@Zack: “Somebody still has to run the country dude…how will that be decided?

If the electorate does nothing, then the “rulers” will simply flip-flop between two parties who appear to be, as BAFBFP correctly points out, is “six or a half-dozen”.

On the other hand, if a viable third party existed and received enough votes, then a coalition government could manifest.

Coalition governments can be far more serious about the needs of the electorate.

@The Scout: “There are 30 M.P’s, let’s vote 15 each and see what happens.

You can’t control that exact result, beyond vote fixing.

But let’s say there was a very charismatic and honest individual who could run as an independent candidate and win a seat…

Well, then, that individual might find themselves with a great deal of power to determine what might be done.

Which, of course, if the elected was truly honest, would be used for their constituents’ advantage….

@Enuff: “Join parties and ensure quality from the outset with the selection of candidates that can truly make a contribution to managing our country.

So then, the question must be asked: ***EXACTLY*** how can a voter ensure that their vote matters.

Very specifically, does a voter enter into a contract with their votee for what the votee promised the voter?

Or must it be a “leap of faith”?

@Enuff

Excellently spoken! I endorse your last comments.

@Enuff: “Is it not already a 5-yr contract?

No. It was not a contract. They were simply promises.

And this is the fundamental point which is important to understand.

Promises are easy to make. And easy to break. (Freedom of Information — within 100 days. Anyone?)

Contracts have legal recourse.

debt:gdp moving from50+ to 80+ under the blp is a bland statement which might make for good politiics but does not paint an accurate picture.whether we like it or not ; had not the the dlp administration provided the opportunity to make debt easily accessible to all those and not some who could afford , barbados’ boast of moving from a village to a developed country would not have been yet possible. i can’t understand for the life of me why we castigate debt when ownership of 90% of the vehicles and more importantly homes in barbados are acquired as a result of some debt arrangement. Can one imagine what life would be like if we still had to wait as our great-grandmothers did on meeting turn after meeting turn to buy not truss buy the lumber from manning or plantation ltd to put on the shedroof and then the middle section and then the front house.access to credit did enhance the quality of life of the average barbadian who had little hope of owning anything by purchasing cash. so debt is not the pariah we make it out to be if it is properly managed and not accessed for extravagance.or waste. i quote lisa drakes of the research dept of the central bank in relation to public debt ” accumulation of public debt is often necessary and acceptable, particularly when it is done to accomplish some growth or developmental objective” this notion is relevant to any kind of debt arrangement large or small

@ Halsall

The contract is a five year term the votee gets on ‘appointment’ by the voters based on promises made during the interview stage. The contract is renewed or terminated prior to 5 years elapsing.

If the argument by the Opposition regarding the real impact of the so-called “land tax ease” is true then it brings into question again the competence of the Minister of Finance and the soundness of the government’s policy. Every Budget now seems to have policy measures that are miscalculated or based on the misinterpretation/application of the law.

@Enuff: “You ever hear of a verbal contract?

Yeah. It’s worth the paper it is written on….

I assumed the change in bands of land tax up to $190,000 at no charge was to accommodate persons who have been given houses (rent to ownership) and those who were encouraged to purchase low income houses.

However I was trying to listen to part of George Payne speech and am I correct in that he seemed to infer that most people will be worse off regarding land tax? I’m confused. Can someone clarify?

Regarding other points in the budget I would of liked to have seen more money being available to assist those elderly etc persons with electricity bills. $5 million dollars sounds a lot but in fact it may not stretch very far, especially as we have a large elderly population, as well as those in need. It would also of being interesting to be told how they will select who will be eligible and who will not. I hope the money really gets to those that need the help.

I also would have liked to seen the basket of goods increase to include items such as nappies, adult pampers, sanitary products etc. as these are fairly expensive products and are more of a necessity than a nicety.

Re the land use at Deacons for the cultural center. Doesn’t that area flood? If so how will that affect the homes of the people living in and behind that area because there will be even less room for the water to run off?

