Ex-radio show host given job as Unity whip
(CNS): Former radio talk-show host and the MLA for Prospect, Austin Harris, has been appointed as the whip for the National Unity government, officials have now revealed. The independent member of the government’s back-benches and a councillor in the premier’s ministry will be responsible for ‘whipping’ into line the members of this coalition government in order to steer its legislative agenda through parliament. The first party whip in Cayman was Lyndon Martin, who was appointed to the position for the United Democratic Party when it formed in 2001.
Joey Hew was understood to have acted informally as the PPM whip in the last administration but it seems this is the first time the Progressives have taken the step to formalise the job. Given that the Cabinet members, or front bench are obligated to support the government through collective responsibility, Harris will need to keep just four MLAs (two from the PPM and two from the CDP) as well as himself in line.
Despite the small number, the former host of a radio phone-in show is being dispatched to London to train how to do the job, officials have revealed in a press release. This was the first public admission that Harris had been given the responsibility of ensuring the PPM-led government gets the votes it needs and stops rogue back-benchers abstaining, missing votes or, worse, voting against government’s legislative measures.
Premier Alden McLaughlin said, “As both the constitutional and legislative processes in the Cayman Islands continue to evolve, it is important that members receive the necessary training and exposure to enable the effective operation of government in parliament.”
Harris will be in Westminster for two weeks “to understudy” the offices of the whips for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, a release from the premier’s office stated..
Even though he has been appointed by the premier to the newly established job as whip, there was no indication from government that Harris has now joined the Progressives, an issue he denied in October last year, around the time it appears he was given this new role.
Nevertheless, given the position he now holds, he will be obligated to support the full government agenda, which undermines any claim that Harris makes that he is an independent member.
Category: Local News
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Once he has mastered the whip, will he also be learning the neigh neigh?
Hahaaaa sound like Bernie has a whoopin coming he better try stay off the damn radio now, beating up on his own Unity Government, what a buffoon, we should organize a wrestling match between Austin and Bernie
I was looking at the numbers and going over it in my head, and I think I finally figured out what made him bold enough to do this
If you look at the numbers in prospect Lucille Seymour was second, she ran on the PPM ticket while Austin (obviously) came first, while he will likely lose a percentage of his voter base by getting into bed with the PPM he will likely be able to pick up some of (or all) of his lost votes if he runs with the PPM endorsement next election (they won’t run a candidate they will just endorse him for the constituency) It is the same basic arrangement they appear to have with Tara Rivers
So in the end even if his base feels betrayed he will pick up new PPM voters in the constituency and will likely be in that seat as long as he works with the PPM
who whips the whip?…or does austin now just do what alden says?
Alden whips Austin and then Austin gets mad and whips the other four in his infinite rage
“Whip-ception”
Will Ozzie being doing a formal handover?
The 2 week “trip to the UK” is actually just going to be how long they reckon it will take Austin to track down Ozzie in exile and get the PPM party approved whip back from him
This is why Ozzie is so sorely missed. Nobody whips quite like the Oz and his Cow Cod.
Hmm… interesting move Mr. Premier! I guess it makes sense to make sure your back is covered given that Mr. Harris came in as an independent and now is apart of your unity government and a Councillor in your ministry! So now he becomes the ‘whip’ within your government to keep things in line. We continue to sit back and watch your show on display for this country and the world and see all the ‘poli-tricks’ at play.
Alden has started the fight back against #MeToo by giving jobs to people who abuse women. What a counter-revolutionary.
Leave him alone now he’s in the best place now getting paid to keep his mouth shut . You don’t want him on the Radio that would be too much for everyone .
But the radio station’s demographic was mediocre losers, so it was not that much of a problem.
Perfect choice for the position of Whip in our S#%T hole.
It takes so little to be impressed by some people and be promoted.
Having the guts to get drunk and hit women seems to be enough apparently.
I do love a good whipping.
As a consolation – it could have been “taxi fare” Matt-Matt.
you can’t make this stuff up!
nothing…and i mean nothing..makes sense in cayman.
Makes as much sense as a President Trump.
so this non-job could not have been carried out by one of the existing government members????
mickey mouse wears a cig wrist watch!
a non government mla is acting as the whip????
just another day in wonderland…….
Boy, us Caymanians can’t see one of our get anywhere in life..Crabs in a bucket..
Alden would have been better off sending an expat..would have been the same thing
so true..we complain about never getting ahead but can never allow on of our own to progress..
Makes me ashamed of what we have become..What happened to my Caymanians?
CaymanKind, buddy.
