@Onions

Just bear in mind it under the BLP that the floodgates were opened to all and sundry under the guise of being CSME friendly. Has the BLP changed its strategy as far as this is concerned?

Cuz Onions is OBB and you is Just Just Asking

david- what is wrong with another country of the caricom arena investing in another member country. who or what has prevented barbadian or other caribbean entrpreneurs from purchasing from purchasing assets placed on the market in barbados for sale?. i think that persons like you should try to bring a more informed view to the sensitive issue rather than join the bashing trinidad bandwagon just because it is fashionable to do so.

“But how will the two peoples get on ? If Kellman’s much sought after fishing agreement is much to go by..well you tell me. Like granny used to say …..better born lucky than rich”

to mr kellman’s credit, he never promised the public of barbados a fishing agreement. I distinctly heard Mr Kellman in a discourse with Mr Ellis on down to brasstacks indicating public that barbadians didn’t need a fishing agreement. He went on to justify the comment by saying that barbadians were getting all the fish they wanted and that he himself had bought some.

@ balance
I distinctly heard Mr Kellman in a discourse with Mr Ellis on down to brasstacks indicating public that barbadians didn’t need a fishing agreement. He went on to justify the comment by saying that barbadians were getting all the fish they wanted and that he himself had bought some.
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Tell Kellman that is why we got no fish this Good Friday. Tell him that is a most irresponsible comment. Tell him also that is why the fishermen are most scared of being shot at……and are not going back there. While you there, ask him about this natural gas pipe line deal coming from Tobago to which we will be screwed…..ask him to tell us something about the COST….How come we have no investment share in the deal ?..just the ONLY buyer in the Caribbean. Don’t Grenada need natural gas ? How come they not interested ? Why has the PM not engaged the public on this ? Or is this another no signing contract deal ? How come Kaymala and Fruendel so quiet on this one ? Have they not heard of transparency ?
ANOTHER BIG BITE……..I can’t cHEW

@balance

Please use your best comprehension skills to understand the point being made.

Old Onions has opined and show concern that with T&T’s new found reserves it will continue to generate excess capital for that market which means it will be looking for investment opportunities outward.

Onions was reminded that it is under the Arthur government that a splurge of investment from T&T occurred.

He was asked to reconcile/explain the two positions.

Now how do you extrapolate from that there is an anti-T&T position?

It is clear that the Trinidad businesses are looking to expand in the region while very few Barbados businesses have done that. The rest are just willing to sell and pocket the money. Take for example Trowel Plastics and Solar Dynamics, they had a unique product for over 30 years. Trinidadians had to come here to buy these products to take back there to use. You trying to tell me that the educated Bajan businesses couldn’t see a viable market and set up shop there? Berger Paints are now making a similar product and selling it in Trinidad. With the cheap cost of labour and materials couldn’t Solar dynamics have set up a manufacturing plant down there? Limestone is an important component in the trowel plastic product and Barbados has plenty BUT couldn’t they become more aggressive in capturing more of the regional market? The problem is that Bajan businessmen are afraid of expanding their businesses and prefer to keep what they have in their back pocket expecting that it will remain there in mint condition. Hello……what was in the back pocket has dry rotted and has crumbled into tiny pieces while someone else has reinvented the product and creating newer markets. Stupse Most of the businesses the Trinis have bought were white elephants and now they are catching their arses. Who do you think tricked these Trinis?

@ IslanG
The problem is that Bajan businessmen are afraid of expanding their businesses and prefer to keep what they have in their back pocket expecting that it will remain there in mint condition.
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No so sweet ISGL, firstly morning. Do you remember Julie N went St.Lucia and got a stinking reception…oh yeah….we duz treat them well but the courtesies are not reciprocated.Julie N even had a change of name…. same result. Automotive Art seems to have done Ok …so are a few others of more recent expansion. In more youthful days, I went to work as a CariCom professional in a few islands and the welcome was not up to par . Islandgal …its called ” a chip of petti nationalism.”

ISGL needs to get her facts straight….. and for far too many time now !

@ David
Trinidad…..fully cornering the media first boy ! Sounds familiar .. CBC ?
remember I penned it first….Trinidad and ToBADOES…lol

@ just asking
Orite den….we shall hereby make you a Knight Commander by Order of the Brittish Empire so as to even the playing fields, and hills beyond recall,
Just Asking your credentials are now KC,OBE
this is how you need to accost the man in here from now on ..ok
Just Asking KC,OBE…………( not KFC)

David …
BS&T was a retail white elephant, Almond and Mannings next on the list to close. The real estate was prime in the boom they are peddling with retail until the market improves. Retailing today calls for a more dynamic approach, trained personnel and a sound inventory system. Automotive Art is impressive and an example of what retailing is all about., so is Carter and company. Recently I was told by someone who was purchasing trowel plastic from the St. Thomas location that there was a commentary box for customers to submit their thoughts on the service and company. This customer was fed up with the long wait every time he went there. He wrote that the service was bad and they could do with much improvement. He was back there a few weeks later and looked for the box and found that it was removed as well as the signage. So much for customer feedback!

