‘We are not a serious people; We are busy playing politics’- Skelton-Cline
According to Skelton-Cline, the Virgin Islands' economic vulnerability, particularly in relation to Trump’s policies, will have a direct and unavoidable impact on the British Overseas Territory.
"We are not going to be able to escape what President Trump is doing to the American economy; Because their economy is also our economy. Our dollar is their dollar," Mr Skelton-Cline stated on his Honestly Speaking show on ZBVI 780 AM on March 11, 2025.
‘Change gets strange’
Additionally, he warned that inflation, recession, and economic uncertainty in the US would directly affect the Virgin Islands, qualifying his position by positing, "When people's money gets funny and strange, change gets strange.”
According to Skelton-Cline, reduced disposable income among American tourists will result in a drop in cruise ship passengers, fewer visitors, and lower spending in the territory.
"Are we getting ourselves prepared for what is happening on the earth and particularly what President Trump is doing to his own economy?; Don’t mind what his lips are saying. That’s lip service. Look at the markets. Look at what Forbes is saying."
Additionally, he observed that some 65 percent of employment in the VI is linked to the tourism industry, which is under immediate threat due to the economic policies in the US
"When people can no longer afford vacations, when they can't get on cruises from Cape Canaveral, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale, that means fewer ships, fewer passengers, and fewer dollars spent in our territory.”
In Office; Not in Power
Not mincing words in condemning the lack of strategic planning by the 13 elected representatives in the HoA, he was questioning, "In what way are you hearing the 13 elected officials speak to any of this in any systematic way that lets us out for some alternative?"
As such, he posits, “What we are experiencing as citizens of these Virgin Islands is a failure of leadership. Sometimes I get the sense that the people we elect are in office, but not in power."
He further asserted that the government has been deafeningly silent on key issues such as trade and food security, noting that the territory is wholly dependent on imports and remains at the mercy of external economic forces.
"Where are we with negotiations in setting up direct trade routes with Latin America, Santo Domingo, and elsewhere; Where are we stockpiling? Because I will tell you what grocers are telling us from even North America: America's government is stockpiling certain non-perishable items because the intelligentsia knows what's getting ready to happen."
It should be noted that Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) has intentions of traveling to the Dominican Republic to negotiate a trade deal, as part of the response to the need for food security.
Serious Leadership & Accountability
Repeatedly chastising the Virgin Islands Government for its lack of urgency in addressing these critical issues, Skelton-Cline was adamant, "We are not a serious people; We are busy playing politics and bowing to the god that is politics."
Additionally, he criticised the absence of a clear strategy from government leaders, stating that the territory is trapped in a vicious cycle of debt and inaction and likened the current political state to an ‘ant milling’ phenomenon—where leaders become trapped in a circular motion, unable to find a way forward.
"We must find a way out of this situation that the external powers are putting the whole world into; How could this be a game changer when you and I keep playing the same game?"
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