Honourable Chris Sinckler mash up Arthur in the Budget wrap up like Muhammad Ali beat up Sonny Liston! Licks like fire ! TKO

Pat girl, after that ass-cutting from Chris, If I wuz Owen, I wud be so shame, I wud han back over to Mia tomorrow

Sandra Husbands He did not say that. He had an e-copy of the budget summary, but he was unable to give detailed study of the actual proposals. Therefore he did not comment on the proposals themselves but the glaring absence of initiatives to really deal with the real problems of the fiscal deficit, and the crisis in waiting that this presents to the barbadian economy. The things that he expected to hear based on his close analysis of the Barbadian economic situation Economists like to use their econometric tools to assess potential impact of specific policies, so obviously there was no time for closer analysis.

This is where the local media can do their job.

A reporter needs to question Doctor Francis on the preparation he did before he issued his comments on the budget presentation.

Especially so since VOB generously carried his views

I found the bit on Global Masters and Barbados’ real gdp ranking interesting. I checked and in 2002 barbados was 181 out of 191.

Owen has argued that he can do better with the economy, but it seems to me that when the US and UK catch a cold we get something much worse, whoever is minister of finance. I grew up hearing something like that.

Economics can just piss you off. It is just so opinionated.

At best it seems that Dr. Francis commented on the budget he would have liked to see rather than the one that was presented.

Oh well.

Will local banks give loans for solar panels on your house?

@Old School

Given the lending policy of banks over the years in Barbados only applicants who quality for unsecured credit are likely to be successful.

I thought the BLP was doing very well in this budget debate until Clarke melted down, and they went steadily downhill from there.

I think Owen was less than convincing on the prison matter and the Global masters revelation must have hurt one of his core arguments

Here is the 2002 ranking

Showing values for 2002. Select another time period: Most recent 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Rank Countries Amount Date
# 1 Turkmenistan: 21.1 % 2002
Turkmenistan Economy

