Opposition Leader Stephenson King
Leader of the Opposition United Workers Party (UWP) Stephenson King returned to the island last weekend after participating in two major international political conferences in Europe where he successfully presented the party’s bid for membership to the International Democrat Union (IDU).
King’s first engagement was with the British Conservative Party of the United Kingdom where he held discussions with the director of international relations and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy Programme at the Conservative International Office.
The meeting focused on the further strengthening of relations between the Conservatives and the UWP and reviewed areas of technical cooperation, programming, and the UWP’s membership application to the IDU, which was pending before its executive committee.
While in London, King was also invited by the Conservative Party to pay homage to, and sign the condolence book for the late Bareness Margaret Thatcher, former British prime minister, ahead of the official funeral which was held last Wednesday.
Following his engagements in London, King then proceeded to Helsinki, Finland where he attended the meeting of the International Democrat Union standing committee on foreign affairs in his capacity as interim chairman of the Caribbean Democrat Union (CDU).
King also presented a report to the IDU executive committee on the progress being made towards the re-launch of the CDU in the region, ever since he assumed the leadership role after being nominated by regional political parties in February this year.
At this same meeting, King successfully defended the United Workers Party’s application for membership to the IDU, which was sponsored by the British Conservative Party and unanimously supported by the committee.
The International Democrat Union, of which the CDU is one of its regional member unions, comprises seven geographic regional unions of political parties which subscribe conservative principles and values, including political liberty, personal freedom, equality of opportunity and economic development under the rule of law.
These principles and values will be honoured by the United Workers Party as it continues to rebuild and reorganise itself in preparation for governance after the next general elections constitutionally due in December 2016.