OPINION: Barbara Coates Bows Out – The Uphill Battle Against Anthony Smith Jr. Was Just Too Much Barbara Coates’ quiet exit from the political race in All Saints West is no surprise, because from the very beginning, it was clear, this was never her fight to win.
Coates, the United Progressive Party’s (UPP) now-former candidate for the constituency, has finally accepted what the ground has been whispering for months defeating Anthony Smith Jr. was a mountain too steep to climb. It wasn’t just political, it was personal. The people of All Saints West have already chosen a leader they know, trust, and see all the time. Trying to unseat him without those same grassroots credentials was not just ambitious,it was near impossible.
From the outset, Barbara Coates struggled to connect with the people. Her presence in the constituency felt more like a formality than a force. In villages like Sea View Farm, where street credibility, community touch, and visibility matter, she was seen as distant,more at home than among the people and community.
While Anthony Smith Jr. was doing what he did all his life, walking the roads, showing up for the sport clubs, lending a hand on local projects, while Coates was still trying to explain who she was. Ambition alone doesn’t win votes, especially in a constituency where familiarity, humility, and service are currency. Her attempts to bridge the gap came off as calculated and late and the people of All Saints West saw through it.
Though she attempted to frame her quiet and reserved nature as “shyness,” it read to many as disinterest or disconnect. That’s a fatal flaw in a constituency where representation is personal and politics is as much about emotional connection as it is about policy.
Anthony Smith Jr. is not just the MP. He’s our “Home town Hero” the young man that loves and help people, #Legit with Smith
Don’t matter what party, you can’t deny that the man has put in the work. Be it on the sports field, helping the residents, or attending a funeral or school event, his face is familiar, and his efforts are not just consistent but genuine. Barbara Coates simply couldn’t match that.
As her campaign sputtered, Coates began looking elsewhere and now, she’s returning to the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA), reportedly preparing to contest for the presidency
with Everton “Batow” Gonsalves stepping down. It’s a space she knows, one where her background might serve her better. Frankly, it’s a far more natural fit.
Let’s not forget the cost of this failed political bid: time, energy, money and perhaps most painfully the exposure of personal vulnerabilities. Coates has been left outmaneuvered and cast aside by her own party, which now seems poised to parachute Harold Lovell into the very seat she spent months preparing to contest. If that doesn’t sting, it should.
The UPP has a history of using and discarding candidates in All Saints West. From Chandler Codrington to Ralph Potter, and now Barbara Coates, the message is loud and clear: unless you fit into the mold carved by the party’s old guard, your political shelf life is short. That’s a tragedy for a party that claims to be committed to renewal.
But let’s focus on what this means for the people of All Saints West, they still have a representative who knows them, walks with them, and works for them. As for Barbara Coates? She fought a battle she was never equipped to win and bowed out before the loss could be made official.
This wasn’t a resignation. It was a quiet admission of defeat. In politics, especially in All Saints West, connection beats credentials every time.
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The smiths needs to stop writing all this drivel. The people are going to reject baby judas.
Well Lawd!! My labour brothers tone it down!! The pace with which these articles are coming at the recent decision by Lovell suggests a lot of nervousness in the labour camp. I dont like it Rasta!! He was was beaten several times before 6 whole times. What’s different this time?? The constituency?
Wah Tabor, Mansour, Dr. Benjamin, Fled, Pastor Bird the prophet and all the Harold people go do now, switch back? I dont like it Rasta!!!!
Three times you talked about Anthony Smith walking and talking and being with constituents. Say it again and you might convince yourself this was so.
This was not so. During the campaign, it was the branch chairman and his members who did the footwork and the contact work. Babyface spent a lot of time off island, and when he was around was too lazy to go out there. Just like the one before him, the jumper Lazymin.
Babyface Traitor smith came along at the right time and he benefitted from the swing which was going in UPP’s favour at the time.
People not stupid. They know that if it was not he would have to go into a by-election, Gaston Browne woulda had him parading in a red shirt long time. What a humiliation!
Barbara is a grown ass woman who tried something and in the process excelled in the political arena growing into what has become a challenge but yet finding her niche as to where she needs to be….continue to press on and dont let anyone steal your peace…She reminds me so much of her Mom Ernie Samuel who was a pillar in the Seaviewfarm community…Gyrll you have made her proud💯💢💥💫🫵👍👍….Congrates and thanks for reminding us sometimes its not about self but for the country….
