Nicholas Laughlin's blog etc.

Mark Wignall, in his column in today's Jamaica Observer, argues that these latest elections suggest tribal politics there is on the wane:

"One of the highpoints of the campaign leading up to the October 16 general elections was the many moments when green shirt labourites and orange-clad PNP supporters were seen hugging and partying with each other....

"The violence taking place now in the Mountain View area and on the long-troubled, dangerous Rema/Denham Town border is to me less an indication that more of the tribal politics is with us and more a signal that we are going to experience pain when 'dutty politics' is in its death throes."

He thinks, & I agree, that the greatest obstacle to ending Jamaica's "dutty politics" is Edward Seaga, who like most Caribbean politicians simply does not know when his time is up. Who are the JLP's independent thinkers? Are they brave enough to tackle the true challenge of their party's next five years in opposition — leadership change?

Not the JLP parliamentary group.