BVI News

Toxic! Our politics has become our religion — Pastor Skelton Cline

Claude Skelton Cline

Political commentator and clergyman, Pastor Claude Skelton-Cline, has raised concern about what he described as the toxic political environment that has developed in the British Virgin Islands.

“Our politics has become our religion and it’s creating a level of antagonism and downright hatred, and disrespect and disregard,” Skelton-Cline said on the Honestly Speaking radio show recently.

According to Skelton Cline, “our politics and our faith are conflated into a toxic stew that is eroding the moral fabric of our society, at an accelerated pace.”

Political discussions have been marked by heated protests and division in recent times. The latest of these discussions surround the fact that many residents are strongly against the government’s inclination to pay exorbitant legal fees for House Speaker, Julian Willock, after a court determined he was liable following an aborted injunction.

Calls for Speaker’s resignation ahead of another planned protest

Amid these developments, Skelton-Cline said he continues to remain deeply concerned about Virgin Islanders and where they are as a people.

He further urged caution in hopes of stemming the proverbial tide.

“We exist because our fore-parents resisted,” Skelton-Cline said. “Every generation must understand what they stand for and what they must stand and resist against.”

He continued: “It is our time to do what we must to hand off this baton to our children and grandchildren that leaves this people and this place in a more healthy position than how we have met it.”

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31 Comments

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  1. heckler says:

    The same politics is what have his bank account looking good

    Like 45
  2. Chief says:

    Political corruption has become the religion and has led to the so called toxicity that you alluded to. When you were profiting from the untoward government policies and practices, you were silent. Now the COI has opened the people’s eyes and they are demanding better, it’s toxic? The ones who benefit defend acts of political corruption mercilessly or look the other way, while others, including political foes but mainly genuinely concerned residents, demand better. This is sure to manifest as the political division you speak of. So please talk about the root cause- blantant political corruption!

    Like 53
    • Unconventional leadership says:

      Great point chief. These people are tone deaf. Spewing garbage while projecting godliness. Tortola God is not pleased. Tortola has become the breeding ground for devil to work.

      Like 29
  3. Unconventional leadership says:

    Here this gene goes again. CSC you have been preaching politics all your damm life. If was you for christ sake who left church on sundays to be on political platforms. It is you CSC who use your radio platform to spew nonsense week after week propagating the VIP agenda. When last have you used that platform to propagate Jesus Christ. Do you think God is please with you CSC. You can’t serve God and Baal.

    You had a golden opportunity to showcase the christ in you when the ministry made a mistake with your contract and did the Pastor show out in you. I demand you answer that.

    You are the Pastor you go give evidence before the commission did you think to pray. Check the Premier everytime he started with prayer. The Premier is more Pastor than you. The real man of the cloth in the room is the Premier. Shut to h..l up and go sell pizza. Disgrace.

    Like 29
    Dislike 1
  4. I am tired reading about this guy. says:

    Who is more toxic than him? He has singlehandedly threw lots of poison in the political well.

    Who can forget him calling the first female local attorney general an empty kerosene pan?

    How toxic was that? He speaks of himself whenever he opens his mouth. He tells on himself everytime and projects onto others. He needs a mirror to view himself.

    IMO, he needs to stop running his mouth. Gas is too expensive to be talking this much. But then again he can afford it with the money he received from his questionable government contracts.

    Enough of his hypocritical ramblings.

    Like 37
  5. Hmmm says:

    You have become the largest contributor of this toxic environment, wth your large consultancy contracts and continued defence of those who continue to take the voting public for granted, by continually telling us lies as if we dont we cannot interpret and comprehend for ourselves, especially the owner of the yellow tabloid site with his aubtle references to the voters not being intelligent to understand the real issues, and continue to debase and redicule those who question his actions. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. As a pastor, you ahould use yours to do good. Tell the Speaker that the HOA is not a peerage.

    Like 29
  6. hmm says:

    You want to talk about the problem and not how it end up like this! bottom line is that its the blatant corruption and or incompetence displayed by our leaders is what make the public lose respect for them… Until they change how they operate, how people view them not going to change; and how people view you reflects how they treat you and speak to you. for example paying you hundreds of thousands to do absolutely nothing is just one example.

    Like 20
  7. Hmph says:

    We need to boycott people like him, Stop giving him your money up Fish Bay he getting enough money from Government for nothing!!

    Like 20
  8. Strawberry says:

    Toxic politics ! How dare you ! Look at his Detroit history

    Like 20
  9. What? says:

    Come on CSC! How do you think people will continue to fall for your quote unquote Godliness? You’re the opposite of Godly. Please go and do something else. This territory does not need you.

    Like 17
  10. Not good says:

    And also Claude, nobody is supporting you! Why are you still trying to do this? Just go and sell pizza and go away.

    Like 16
  11. Bunk says:

    This is so rich in irony! The fact that this is coming from a religious political commentator, that mind you..is also funded by the government, is simply laughable!

    Like 20
  12. SMH says:

    Politics has become YOUR new religion as you seem to preach more about the COI than your God. Man must be kidding, smh.

    Like 14
  13. ha! says:

    Hello Toxic Pot….meet Toxic kettle! The nerve of this man lmaooo mista, is u contribute to the toxicity of the politrix, we dnt want to hear you!

    Like 13
  14. Unconventional leadership says:

    We don’t need an official poll to see that the tide is shifting. Even now on the yellow site comments are down. Whereby CSC had a reasonable following on willy news site. Comments are down and for the last few articles comments are negative and the like are many. It says that readership is definitely dwindling. I am almost sure even though have no evidence cause I have never visited fish bay but I believe pizza sales must also be down.

    I refuse to support by personal choice any establishment owned by anyone irrespective of party who openly supports lawlessness in government.

    The Hon member who number 2 the other day with his rhetoric about having activity celebrations only for locals if I am aware of any businesses own by number 2 as well I will not support. I will shop at all expat establishments Chinese, riteway and the lot.

    We are the majority it is time to give our dollars sense. Where possible travel to st Thomas. Let them know that we have sense hit them where it hurts in their pockets.

    Until we are respected and appreciated as expats speak with our dollars. I said before open bank accounts, obtain a debit card. Send the card to your families down island. Put the money on the account so they can withdraw. If tolan have sense we will show them we will put nonsense to their sense. Working to the bone without an ounce of appreciation.

    Like 8
    Dislike 1
  15. Sosays says:

    The pontificating from the hole in the face of outstanding toxicity.

    Like 12
  16. A different point says:

    This is for BVI News.

    I would put this to BVI News. Pastor Claude Skelton-Cline is not news worthy. Certainly not for his opinion. When you feed us HIS toxic messaging you do so at the expense of other news that would inform and uplift the BVI.

    As a “news” organization there are editorial standards which should be lived by. Just one basic principle is a byline for attribution of who pushes Pastor Cline’s message to the public on behalf of BVI News.

    BVI News, you play a part in the discourse and dissemination of what takes place in the BVI. Go look in the mirror and confess your responsibility, then do better.

    To be crude, BVI News, stop sniffing the co***ne that comes out of Pastor Claude Skelton-Cline’s a**. It’s bad for us all.

    Like 21
  17. Righto says:

    With you as a highly paid consultant to the head of a country who has a checkered past,a COI was a no bainer for the UK.

    Like 14
  18. public enemies says:

    Friends of the VIP……both he and the baldhead one with the wig

  19. Tafari Zharr says:

    HON. RALPH T. ONEAL
    Member Emeritus, OBE

    A Requiem, Written for This Day, For This Hour, And That Hour They Inter Him

    By Tafari Zharr.

