No More Recycling Politicians, Skelton-Cline
On the July 7 episode of What We Know Is Not True, Skelton-Cline urged established politicians to step aside and called for real succession planning across the Virgin Islands. He warned that clinging to past ways blocks young leaders and risks stagnation in local government and the economy.
On Part 5 of the online programme What We Know Is Not True on July 7, 2026, Skelton-Cline delivered a blunt message to long-serving public officials: it is time to stop recycling the same politicians and make way for new leadership. "Some of us keep living in yesterday, and what some of us don’t seem to understand is that yesterday is not coming back.
This is why I am no longer in favour of recycling politicians. You've been in the scene 12, 16, 20 years; move off the scene," he said, arguing that leaders must recognise when they are wrong and take steps to fix problems even if doing so could cost them in the next election. Skelton-Cline framed the issue as one of accountability and renewal.
He said politicians in power must "do the right thing even if it means being voted out in the next election cycle," adding that the Territory cannot afford leaders who protect their position at the expense of needed change. A central theme of his remarks was the failure of succession planning across the Virgin Islands. "We do a poor plan; we really don’t want a succession plan.
We really don’t want the things that we talk about because it’s going to mean that we must change, and we are not prepared to change. We’re prepared to talk about change," he said, using forthright language to underline the gap between rhetoric and action. Skelton-Cline pointed to the pool of younger people who stood for election in 2019 as an opportunity missed.
He said those who sought office then should now be in positions benefiting from mentorship and targeted training so that when they assume greater responsibility they are not "coming as fresh and brand new and not knowing the system. We’re going to have to be intentional about our leadership and not just drifting in the wilderness." For residents of the British Virgin Islands, the call is both political and practical.
Advocates of renewal say genuine succession planning and mentorship could improve public service delivery, strengthen the local economy, and ensure continuity in government agencies. Critics of entrenched politicians argue that turnover may bring fresh ideas and better responsiveness to changing needs.
Skelton-Cline concluded with a reminder that nostalgia cannot be a substitute for progress: "If we want a better tomorrow, we’re going to have to make some different decisions." Whether the Territory’s political culture will heed that challenge remains to be seen.
Primary source: VINO