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Roxanne Gibbs - Executive Editor Nation Newspaper
Roxanne Gibbs – Executive Editor Nation Newspaper

Two weeks have passed since the Nation newspaper printed the front page story which declared that the government’s political strategist Hartley Henry had threatened Nation newspaper Sunday Sun Editor Carol Martindale. The management of the Fontebelle newspaper reacted swiftly to that telephone call made on the Saturday afternoon by going to  print hours later to meet the next day edition. To demonstrate the seriousness of how the action by Henry was received, the Royal Barbados Police Force was summons, a letter dispatched to Prime Minister David Thompson and other correspondence sent to international media watchdog agencies.

The dust has settled somewhat and some Barbadians who have remained above the partisan prattle are starting to ask the tough questions. BU has a few of our own as well.

  1. Did Carol Martindale have a conversation with leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley concerning the DLP sponsored CADRES poll before it was published?
  2. Is it true the telephone call between Henry and Martindale was NOT recorded?
  3. Is it true the witness to part of the telephone call between Martindale and Henry at the Nation end was not party to sufficient of the conversation to validate the charge which has been made by Martindale?
  4. Is it true the Nation newspaper maybe facing a law suit given the flimsy evidence used to support their actions?

Unfortunately because of the politics flavouring this matter the public discourse has gone in the wrong direction. What BU finds scary is the haste the Nation management went to print given the flimsy evidence our sources indicate they hold. BU is also concerned the fledgling Barbados Association of Journalists (BAJ) would have blindly picked-up the Martindale Henry issue. We note with interest the young and bright Nation reporter Amanda Lynch-Foster signed of the press release in her capacity as President of the BAJ. The business of the Fourth Estate is serious business!

BU will watch with interest the next move in the Fontebelle Opera. We anticipate resignations to appear or heads will roll in the coming days and weeks.  Note: we did not mention the alleged three witnesses to the conversation on the other side (Henry) of the telephone call. To do so would be to fully expose the folly of the Nation newspaper decision-making  in what is much ado about nothing.

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86 responses to “It’s Your Move!”

  1. Alex Fergusson Avatar
    Alex Fergusson

    A few months ago, Mr. Hartley Henry – the Sepcial Advisor the PM Thompson – wrote an article in which he said that Mr. Thompson was like Mr. Obama. Relly!!!

    Here are the high standards the Obama administration has set for itself:

    ++++++++++++++++++

    One Obama czar resigns after critics’ firestorm

    By Los Angeles Times
    WASHINGTON — White House officials said Sunday that presidential environmental adviser Van Jones resigned this weekend of his own accord, following an uproar over his fiery remarks about Republicans and his signature on a petition questioning whether the U.S. government had any role in planning the Sept. 11 attacks.

    White House officials never rose to defend Jones, a prominent California community activist, and took pains over the weekend to distance themselves from his past statements.

    Responding to a firestorm that raged on conservative talk shows and web sites, Obama senior adviser David Axelrod said Sunday that Jones made his own decision to leave, but he commended him for the departure.

    http://www.kansas.com/news/story/960351.html

    Will Mr. Henry resign? I think not. Do you see the difference in standards?

  2. Johnnie Too Bad Avatar
    Johnnie Too Bad

    Enough, enuff, about this Carol/Hartley Henry nonsense. We have far more important things going in in the country that needs addressing than a spat between two overgrown spoilt brats masquerading massive misdirected mediocrity as talent in the media. Hartley’s ego is much too big for his overgrown head on this small island. He is an outsize bully and Carol, I could not care who she sleeps with, whose marriage she endangers, whether she goes up or downstairs with whom. In the scheme of things it is all nothing more than the breadfruit cou-cou without the breadfruit and quite frankly of no more importance than the time it takes a new born baby to wet its diapers.
    Why are we spending so much time on whether the conversation was taped? Whether anyone heard all or any part thereof of the conversation?
    What we all such be asking is this. What took place two weeks ago is the kind of example that two of the most self professed important people on the island sh0uld show the world at large. Or is this the kind of behaviour we are proud to have our children consider the behaviour of role models?
    What does this say about a PM, who is prepared to have as an adviser and does not have the balls to tell Hartley shut up. Can none of his family from St.George tell the loud mouth to shut up and go away with this nonsense. If Hartley does not have the nous to censor himself on such a matter, just what kind of advice is he capable of giving a PM. Hartley’s moral compass has been shot to pieces. It might make good copy for J, Adrian and many others but it is pure unadulterated crap
    As for Carol and Roxanne what they do in their private lives is their business. What they decide to put in their BLP support newspaper is a matter for them. We the people, Mary and Joe public can decide whether to buy their paper or not. If ever there was a case of empty vessels and noise, then this is it. I have voted for the DLP every time I have voted, and I am sickened by Hartley’s outburst. Neither me, the wife or even our Guyanese maid , soon to be a bajan national will ever again vote for the DLP if this nonsense continues. It leaves a very bad taste in the mouths of all of us Barbadians.

