Skelton Cline defends comments about Lorna Smith
Commentator Claude Skelton Cline has defended remarks he previously made suggesting that Fourth District representative Mark Vanterpool was forming a new political party and that his sister, Junior Minister for Financial Services Lorna Smith, was likely aligned with that effort.
Speaking on his radio programme Honestly Speaking, the clergyman said his comments had been mischaracterised as rumours after being repeated by a local news outlet. He maintained that his statements were based on information from a primary source, not speculation presented as fact.
“When I left here the last time, I said that the member of the [former] Fourth District was starting a party and that I suspect, underline the word suspect, that his sister was going to be with him,” he stated.
Vanterpool, in response to Skelton Cline’s remarks, insisted there had been no discussion and no truth to claims that Smith was aligning herself with any new political movement connected to him. He stressed that the matter needed to be made clear to the public.
“I want to encourage him to, when he’s doing his commentary, which he has a right to do, to verify his statements and make sure that the public understands that what he’s saying is true,” Vanterpool said at the time.
Meanwhile, Skelton Cline said he later became aware that Vanterpool had publicly responded to the remarks without having listened to the programme in which they were made. According to Skelton Cline, the response was based on second-hand information rather than the original broadcast.
“What he, in essence, said with me that he did not hear the programme for himself. He was receiving the [information] from somebody else and that’s what he was reacting to,” Skelton Cline said.
The host told listeners he wanted to be transparent about his position and the source of his comments. Skelton Cline described the programme as one intended for mature discussion and said he did not believe it was necessary to engage in public disputes over the issue.
“Nothing I said was misinformation or misrepresented. Whatever I say comes from a primary source,” he told listeners.
Skelton Cline added that he understood the desire of others to defend Smith, but insisted that his remarks did not distort any facts. He said his intent was not to provoke division but to clarify what he had stated and why. “I can understand you wanting to protect the existing member [Smith]. That’s fine. But there’s nothing I said here that misrepresented the facts of any kind,” Skelton Cline said.
The debate came amid ongoing speculation about political realignments in the House of Assembly and the future of opposition groupings. Smith has previously been associated with the National Democratic Party (NDP), while her brother Mark Vanterpool served as an NDP legislator for the Fourth District.
Skelton Cline did not state that Smith had confirmed any move to a new political organisation. Instead, he emphasised that his earlier remarks were clearly framed as suspicion rather than a declaration of fact and said he stood by the accuracy of what he conveyed on air.
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This man is calling other people power hungry but I beg our people to watch out for the plan of these snakes. CSC has fleeced off every government -NDP and VIP. He has gotten money and has produced nothing. Now he is trying to get his uncle Ronnie as Premier and his other uncle John is already the president of the NDP. Their strategy is for him to go on radio and bad mouth every single person who could be competition for his uncle to be Premier. He is trying to thrash Myron. He is trying to thrash Marlon. He is trying to thrash Mark and whoever else raise their heads as a contender. All this is being done to showcase his uncle Ronnie as the only person who could lead the BVI. BVI people keep your eyes opened.
This obsession with Hon.Lorna Smith and Mark Vanterpool is becoming concerning .They are living rent free in CSC head, but the people are not buying it. Lets hope that the Premier is not listening to this nonsense. And even if Mr Vanterpool in the future decides to run again thats his prerogative. He was a popular and effective legislator and I am sue that if he ran he would easily win again. He is one of the best at retail politics.
Don’t rope Ronnie in your mess. He good over here. You may keep his nephew
The BVI needs to rid itself of people like CSC. He offers nothing. He brings pure confusion and everything he does or says is for a personal benefit for himself and his family. I wouldn’t like if he wasn’t a pastor.
Why are you putting things in slow man head to fire lana again?
I am sick and tired of some of some of these families who believe they own the BVI. Nobody don’t like them and they can’t seem to get the message.
This CSC jumped from party to party like a frog in the past. He cannot tell Mark what to do. Mark is a humble man.
James 1:9 A double minded man is unstable
Lets do the Maths
Mark jumped floor
Fraser jumped floor
Lorna jumped floor
Mathet jumped floor
Ronnie dismantled PVIM – and jumped back to NDP
Mitch will jump official from Alliance soon
Interim President- John Cline looking for his niche
Myron too impatient cannot wait althougj he has brilliant idea and get things done ( power hungry)
Pickering is an Uncle Tom trying to regain a political ooking to come back
Natalio- Treating his grass roots home boys like crap.
Needed them only to get vote
The others at least has shown stability although that is the only qualification being looked at for now they are
Marlon Penn
Kye Rymet
Luce Hodge
Vincent Wheatley
DID UO SAY PASTOR ,? , DID YOU HEAR HE SPEAK ANYTHING RELATED TO ANY BIBLE ? ON HIS HONESTLY SPEAKING PROGRAM , ? ( THE HOLY BIBLE IS WHAT THE 3 WANNABE HOLY HYPOCRITES IS USING AS A FRONT , WE ALL CAN SEE THAT WITH OUR EYES CLOSED AND OUR EARS OPEN / IS PEOPLE STILL GOING TO ATTEND CHURCH AND LISTEN TO THEM ? ? ? ( ITS AMAZING THAT IN THIS DAY AND AGE , PEOPLE CAN BE SO STUPID .