BU has received word that Andrea King did not travel with the Minister to London. The taxpayers of Barbados did not pay for her to go. She attended a trade forum there along with other Caribbean Cultural Industries workers/participants. Of interest also, she did not attend any of the Olympic events, at the time she…
BU has received word that Andrea King did not travel with the Minister to London. The taxpayers of Barbados did not pay for her to go. She attended a trade forum there along with other Caribbean Cultural Industries workers/participants. Of interest also, she did not attend any of the Olympic events, at the time she was in closed incubator sessions throughout the duration of her trip.
Barbados Underground
Stephen Lashley, Minister of Sports
Every four years when the Olympics comes around the conversation becomes as predictable as the views of a political yard fowl. Of course how we manage merger resources to develop our human capital deserves to be a priority item on the national agenda. Successive governments have paid lip service to development initiatives which fall outside the traditional. Sports and the Cultural Industries are seen as ‘projects’ which are used to feed the fat cats and manipulate the masses with the lure of what is possible.
In the private sector successful companies in response to the challenging economic times have ramped-up tactics to ensure greater cost efficiency. Should the citizenry not expect our government to acknowledge the benefit of adopting a similar approach? World economies which Barbados depend on for our success have been on the skids for four years and counting. Despite this reality we have a government which has failed to convince the population of the parlous times. The Opposition has shown solidarity with government by promising the people that lifestyles built on consumption is sustainable. For some it does not take a crystal ball to see the fortunes of a little country careening downhill like a truck with no brakes.
The news that Minister Stephen Lashley has traveled to London this week to attend the Olympic Games raised concern in the BU household. What is the objective of the trip? To be a spectator? Is it to network with prominent attendees to the benefit of Barbados? The big question which we want answered, who paid for this trip? Is the trip funded by tax dollars? Is the trip funded by the Barbados Olympic Association? Would the money not have been better spent adding the talented female athlete to the team who qualified for the games? The fat cats are in attendance at the Olympics fully aware that Barbados has been recorded in Olympic history not to have named a female on the team.
BU understands Minister Lashley has traveled to London with Andrea King, a consultant in Cultural Industries Development. One has to give the minister the opportunity to explain to Barbadians why is he traveling to London with Andrea King. We the taxpayers have a right to know. BU will not stress on the fact the Andrea King is the Minister’s sister in law. BU will also not dwell on the fact that there is a ssuspician Miss King has travelled to London to peddle her designs at an exhibition. Did she attend the Olympics as well? All we want to know, what is the damn circumstances which dictated that Minister Lashley should, at great expense no doubt, attend the London Olympic Games. In the process he (Lashley) has theoritically denied the opportunity to an athlete (a female?) to attend the Games.
The transparency promised by the late Prime Minister died with him. Some of us have had it with the two dinosaur political parties whose priority is to pander to self and party at the expense of the national interest.
BAFBFP…Please read again. Think Monty Python. Think jokers. Think tongue in cheek. Think anything but that I need any kind of benefit of the doubt…nothing and I mean nothing will come of these visits…they never have and never will…The wrong people always organizing, the wrong people always attending…the wrong people only wanting what benefits they can get for themselves and all the right people laughing at we. Shameful to the core.
…and please never forget….I AM A CONCERNED CREATIVE CITIZEN AND WILL BE UNTIL THE CIB AMENDMENTS ARE MADE TO ENCOMPASS ALL CREATIVES ON THIS ISLAND….UNTIL MONIES COMING IN FROM EU, TU, DU OR WHEREVER ARE HANDLED IN A MANNER THAT IS CONDUCIVE TO IMPROVING AND WORKING FOR WHAT THEY WERE INTENDED FOR. CREATIVE PEOPLE WANT TRANSPARENCY …. AND MOSTLY RESPECT FOR WHAT WE DO!!!! EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL CREATIVES NOT JUST THE CHOSEN FEW. THIS HAS TO STOP WITH ALL GOVERNMENTS….DONE!!!
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@ Prodi
Less you forget Kelli is a self made man…..if you know what I mean.
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balance
“The transparency promised by the late Prime Minister died with him.”
Not at all, David, it is very much alive in CLICO
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balance
“I don’t understand why Cabinet would approve this trip unless there is more that we haven’t been told. ”
Bro Cas, cabinet approve what don’t you see it is a free for all; every man for himself and devil takes the hindmost. every minister answers to himself. Mr Stuart nice fellow that he is cannot dare fire any minister.
I always hate the last months of an administration. There is no check to balance the potential for run away spending.
Rosemary
And here it is that I actually thought there was a faithful among us …
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old onion bags
“The transparency promised by the late Prime Minister died with him.”
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Now that is a oxymoron concoction if ever there be one…LOL
@BAFBFP
I am faithful to my country Barbados. I am faithful to our islands in the Caribbean. I am faithful to any government that treats us the people of these beautiful lands with the respect that we deserve. I will respect anyone who respects me and I will be faithful to them. I am faithful to my real friends and my children. I am very very faithful to creatives ’cause I am one too. But I will be never faithful to those who try to pull the wool over our eyes…the cloak and dagger that surrounds so much these days, not just in government but in every day life, makes me sick to the core and breaks my heart.
