{"id":263886,"date":"2026-01-12T07:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T11:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=263886"},"modified":"2026-01-12T07:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T11:19:15","slug":"opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/","title":{"rendered":"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Opposition MP Kelvin Simon<\/strong> has criticised Prime Minister Gaston Browne<\/strong> over his appearance at the recent One Nation Concert, arguing that the event was misused for political self-promotion rather than national unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a strongly worded social media post, Simon said the concert, which was intended to bring the country together through music and culture, was \u201cmeant to unite the country through music and culture\u2014not be repurposed as a political prop.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Referring to the Prime Minister\u2019s performance persona as \u201cGassy Dread,\u201d Simon said it turned \u201cwhat should have been a moment of national togetherness into an act of desperate self-promotion.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Simon further described the performance as \u201cless tribute than parody,\u201d adding that it was \u201coff-key, disconnected, stripped of reverence reggae culture deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He argued that leadership must approach cultural spaces with restraint, stating, \u201cWhen leadership treats culture as costume out of desperation, unity gives way to discomfort.\u201d He added, \u201cSome spaces require humility, not performance. This was one of them.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Simon also linked his criticism to ongoing public concern about reports surrounding a proposed US$15,000 visa bond for certain United States visa applicants, saying there were still \u201cno answers\u201d on the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNO ANSWERS. ALL NOISE,\u201d Simon wrote. \u201cStill no answers on the $15,000 US visa bond. Just the Gassy Dread Show \u2014 off key, off message and off putting.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The government has not publicly responded to Simon\u2019s comments.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop Opposition MP Kelvin Simon has criticised Prime Minister Gaston Browne over his appearance at the recent One Nation Concert, arguing that the event was misused for political self-promotion rather than national unity. In a strongly worded social media post, Simon said the concert, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":263887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-263886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nOpposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop Opposition MP Kelvin Simon has criticised Prime Minister Gaston Browne over his appearance at the recent One Nation Concert, arguing that the event was misused for political self-promotion rather than national unity. In a strongly worded social media post, Simon said the concert, which […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-12T11:19:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-12T11:19:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_3142.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-12T11:19:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-12T11:19:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/\"},\"wordCount\":252,\"commentCount\":15,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_3142.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/\",\"name\":\"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_3142.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-12T11:19:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-12T11:19:15+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_3142.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_3142.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1536,\"caption\":\"Gassy Dread performs at One Nation Caribbean Music Festival\/pointe fm photo\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop","og_description":"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop Opposition MP Kelvin Simon has criticised Prime Minister Gaston Browne over his appearance at the recent One Nation Concert, arguing that the event was misused for political self-promotion rather than national unity. In a strongly worded social media post, Simon said the concert, which […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2026-01-12T11:19:14+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-12T11:19:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1536,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_3142.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop","datePublished":"2026-01-12T11:19:14+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-12T11:19:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/"},"wordCount":252,"commentCount":15,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_3142.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/","name":"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_3142.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-12T11:19:14+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-12T11:19:15+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_3142.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_3142.jpg","width":2048,"height":1536,"caption":"Gassy Dread performs at One Nation Caribbean Music Festival\/pointe fm photo"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opposition-mp-says-one-nation-concert-was-used-as-political-prop\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Opposition MP Says One Nation Concert Was Used as Political Prop"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263886"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":263889,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263886\/revisions\/263889"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/263887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}