  3. Johnnie Too Bad Avatar
    Johnnie Too Bad

    Alex Fergusson, are you mad, Hartley resign where? A proper pork chop would stand a better chance at a cancelled fish fry wake before HH do the honourable thing and resign.

  4. Johnnie Too Bad Avatar
    Johnnie Too Bad

    DLP Supporter, I am a closet D , but I too am literally pee’d of with Hartley Henry and his outlandish behaviour. Quite frankly the man is short on good breeding, decent manners, proper self respect, and clearly lacking in training. He will do more to help the DLP lose the next election than any other individual.

  5. DLP Supporter Avatar
    DLP Supporter

    People like Hartley Henry make people like me regret that I voted for the DLP last election. One time I met him and he told me that “he (HH) was the defacto Prime Minister of Barbados.” Anything he says, Thompson does.

  6. Checkit-out Avatar
    Checkit-out

    Hi Alex Ferguson.

    In my view,

    David Thompson is no Obama. David Thompson protects his friends even if there is significant evidence that they have done significant wrong which might come back to haunt him and his party and indeed the country.

    Obama, on the other hand, throws his friends to the dogs when there exists adequate justification for defending them.

    The latest case with the Environmental Czar leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. The man was doing exceedingly well in implementing Obama’s agenda for change but the Republicans and their conservative media cohorts trumped up some charges against him that were totally irrelevant to his work as a presidential advisor and the white house, floundering around in the present climate of plummeting Obama polls, spinelessly let him go without even pointing out that he had already made an actionable difference in the Environment. I have seen nowhere where the man was thanked for his service. Read Axelrod’s apology to the Repubs. Presidents should be made of sterner stuff than this.

  7. Checkit-out Avatar
    Checkit-out

    I forgot to mention the Skip Gates case above. That showed a different Obama.

  8. Alex Fergusson Avatar
    Alex Fergusson

    The DeathbyEmail blog is reporting that a senior aide to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has resigned following the discovery of several emails he sent in an attempt to organize a smear campaign against members of the Conservative Party, which are the PM’s rivals. The aide, Damian McBride, was previously Brown’s political spokesperson.” Here’s a look at what the emails contained:

    http://www.theemailadmin.com/2009/04/senior-aide-to-british-pm-resigns-in-email-scandal/.

    There are people who good governance and integrity mean something to. Why not follow these good examples and resign?

  9. Checkit-out Avatar
    Checkit-out

    Hi Alex Ferguson.

    The McBride case in England is an apt analogy to the HH case here. In fact the McBride case may even be more egregious, as McBride was making up rumours from pure cloth about Osbourne while HH was grossly embellishing an apparent pre-existing rumour.

    Is there a lesson here? Do the Karl Roves, McBrides and HH’s of this world operate on a different moral compass to most of us and do some thoroughly underhand things until found out? When found out it would seem that the British do the right thing but the Americans and us just keep right on trucking.

    It would appear that there were significant consequences meted out to the Bush regime by the American electorate. Could we assume that the same fate can be expected in barbados’ politics for political transgressions?

  10. Johnnie Too Bad Avatar
    Johnnie Too Bad

    People like Hartley Henry do not work within the rules that us mere mortals live by. What I would like to know is what5 secrets HH holding for Thompie that the PM does not have the guts to send him packing in disgrace?
    HH no longer has any kind of moal compass.
    DLP supporters will sooner or later hear the will of the silent majority in Barbados. People will not forget this nonsense.

  11. Alex Fergusson Avatar
    Alex Fergusson

    Obama Aide Resigns After Slamming Hillary
    Filed under: News

    Some breaking political news….Samantha Power stepped down as foreign policy adviser to Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign after reports got out about an apparent off-the-record comment she made to a British paper…referring to Sen. Hillary Clinton as a “monster.” Power made the comment during an interview with The Scotsman while on a recent visit to London.

