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Front page proof reveals SKN Labour Party’s contempt and ridicule toward Nevis and its leaders on the eve of nationhood.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (SKN Times) — In a shocking throwback that lays bare the true sentiments of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) at the dawn of our nationhood, a resurfaced front-page clipping from the Labour Spokesman — the official mouthpiece of the SKNLP — reveals how the party openly ridiculed Independence in 1983 and poured scorn on the people of Nevis and their leadership.

This was no idle slip of the pen. It was a deliberate, calculated show of disdain — a reflection of the deep-seated contempt the SKNLP held for Nevis, its aspirations, and its leaders at a time when unity was most needed. Instead of rallying behind the twin-island federation’s first steps toward sovereignty, Labour’s propaganda machinery chose to mock, belittle, and deride Nevisians, questioning their legitimacy and dismissing their contributions to the independence struggle.

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A Party That Mocked Nationhood

The Labour Spokesman front page stands as undeniable evidence: while the rest of the Caribbean and the world embraced St. Kitts and Nevis’ entry onto the international stage, Labour’s newspaper was weaponized to ridicule the very idea of independence itself. The tone dripped with sarcasm, painting the historic moment not as a triumph but as a joke.

This wasn’t just political banter — it was a direct assault on the people’s will. It was an effort to delegitimize the federation’s birth, to turn joy into derision, and to fracture the fragile bonds of nationhood before they could even be strengthened.

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Targeting Nevis with Disdain

The article’s scorn was most cutting toward Nevis. By ridiculing Nevisian leaders and their push for recognition and inclusion, Labour’s newspaper laid bare the dismissive arrogance of the SKNLP toward the sister island. The message was clear: Nevis was to be treated as a junior partner, an afterthought, a source of ridicule rather than respect.

This was not only politically irresponsible — it was morally bankrupt. On the eve of independence, instead of building bridges of trust, Labour built walls of contempt. Instead of affirming Nevis’ rightful place in the federation, they sought to humiliate its leadership and belittle its people.

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A Dark Legacy That Cannot Be Erased

Forty-two years later, the resurfaced clipping is more than just a yellowed piece of newsprint. It is a stark reminder of the Labour Party’s historic betrayal of national unity. While Sir Kennedy Simmonds and the founding leadership fought to cement the federation’s sovereignty on the global stage, the Labour Party, through its mouthpiece, was busy sneering at Nevis and scorning independence itself.

This disdain cannot be excused as youthful indiscretion or forgotten as outdated politics. The scars remain. For many Nevisians, it crystallized a long-standing distrust of Basseterre’s Labour elite — a distrust that continues to shape political realities today.

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Conclusion: Labour’s True Colours

The resurfaced Spokesman front page is a smoking gun, a historical indictment of the SKNLP’s contemptuous view of Nevis and its people in 1983. While the nation was preparing to take its rightful place in the world, Labour chose to mock the dream of sovereignty and ridicule the Nevisian spirit.

The people of Nevis must never forget: on the eve of independence, when unity was required most, the Labour Party chose division, disdain, and derision.

History has recorded their betrayal in black and white. And today, as the federation reflects on 42 years of independence, some say this front-page reminder of Labour’s ridicule serves as proof of the party’s true colors — then, as some say now.

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