Cruickshank accuses ULP: “They like to thief our ideas”

The New Democratic Party (NDP) has accused the governing Unity Labour Party (ULP) of stealing ideas.

Former NDP Parliamentarian, Alan Cruickshank made the accusation during a public meeting at Buccament last Saturday, April 9.{{more}}

He made the comment in light of the NDP’s strategy to hold public meetings in what they referred to as some of the smaller communities across the country.

“We want to make sure that every week we go into the smaller communities,” Cruickshank said.

“We don’t want people to think that we are sitting down on our laurels, we are preparing to run the country and we have come to the people to present our ideas,” he continued.

“But we have to be careful – we don’t want to talk certain things too early,” Cruickshank explained as he accused the ULP of taking ideas from the NDP.

“They like to thief our ideas,” he said.

Cruickshank spoke of what he termed the dishonesty of Minister of Foreign Affairs Sir Louis Straker in saying that it was the current administration that should be given credit for getting young Vincentian men and women enrolled in the British Armed Forces.

According to the former Minister, it was he and then Prime Minister, Sir James Mitchell, while on a foreign mission in South Africa that they came upon a gentleman named Robin Cooke and over a casual conversation about cricket, the initial stages of the process were initiated.

Cruickshank went on to indicate that it was the then UK High Commissioner, Carlyle Dougan who was charged with looking over the project and not Cenio Lewis as Straker had said.

Cruickshank noted that back then, the ULP dismissed the project as a political gimmick, however had now found themselves wanting to take credit after it had become a success.(DD)