Newsflash:
Caymanians are not above criticism by virtue of being Caymanian especially those in elected office
We ought to be criticizing our own MORE, holding ourselves to a higher standard than the rest
and that shouldn’t be news to you Austin did a hell of a lot of it when he was on the radio and now, what?
Not a peep
But I’m sure when 2021 rolls around he will be out boasting and assuring the public about how he kept the government on the straight and narrow from the inside
And will raise the woman beater his pay handsomely i suppose, what a shame.
Austin, Austin, Austin, SMH
Will Austin finally come out and admit it?
He does not have to admit it. His actions are proving it. Time will tell and hopefully the polls at the next election will put him where they feel he belongs.
He funny funny?
Signing bonuses all round!!! I wonder what the other Independents got ?
I can see his style now “I hit women, so do what I say”.
Austin one time MLA so let him finsh his 4 years kissing a$$ wasted of vote
A lot of haters commenting Austin tell dem you’ve only just begun. Watch this mans political career he will go places as he understands politics. Ona hush up.
He should’ve been convicted for assault about he was too drunk to remember total bs
The man spent years on the radio criticizing the Government PPM and CDP
and nothing has changed in the time since the election but Austin is completely silent and seems to be sticking to the Unity Government script
So yes people are upset
We in Prospect are quite happy with him and his performance so far and that is all he needs to worry about getting elected next time . Give the man chance to prove himself…
“First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
Stop the Caymanian hating!
Really, you’re happy with another PPM member in your constituency
that’s funny because I don’t recall Lucille Seymour winning
Speak for your damn self bout “we in Prospect” smh
I think out of control drunkeness, black outs and violence against women to be more than a “speck in the eye”. Don’t you?
Better than our convicted cocaine dealer.
We don’t talk about that
That’s wonderful 12:31. What has Mr. Austin done to make you “quite happy with him and his performance so far”?
Anyone else noticed it other than me:
“We in Prospect are quite happy with him and his performance so far”
and “all he needs to worry about getting elected next time”
but we need to “Give the man chance to prove himself”
Clueless supporters are my favorite
Is he a great MLA who only needs to focus on getting reelected or should we “give him a chance to prove himself” because it cannot be both
Christ help us! Is he getting a raise too ?
CNS,
I know that Finance committee has held a meeting this week (two I if you include the awards to the government entities)
But do you know when the House as a whole will be back in session? They have been adjourned for 2 months now, give or take (part of November, all of December and by the looks of it all of January)
Do they think we haven’t noticed they aren’t working??
8 months in office and no one can tell me one thing they have done for Cayman so far, other than pass budget
They could not have picked a better person. Whip eh! Maybe this is the progressives way of keeping him in line instead of the other way around. If he is not Progressive perhaps he would go rogue and voted down some of their motions. What a tangle web weave.
Austin might as well join the PPM considering he is now Alden’s new pet. SMH
Shame on you mr sell out Austin
Chhhh Austin
This is not what you promised your constituents
I’m not saying you have to just go to the opposition and scream and shout
but organizing the votes for the government is not what an semi-autonomous member of government does
You claim to be independent and not a part of the PPM then let a PPM member whip the votes because if you do it, it makes you their lapdog
I’ve studied politics for all of my life
You don’t appoint someone to be the Whip unless they are with the plan
In the Senate in the US the Whip is the second to the leader on the floor, they have to stick together, the Whip doesn’t get to think for him or herself the Whip does what the leader says
Austin cannot be an independent with his own ration, ideas and most importantly his own free vote and be Whip at the same time
Imagine someone who comes to you and says you have to vote with the coalition, and then that same person votes against the coalition
Long story short, this simply means that the people of Prospect might as well have picked Lucille Seymour because now Austin has officially settled in as a government member and has surrendered his vote to Alden
Very similar to Tara Rivers she might have IND behind her name on the ballot but we all know she is going to continue to vote PPM as long as she can have her ministry and Hon.
It’s sad because I was one of the ones who defended him last year when he first joined, I said he would likely supplement the government for stability and try to work form the inside to effect change
but clearly he is willing to just go along with the agenda, another blow to the independents movement
Diogenes of Cayman
What a load of bollocks.
What a sellout enjoy the money for the next three years you are finished in 2021!
Just as the rest of the world is turning on men who abuse women, Alden is giving jobs to a man who hits hits partner. Keep it classy Cayman.
Know what they say.. birds and all that
look out for an entire groip of docile women showing up for work wearing their dark glasses because they have been crying all night and don’t want anyone to see the red eye. Another secret society!!