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Et tu, Terry?

Terry Lister has left the PLP to stand as an independent

So soon in Opposition and so soon the Progressive Labour Party loses an experienced MP. Something is not right.Terry Lister, so recently a PLP leadership contender, complained of poor treatment when he made a speech yesterday announcing he was standing as an independent.But things are never as simple as that in politics and this newspaper understands that in the wake of Paula Cox being defeated at the polls that he was chosen by the MPs as the PLP’s next leader. However, the PLP delegates thought otherwise and elected Marc Bean.So is this an issue of the old guard not getting on with new guard? Is there a disconnect within the PLP? Is the direction that Mr Bean wants to lead the PLP in, out of sync with a number of the PLP’s elder statesmen’s vision.Maybe these are the growing pains of a party that has just lost an election after years in power. But the latter scenario is possibly the truest.If Mr Bean does not have the backing of the MPs, his tenure as Party leader is going to be difficult — and he already probably knows it. If the path down which he wants to lead the Party is not agreeable to all, his time will be limited.The Terry Lister case is fundamentally more important to the PLP than Randy Horton becoming the Speaker of the House because it speaks to a symptom of a wider problem within the PLP . This newspaper has to ask, will there be more Terry Listers?Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremydeacon1