‘Be careful about alienating the old guards’- Skelton-Cline to NDP leadership
His advice came on the heels of the NDP’s internal elections, which were held on April 18, 2026, in which Hon Marlon A. Penn (R8) and Hon Melvin M. Turnbull (R2) emerged victorious as Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the party, respectively.
Hon Ronnie W. Skelton (AL) and former legislator Mark H. Vanterpool lost their bid for NDP leadership. The results of the internal election show the membership “resoundingly rejected the old guards”, Skelton-Cline opined on his show of April 21, 2026, on ZBVI 780 AM.
‘The youth ain’t got no money’
While saying shift in leadership has its place, Skelton-Cline said, “The only thing I will caution you, be careful about alienating the old guards, the political elite, that work in the middle class and thinking that you can just mobilise the youth.”
He explained that while the youth needs to be mobilised, the party will need more than just the youth's votes to be victorious in the general election.
Skelton-Cline also said the youth “ain’t got no money” as good intentions and no money is not enough to run a political campaign.
“If you got 13 members, a hundred thousand dollars per member, that’s 1.3 million dollars. You expand the House to 15, a hundred thousand dollars per member, that’s 1.5 million dollars. Where y’all going to get the money from?”
‘Seasoned folk’, he said, are needed as they are the ones with the money, adding, “When you piss them off, who’s going to fund this campaign?”
Follow Us On
1 Response to “‘Be careful about alienating the old guards’- Skelton-Cline to NDP leadership”