OCTOBER ALL OVER!

The theme song tonight at the end of convention rally of Grenada's ruling National Democratic Congress was "Better Days Are Coming." Interestingly the response chorus to the song was: "They lying, they lying and they lying."

When Black Stalin and then Eric Donaldson did the song -- it was a tongue-in-cheek statement of 'unbelievability'.

And so some of us from the outside watched with unbelievable-awe as guys with the hand grenade, pulled the pin tonight.

The men in charge of the flight, effectively crashed the plane during the ruling National Democratic Congress convention in rural St Andrew's on the eve of October.

The old saying September Remember; October All Over came into full effect.

Inspired by the strategy authored by my good friend William Joseph and built on the long-held leadership ambition of Nazim Burke, the NDC succeeded in tearing its heart out by expelling the foundation members of its 2003 revival.

It traded inclusivity for exclusivity, ignoring the basic arithmetic of politics.

In doing so, Burke got out of the way anyone that may challenge his ascendancy to leadership after Tillman Thomas duly loses his seat in parliament within the next nine months.

But in many ways history is repeating itself.

As he had done in being the RMC's Minister of Finance for a few short days back in 1983, Burke is again set for short term glory, as people settle for long term pain.

In adopting the strategy, the party sacrificed a long term chance for a short term dance -- as the MC for the afternoon rally Ann Peters effectively declared in essence mission accomplished.

If the expulsion was the mission, she was bang on the money.

It reminds me of the US mission in Afghanistan. NDC has decided that victory is not winning against NNP at the polls early next year, but winning against former comrades in September.

New Chairman Franka Bernadine then duly obliged that there is now a party with one view.

It is indeed now a party of one view and many contradictions.

One of the glaring contradictions in the Soviet-style politburo putz  on Sunday is that the party of good governance on the eve of elections has now decided that contracted public servants can hold executive positions.

And in a party that preaches due process, the "rebels" were afforded none, as the divinely appointed submitted to the rule of the mob.

(In another instance of contradiction that was the beef of the gathered press -- we were told no media allowed to the closed door session -- but then George Worme was allowed to witness the process. You interpret this as you may).

Hypocrisy has been in full effect in the lead up to the convention, including a daring silent clamp down on any media the authors of the putz engineered.

There is evidence that there was direct intervention by the Prime Minister's office -- as it had with the Rawle Titus affair -- in influencing the Grenada Broadcasting Network -- in an amazing betrayal and capitulation of a Barbados-based colleague -- to tell Godfrey Augustine he cannot no longer host 'River Stone.'

The reason -- it has become too political and too hostile to the government -- really to mean Thomas and Burke.

A private station was directly threatened last week, as that dreaded call came to the owner that Calistra Farrier should not proceed to interview Glynis Roberts and others.

Other than the blatant hypocrisy of this government, Grenada is facing a cold, dark reality  -- in the context of where democracy is hijacked -- liberty is under strain.

The "heavy manners" is not limited to the "10 rebels"-- and if we don't stand up as a nation, and not just take note, but also act, heaven knows who can be next. 

But on another note, a party that has confusion and ungratefulness in its DNA, is heading for a 1999 style beating that nobody -- not the expelled 10 -- could have saved.

No matter how good you are, it's hard to promote a defective product.

And, in all the political drama which unfolded on Sunday -- there was one moment of classlessness and near treachery that we should not let anyone forget.

The then outgoing chairman Stanford Simon duly showed up to take charge of the meeting on Sunday.

Sensing a tension, he approached Nazim Burke and Glen Noel and said to them if it is the wish of the executive for him not to chair the meeting, he is willing to opt out.

They assured him it is not the will, and then allowed him to start  the meeting -- only to move to embarrass him and unceremoniously throw him out.

Maybe the lesson here is that there are some men whose word you can never take.

And finally, a passing comment.

Now that the men with the hand grenade can claim victory amidst the crash, prove me wrong and test it in the wider playing field.

In the words of the soca hit -- if you bad, touch a button.