If Dr. Franciis wants to cry to the press let him come clean on what is on his resume.

 http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/uwi-lecturer-under-fire/ 
Sat, September 10, 2011 – 12:05 AM
A UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES (UWI) lecturer says he has become the victim of several personal attacks since he gave a “thumbs down” to this year’s Budget presented by Government.
Dr Brian Francis, a lecturer in economics at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus, in a post-Budget discussion last month criticized Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler’s  financial proposals, calling the presentation “a huge mistake that is going to hurt the economy very badly in the long run”.
Francis says from then he has “become the target of senseless attacks and abuse by politicians and assumed supporters of the ruling Democratic Labour Party who did not share my perspectives”.
He also said some of the attacks levelled at him were heavily influenced by the fact that he was not born in Barbados.
Full story in today’s SATURDAY SUN.

i have to comment because some of the views on this forum never cease to amaze me.dr justin robinson is a known supporter of the democratic labour party. his views are always slanted in favour of the party he supports’ yet he is not demonised on this forum, he is respected even though his views are obviously pro-dlp.

Who is Dr Francis Charles?

The man came out with full blown criticism of the budget and then admitted he hadn’t read the document. Then it turns out his position isn’t so independent after all, he is an Economic Advisor to the Leader of the Opposition.

He can’t be in Church and Synagogue too.

@ bajejun

“partisan politics” or a Dictatorship. nuff said,

What I find disturbing about Dr.Francis is that he like most other Caribbean persons wants to make Barbadians feel so guilty about defending Barbados.
His mouthing’s sound just like Owen Arthur, that we must the the only country that must bow down to make the CSME work.
As a UWI economist what are your thoughts on the Jamaican economy? Why only criticize the Barbados government budgetary proposals.
Barbadians are demonized in the Caribbean every time we have to defend Barbados.
What kind of economist is he who cannot see that the US and UK economies our major tourist markets are stagnating. His solution to our problem is that he wants the government to do things that would be political suicide at this time? He wants the government TO CUT EXPPENDITURE drastically WHICH TECHNICALLY MEAN TO LAY OFF MANY GOVERNMENT WORKERS that Owen appointed before he left office.
The world economic forum just voted Barbados the highest in the Caribbean in terms of places to invest. How come we are so bad Dr.Francis? Do you have any comments on St. Lucia economy? Why can’t you go back to St. Lucia and advise Stephenson King.
Why are Owen Arthur and his economic gang preaching such gloom and doom for a country that should be worst off because of what is happening in the world.

As a lowly (partisan DLP supporting) contributor to BU who happens to live in Canada please allow me to regurgitate recent news from The Star.

“Investors mulled over a weaker-than-expected jobs report in Canada, a may-not-be-strong-enough jobs creation package from U.S. president Barack Obama, and stern warnings over the lingering debt crisis in Europe.”

“Canada’s economy shed jobs for the first time in five months in August, pushing the unemployment rate up a notch to 7.3 per cent, according to a report from Statistics Canada.

Economists warn the rate could edge higher by year’s end, as consumers slow their spending and a lack of business confidence weighs on hiring.”

DO you call harrassment and threats from YARDFOWLS most of whom are of the female species -criticism in an academic kind of way ????

Lord, how I get in this one now. I have not unpicked my teeth about the budget.

But Justin it ‘in na point saying “looka me crosses”

You did unpick ya teet last year about the budget. Didn’t you?

@Justin Robinson

Maybe you should do so, your words appear to be taken without much fanfare. But tell me something my learned friend, if the 2010 budget was okay and you said so, does your silence on the 2011 budget indicate a different measurement? Just asking because as you know, I am caught between a rock and a hard place.

It is always invigorating when members of the academic community provide their objective perspective on national issues. I believe the motive behind the Barbados Chamber of Commerce inviting Dr. Francis to speak was for him to put forward his objective view of the Budget. However, it’s humanly impossible for him to remain impartial when he is secretly advising the Leader of the Opposition on economic matters. In light of his actions, he is fair game in politics. If he don’t like the heat stay out the kitchen.

Well said Ayub.

@Prodigal Son wrote “You live in Canada and must have your say on everything that goes on here”

Until the properties I own in Barbados are sold and I renounce my Barbadian citizenship, everything about Barbados concerns me and I will voice my opinion on anything I choose.

You are free to do the same.

I will make a concerted effort to avoid commenting on anything you write.

Carson C. Cadogan, please go back to sleep.

Jamaicans ain’t cutting off one another heads because of demons. They doing it when their heads are full of marijuana, and they are fighting with other drug dealers over MONEY, plain and simple, nothing demonic about it.

And contrary to what Minister Jones said Bajan boy children are NOT misbehaving because they are possessed by demons. Bajan boy children are misbehaving because their fathers have abandoned them, and their mother’s boyfriends hate them. And too often the heads of the boys, their fathers and their stepfathers (and their mothers too) are full of marijuana If I had to live without my father, and with a step father who mistreated me (and my mother) I’d behave like I was demon possessed too.

But before we come up with SENSIBLE policies to deal with family dysfunction and drug about we sit on our assess and talk foolishness about demon possession.

But as a Christian this morning I must be the devil’s advocate (lawyer) and ask you and Jones to stop blaming my client (the devil) for men’s selfishness and cruelty to the boys of this country (and no doubt Jamaican boys as well)

I know what I speak of, my own brother is one of those selfish stepfathers who can’t stand his wife’s son. He is my brother and I do love him but he certainly could not live in my house and treat my children so. But too many women put up with damn foolishness from too many men as though there is anybody on the face of the earth with 3 balls.

Stupseeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sep 10, 2011 (Caribbean News Now – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) — KINGSTOWN, St Vincent — If US diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks are to be believed, the policewoman, who in 2008 accused St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves of rape, was offered US$185,000 in cash, a low-income house, and an opportunity to study abroad to drop the charge.

St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves

However, a source close to the alleged victim said, “She is vehement that she never got paid off.” “Further, I know of a regional attorney who works with the officer who says that she swears not to have received money,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“I know that this officer is still harassed by police high command. Recently she won a scholarship to go to a university to study and was turned down. These actions do not indicate a person with whom the state has made peace,” the source said.

However, four cables from the US Embassy in Bridgetown to Washington detail the alleged covert manoeuvres as lawyers sought justice for the cop, who claimed Gonsalves sexually assaulted her on January 3, 2008 while she was on duty at his official residence in Kingstown.

According to the documents, attorneys Kay Bacchus-Browne and Nicole Sylvester asked US officials to intervene and Sylvester claimed to have smuggled the woman’s police uniform to Trinidad for DNA testing.

However, according to the cables, Bacchus-Browne and Sylvester’s effort were brought to naught when “an insurance company executive with ties to the Gonsalves government” likely struck a deal that reportedly led to the woman settling the case out of court.

The negotiator is said to have been “on the ULP’s short list to contest one of the constituencies held by the opposition” and chaired a statutory corporation. Further, an individual close to the cop, “no longer able to handle the stress and weakened by the entire ordeal, played a large role in convincing [her] to sell out,” the leaked documents allege.

“The cash portion of the payoff was deposited into [a] bank account in Canada,” the cables said.

The cables purport to document the developments that led to the policewoman on September 12 retaining as her new lawyer Jaundy Martin of the firm Marks, Martin and Associates, the same firm of which former ULP senator Ronald Marks is a member.

The cop changed lawyers without consulting or informing Bacchus-Browne or Sylvester and while Sylvester was overseas. The new lawyer filed on September 15 the relevant court documents discontinuing all of the claims against Gonsalves.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said that he is innocent and the charge was politically motivated.

On February 1, 2008, Gonsalves called a press conference declaring himself innocent of the sexual assault charge filed as a private criminal complaint against him on behalf of the female cop.

The charges stemmed from an alleged sexual encounter between Gonsalves and the female member of his security detail at his official residence at Kingstown on January 3, 2008.

The comrade has a sizable belly. Can he do anything though?

1.Justin Robinson | September 10, 2011 at 10:24 PM | Had no real problems with the budget. I liked some of the initiatives, and would have liked to see more in terms of divestment of aspects of government.

Dr. R, which entity(ies) would you recommend be divested at this time and would your recommendation be to sell to the public, along with simultaneous listing on the BSE, or to a private group?

@Dr. Robinson

Divestment you say?

Hell no!

What do we have left to sell anyway?

Didn’t T&T buy it all?

Where in Barbados can Clyde Mascoll win a seat in parliament? Lets take them at their word that all is well in “de hive”.That takes St.Thomas off of the table of choices.Dugid’s replacement has already been named.Where else can Owen cram him down people’s throats?There is a school of thought in de hive that Richard Sealy is weak as a candidate.Perhaps Owen can show some spunk and try St.Michael South Central.Belmont Funeral Home does a great job with duppies.Politically thats what Clyde Mascoll is to Bajans.

I am thinking more along the philosophical lines raised by Ms. Mottley in her Chamber of Commerce speech.

Clearly there is a lot of devil in the details and some may not be feasible but:

Maybe in the case of school meals the employees could be facilitated to form catering type businesses that can sell the same servcies to the state.

Maybe in the case of sanitation drivers and some employees could be faciliated to form businesses that can sell the same services to the state.

The state still pays for the services but it can be delivered in a way that may well promote greater effciency and accountability, as well as create a new class of entrepreneurs and hopefully new wealth.

Who knows!

@Dr. Robinson

You are off tract on this occasion, can the private sector provise meals at ten cents a day to the poor children. Wouldnt we then have to give a subsidy to the same catering companies. How is the arrangement between the tranport board an ucal woking out. hope i got the name correctly.

How many private schools are there now and dont govt assist them in paying for some of the teachers. Most pf the private secondary and private schools cater to the middle class who can afford the high school fees, the two private schools which cater to the lower class are struggling to survive.

I await your response

There would be savings for sure.

One simply has to read the Auditor General Reports through the years to understand the ‘tieffin’ which is prevalent by the School Meals Department and vendors while entering the procurement process.

Quoting David the blog-master “One simply has to read the Auditor General Reports through the years to understand the ‘tieffin’ which is prevalent by the School Meals Department and vendors ”

But David [and Dr. Robinson too] do you have any evidence that the private sector is less t’eifing than the public sector???

After all aren’t private sector t’iefs raised in the same homes, schooled in the same schools and churched in the same churches as their private sector counterparts?

what about the opportunity to empower the workers and possibly create a new class of entrepreneurs while still providing the service to the users such as the school children etc. at no direct cost to them?

I am not ideological about the efficiency of private versus public providers, and as a worker who is paid by the government myself I cast no aspersions on the work ethic of such. However, if people are the owners of a company providing a service, they probably will have very different incentives than if they are employees.

My broad perspective is, can we find ways to keep the social protections we have, while finding ways to deliver them more efficiently, and possibly create new opportunities. If the school meals providers are faciliated to form catering companies for example, they will not only have the school meals contracts, but they can do other jobs as well.

For me these are thoughts floating around.