# 2 Equatorial Guinea: 20 % 2002
Equatorial Guinea Economy

# 3 Armenia: 12.9 % 2002
Armenia Economy

# 4 Azerbaijan: 10.6 % 2002
Azerbaijan Economy

# 5 Rwanda: 9.7 % 2002
Rwanda Economy

# 6 Macau: 9.5 % 2002
Macau Economy

# 7 Kazakhstan: 9.5 % 2002
Kazakhstan Economy

# 8 Angola: 9.4 % 2002
Angola Economy

# 9 Tajikistan: 9.1 % 2002
Tajikistan Economy

# 10 China: 8 % 2002
China Economy

# 11 Turkey: 7.8 % 2002
Turkey Economy

# 12 Mozambique: 7.7 % 2002
Mozambique Economy

# 13 Bhutan: 7.7 % 2002
Bhutan Economy

# 14 Iran: 7.6 % 2002
Iran Economy

# 15 Chad: 7.4 % 2002
Chad Economy

# 16 Albania: 7.3 % 2002
Albania Economy

# 17 Vietnam: 7 % 2002
Vietnam Economy

# 18 Ireland: 6.9 % 2002
Ireland Economy

# 19 Lithuania: 6.7 % 2002
Lithuania Economy

# 20 Sierra Leone: 6.6 % 2002
Sierra Leone Economy

# 21 Moldova: 6.5 % 2002
Moldova Economy

# 22 Korea, South: 6.3 % 2002
Korea, South Economy

# 23 Tanzania: 6.1 % 2002
Tanzania Economy

# 24 Latvia: 6.1 % 2002
Latvia Economy

# 25 Estonia: 6 % 2002
Estonia Economy

# 26 Benin: 6 % 2002
Benin Economy

# 27 Laos: 5.7 % 2002
Laos Economy

# 28 Uganda: 5.5 % 2002
Uganda Economy

# 29 Georgia: 5.4 % 2002
Georgia Economy

# 30 Thailand: 5.3 % 2002
Thailand Economy

# 31 Kyrgyzstan: 5.3 % 2002
Kyrgyzstan Economy

# 32 Peru: 5.3 % 2002
Peru Economy

# 33 Burma: 5.3 % 2002
Burma Economy

# 34 Croatia: 5.2 % 2002
Croatia Economy

# 35 French Polynesia: 5.1 % 2002
French Polynesia Economy

# 36 Sudan: 5.1 % 2002
Sudan Economy

# 37 Samoa: 5 % 2002
Samoa Economy

# 38 Jordan: 4.9 % 2002
Jordan Economy

# 39 Romania: 4.9 % 2002
Romania Economy

# 40 Ukraine: 4.8 % 2002
Ukraine Economy

# 41 Tunisia: 4.8 % 2002
Tunisia Economy

# 42 Bangladesh: 4.8 % 2002
Bangladesh Economy

# 43 Bulgaria: 4.8 % 2002
Bulgaria Economy

# 44 Belarus: 4.7 % 2002
Belarus Economy

# 45 Qatar: 4.6 % 2002
Qatar Economy

# 46 Morocco: 4.6 % 2002
Morocco Economy

# 47 Fiji: 4.6 % 2002
Fiji Economy

# 48 Burkina Faso: 4.6 % 2002
Burkina Faso Economy

# 49 Ghana: 4.5 % 2002
Ghana Economy

# 50 Mali: 4.5 % 2002
Mali Economy

# 51 Cambodia: 4.5 % 2002
Cambodia Economy

# 52 Burundi: 4.5 % 2002
Burundi Economy

# 53 Philippines: 4.4 % 2002
Philippines Economy

# 54 Slovakia: 4.4 % 2002
Slovakia Economy

# 55 India: 4.3 % 2002
India Economy

# 56 Russia: 4.3 % 2002
Russia Economy

# 57 Botswana: 4.2 % 2002
Botswana Economy

# 58 Uzbekistan: 4.2 % 2002
Uzbekistan Economy

# 59 Dominican Republic: 4.1 % 2002
Dominican Republic Economy

# 60 Yemen: 4.1 % 2002
Yemen Economy

# 61 Malaysia: 4.1 % 2002
Malaysia Economy

# 62 São Tomé and Príncipe: 4 % 2002
São Tomé and Príncipe Economy

# 63 Cape Verde: 4 % 2002
Cape Verde Economy

# 64 Cameroon: 4 % 2002
Cameroon Economy

# 65 Serbia and Montenegro: 4 % 2002
Serbia and Montenegro Economy

# 66 Lesotho: 4 % 2002
Lesotho Economy

# 67 Greece: 4 % 2002
Greece Economy

# 68 Mongolia: 3.9 % 2002
Mongolia Economy

# 69 Guinea: 3.7 % 2002
Guinea Economy

# 70 Indonesia: 3.7 % 2002
Indonesia Economy

# 71 Belize: 3.7 % 2002
Belize Economy

# 72 Syria: 3.6 % 2002
Syria Economy

# 73 Australia: 3.6 % 2002
Australia Economy

# 74 Djibouti: 3.5 % 2002
Djibouti Economy

# 75 Somalia: 3.5 % 2002
Somalia Economy

# 76 Congo, Democratic Republic of the: 3.5 % 2002
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Economy

# 77 Taiwan: 3.5 % 2002
Taiwan Economy

# 78 Ecuador: 3.4 % 2002
Ecuador Economy

# 79 Algeria: 3.3 % 2002
Algeria Economy

# 80 Canada: 3.3 % 2002
Canada Economy

# 81 Hungary: 3.3 % 2002
Hungary Economy

# 82 Saint Lucia: 3.3 % 2002
Saint Lucia Economy