I do not care if the world is changing and this is the ‘new’ way to do ‘business’. We do not have to follow the rest of the world like bloody sheep…what we have to do is unite, do what is right and create a society that cannot fail. Call it Utopia if you will. Call me old-fashioned if you will. Call me living in a dream world that does not exist any more. I will not stop or falter on the road towards achieving even if its a little minute thing that will stop the crap that is going on now. I have already started with food and will not give up the fight towards a clean Barbados. Shoots I near forget yes…saw the other day that yet another government ‘organization’ has claimed to have an organic mandate…have not looked into it yet…but will. However…right away this comes to mind. Why do we need another government arm to do what the Ministry of Agriculture should be doing? Sounds like more money down the drain. Lawd have is mercy. But as I said further comments on that when I look into it all.
But the one fight that has to be addressed, has to be important right now, because it encompasses from food to everything that is creative leans directly on the Culture Industries Bill…and creatives on this island will not continue to be seen as ignorant and just crazy people who play music, paint or dribble in nonsense that ‘we’ lawyers, accountants, economists, businessmen, government people don’t much care for. We are a huge part of this society, we play an enormous role on this island and in this world… and we will not be dismissed. So I send this message out re the CIB: “If you swallow my creativity, you swallow me…AND I AM NOT DIGESTIBLE!!!”
On radio for all to hear, the Minister of Culture said when asked, that some 40 amendments are ready to be placed into the Bill. Where are they? If you have ’em put them up on the GIS website and leh we see dem. And if you don’t why you just come out and say you do? If ya made a mistake because you nervous on radio, come out and say so too. And eff you need a typist to put those in place, and judging from the typos I noted in the CIB, the government is in desperate need of one, then call out to the people…I would give my time to type in those amendments and the country would have them within 24 hours. Now again…a likkle birdie told me that the Minister’s sister-in-law is in charge of this…but she is in London…so maybe I am wrong ’cause everyone deserves a holiday…and on her return the amended Bill will be up for all of us to see. We must always keep that hope going…’cause
…does Percy fly? Perhaps. He could as well ’cause he ent done nutting to change tings ’bout hey as yet.
But as I always say. Simple tings, have simple answers.
BAFBFP….is okay sweet-pea…sometimes one comment is all that is required. I ent vex. Just stating my position loud and clear as per nusual. Not just to you but to the whole blog. Let ’em read it all. Love is communication.
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Prodigal Son
@onions
“Less you forget Kelli is a self made man…..if you know what I mean”.
And cannot answer a few questions? onions, stop laughing at the man! Did you see him in the budget debate when he jumped up interrupting Dale Marshall….uh mean, what he said was so nonsensical, even the Speaker had to tell him, that is no point of order!
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waynebar
If it’s on official business, no problem, just SHOW US THE RECEIPTS, ALL OF THEM…and let the public decide at the ballot box…
BU received word that Andrea King did not travel with the Minister to London. The taxpayers of Barbados did not pay for her to go. She attended a trade forum there along with other Caribbean Cultural Industries workers/participants. Of interest also, she did not attend any of the Olympic events, at the time she was in closed incubator sessions throughout the duration of her trip.
“She attended a trade forum there along with other Caribbean Cultural Industries workers/participants.”
Since the notice about this Trade Forum only came to light for many of us almost after the fact and certainly with no time to make arrangements to join, perhaps all the wonders that this trade forum has created and will create for Barbados should be publicized…seems to me that even if Ms. King travelled on her own, and paid her own way, she did so on NCF time and the NCF is supposed to be the voice of creatives…so I can only guess we will soon see a glowing report on this visit and what it has achieved for Barbados. Entrepreneurship being the new word, of course.
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The problem here is that Andrea King travelled to an important forum with Caribbean trade representatives. It appears that Ms King has an unusually strange and instantaneous access to public events – whether the come out of the purse of the NCF, the Ministry of Culture or Caribbean Export. Who were the other trade officials and Creative persons in attendance from Barbados? We need to know this right away. The same way you ran to defend Andrea King or she ran to defend herself, let us know, indeed, what they did for and on behalf of Barbados.
Why is it that Ms King seems to be the prime choice on so many occasions for showcasing her work at NCF activities, prime choice for a location at Lime Grove (though it came to naught) I heard this practically from the horse’s mouth. No not the mouth of Ms King but from a key player at Lime Grove.
Why is it that there is no open competition for designers to enable some semblance of fair selection for local and international events. This kind of thing in Barbados has to stop …
Wasn’t the Cultural Industries bill shabby enough? What else do we need to learn that Ms King is not the one to be promoting Barbados’ cultural activities. She may have a lot of brawn but certainly does not have the skills. And furthermore is now in a precarious position being seen to be on the gravy chain of a Ministry (Culture) that is not trusted – and pays lip service to participation, manipulates the public trust, has an incredible access to media and is looking more and more ignrant every day, for saying much and doing little.
I can’t tell Ms King what to do. She is a big woman. But looks like whether or not the money came from the Barbados purse directly, it was intended for a Barbados person. Why it always got to be you these days?
Agree that there is the question to be answered why other creatives are not getting the opportunities to attend similar fora. To be fair if Andrea King has paid her way on personal time what is the issue?
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