    [Breathe In]

    Oh, Virgin Islanders

    His Days Were Numbered
    Thirty-One Thousand, Three Hundred Seventy- Seven (31,377)
    And You Held on To Him Thirty Days More
    Monday Till Wednesday
    Picture-Perfect, Statesman, Procession:
    Showered with Adulation Three (3) Days
    Before They’d Later [Privately] Inter Him
    Jack, It’s Hard to Believe RTO Is Gone

    Oh, Virgin Islanders

    Oh, It’s Up to You Now
    Left to Be Seen What You’ll Do
    With What He Advanced
    Oh, Of Freedoms Be Neither Sleep nor Still
    Oh, Great Man, Groomed to Become More Than an Island
    Oh, Whose Days Are No Longer, And Nights Are No More
    Oh, Whose Profound Legacy—Virgin Islanders: Simply
    He Did It, Get Up, Go, and Grow

    Oh, Virgin Islanders

    Oh, Approbations: Left by Him for You
    A Great Blue Print Of Life
    Oh, For His Period, Strong, Reconstruction Efforts, Sing Sweeter, Newer, Lullabies
    Oh, For His Hopes of Economic Equity and Security
    Be Neither Blind nor Distilled
    Oh, For Our Stability and Preservation Make Homes
    Not Houses, Polished, High on Hills

    Oh, Virgin Islanders

    Oh, For His Ambitions Traded for Yours
    Oh, For Her Hopes Prorogued for Yours
    Oh, For Their Futures Deferred for Yours
    Oh, For His Promises Fragmented for Yours

    Oh, Virgin Islanders

    His Love Has Been Your Affairs
    Oh, For His Aberration for Virgin Gorda
    Oh, For A Romanticism with Tortola
    Oh, For A Proclivity for Anegada
    Oh, For His Political Life, A Sac-ri-fice?

    Oh, Virgin Islanders,

    Oh, But for His Earlier Excitement in The Vicinage
    You Might Never
    You Might Never Have
    You Might Never Have Had
    Your Treasured, Highly Acclaimed, and Colossal Rising Son!

    [Repeat: Breathe In, hold it, Breathe Out].

    Oh, Virgin Islanders

    His Days Were Numbered:
    Thirty-One Thousand, Three Hundred Seventy-Seven (31,377)
    And You Held on To Him Thirty (30) Days More
    Monday Till Wednesday
    Picture-Perfect, Statesman, Procession:
    Showered with Adulation Three (3) Days
    Before They’d Later [Privately] Inter Him
    Jack, It’s Hard to Believe RTO Is Gone

    And Alongside Him Came the Turtle Dove Inviting Him Home

    [Breathe Out]:

    May the Honorable Ralph Tedford O’Neal, OBE, Member Emeritus, Rest in Peace,

    All Right Reserved. Copyright © 2019. Tafari Zharr.

    Like 2
    Dislike 1
    • BS says:

      Ummmm! A former high court judge deemed him the allegedly most corrupt politician in the Caribbean. Beacon Newspaper even had a 2 week expose on him.

  20. lol says:

    look one of the toxins right there

    Like 11
  21. Really pastor?? says:

    You brougt your toxic politics into our church and destroyed it and because of that so many members have left the church. Jesus please take the wheel.

    Like 8
    Dislike 1
  22. Anagadian says:

    Jesus said render unto Cesar what is Cesar and unto God what is God..Skelton Cline has united politics and religion in direct disobedience to Christ…No wonder, politics has become our religion as he is foremost the cause of it. He has no one to blame but himself.

  23. Resident says:

    Who more toxic than him?
    Always trying to pit locals against expats and vice versa.

  24. Musa says:

    Stop bad talking the pastor he knows exactly what he saying at least he speak the truth about him self .

    Like 1
    Dislike 7
  25. I can't believe says:

    we’re being lectured by this p***site. Obviously no sense of irony, or he’s just laughing at the people of the BVI.

  26. Willie Fish says:

    I wish this guy would just STFU

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