# 83 New Zealand: 3.3 % 2002
New Zealand Economy

# 84 Mauritania: 3.3 % 2002
Mauritania Economy

# 85 Sri Lanka: 3.2 % 2002
Sri Lanka Economy

# 86 Slovenia: 3.2 % 2002
Slovenia Economy

# 87 Egypt: 3.2 % 2002
Egypt Economy

# 88 Trinidad and Tobago: 3.2 % 2002
Trinidad and Tobago Economy

# 89 Nigeria: 3.2 % 2002
Nigeria Economy

# 90 Ethiopia: 3 % 2002
Ethiopia Economy

# 91 Antigua and Barbuda: 3 % 2002
Antigua and Barbuda Economy

# 92 South Africa: 3 % 2002
South Africa Economy

# 93 Brunei: 3 % 2002
Brunei Economy

# 94 Bahrain: 2.9 % 2002
Bahrain Economy

# 95 Niger: 2.9 % 2002
Niger Economy

# 96 Togo: 2.9 % 2002
Togo Economy

# 97 Bolivia: 2.8 % 2002
Bolivia Economy

# 98 Costa Rica: 2.8 % 2002
Costa Rica Economy

# 99 Grenada: 2.5 % 2002
Grenada Economy

# 100 Honduras: 2.5 % 2002
Honduras Economy

# 101 Réunion: 2.5 % 2002
Réunion Economy

# 102 Senegal: 2.4 % 2002
Senegal Economy

# 103 United States: 2.4 % 2002
United States Economy

# 104 Zambia: 2.3 % 2002
Zambia Economy

# 105 Namibia: 2.3 % 2002
Namibia Economy

# 106 Bosnia and Herzegovina: 2.3 % 2002
Bosnia and Herzegovina Economy

# 107 Hong Kong: 2.3 % 2002
Hong Kong Economy

# 108 Maldives: 2.3 % 2002
Maldives Economy

# 109 Mauritius: 2.3 % 2002
Mauritius Economy

# 110 San Marino: 2.3 % 2002
San Marino Economy

# 111 Guatemala: 2.2 % 2002
Guatemala Economy

# 112 Singapore: 2.2 % 2002
Singapore Economy

# 113 Oman: 2.2 % 2002
Oman Economy

# 114 El Salvador: 2.1 % 2002
El Salvador Economy

# 115 Chile: 2.1 % 2002
Chile Economy

# 116 Virgin Islands: 2 % 2002
Virgin Islands Economy

# 117 Lebanon: 2 % 2002
Lebanon Economy

# 118 Liberia: 2 % 2002
Liberia Economy

# 119 Comoros: 2 % 2002
Comoros Economy

# 120 Eritrea: 2 % 2002
Eritrea Economy

# 121 Spain: 2 % 2002
Spain Economy

# 122 Czech Republic: 2 % 2002
Czech Republic Economy

# 123 Sweden: 1.9 % 2002
Sweden Economy

# 124 United Arab Emirates: 1.8 % 2002
United Arab Emirates Economy

# 125 United Kingdom: 1.8 % 2002
United Kingdom Economy

# 126 Malawi: 1.7 % 2002
Malawi Economy

# 127 Cayman Islands: 1.7 % 2002
Cayman Islands Economy

# 128 Swaziland: 1.6 % 2002
Swaziland Economy

# 129 Finland: 1.6 % 2002
Finland Economy

# 130 Denmark: 1.6 % 2002
Denmark Economy

# 131 Central African Republic: 1.5 % 2002
Central African Republic Economy

# 132 Brazil: 1.5 % 2002
Brazil Economy

# 133 Colombia: 1.5 % 2002
Colombia Economy

# 134 Seychelles: 1.5 % 2002
Seychelles Economy

# 135 Tonga: 1.5 % 2002
Tonga Economy

# 136 Poland: 1.4 % 2002
Poland Economy

# 137 Suriname: 1.2 % 2002
Suriname Economy

# 138 Dominica: 1.2 % 2002
Dominica Economy

# 139 France: 1.2 % 2002
France Economy

# 140 Tuvalu: 1.2 % 2002
Tuvalu Economy

# 141 Libya: 1.2 % 2002
Libya Economy

# 142 Malta: 1.2 % 2002
Malta Economy

# 143 Kenya: 1.1 % 2002
Kenya Economy

# 144 Nicaragua: 1.1 % 2002
Nicaragua Economy

# 145 Austria: 1.1 % 2002
Austria Economy

# 146 Cuba: 1.1 % 2002
Cuba Economy

# 147 Guyana: 1.1 % 2002
Guyana Economy

# 148 Jamaica: 1 % 2002
Jamaica Economy

# 149 Norway: 1 % 2002
Norway Economy

# 150 British Virgin Islands: 1 % 2002
British Virgin Islands Economy

# 151 Micronesia, Federated States of: 1 % 2002
Micronesia, Federated States of Economy

# 152 Saudi Arabia: 1 % 2002
Saudi Arabia Economy

# 153 Korea, North: 1 % 2002
Korea, North Economy

# 154 Panama: 0.7 % 2002
Panama Economy

# 155 Mexico: 0.7 % 2002
Mexico Economy

# 156 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 0.7 % 2002
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Economy

