Was Lorna Smith offered Junior Minister post after firing?
Commentator Claude Skelton Cline has alleged that former Deputy Premier Lorna Smith turned down an offer to become a junior minister after her recent dismissal as Labour and Financial Services Minister.
Speaking on his talk show, “Honestly Speaking,” Skelton Cline claimed that Smith was approached with the position following her removal from the BVI government’s top ranks.
“After they fired the At-Large member from her post as Deputy Premier, they extended to her an invitation to become the Junior Minister of Financial Services,” he explained. However, Smith allegedly declined the offer, which Skelton Cline attributed to her initial reaction after the unexpected firing.
Smith suggested after her dismissal that she had no interest in rejoining the government or contesting the decision made by Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley to remove her from office.
Smith, known for her extensive background in financial services, had been a key figure within the BVI government until her recent dismissal. The reshuffle came amidst an reported breakdown in trust.
“The Premier, rightfully…did the only thing he can do…[when] going into a fight. [You have to ask], are you going to help me shoot or you’re gonna shoot me?” Skelton Cline commented
He expressed some understanding of Smith’s decision to decline the post initially, stating, “If I was in her shoes…emotionally and psychologically…you might say no.” The commentator noted that while Smith’s expertise would remain valuable to the territory, the offer of the junior minister post might have come too soon after her dismissal.
“Sometimes we need to step back and say, you know what? Put my ego aside, put my pride aside…what is still the best way for me to serve my country?” Skelton Cline stated. “Nobody wants to be fired. Nobody. None of us want that experience, especially publicly.”
Skelton Cline also speculated on the need for further Cabinet restructuring to ensure stability in the Virgin Islands amid recent political tension. He noted the importance of building unity and placing the territory’s needs above personal interests, emphasising, “We need the country to progress. We need the country to move forward.”
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
ITS LUST FOR POWER AND NOT LOVE FOR COUNTRY
So untrue. You obviously have no idea what you’re talking about.
Ok ! So natalio feeding you cabinet confidential information, the anonymous consultant is paid well to attack the opposition,if Lorna did anything it would not have been serving country, it would be serving to ensure natalio continuity in power, which is hard to do because he gave himself all the power ministry where his inexperienced will wreck the country. You hypocrite Claude, stop singing for your pay from natalio, time I’d a terrible master, so prepare yourself for it.
Hon. Smith’s decision, unfortunately, reflects both a strategic miscalculation and a lapse in sound judgment. One has to ask: why would she choose to return to an opposition plagued by disorganization and fractious power struggles? If her ambition for the Premiership was so consuming that she’s willing to dive headlong into those troubled waters, then it raises a troubling question—is her motivation truly about serving the country, or merely advancing herself?
If I were Lorna I would not have stayed either. The Premier demonstrated that he has no respect for his colleagues. He should have had a mature adult discussion with Lorna of his intentions. I will leave this here for now.
Her one term self should have taken it
Boi, you done me ah ” FRIG ” which you already admitted and we had already 1
Doesn’t he have a court case to attend for allegedly essentially defrauding the government?
Boi you already admitted you are a “FRIG” and WE
were already discovering how slick you think you are with all that you had gotten away with at the expense of
taxpayers money . / you turn ghost , which was a good relief from you & your cunning smile , somebody need to wack you with a Good BULLPISSLE over yo asZ ,the reason why none of the other 2 RATZ cannot call out the other is BECAUSE ALL 3 OF YOU ARE THE SAME – AND AS THE SAYING GOES – 2 MAN RATZ CANNOT LIVE IN THE SAME HOLE – MUCH MORE ( 3 AH DEM FROM *CGB* AND ALL OF THEM USING THE BIBLE AS A FRONT ) AND THEY ALL BELIEVE THEY CAN OUT SMART GOD, LIKE HOW THEY PROTRAY THE IMAGE OF * HOLINESS * TO US
You ain’t lie. That one there from CGB Church posing as a preacher got a lot of sheep fooled but he can’t fool God.
Who in their right mind would stay in an organisation that offers them a demotion? You are beginning to sound desperate.
we have yet to be told why there were trust issues with the previous Deputy. You owe us an explanation.
So imagine this: your boss comes to you and says you’re not doing a good job, that they’ve lost trust in you, and they fire you. You accepted his decision, move on, settle into another position elsewhere, ready to start a fresh. Then, suddenly, they come back offering you the same workload, but now with a demotion. Not only that, you would lose the autonomy that was crucial for your productivity and be forced to navigate a new layer of bureaucracy, making an already challenging role even harder.
If what this pastor host is saying is true, it speaks volumes about the leadership in question. To me, it’s unreasonable to expect Hon. Smith to even consider this as a viable option. The company has now hired someone less qualified (a man) for the role, while expecting the more qualified person (a woman) to take on the tough work from a subordinate position, all while they enjoy both the financial benefits and career accolades.
