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David Thompson's Mentor Revealed

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david thompson

We were not able to cross check this note sent to Barbados Underground with the usual due diligence. Be that as it may we think that there is enough in the content which is worthy of public consumption. We have a new Prime Minister and there is the normal tendency to want to know all that there is to know about our young leader. We know that former Prime Minister Owen Arthur was the son of a shopkeeper. According to the note writer, Prime Minister Thompson is the son of a porter (father) and a nurse/secretary (mother).

Dear Barbados Underground

I live in Connecticut, USA, and I read your blogs regularly. I sent the following letter to The Nation newspaper while on holiday in Barbados, but they have not publish it. So I wondered if you would publish it on your blog please.

Here is what the writer had to say:

DEAR SIR OR MADAM,

Outlined here are words from an article on Mr. David Thompson, by an unknown author, appearing on the Democratic Labour Party website, with which I would like to take issue:

“He is one of seven siblings whose father worked as a porter and painter, and whose mother was a secretary and nurse.”

That may be true, but lacking in pertinent details about Mr.Thompson’s mother, Margaret Knight. Yes, she was a qualified secretary, but more than that, she attained one of the highest posts in Barbados – that of Personal Secretary to Prime Minister, the late Errol Barrow. This was no small achievement! But going further, it should be recognized that Margaret Knight is a published Macmillan author, with three books to her credit.

Let me just end by saying that I happen to know that David Thompson’s political career was nurtured and encouraged by his mother. I knew Charles and Margaret and the four children when they lived in London, and I can tell you that without a Margaret Knight, there would be no David Thompson! Give the lady credit where it is due. To do otherwise is to disrespect her, and I am sure the DLP would not wish to do that.”

OR WOULD THEY?

Yours truly

Bibi Taylor

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12 responses to “David Thompson's Mentor Revealed”

  1. asking Avatar
    asking

    BU is this a PR job?

  2. The People's Democratic Congress Avatar
    The People’s Democratic Congress

    While it is certainly very politically sociologically and psychologically important for social scientists and social analysts in Barbados to critically examine the ethnic/class backgounds of prime ministers and other political leaders in Barbados that function in the social, political, commercial/industrial, and financial sectors of the country – to, et al, get some measure of understanding of the social and educational progression they would have gone through, and to get some measure of understanding of the personal and other challenges and sacrifices that they and others would have had to endure in order to become political leaders (all leaders are political leaders) – it might certainly be far more politically, sociologically and psychologically important than simply examining the central theme above in virtual isolation to, et al, get some greater measure of understanding of the particular ethnic/class interests such political leaders are fundamentally operating in/serving, and in the furtherance, protection or defence of which particular ethnic/class interests, mainly.

    With the exception of one Prime Minister – the late and Right Excellent Errol Barrow – there are no other black/mixed race, middle class prime ministers (Mr. David Thompson excluded for the time being ) who, since 1966, would have originally come from either a middle class or lower class background, and who would have had so-called sound university education, and who therefore would have been seen by social scientists and social analysts to be fundamentally operating in and serving the interests of the masses and middle classes of people of Barbados, mainly. It is a damned tragedy that all other prime ministers of Barbados, esp. the last, would have been mainly operating in furtherance, protection and defence of the many major social, political, material and financial interests of the elite and NOT the many, major important interests of the masses and middle classes of people of Barbados. Such great failings of the culpable prime ministers of the past to fundamentally operate in/serve, further, protect and defend those critically important interests of the masses and middle classes rather than those of the elite, constitute one reason why the said masses and middle classes are so much politically exploited, socially marginalized and politically economcally dispossessed by the elite and the wider political system on a daily basis in a so-called modern country called Barbados.

    No doubt such gross prime ministerial failings have helped led to the emergence and growth of the PDC, which is mainly fundamentally about serving, furthering, protecting and defending the interests of the masses and middle classes of people of Barbados as well as the country’s interests, and quite unlike the BLP and DLP.

    PDC

  3. justice Avatar
    justice

    One of the highest posts in Barbados-personal secretary to the Prime Minister? Sounds like PR to me!

  4. Marcus - Barbados Free Press Avatar
    Marcus – Barbados Free Press

    Hi David,

    “Bibi” sent us the same thing twice using two anonymous mail proxies… one in Australia and one in Italy.

    Why wouldn’t “bibi” use a real mailing address?

    Like you we considered publishing it anyway for the interest of it, and we might have except other things came up.

