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Last night, we told you about the plan to kick Mark Espat out of the PUP – but it took shape quicker than we had expected- because today plans to expel him were put fully in motion. This afternoon, Chairman of the PUP’s Order of Distinguished Service George Price wrote to the party Secretary General, Henry Usher advising him that the ODS is recommending the expulsion of Mark Espat.

The letter refers to Espat’s public behavior and cites two specific reasons. First, “Mr. Espat’s repeated public attacks on the party and its members including his most recent statement on Monday March 17th.” It continues, “these public displays of disloyalty toward the party cannot continue if we are to re-build.”

Second - and this is the good one - “it has come to our attention that Mr. Espat has been conspiring with certain members of the UDP Cabinet to have the PUP party leader and other party officials arrested on trumped up charges as early as next week.” It concludes: “this collusion with our political opponents cannot stand.” It is signed by the grandee of the grand old party, George Price, a personage above reproach in the PUP.

So what’s next? Well, our sources say that the National Executive will meet at a time of its choosing - most likely next week at which they are almost certain to vote in favor of expulsion. We reached Espat this evening for comment, and he said that George Price is being taken advantage of and used. He added that the charge of collaboration with the UDP is a complete lie. And as for public attacks on the party, he noted that all three candidates for the PUP leadership condemned the Venezuela transaction. And he closed by saying that, “I intend to serve as Albert area representative as elected and I have no intention of resigning or crossing the floor.”

And the reason he says that is to make it clear that he does not intend to go to a bye election – which is constitutionally required for those representatives crossing the floor. Section 59(2)(e) of the Constitution makes it clear that a member must choose to resign from a party or cross the floor. It makes no provisions for expulsion.

Things are not so clear though for Lake Independence Representative Cordel Hyde. If he chooses to resign in solidarity, he would have to face a bye – election, presumably as an independent candidate. We could not reach him for comment. So but the news is that, by all indications, a high level hit has been declared on Mark Espat and that may well be it for him in the PUP.

But it’s a not very neat termination, because first, according to Hector Silva, one of the few active members of the ODS, Price did call him today but he recommended that there be a hearing where Espat would be permitted to offer a defense. And second, party people say that the party’s constitution makes no provision for the executive to act on an expulsion recommendation from the ODS.

But all that aside, it is a terminal political fatwa, and as they as in the movies: “so shall it be written, so shall it be done.” We wait to see what developments the coming days will bring.