Ole Onions….”Do you remember Julie N went St.Lucia and got a stinking reception…oh yeah…”

And where is JULIE ‘N’ today?

Ole Onions ..Julie N was a failing company trying to clutch at straws when they entered the St. Lucia market. It is not easy to penetrate a new market look at how wunna vex with the Trinis for buying up local businesses. The problem is not trying to understand the culture of the marketplace before going in.

That is not true…at the time of expansion, Julie ‘N was the biggest most popular supermarket here., the st.lucians heard of this and were frightened……pls get your facts str8.

Ok David you are probably right, Peltdown man yes Goddards is one of our success stories and they have invested as far as Belize as I recall.

Goddards flight kitchen expanded throughout the region and South America. Someone else from the food distribution group I think it is SBI is having goods produced in Costa Rica.

@Independent

Are you saying that a government whether BLP or DLP cannot do anything to govern a Port a la Customs which has direct impact on the cost of living?

Independent you are correct and it will never be solved until the well runs dry.

Barbados needs foreign investment but it should not be allwed to reach a level where it would destabilize the country.

For example The trini bosses of BS&T could lay off workers to negatively influence the next election.
Then if they also allow Almond to fail????

An doan tell me nuh s ite bout Dinks wun leh dem do dat.

Many Bajans lost thousands and thousands of dollars investing in BWIA in 2003 when that airline had an IPO here.I heard the total loss was $24million BD dollars.Not very long after,the airline closed down on the recommendation of one Arthur Lok Jack.Now I see this name featuring again in closing down another section of our tourism plant.Is this a conspiracy?Do you remember when BWIA was the major player in the Bdos tourism product with daily services to and from Miami,New York,Toronto,London,Jamaica,Trinidad and Guyana.When their aircraft were 707’s and L 1011’s?What kind of development politics is causing the decline of the tourism product in Bdos!What is it about the success of Bdos and bajans that would create this insane jealousy by politicos when at the street level bajans and trinis hit off like 2 peas in a pod.Sparrow and the average trini too love to hear the true bajan accent and try to copy it.They love to hear Dennis Kellman as much as they liked to hear Carew and Grynner.They did not like Evelyn ‘Breakthrough’Greaves who in 1987 alighting from a BWIA aircraft claimed he made a breakthrough in the fishing negotiations.The trinis too like Kellman the I man.

The Northern part of Trinidad has developed dramatically in the last four years. Flyovers and six lane highways. Sky scrapers in downtown Port of Spain. A massive super modern cultural hall. About six Stadiums each surpassing the size of our own. Even the Gulf region on the Western side, Chaguanas are dramatically changed and super modern. The Trincity Mall equals anything else that the rest of the world has to offer. This is all as a result of Trinidad charging the rest of the Caribbean, those stupid enough to stick by her as opposed to going the ALBA alternative, world market prices for Oil.

New oil finds will keep them interested in oil exploits and away from tourism for the time being. They did say that they wanted to be the financial capital of the Caribbean and they are well on their way in accomplishing this. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CARICOM, at least not in the form that it has traditionally been touted ..

Kool. My mistake. They will invest outwards (Accra and Heywoods for example) but these are the actions of Privateers. Trinidad as a tourism plant is virtually non-existent, with very few projects on stream. The Caroni (Scarlet Ibis) and the Pitch Lake remain their biggest attraction outside of Carnival. There are very few rooms and the rental car operators are really not geared to major influxes of visitors.

@David
The problem with Port is the unholy alliance between the Port Authority and the Barbados Workers Union. There is and has been mutual back-scratching going on there for decades. Labour practices are stuck in the 1960’s, and the Port Authority won’t argue with the Union so long as they can keep bumping up their charges and paying the unbelieveable wages that port workers demand. Believe me, the whole population is being held hostage by the Port.

@ Hants
It is a known as well as a constant how the bread is buttered when it comes to SHARE ….the good lady made it known slip when it came to sending aid to hurricane ravished neighbors remember…Do you think the position changed since for anyone not on equal footing ?We are to buy their natural gas when the time comes at their dictated prices,,and I bet someone go get something too…..no wonder all the hush .
So do not look for no neighborly nuttins…..is all fa one and all fa one…CSME or not. Chavez boy we better come cap in hand to you.

Experts say Trinidad govt jumped gun on “big oil”find. Energy experts label government announcement as of a 48million barrel discovery as a case of premature optimism
read full story in today Trinidad Express.