    Barbados Underground probably receives a dozen weird letters a week as does BFP. It is sometimes tough to decide what is real and what is a set up or artificially created for someone’s agenda.

    That is what is great about blogging. We can put it out there for discussion and benefit from the knowledge of a larger group.

    “Bibi” is chiding us for not printing the letter this morning. It makes me wonder what “her” agenda is.

    Just another day in the blogsphere. Here’s what “Bibi” had to say…

    BARBADOS FREE PRESS,

    I send you an email but you did not publish it, but you accuse the Nation and Advocate newspaper of not publishing things? You have double standards then.

    Bibi Taylor

  5. David Avatar
    David

    Marcus you are so right. It is very hard to determine fact from fiction sometimes in the blogosphere.

  6. Tony Hall Avatar
    Tony Hall

    I don’t understand where Bibi is coming from. She seems to have a lack of understanding of what is going on. She mentioned about the PM’s mother as, “having one of the highest posts in Barbados-Personal Secretary to the PM”. What is the relevance? David Thompson’s mother is not complaining. Why is Bibi complaining?

  7. gOAT mEAT sWEET Avatar
    gOAT mEAT sWEET

    http://www.nationnews.com/story/320490577449856.php

    Comissiong offers Africans housing

    Published on: 4/15/08.

    by MELISSA ROLLOCK

    THE 32 WEST AFRICANS now housed at the Barbados Defence Force’s Paragon base in Christ Church have been offered alternative accommodations by private citizens.

    Co-chairman of the Global Afrikan Congress, David Comissiong, said he and a team of individuals who visited the group of Ghanaians and Nigerians last week had managed to secure commitments to house all of those staying at the base.

    “. . . We are in a position to take as many of the 32 Paragon ‘residents’ who wish to relocate to less restrictive accommodation within Barbadian civil society,” he stated in a letter dated yesterday, and addressed to Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Senator Maxine McClean.

    He pinpointed Archbishop Granville Williams of the Sons of God Apostolic Spiritual Baptist Church as one offering shelter at his guest house in Pickwick Gap, St Michael, which can accommodate ten people.

    Others included attorney Robert “Bobby” Clarke who has committed to housing four. Attorney Ajamu Boardi has offered to accommodate two; Beachview Apartments, Worthing Christ Church, two and tour operator Athurine Reece another five people at her apartments in Bank Hall, St Michael.

    In addition, another ten individuals, including Comissiong, are willing to provide shelter for one person each.

    Comissiong said the “team” of individuals would take responsibility for transporting their charges to the official meeting area or facility once the authorities informed them that the arrival of an aircraft was imminent.

    During a visit to the base last Wednesday, Prime Minister David Thompson said Government had no intention of holding and deporting the Africans who were stranded here since February after a Ghana Airways flight brought them here but did not return to take them back on February 15.

    At the time, Thompson said the Paragon base would serve as a facility for those who were unable to fend for themselves as well as a place where they could be easily found since Government was making arrangements for their return home.

    However, in his letter, Comissiong said all of the West Africans felt they were under detention and that they could not leave the precincts of the army base. He said they should be treated as guests and guests who experienced misfortune.

  8. Linchh Avatar
    Linchh

    BFP:

    You said:

    “Marcus you are so right. It is very hard to determine fact from fiction sometimes in the blogosphere.”

    I agree, and that is why I feel that the post and the discussion on it is “a plentiful waste of the time of day – a plentiful waste of time!” to quote Frank Sinatra.

  9. David Avatar
    David

    Linchh you maybe right and that is why you need to explain why this topic has gotten the most hits in the last 24 hours. Go figure!

  10. David Avatar
    David

    We know that Magaret Knight frequents the blogs, maybe she might care to comment.

  11. Paul Deane Avatar
    Paul Deane

    Everything you want to know about Cost-U-Less
    can be found at website

    http://www.ticker.com/Annualreport/CULS/CULS-2006.pdf.

    You will discover that the Company operates in St. Thomas , St. Croix,Curacao, St. Maarten and
    Cayman Islands in the the Caribbean. It is a fact that they do not encourage collective bargaining but the same is true of Walmart. What about ShopSmart workers, are they unionized? Giant Walmart operated in UK for the past 10 years before they recognised GMB as bargaining body of their workers

  12. PIG THE RAT Avatar
    PIG THE RAT

    This is what was missing in the same situation

    check out and see

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