickly. The silence from the DLP Executive would suggest there is more to the story.
Michael Lashley has been quiet on the issue so far, one senses he is playing a waiting game. During the DLP infighting his public utterances were noticeably guarded. On one occasion he created a public relations event by attempting to project himself as a peacekeeper at the height of the leadership struggle between Thorne and Yearwood, one suspects the objective was to broadcast to all and sundry that he is a credible actor in the DLP political cast.
All attempts to rebuild the DLP must convince a suspicious public the political fence has been mended and the party is united – relatively so. If the old guard from the ‘lost decade’ and others are to be jettisoned the question will be if the DLP has enough political capital to withstand the blowback. After two massive defeats at the polls and the internal leadership battle many are of the view there is no coming back for the DLP. What Thorne does not want is for loud political dissent to leak into the political hustings.
So far Thorne has been associating himself with issues of the day, it is what political oppositions do. A couple members of his team have commented publicly on a few issues, Dujon on education, Alvin Toppin in St. Lucy on brown water and Walters on the high gas price. It must be said however that the profile of members of the DLP Research and Policy Teams aka shadow cabinet, established by leader of the opposition Ralph Thorne in April has been low to invisible.
The DLP needs some help with its brand and whether a fan of Michael Lashley or not – the blogmaster is not a fan – there is no debating the fact he has the most political capital of all the DLP cast at the moment. For Thorne to ignore Lashley in the candidate election for St. Philip it would come at a significant political cost. The other side of the debate is if Michael Lashley is biding his time.
Will the real leaders please raise your hand!
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