@ David
General Elections are often won by the Party whose “SWING” comes at the most appropriate time. It matters not if that swing is two seconds before the polling booth opens. . . .perhaps it is : “RUMBLE WITH FREUNDEL.”

what kind of nonsense ” deterioration of political stability”a lot of huff and puff brought about by the BLP with no answers to the economic problems . who ever heard of a party wanting to become the leaders using the an issue of “ring the bell ” as a growing cause as wether it affects the economy of the country. the people need answers not high political drama

@Yardbroom

In addition you must be aware there is something called business confidence. Barbados is a risk averse climate to stat with and many decisions are on hold because of the current state of the political climate. These are the nuances which seem not to be factored at the moment. What price has the country paid because of the inertia caused by the foregoing.

@ David,
It does not need pretence, “ALL Governments” set election dates to their advantage. Providing they are acting within the LAW it matters not. We speculate as to if business, the economy etc are in step. In most cases this is subjective, this false diversion is for a public perceived as gullible.

In a matter of weeks – if not days – the election date will be set. The party with the most votes will win, simple, to “pretend” that a few days more or less will make the world fall apart. . . is not the case.

@Yardbroom

We can agree to disagree even if yours is a simplistic view.

Yardbroom; Read Caswell’s post, engage your mind on the possibilities it shows up and shudder. If FS calls the election soon without having the estimates passed or the automatic dissolution of the house comes to pass on 12th February, without the estimates being passed, we will be in quite alien (for Barbados) uncharted waters.

I hope the Public servants cooperate to the fullest in getting even imperfect estimates passed extremely quickly as that is the only thing that can forestall the dire possibilities implicit in this uncalled for situation that FS was warned about but stubbornly seems to have allowed to happen.

DAVID

Everyone is growing increasingly tired with your jaudiced Barbados Labour Party posterings.

Harsh economic realities notwithstanding business decisions continue to be made every day. The type of decisions made become a function of many factors; political stability being one and the perception there of.

@ David
What is the ” CONVENTION ” of which you speak , and when was it established ? Have you ever heard of any claim , before now , that the convention in Barbados is that elections are called at a particular time and we can almost predict with certainty the date on which an election will be held ? Is it not true that the calling of elections has always been left to the good judgment of the Prime Minister ? Where was the ” CONVENTION ” when in 1986 The Prime Minister Mr St John failed to call at a time when shrewd observers thought that he should call them early to capitalise on the Tom Adams influence ? Where was the ” CONVENTION ” when Mr Sandiford called them much earlier than constitutionally necessary and virtually threw away the Government ? I have here given two extreme examples when the judgment of the Prime Minister did not inure to the benefit of his party ; on both occasions the incumbent Government lost. The calling of an election ,so long as the decision is made WITHIN THE LAWS OF THE LAND is a matter of political judgment ; this notion that there is some “CONVENTION” that operates to regulate the decision is absolute nonsense and must be treated as such. The illogic herein expressed can only lead to increasing the hysteria which is presently being displayed by some on this matter .

@ Carson C. Cadogan | January 17, 2013 at 7:39 AM |

What is your take on the new CADRES poll?
Do you believe it reflects reality on the ground or is it only another fudge by Wickham at the behest of the BLP?

Are you, along with ac, Fractured BLP, BLP NationNewspaper, “!”, TPP and the other common yard fowls going to accuse the “BarbadosToday” as another BLP mouthpiece like the Nation newspaper?

But you can take some comfort from the findings that Stuart has increased his popularity rating as a leader even if, in your opinion, Wickham deliberately interchanged OSA ratings for Stuart’s with the correct table reading say Stuart 39.9 % and OSA 0.39%.

One things we can all say with certainty, next week DAVID’S Barbados Labour Party will not be caught near the LUNCH ROOM again.

Macaroni pie this week caused them a HUGE EMBARASSMENT.

millertheanunnaki | January 17, 2013 at 8:06 AM

The real poll is coming and it will show that the Barbados Labour Party has FIVE MORE YEARS ON THE OPPOSITION BENCHES!

@ Yardbroom

I am inclined to agree with you.

“To the wire, to the limit, to the wall….such is the prerogative of FS and that, irrespective of all the pundit speak and the CADRES poll dribble, is exactly what he is going to do, in classic Erskine Sandiford “you can like it or lump it style”

For always I am Caesar.

Freundel will go into the night and his nondescript cabinet will, for the most part, follow him because of many things, the lacklustre performance of David T (notwithstanding his likeability), their collective lack of competencies etc.

That they will lose is evident to us grassroots dwellers, and to many of the middle class who have come to our level during the last five years.

The cause for their demotion to the true realities of life in Barbados today, barely making it through the month, paying rent, mortgage, utility bills, astronomical food bills, is not important.

“World recession” and all the rest is not important, the perception is that, for the ones who will vote during this and any election, “the driver of the vehicle, both the dead one, and the living one who is seemingly dead, were on duty when the car was jerking all over the road,

The sad thing is that on either side of the divide, we have bumbling nincompoops, both sides incapable of blowing a bubble through a soap thingy and therein lies the challenge to our island’s existence,

Richard Sealy and Ronald Jones types to be replaced by Dale Marshall’s and Tannis-like MPs!!!

I would asks the neophytes to pause for a moment and evaluate the dribble that our learned MPs espouse, just listen to them talk and see if you can actually say that you are proud to be a Bajan when fellows like Patrick Todd, with his single contribution to Parliament, gets up and ask that the sexual preferences of each cabinet member become an item for debate.