I once read a newspaper headline –
HAROLD LOVELL THE BEST PRIME MINISTER ANTIGUA NEVER HAD
Now that he is back
ABLP, GASTON BROWNE and the Lickspittle Brigade are running scared, this will be fun to watch
More A.i. generated drivel.
Why would the Labour camp be nervous? Harold lost City East by 6 votes in the last election. 6 votes! 1-2-3-4-5-6. And he thinks his best option to win a seat is to run in a new constituency and start from scratch?
Barbara coates did NOT bow out
Barbara coates did NOT bow out
Barbara coates did NOT bow out
She was shoved out!!!
I note with much interest when this one-sided opinion piece mentions:
“… Anthony Smith Jr. was doing what he did all his working life, walking the roads, showing up for the sports clubs, [and] lending a hand on local projects …”
However, what the writer has INTENTIONALLY omitted is that all the above mentioned was successfully achieved under the political banner of the UPP. Fact!
It’s a real shame that the Honourable Barbara Coates didn’t take on the duplicitous Anthony Smith, because she would have sent a clear message to the honest hardworking electorate in All Saints West that ‘jumping the good ship UPP’ by this money-grabbing Smith shouldn’t be tolerated. Never!
If the reports are true that the Most Honourable Harold Lovell is going challenge the deserter Smith for the All Saints West seat, then many UPP supporters will be more than pleased.
🎶”Get Rid Ah Him …”🎶
@Spar Par the reason for the exodus from the UPP was not because of Lovell but rather the delusional and inept leadership of the UPP. Harold Lovell coming back to run cannot change that. The fundamental changes that the Party should have made were not made because they lacked the courage or wisdom to do it. I will bet anyone at this point that Harold cannot beat Anthony Smith. Yes, he is a far better candidate than Barbara Coates but the result will be the same.
@ Onlooker
Aka Tabor and the gang of hypocrites
UPP City East has a misfit. Make the change now. Quinn cannot connect to the people.
You are the Biggest IDIOT in this twin island state.
Any genuine UWP who runs in All Saints West would have defeated Anthony “Babyface Judas ” Smith.
Barbara was well on her way to doing that.
However unlike Smith and the LaboRATs she showed us what nationalistic means.
Her decision was just a message to Pringle that she doesn’t want him to be her leader.
In so doing she has paved the way for Lovell to return to lead the party he helped form.
So LaboRATs you have a lot more sleepless nights coming.
Down with labour!!!
Political Opinion Pieces are commonly used by political party operatives to influence readers. This is obviously written by an ABLP operative, to make a case in favour of Anthony Smith.
It offers more than the hogwash by the Barbadan self described political analyst Peter Wickham.
When will we see an equally effective UPP opinion piece, that makes a case for its candidate Harold Lovell?
OPINION: Unsigned Criticism Can’t Hide the Truth — Barbara Coates’ Move Was Strategic, Not Surrender
It’s telling that this article attacking Barbara Coates’ decision to step aside in All Saints West was left unsigned. When you’re confident in your words, you stand by your name.
Barbara Coates has already spoken openly about her decision — in her own letters and public statements — making it clear this was not about “defeat,” but about doing what is best for the people she serves. The suggestion that she was “distant” from the community ignores the reality: Ms. Coates has been an active presence, meeting residents, listening to their concerns, and advocating for local needs long before she entered politics.
The article’s claim that she lacked grassroots connection conveniently ignores her work in villages like Sea View Farm, her community outreach, and her role in sports development. Anyone who knows Barbara knows she is no stranger to service — her leadership in football administration alone has brought opportunity and attention to many in All Saints West.
Her decision to step aside is a strategic one — making way for Harold Lovell, a seasoned and respected leader, to take on Anthony Smith Jr. in the next election. This isn’t about “parachuting” someone in; it’s about fielding the strongest candidate to represent All Saints West’s needs, from restoring the long-closed All Saints Health Center to tackling infrastructure and youth opportunity.
Barbara Coates has shown humility, unity, and a willingness to put her constituency above personal ambition — qualities that should be praised, not mocked. And Harold Lovell brings decades of public service experience, a deep understanding of policy, and a proven commitment to fighting for communities across Antigua and Barbuda.
Let’s keep the record straight: Barbara Coates did not “quietly admit defeat.” She chose to stand with the people of All Saints West in the way that will make the most difference — by supporting a candidate ready to win and deliver.
Unsigned opinions may try to rewrite the story, but facts speak louder than anonymous words.
#AllSaintsWest #United #BarbaraCoates #HaroldLovell #Leadership #CommunityFirst
By Natasha Bramwell 🙂
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