By Jolly Green

Here is a story which I have chosen to write because one of Gonsalves cronies in the usual way could not help themselves and bragged to the wrong supposed supporters at Crown Heights during the recent UN meetings in New York, telling what had been arranged to bring down the National Democratic Party in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Early in this story, the readers should be reminded that Dr. Ralph E Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a serial liar. He even stated in Parliament that “I sometimes tell lies.” In almost every sentence he utters there is a lie or two.
Ref: https://vincikallaloo.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/is-gonsalves-a-liar/
Ref: https://www.iwnsvg.com/2014/06/08/did-gonsalves-write-the-letter-signed-by-his-press-secretary/
Ref: https://www.iwnsvg.com/2016/03/11/police-and-protesters-clash-in-st-vincent-video/

When Gonsalves heard about SCL [formerly Strategic Communication Laboratories] running from the US, he thought he had won the political lottery. In his best political, scientific way, he instantly saw the opportunity to drive enough nails into the NDP coffin to seal it closed forever.
Ref: https://www.iwnsvg.com/2018/03/28/gonsalves-says-hes-subject-of-scls-nasty-campaign/

It was also an opportunity to take people’s minds from the continuing allegations of sexual assault and rape against him. Because once again a woman came forward in New York and alleged he had sexually assaulted her. In 2016 Miranda Wood, formerly of the Vincentian town of Layou, at a Crown Heights meeting took to the microphone and blurted out: “I am a young lady. I was 15 years old when I walked up to your office, and you attacked me.”
Ref: https://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2016/10/2016-09-30-nk-svg-pm-town-hall-cl.html
Miranda Wood once again confronted Gonsalves some days ago in New York in front of TV cameras, publicly making allegations of sexual assault once more. Gonsalves purposely never had a town hall meeting at Crown Heights this year, fearing such confrontation, but it came to him anyway. Like he has never been to Canada since Ms Parsons charged him with sexual assault, now he will stay away from Crown Heights in fear of Miranda Woods.

SCL Group (formerly Strategic Communication Laboratories –
Ref: beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Companies House.
– was a private British behavioural research and strategic communication company.
Ref: “SCL group Ltd – filing history and public records.” Companies House, UK.
In the United States, SCL has gained public recognition mainly through its subsidiary Cambridge Analytica.
Ref: Sellers, Frances Stead (2015-10-19). “Cruz campaign paid $750,000 to ‘psychographic profiling’ company”. The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286
It performs data mining and data analysis on its audience. Based on results, communications will be specifically targeted to key audience groups to modify behaviour in accordance with the goal of SCL’s client. The company describes itself as a “global election management agency.”
Ref: “SCL Group – Home”
London-based SCL was founded by Nigel Oakes who serves as its CEO.
Ref: Dubious Dealing”. Bloomberg.com.
SCL formed Cambridge Analytica to participate in the election process in the United States.
Ref: theguardian.com. The Observer.
It entered the U.S. market in 2012 and was involved in 44 U.S. congressional, US Senate and state-level elections in the 2014 midterm elections.
Ref: The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286
In 2015 it was disclosed that the company had entered the Republican Party presidential primaries for the 2016 election, primarily in support of Ted Cruz. CA is heavily funded by hedge-fund billionaire Robert Mercer, a major supporter of Cruz –
Ref: Vogel, Kenneth P (7 July 2015). “Cruz partners with donor’s ‘psychographic’ firm.” Politico.
– and then Donald Trump, –
Ref: Cadwalladr, Carole (26 February 2017). “Robert Mercer: theguardian.com. The Observer.
– and is now under investigation by both the UK and the US governments.

On 1 May 2018, SCL Group stated that it would be closing operations due to the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
Ref: https://sclgroup.cc/home
SCL group is owned by its parent company SCL Elections.
Ref: Ghoshal, Debjyot (28 March 2018). “The amazing reach of Cambridge Analytica.” Quartz / Reuters.

Gonsalves knew that Henley and Partners were operating Citizenship by Investment [CBI] schemes in many parts of the World. He knew there was a tie-up between SLC and Henley and Partners, and that because SLC had been ousted in the US accused of interfering in elections to change election results.
Ref: https://searchlight.vc/searchlight/front-page/2009/11/20/referendum-campaign-trail-heats-to-boiling-point/
Gonsalves immediately claimed that at the hands of SLC and the NDP he had been subjected to the same treatment in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines elections in 2010 and 2015. He saw the benefits of making such claims because it took the heat off of him and the Unity Labour Party in alleged vote rigging and election irregularities.
Ref: https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Caribbean-Elections-in-the-Age-of-Cambridge-Analytica-Nasty-External-Interference-in-St-Vincent-and-the-Grenadines-20180726-0013.html

Nothing was further from the truth, and Gonsalves knew that but to make such claims served his cause. He had made such claims many times in the past.

After running around the UK and US newspaper groups, he eventually found one in each country that wanted to listen to him and publish a story. What newspaper editors do not realise yet is that what Gonsalves has imparted to them is false news based on lies and half truths, a concoction to fatally damage the NDP and put them out of any chance of re-election for many years to come.

In the early days, the NDP was connected to Strategic Communication Laboratories founded by Nigel Oakes, for some years Sir James Mitchell was a Director or/and Regional adviser to them. But Arnhim Eustace president of the NDP and leader of the opposition in parliament had no part of that, then or later, he never took funding from them and would never be involved in anything illegal or anything that could be construed as dirty tricks. Eustace has always been called Mr. Clean because that is what he is Mr. Clean. That’s one of the reasons that Gonsalves hates him, he is everything that Gonsalves isn’t.

It is most evident, in the 2010 elections and the 2015 election in SVG the NDP never mentioned anywhere in their manifestos they were going to introduce a CBI scheme in SVG. That was something that Gonsalves had to enter into the equation to do the most damage and was a plausible story because in fact from time to time Eustace had mentioned CBI. It was quite clearly not hard and fast NDP policy at that time; otherwise, it would have been illuminated in a prime position in their Election Manifestos, it never appeared anywhere in the manifestos.

In fact, the CBI scheme never became a big topic until 2016/17/18 when the NDP came down solidly to be in favour of introducing it.

Did the NDP ever pay SCL to act for them? Did the NDP ever receive money from SCL towards their election campaign costs? I have no evidence one way or the other, but if Gonsalves said they did then in my book that is a good reason to believe they did not. I quite simply cannot find anything he says after hearing him speak on the radio during a parliamentary debate “I sometimes tell lies.”

What I would imagine knowing all the players is that Sir James Mitchell turned from supporting Arnhim Eustace and promoting him as Prime Minister to hating and disparaging Eustace because Eustace simply would not play the SCL game while Mitchell was part of SCL and on their payroll. Eustace turned out to be the only decent politician in the game at that time and has remained so ever since.

What Gonsalves never mentions is that he and the ULP use what I consider a similar company to SCL to run their elections, Peter Wickham and his firm Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES).
Here is an insight into that.
https://www.iwnsvg.com/2011/09/07/ulp-denies-buying-votes-backs-bajan-pollster/
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06BRIDGETOWN239_a.html

IMAGE: Dr. Ralph E Gonsalves

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