# 157 Belgium: 0.7 % 2002
Belgium Economy

# 158 Macedonia, Republic of: 0.7 % 2002
Macedonia, Republic of Economy

# 159 Bermuda: 0.5 % 2002
Bermuda Economy

# 160 Italy: 0.4 % 2002
Italy Economy

# 161 Luxembourg: 0.4 % 2002
Luxembourg Economy

# 162 Portugal: 0.4 % 2002
Portugal Economy

# 163 Gabon: 0.2 % 2002
Gabon Economy

# 164 Germany: 0.2 % 2002
Germany Economy

# 165 Japan: 0.2 % 2002
Japan Economy

# 166 Netherlands: 0.2 % 2002
Netherlands Economy

# 167 Switzerland: 0.1 % 2002
Switzerland Economy

# 168 Bahamas, The: 0.1 % 2002
Bahamas, The Economy

# 169 Puerto Rico: -0.2 % 2002
Puerto Rico Economy

# 170 Vanuatu: -0.3 % 2002
Vanuatu Economy

# 171 Iceland: -0.6 % 2002
Iceland Economy

# 172 Nepal: -0.6 % 2002
Nepal Economy

# 173 Israel: -0.8 % 2002
Israel Economy

# 174 Haiti: -0.9 % 2002
Haiti Economy

# 175 Montserrat: -1 % 2002
Montserrat Economy

# 176 Aruba: -1.5 % 2002
Aruba Economy

# 177 Côte d’Ivoire: -1.6 % 2002
Côte d’Ivoire Economy

# 178 Saint Kitts and Nevis: -1.9 % 2002
Saint Kitts and Nevis Economy

# 179 Kuwait: -2 % 2002
Kuwait Economy

# 180 Paraguay: -2.7 % 2002
Paraguay Economy

# 181 Barbados: -2.8 % 2002
Barbados Economy

# 182 Iraq: -3 % 2002
Iraq Economy

# 183 Papua New Guinea: -3.1 % 2002
Papua New Guinea Economy

# 184 Guinea-Bissau: -4.3 % 2002
Guinea-Bissau Economy

# 185 Venezuela: -8.9 % 2002
Venezuela Economy

# 186 Uruguay: -10.8 % 2002
Uruguay Economy

# 187 Argentina: -10.9 % 2002
Argentina Economy

# 188 Madagascar: -11.9 % 2002
Madagascar Economy

# 189 Zimbabwe: -13 % 2002
Zimbabwe Economy

# 190 Gaza Strip: -15 % 2002
Gaza Strip Economy

# 191 West Bank: -22 % 2002

Pat, that was the most brutal attack launched against that RACIST ONE GLYNE CLARKE, OWEN ARTHUR, GEORGE PAYNE and MIA MOTTLEY That I have ever heard or seen

We have been told for a very long time that this group was the most corrupt ever to run the affairs of this Nation but tonight proved it beyond any shadow of a doubt, for Arthur to tell the Nation that he was not part of the group that awarded the VECO Prison contract and did not chair Cabinet only to have the PM pull the files and to have shown him to have attended ALL of the meetings and then for Sinckler to produce the Letter Of Comfort for the same prison and VECO signed by the same liar crook Arthur blew him out of the water.

Look how the BLP trying to pin the VECO fiasco on Darcy Boyce, did Arthur have a sign on his desk saying “The Buck stops somewhere else”?. There was only one vote in the room that counted and that was Arthur’s and he didn’t brook any dissent (this from someone who was often in the room with him).

Darcy Boyce makes a convenient scapegoat, but who had control of the Gov’t purse strings? Good luck trying to unload that pile of pig manure on him, but we will not be fooled.

Sinckler’s reply was full of useful insights. I paid a lot of attention to his statement on the real vs Nominal GDP thing.

Mascoll and Arthur had managed to make me uneasy about the data coming out from the Central bank, but Sinckler was able to reveal that in 2003, the nominal gdp growth was negative but the real gdp growth was positive. Please don’t ask me to understand that. However, if it happened in 2003, is it fair for Mascoll and Arthur to claim slight of hand if it happen again in 2011? I noted that Arthur did not contradict

You see Mascoll and Arthur’s have sought to potray themselves as trained economists who are seeking to bring fair, unbiased economic analysis to bajans. The main stream media have also allowed them to assume that posture. It now seems to me that their economic analysis is very selective in nature and generously coated with political posturing.

Check for the main stream media to now paint Francis as a victim.

Depends on who view point. The B;s say they came out rocking the D’s same thing while ordinary bajans happy the budget gone but still hurting form the measures last year. They still in place and have cause inflation to rise. Did they find the medicine appropriate or harsh will be found out in polls or general election. I think its the latter but we must wait and see.

The Opposition waiting to get on the political platform….lol