South Windward: From Stronghold to Swing Seat

With Andrew John gaining traction and voters weary of neglect, the ULP’s grip on its once-reliable bastion is loosening fast.

Biabou, September 8, 2025 — By Jason Alexander The Sentinel

For decades, South Windward was a fortress the ULP took for granted. But years of bad roads, crime, praedial larceny, unemployment, and rising prices have turned loyalty into resentment. Now, with Andrew John’s grassroots touch and empathy cutting through, voters are signaling that complacency has a price and the ULP may soon be forced to pay it.

South Windward has long been a prized possession of the Unity Labour Party (ULP). First captured by Vincent Beache, later passed to his son Glen Beache, and held for the past 15 years by Augustus Stephenson, the constituency has been locked in red for decades. But the tide is turning. For the first time since Vincent Beache wrestled it away, South Windward looks like it could fall.

The truth is this: the ULP’s loosening grip on South Windward is not mainly about the replacement of Augustus Stephenson with Rodan John over Louis Daisley. That decision certainly bruised grassroots feelings, but the deeper problem is neglect. Roads are in disrepair, praedial larceny continues unchecked, crime weighs on families, unemployment and poverty drag households down, and the high cost of living suffocates daily life. Conditions are bad in South Windward, and they are bad nationally. And when conditions are this bad, no candidate — no matter how loyal or well-branded — can simply ride the party’s coattails to victory.

The mood on the ground confirms this. In Stubbs, the race is evenly poised. Calder is just as divided, with neither side able to pull ahead. Peruvian Vale has swung noticeably toward the NDP. Victoria Village, a traditional NDP base, is showing an even stronger opposition surge. Bonne Homme, also historically NDP, is firming up its support. Carapan remains split, with both parties competing for advantage. And Biabou, the traditional anchor of Labour strength, is still red but shifting fast. If Biabou continues its slide, the symbolism will stretch far beyond the constituency — it will show a national drift away from the ULP.

On the other side, the NDP’s candidate Andrew John is proving to be a formidable choice. A former teacher and union activist, he is well known and well respected across the constituency. Affable, approachable, and a natural communicator, he spends time in the community — listening, socializing, and empathizing. These personal qualities have made him a strong connector with voters. And importantly, he is capitalizing on the groundwork laid by the previous NDP candidate, Noel Dickson, who kept the party’s flame alive here.

South Windward has always been considered safe Labour territory. But safe seats can only remain safe when people feel cared for. Today, neglect has weakened the walls of the fortress. And while the ULP has relied on loyalty and tradition, Andrew John offers something different: a fresh connection, a credible alternative, and a promise of change rooted in both personal trust and national urgency.

If South Windward falls, it won’t just be about one candidate or one village. It will be a judgment on years of drift and decline. And it will be the loudest warning yet that change is coming to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.