    Power is a former journalist who covered the Balkan war in the 1990s. She founded a human-rights think tank and is a professor at Harvard.

    When the Clinton campaign caught wind of the comments, they demanded she be fired from Obama’s campaign. In a statement, Power said, “It is wrong for anyone to pursue this campaign in such negative and personal terms. I apologize to Senator Clinton and to Senator Obama, who has made very clear that these kinds of expressions should have no place in American politics.”

    Obama’s campaign says Power’s comments did not reflect Obama’s views and that they have accepted Power’s decision to resign.

    http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2008/03/obama_aide_resigns_after_slamm.html

    Isn’t this the high standard that Mr. Henry and Mr. Thompson should be setting, especially after talking so much about integrity and good governance?

    I am just asking, since Mr. Henry told us in his article that Prime Minister Thompson is like Mr. Obama, yet he does not resign, even after Mr. Thompson said on TV that his TEAM signed on to a Code of Conduct.

  12. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Those advisors to Obama (I did not vote for him) were caught. Evidence was produce to show what they did. At any rate they moved on not as result of any guilT or wrong doing or breaking of laws. They moved on so that their employer’s (Obama) progress would not be stymied. He is hurting in the polls and his signature campaign initiative (Healthcare) is in the ITC. It these two things were on the positive side, Van Jones would not be national news. Their resignations were politically calculated moves. Morals, ethics etc had nothing to do with it.

    NOW WHERE IS THE PROVE OF WHAT CAROL MARTINDALE SAID TOOK PLACE?

    Without evidence, I can tell you that Hartley and Chris and whomever from the DLP side that were present to the Teleconversation will deny what was publish by the nation, and once again it will be the political thing to do, of which moral, and or ethics had little role.

  13. CARY A BONE: BRING A BONE Avatar
    CARY A BONE: BRING A BONE

    HARTLEY HENRY IS THE PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS.

    written even before seeing the above post by DLP supporter

  14. 2009 Avatar
    2009

    Roxanne Gibbs and Carol Martindale are 2 of the most obnoxious SCOUNDRELS of the Nationenews CORP. Even the RBPF would have serious reservations of entertaining any complaints from these 2. They are simply pathetic.

    Hartley Henry…..knew who was dealing with when he allowed Min. Sinckler to listened in on the Conversation .

  15. David Avatar
    David

    Roxanne Gibb’s picture is attached to this blog because as Executive Editor she would have been a major part of the decision to publish this story.

  16. Checkit-out Avatar
    Checkit-out

    Hi David

    Thanks! I did’nt know who the senior Nation Editor of HH’s piece in BU was before.

  17. Tell Me Why Avatar
    Tell Me Why

    2009 // September 7, 2009 at 4:30 PM

    Roxanne Gibbs and Carol Martindale are 2 of the most obnoxious SCOUNDRELS of the Nationenews CORP. Even the RBPF would have serious reservations of entertaining any complaints from these 2. They are simply pathetic.

    Hartley Henry…..knew who was dealing with when he allowed Min. Sinckler to listened in on the Conversation .
    …………………………………………………..
    Ain’t this sound strange. 2009 and 3009 are used by WIV. If 2009 and 3009 is WIV, and WIV is HH. Maybe, the language now relating to Min. Sinckler being present during the conversation is a clear indication that these posts by WIV, 2009 and 3009 is indeed HH.

    Let the lies continue WIV, we are all watching and listening……and please don’t call me ‘sylvan’.

  18. sylvan Avatar
    sylvan

    roxanne, you does rush to put everybody business and picture mostly poor people on the front page when they do something wrong or get accused of doing something wrong. your daughter kill somebody on the highway but you keep she off the front page. this is not being fair and balance.

  19. David Avatar
    David

    @sylvan

    Wasn’t it manslaughter? To be fair does the Nation usually report manslaughters on the frontpage? The important question to ask is how did the case disappear from the radar?

  20. Arthur Gordon Avatar
    Arthur Gordon

    Roxanne is a Guyanese. Ship her back home. Or, better yet, leave her alone in a small dark room with the spin-master. Would serve her good. Let the old HH deal with matters the way he knows best. That’s my boy!

  21. Bimbro Avatar
    Bimbro

    Anonymous, J has a right to be partisan or not, if she wants to be. From your comments, anybody would think she’d committed an offense by so being!

