the administration of the justice system was in shambles long before mr simmons took up the appointment of chief justice and it will be so long after mr gibson demits office because the structures are not only antiquated but institutionalized.tinkering with the system as has been done wishy washy over the years to appease criticism has been like pouring new wine in old bottles.the system cannot be renovated but replaced and until god knows when a new system is introduced , then the status quo will forever remain.the failures of the system during mr simmons’ tenure cannot be entirely laid at the doorstep of the former chief justice did try to institute innovative ideas with respect to the dispensing of justice by the courts.
It is my view that the pillorying and demonising of mr simmons by dlp apologists has been a clever attempt to mask the incompetence of the dlp advised by the then attorney general stuart that there was no legal impediment standing in the way of the appointment of mr gibson to the post of chief justice when indeed there was one and the subsequent accomodation of mr gibson for the post by changing the constitution. by the way wasn’t mr frederick smith a former attorney general appointed to the bench after he gave up active politics.

The topic is still a hot button issue and I reiterate my earlier comment that the ex CJ revisiting this subject is like picking up a piece of excrement by the good end.
This should not be about BLP or DLP, an appointment of this magnitude should transcend politics. If the roles were reversed and Thompson appointed Stuart to that position the same people defending the appointment would be up in arms over the issue.

Arthur made an egregious error in appointing Simmons not because he wasn’t qualified
( I can’t speak to his legal acumen) but because of his active political career which culminated in Simmons membership in his Cabinet as Attorney General prior to his appointment as CJ. Simmons could have saved Arthur from himself by pointing out that the optics were in a word appalling and it didn’t pass the smell test.

Politicians seem to think that after they are elected that they don’t have to answer to anyone but whether they are Prime Minister or backbencher they have to serve someone.

no one cares a rat’s bottom how and why he was dismissed. they are all crooks. his grouse is that he can no longer milk the fatted cow for friends and family. the new chief justice reminds me of a gorilla but at least he seems pretty honest and just. david simmons could go and sleep and enjoy his retirement, whether forced or otherwise

It’s time we all grow up ! All these CJ’s and big ups end up with fat pensions for life and all the perks. The truth is that if David Simmons has something to say we should welcome it. Quite frankly, if he feels that it will “shock” us all,so be it. The days of hiding behind prestige and so on while the masses remain in the dark are over. Let the man speak and then we all can decide if he has breached any protocol. We paid him and if he feels we need to know something , we should just let him do so.
As for the new CJ , I am not surprised that he is giving the office a positive public face. It is obvious he was not cut from the same cloth of those who now masquerade as the new plantation owners. Let’s face- it those who come from the privileged social classes don’t feel any commitment to anything or anybody but themselves and their imagined right to high office.
All this elitism of office and worshiping mere mortals should now cease. We are making Gods out of rather ordinary men and women and elevating people to heights that they neither deserve are earned
No wonder the so-called educated people can attack a party’s economic policy for twenty years and then become that party’s chief economic spokesman without any fears of being branded a cold blooded political opportunist
Let Simmons talk and write.

If the roles were reversed and Thompson appointed Stuart to that position the same people defending the appointment would be up in arms over the issue.”

and the same people opposing mr simmons appointment would be championing the appointment. that’s the bestial nature of political governance which should be rapidly discarded before it gets worse.

@balance

You obviously read the comments with a cockney eye.

Of course we all want the truth however what Simmons announcement has done is to expose the folly of his appointment in the first place.

The sentimental arguments that he is a good person etc is irrelevant. In the same way justice must appear to be so the same extends to his appointment.

It is high time our politicians wake up to the fact we are tired of the foolishness.

David

Are you aware that the news of Simmons’ memoir sent the DEMS in such a panic that they had a meeting to plan how they would respond. After they realized that it was not going to be an expose in the Nation anytime soon, they decided to suspend their attacks. Apparently, people like AC did not get the memo.

@ William Skinner

On ‘they are ordinary men and women’ – so true. We know they’re not Gods; but we give them office and then pretend they are – for a while – until it suits us to pretend otherwise. It says as much about us as them.

@ Observer

I did…..and of course +

I can’t speak for the motivation of others but as a citizen and interested observer I would welcome the publication of a memoir, the only caveat is that one of the principals is no longer with us and we wouldn’t be able to get his side of the story. The very suggestion of a memoir has served to put this issue back in the spotlight where bloggers can vent once more and I’m not sure that it would change anyone’s opinion.

