Have Choiseul/Saltibus Seen The Last Of Bousquet?

 

Richard

Stephenson

The present saga being played out between the Frederick-King faction and Chastanet faction may have its roots deeper than meets the naked eye. The former faction is on an all-out campaign, so they, to destroy Chastanet, are so blinded by their rage, don't even realize the damage they are creating for their own-selves..    So where and when did this all start? There is a school of thought which purports that Frederick never fitted the profile of UWP's, and was only allowed to join for mere convenience.  An opinion expressed in the  Voice  newspaper read," King’s problems in the UWP started when he re-admitted Rufus Bousquet into the Cabinet after he had been disciplined by Sir John Compton over the China-Taiwan recognition issue. Frederick was never a fan of Flambeaus, because he did not fit their profile. They went along with him because he represented an added “arrow” or “gun” in the party’s arsenal to go up against the Labour Party in 2006.......". 

        Peter Josie wrote,......."those who keep a close watch on politics can say with some conviction that after Sir John Compton led the UWP to victory in 2006, the same persons who were prepared to hold on to his coat tail for survival had suddenly got swell headed. Like Icarus they had ignored the warnings of the father of the UWP and had flown too high and were in danger of losing their wings. Soon their disrespect and insults resulted in a number of health issues for the aging father of the nation. Many, including this writer, believe that the unwarranted pressure and insults were responsible for Sir John’s early demise. He was a strong and fit individual but, 82 is eighty-two. Had he received the support and co-operation of his elected MP’s after the December 2006 elections, he may still be with us today."
    Rufus was expelled from Cabinet by Sir John because he allegedly headed the super 8 which went along with reinstating diplomatic ties with Taiwan. It is well documented the maneuvers Rufus was engaged in to secure a seat  back in Cabinet, this time under King. It is also well known the fracas that dragged on between him and Jimmy Haynes; all Constituency Branch was doing was to make sure that the Constituency was not neglected.. By then Rufus and Frederick had tagged up and it was quite visible that these two men were in charge in spite of King being the PM.This did not go down well with the general population at large    The Opposition party preyed on this with insatiable hunger. But that's for another show.
   " Frederick’s ambition to rise within the UWP was shot down early at a party convention when he failed in his attempt to win a position on the executive. His problems with the under -invoicing business with Customs, his arrest and the very many unfavourable reports about his behaviour that were widely recorded in the media, ending with the revocation of his U.S. visas had further cause to convince Flambeaus that he was not for them and that he was in fact an embarrassment to the party". So says the Voice writer.
  I personally felt King was a weak leader who to my mind was only filling in the position. He was by no small measure disrespected by the leader of the opposition and his team. King was ridiculed for his academic  standing. his family, and the rest. He was never decisive on any thing. It is further believed that his weak leadership skills coupled with Frederick,s visa revocation may have played a crucial role in Uwp losing to Slp in the last general elections. His handling of the Janine issue during his tenure was unspeakable. By this time he had already lost himself in the fantasy of the power that being incharge brings. lettle did he know that his days as well as Frederick's were already short listed.

" The Flambeau party had had enough. If King would not distance himself from Frederick, the UWPees would ditch them both. This is what has been going on in the UWP since the convention of last year. Allen Chastanet was not yet a player in the party when these two gentlemen began to ruin their own political careers. The UWPees turned to him to rescue their party, a task which was entrusted to King by Sir John himself and he failed to grasp it. On each occasion, Allen Chastanet has been endorsed over King and Frederick by huge margins and any fool would have read the message the rank and file of the party was trying to send by now." Continued the writer.    But where is Rufus in all this saga? But before we continue it is important to note that Frederick said, neither he nor King will contest next general elections on a Flambeau ticket.Will Lucians see the emergence of a new party? Who will lead this party? For sure it could not be King since in all this saga he is clearly the follower. Will Rufus join?  He clearly still has his sights on Choiseul as many of his followers want him to return. Hmmm? With the purging now going on in Uwp it is almost certain that Rufus cannot run on their ticket. So in Choiseul we may have a repeat of a three-cornered fight. The previous one being Brian - UWP, Gilroy - PLP and  Gregor - SLP.  Uwp won that contest.  Will Lorne still contest the Choiseul seat? It is alleged that Edgar may be his successor. Uwp are yet to name their candidate and  Rufus for TTSP ( Frederick's Party). Whether the LPM will chance their luck in Choiseul is way off.