    Cat Woman, threats being made to a journalist is a very serious matter – if you’ve any understanding of constitutional matters and the workings of democracy!!

  22. Bimbro Avatar
    Bimbro

    @sylvan

    Wasn’t it manslaughter? To be fair does the Nation usually report manslaughters on the frontpage? The important question to ask is how did the case disappear from the radar?

    **************

    But wait, is there only one national newspaper, in Bim?!!

  23. Al Noor Avatar
    Al Noor

    This is whole affair is an outrage. Hartley Henry should have been fired. Prime Minister Thompson’s keeping him on, and defending him, say more about his (Thompson’s) character than it does about Henry. I am afraid this episode foreshadows darker days for Barbados ahead.

    Mr. Henry, here is an appeal for you to do a “Van Jones” and save this country the distraction and the perilous course you have put it on.

    Al Noor

  24. Cat Woman Avatar
    Cat Woman

    Bimbro….like I said…he said/she said. I don’t have time with that. Were you there when this supposed threat took place or did you hear a tape of the supposed threat????

    Right now my focus is on the economy and where the money will be coming from to pay all the current and outstanding detbs that the government facing.

  25. BAFBFP Avatar
    BAFBFP

    Alex Fergusson

    Would you walk away from an $11,000.00 a month pick…?

    Thought not!

  26. CARY A BONE: BRING A BONE Avatar
    CARY A BONE: BRING A BONE

    Arthur Gordon -you are a sick crotch !
    people like should be banned from the blogs

  27. Bonny Peppa Avatar
    Bonny Peppa

    Al Noor
    You privy to more info than the rest of us? Or you just feel like talking shite becasue today is Wednesday? Had a mind so. You realize that you sentencing this person without a blasted trial? That is how you do it? Well not this side of the hemisphere. OK?
    stupseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

    Carry n bring a bone
    Get a life. Fa Christ sake.

    Arthur Gordon,
    I would like to be a fly pun de wall in dah dark room. (teeheeeeeeeeeeee)

    Bimbro
    Smoochesssssssssss hunny. I still hay.

  28. robin hood Avatar
    robin hood

    @Bonny Peppa

    Hi sweets ah see ya back wid us.

    yours,
    Bruno.

  29. Bonny Peppa Avatar
    Bonny Peppa

    robin hood
    Chuckle, chuckleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

  30. Avatar Gurl Avatar
    Avatar Gurl

    Damn…

    “Can I get an $11,ooo.oo pick too?

    I can say who rape who, who kill who and who “tek” who black-belly sheep behind a paling….!”

    You GOTTA be kidding me!

    All I’m concerned about is how Barbados is going to get out of this Depression and into the light!!!! And I want my job to be a bit easier, with a rise in pay! That’s it! That’s what we should ALL be focusing on!

    Smoke and mirrors…all the while our pockets are beiong robbed!

  31. Bimbro Avatar
    Bimbro

    Cat Woman, either the threat was made or it was n’t! None of us here is the journalist in question but we’re given to believe it WAS made! neither am I a private detective so, assuming that it WAS made. It’s absolutely unacceptable!

    Cat, my focus is on the economy too – see the newest thread!! – however, that’s not to undermine the signifance of THIS thread!!

    Hi Bonny, I’m hoping we can kiss and make-up soon, babe. Don’t really like not smooching-up beside u!!

  32. Bonny Peppa Avatar
    Bonny Peppa

    Bimbro,
    Ya beginnin ta miss me now nah. You doan kno dat I wood hurtz you doe.
    Ya sweet thang.
    kissssssssssssssssssssssss

  33. CARY A BONE: BRING A BONE Avatar
    CARY A BONE: BRING A BONE

    How is David Thompson going to fire Hartley Henry ? HARTLEY is a manufacturer and David buys what Hartley manufactures.

  34. Bonny Peppa Avatar
    Bonny Peppa

    Carry n bring a bone,
    Hartley is do dah fa true? I betta gih he a call an see if he cud fix me up too. Not fa David doe but de Min a Healf. He real cute nah? An dem eyes a his too purty.
    See ya, I gine n call Henry now? You kno he numba off han doe? Gimma.

  35. observer Avatar
    observer

    http://www.topix.com/

  36. observer Avatar
    observer

    http://observer-guyana360.blogspot.com/

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