As the young people does say doan get tie up. I ask you both, BLP and DLP stalwarts to stop in your untiring support of party and look at how we as a country are going to hell in a basket, one laden with this obvious filth (these MP choices) filth that is floating to the top, like faecal matter did years ago in our outhouse pit toilet.

Do any of yo really think that this is going to change when Owen comes??

@ David
The fact that no previous Government has made use of the lawful position to extend its tenure DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO THE CREATION OF A CONVENTION . What does the fact that this is the longest serving Government got to do with the creation of a CONVENTION? The two examples given by me represent a late call and an early call in 1994 when Mr sandiford’s Government collapsed . Where was the ” CONVENTION ” of which you speak on these two occasions ? Your argument that this is the longest serving Government and by inference ( my inference ) they are breaching some “CONVENTION ” is a nonsense argument .

David
I think that peter Wickham eventually got into your head with the convention thing.
Are you not concern that a pollster week after week on a call program pushes the idea that the government is becoming unpopular because it is not calling the elections then produces a poll which says that 59% wants the election call.
It may be true but there is a credibility issue here.
I do not believe that Freundel jump from 9% to 23% because he was never at 9%.These polls are being manipulated by a man who is angry at being fired.

Let him poll his strong point that there should be Gay Marriage in Barbados.

@Carson C. Cadogan | January 17, 2013 at 8:09 AM |

One things we can all say with certainty, next week DAVID’S Barbados Labour Party will not be caught near the LUNCH ROOM again.

Macaroni pie this week caused them a HUGE EMBARASSMENT……………………………

Then could you find it if at all possible to dig into the “kindness” of your heart and show them some pity and feed the starving BLP at your work place next week, then.

I pity you, even in the face of Donville Inniss being shown up as a big liar, you persist with the lie and attack David. Does the caterer get paid per head? Was this the reason that Donville was upset? Ask Donville who is the caterer and if he has any connection to him?

@Piece
“Do any of yo really think that this is going to change when Owen comes??”………………………..

We would never know unless we vote for OSA but we certainly cannot do worst that what we have now. OSA has a proven track record. We have endured the last five years and we are ready to dump the Dems!

I am not the best person to comment on this because in real life I am an arrogant bastard(illegitimate child ) who would tell my detractors to “fuddle duddle” if I believe I am right.

David wrote “The law is on Stuart’s side but”.

What is the problem?

You want leadership by political opinion poll?

Let him lose the Election but at least he did it “his way”.

The BLP tactic is to try to exploit a tough global economic environment and its obvious impact on tourism spending to blame the DLP for any economic sluggishness. If the DLP was the problem, then all the other tourism dependent economies in the Caribbean would be booming,
When last I checked all the tourism dependent economies in the English speaking Caribbean were experiencing sluggish growth, no growth, recession and in some cases 25% unemployement. Certainly the DLP is not in power in these economies. Even those countries that changed governments to the previous Prime Ministers like Jamaica and St. Lucia have seen no improvement. Let us reason together. The DLP is not the problem here and the BLP certainly is not the solution.

OFF TOPIC

Why You Should Never Trust the Photos Hotels Post Online

Hotels aren’t always completely honest when it comes to the photos they post on their websites.

Professional reviewers from hotel review website Oyster visited vacation properties from BARBADOS to Boston, and the photos they took didn’t quite match up with the online fantasy

A BARBADOS HOTEL PROPERTY WAS CAUGHT WITH A FAKE PHOTO.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-you-should-never-trust-the-photos-hotels-post-online-194221400.html

Cadres rig poll

Now a seat is divided into boxes, bixed represent the seat cut up in parts results of how each box is scored is kept. If I want to do a poll for the BLP to win I would send the pollsters to the area were the Bees score most. Dont depend on dat poll

@legalese

The extreme examples you gave were they ensnared by the constitutional responsibility to bring and ‘debate’ the Estimates by a certain date? Bear in mind the debate of the Estimates although not required by law is a moral and political imperative given its importance to resource allocation by the public sector.

The convention referred to is that all governments before Stuart’s have called the general election before the sixth year. Do you agree this can be defined as a convention? Further, in the circumstances where there is unprecedented economic challenge and Stuart is yet to receive a mandate from the people as PM, it all adds to the disquiet about calling elections.

BU recommends that in future should a Prime Minister die in office parliament should immediately be dissolved.

BU returns to the decision by the CoP. Why would he signoff on the BLP meeting which was scheduled in Heroes Day on a Wednesday? It all adds to the political stress of a nation.

@ Sargeant | January 17, 2013 at 9:57 AM |

So let me set the record straight:
“And can we say the FS is allowed to lie to little children the same way OSA lied, ‘AS REPORTED’, about his presence at the Cabinet meeting when the Prison contract was awarded to VECO.”

Now is FS allowed to tell the little children Lies as HE WAS REPORTED TO HAVE DONE?

You and ac can either answer or dodge the question- AS RECORDED!
The fact remains that FS is a blatant untrustworthy LIAR.
If you want to say like FS “wuy evah me do, me monkey do too” then Fumble has followed in the lying footsteps of OSA.

Amused ! don,t let ac get in the way of your thought process. in refernce tothe last part of your comment i see it as just another example of male domination hating to give way..hope Bush tea dont frown on the idea of or your agrrement on anything ac says .i do remember him scolding David for doing such that. LOL!