Clare Valley residents urged to return to Labour

The people of Clare Valley have been urged to come back home to Labour by supporting the candidate of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) Jomo Thomas.{{more}}

Addressing a meeting of the ULP in that South Leeward village last Sunday night, Prime Minister and political leader of the ULP Dr Ralph Gonsalves reminded villagers that in 2010, Nigel ‘Nature’ Stephenson of the New Democratic Party (NDP) won that seat by fewer than 200 votes.

He said some of the Labour supporters had turned away from the party to support the NDP’s Jerry Scott, who represented the constituency of South Leeward from 1984 to 2001.

“If you in Clare Valley come out in the way you normally voted before Jerry got some of you to go to NDP, because Clare Valley was a solid Labour area, and by dint of hard work and honesty and love, Jerry got some of you to turn to NDP.”

According to Gonsalves, the NDP of today is different to that which they supported in the past.

“But that is [Sir James] Mitchell and Jerry NDP. That is a different NDP than [Arnhim] Eustace NDP and Nature NDP,” Gonsalves continued.

“So, I am asking those of you, not to been fooled by the brand NDP, to look at the substance and those who had in an early period under Jerry’s guidance moved away, I am telling you today on the basis of what Stephenson himself said,… that Jerry Scott does not want him to be returned as your representative.

“And if Jerry took you from Labour to NDP and he don’t want you to give Stephenson his vote again, all I can say, come back home to Labour,” Gonsalves stated.

Gonsalves urged residents of Clare Valley who support the ULP to stand firm and help to try and win more persons over, to come to the ULP and to the ULP’s candidate Jomo Thomas.

“Because on the basis of our performance, our plans, our candidate, our leadership, our fulfillment of our promises and our love, we deserve your vote,” he noted.

He also urged residents not forget the good work the ULP has done for them.

Gonsalves reminded the audience of the Leeward Highway Rehabilitation project, currently underway, that is costing the Government $26 million.

He also pointed out that the ULP had constructed a Learning Resource Centre, which members of the community benefit from and use daily and the brand new police station at Questelles.

“Up in Clare Valley we have a beautiful housing estate, in one or two of the houses, the work men didn’t do as good a job and we making that correct.”

The Prime Minister also made mention of the newly constructed clinic in Lowmans, the Vermont Bridge, the Hope Bridge and the Penniston playing field.

Clare Valley being a fishing village, the Prime Minister reminded constituents that fishing alone employs 3,000 persons independently and provided two per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

“The fishing industry is a vital industry, the fishing industry in our country provides two per cent of the gross domestic product; the fishing industry employs about 3,000 people directly and I want to tell you this. Go and talk to many of the fishermen and they will tell you that all the boats that they buy, they get them by way of duty free concessions by Labour Party government…”

Gonsalves asked the residents of Clare Valley to give him Jomo Thomas and promised that if they did, he would “nice up” Clare Valley in a way that had never been done in the history of the area.

He also sent special greetings to Jerry Scott and his wife, who Gonsalves said was his special friend.

In the 2010 general elections, the NDP’s candidate Nigel Stephenson won the seat by 2,595 votes to the ULP’s David Browne who got 2,396 votes.

In the two polling stations at Clare Valley Browne won one 166-154 while Stevenson won the other 182-162.

In the 2005 general elections, then ULP candidate Douglas Slater won Stephenson at both Clare Valley polling stations 157 to 134 and 166 to143.(CM)