A memoir is not an autobiography, it can be a reflection of a career but if the primary purpose of this memoir is to focus on the denial of an extension of a mandate one may easily conclude that it was motivated by spite, in which case it may do more harm than good. So I hope the memoir covers the whole political and legal career.

How about the bit players also writing an exposé on the whole matter? Caswell? You seem to know a great deal about the back room shenanigans and the more the merrier.

Therespondent though he is dead yet shall he live and much of the claims or information would be refuted by those closest to knowing what took place and the relevancy of itall therby seeing other books written by those in the DLP camp this is by no means be left as a iopen and shut case by Simmons for there are going to be charges and countercharges agressively submitted by the other side .the overall context of the book should be why he was dismissed and not a vindicativness of wanting to get even

CCC
“I hope that they are not official documents.
Otherwise they hold implications for the Official secrets Act.”……………….

You did not say the same thing when the dead king had all those government files and confidential papers he held up at Haggatt Hall in 2008.

You hypocrite.

How insensitive can a PRIME MINISTER be? Here is P.M. Stuart calling out the EAGER 30 teachers at AX to a meeting today, the START OF A NEW AND VERY IMPORTANT THIRD TERM Why did he not call the meeting last week while the teachers were on holiday? It is reported the principal Mr Broomes was not informed about the meeting, if this is true the P.M was very wrong and totally disrespected the office of the principal even if he doesn’t respect the man himself. I smell a rat, this fiasco can cause the demise of the DLP as it seems FS is dealing on his own, without the backing of the PSC, the Ed minister, and certainly without consulting the remaining 22 teachers at the school. How can he reach a decision without taliking to ALL sides on the matter, this sounds like either the P.M has gone off his rocker or he is a DICTATOR; which ever way, this doe not spell good for the DLP government. Look out general elections may be just around the corner, we thought the Clico affair would have resulted in a forced elections but it appears the AX fiasco has the potential for such. I wonder how Mr C.J would rule on this matter if it reaches the HIGH COURT

.
On ‘they are ordinary men and women’ – so true. We know they’re not Gods; but we give them office and then pretend they are – for a while – until it suits us to pretend otherwise. It says as much about us as them
sorry to have to repeat what you say but i must because it is our fault that we place them on pedestals of prominence which they find hard to bear.

The Scout; If he did call the meeting today and did not inform the headmaster I agree totally with you, but I will await the official news. Oh what tangled webs we weave.

@ Scout .
Can you tell me what time the meeting is set for ? It is now 2 :53 PM and I have heard no announcement . It is now certainly outside of the school hours .

@ Observing
Thanks my friend . Peace .

@The Scout

Do you think the PM is a j**a** that he would not coordinate the meeting with the help of the MOE?

Really!

David; Think what we will of the PM. He did coordinate his earlier meetings with BSTU without reference to MOE or with the Headmaster or with the other concerned Unions. If he does the same now does that make him a J***a** now or was he one before or is the uestion of being a J***a** irrelevant to this matter? I would say instead that he marches to the beat of a different drummer than the one to which we are accustomed in relation to solving industrial problems by Prime Ministers.

All this on line cohesion will get you all nowhere…..the die is cast and things as we speak are in motion…ac I can see you now>>.ha ha ha
Let the Man do his job….and stop the attempted covert influence

@Bushie
Try and go long back to school tomorrow and teach the people’s children. Bushie leaving you to Uncle Jeff ….
*****************************************
I wish I were…maybe I might be laughing now !

@checkit

When the first meeting was called the teachers were on strike. We have a different scenario here, no?

The PM saw his role during the strike as getting the teachers back to work. We might disagree to his method but that was the approach.

Let us see how the latest meeting plays out.

@ Observing
his job?”
Sure you want to go there????
*********************************
Is that another threat ?Onions is a retired man..lol

@onion bags
lol. I don’t take anything outside. lol. I’ll sit and have a drink with ya first ya lucky retiree!

Just wondering if you truly meant that what he’s doing is “his job” 🙂

@David
The PM’s role (and subsequent objective) was constructed, implemented and followed through all by himself. Now that the first objective is complete, the second objective is to bring “lasting resolution” to the issue. We’ll see if this “meeting” achieves that.

I willing to bet one million, two harn an’ twenty t’ousand, one harn and two dollars that de teachers gu strike again …