This isn’t just unreasonable – it’s unjust.
Imagine this: your boss finds out you were planning a move to take over his position, a betrayal that undermines the foundation of any productive working relationship. Upon discovering this, he makes the choice to dismiss you, given the loss of trust. Later, however, he realizes there may still be value in your skills under different conditions—conditions that curb the autonomy you previously enjoyed and impose stricter oversight. Sounds reasonable to me.
There are several ways to respond to your scenario, but I’ll keep it simple. In this situation, the boss should make a clean decision and move on. If the claim is that an employee can’t be trusted, there’s no scenario in which keeping them on makes sense. By retaining them, you’re exposing the company to unnecessary risk. That employee might even become vindictive and more motivated to challenge your authority.
My recommendation? Find someone just as or even more capable, with similar value to add, and move forward.
And maybe it’s worth asking: would you want to work for someone who publicly questioned your trustworthiness, demoted you, and placed you under “stricter oversight”? I certainly wouldn’t.
Quite frankly, Hon. Smith shouldn’t be held accountable for her boss’s paranoia and fragile ego. If the boss were doing his job well, he wouldn’t be worried about a “takeover.” If his decision was truly motivated by a fear of being replaced – which I now suspect is the case – then he’s far more insecure and irrational than I initially thought. While some may applaud his decision, it looks to me like a desperate move, lacking strategic foresight.
This choice will likely backfire. By sidelining a more qualified employee and bringing in someone less capable and more power hungry, he’s only empowered those with questionable motives and emboldened others to test his authority. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the team starts “pulling ranks,” as they say. His own incompetence, insecurity and poor judgment, not Hon. Smith’s actions, are what undermine any hope for a productive workplace.
If, after all this, you still see this as reasonable, then respectfully, I’d argue you’re part of the problem.
The way I see this whole thing is that Lorna’s Financial Services Conference in St. Martin was of serious concern to the power structure. There is no other representative that can pull off this type of International Event which I dare say caused some envy and jealousy. The minions around the premier were probably buzzing like a hive of bees hence the decision to relieve her of her position. This is not about country its about protecting the image of one man. After the fact he must have realized that the equation would remain the same once she joined the opposition i.e. anyone on the government side could bring it down so cunningly she was offered the junior minister position simply to strengthen the government and be an underdog in Financial Services matters contributing her knowledge and expertise but not getting the credit. Lorna is too savvy to fall for that she knows exactly the game that is being played. All one has to do is drive around the island and it becomes obvious to anyone with intuition what the mindset of those in authority is. What luck for leaders that people don’t think.
That’s the way the cookie crumbles in BVI. We just wrap it up in some ole time religion. Anyone who dares to stand against gets the cat claws..pss..pss and the blood of Jeezzus is against you and the rest of the evil bullshit.
SO WHAT
BVI please beware. When you don’t belt a criminal properly – They could run again for office and the next time could very well win and become our next Premier (see world wide news now)- BVI Say No to Fraud Clyne Skeleton Now!
OK Cindy, back to the whatsapp group chat now.
“Sometimes we need to step back and say, you know what? Put my ego aside, put my pride aside…what is still the best way for me to serve my country?” Skelton Cline stated.
This hypocritical comment reeks of patriarchal stench – like a bar urinal! So SHE should put the country first? Save the country? Why isn’t the Premier held to the same standard? If he truly believes she’s the most qualified for the role – as his attempt to bring her back suggests – shouldn’t HE set aside his ego, his pride and thirst for power – in the name of ‘country first’ – and let her remain in the position? No one with sound reasoning could argue his actions were indeed in the country’s best interest.
Mr. Cline, your rhetoric and persona expose you as one of the biggest opportunists around. Even for someone like you, there must be some standard. Come on man please, stop groveling like a wharf dog.
I MUST SAY , YOU CAME ACROSS STRONG AND ITS NICE WHEN WE CAN READ SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE ON THESE NEW SITES / HOPEFULLY WE HOPE IT WILL HELP THOSE WITH NEGATIVE MENTALITY TO CEANSE THEIR DIRT AND EVIL THOUGHTS AND START WRITING AND BLOGGING ON THE POSITIVE FOR A CHANGE / @ DELIAH ) WE KNOW ITS YOU WIGO WHO BLOGGED THAT SH*T ABOUT THE LADY / YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR BADMOUTHING HABITS / ANF STAY ON YOUR YELLO SITE AND TRY WRITING THE TRUTH AND RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE’S RIGHTS ,AND BLOGGING UNDER DIFFERENT
NAMES TO DECIEVE US YOU AIN’T A JUDGE / MUCH MORE GOD
Because the wise thing to do was to take the Junior minister position and secretly work on a revenge strategy to over throw the Premier…