Workers Party of Barbados explained

Workers Party of Barbados
Leader:George Belle
Foundation:1 May 1985
Ideology:Marxism
Country:Barbados

The Workers Party of Barbados was a Marxist political party in Barbados. The party was established on 1 May 1985 by Dr. George Belle, who served as the general secretary of the party.[1] The party had a pro-Soviet orientation and grew out of MONALI, an earlier Marxist movement based at the Cave Hill University of the West Indies campus which had gained national notoriety during the 1983 Grenada invasion.[2] [3] [1] When announcing the transformation of MONALI into the Workers Party of Barbados, Belle affirmed the party would be organized along the lines of democratic centralism and would work on a basis of a programme of "progressive reforms and revolutionary democratic demands".[4] The founders of the party included trade unionist Ricky Parry.[5]

The party contested the 1986 elections, when it presented two candidates.[6] The party received just 40 votes, failed to win a seat, and did not run in any further elections.[7]

WPB called for a boycott of the 1986 Commonwealth Games, in protest against Margaret Thatcher's support for participation of South African athletes.[8] Barbados later joined the boycott of the event.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.google.at/books/edition/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8/BWMmAAAAMAAJ Политические партии: справочник
  2. Perry Mars. Ideology and Change: The Transformation of the Caribbean Left. Wayne State University Press, 1998. pp. 58-59
  3. Latin American Regional Reports: Caribbean report. Latin American Newsletters, Limited, 1984. p. 8
  4. Quarterly Economic Review of Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Windward & Leeward Islands, Vol. 1. Economist Intelligence Unit Limited, 1985. pp. 16, 19
  5. Antilla, Issues 157-177. Imprimerie Absalon, 1985. p. 28
  6. http://www.caribbeanelections.com/bb/elections/bb_results_1986.asp Barbados General Election Results - 28 May 1986
  7. [Dieter Nohlen]
  8. Heather L. Dichter, Andrew L. Johns. Diplomatic Games: Sport, Statecraft, and International Relations since 1945. University Press of Kentucky, 2014
  9. Web site: 8 More Nations Join Boycott of Commonwealth Games; Total Now 23 . Los Angeles Times. 20 July 1986 . 20 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170221010750/http://articles.latimes.com/1986-07-20/news/mn-17233_1_commonwealth-games . 21 February 2017 . live .