Has Mia Mottley, Opposition Leader
It is the turn today (16/06/2015) of the Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley to reply to the 2015 Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals. BU has little doubt the four hour period allotted will be used to poke holes in many of the proposals the minister of finance delivered yesterday. […] One wonders why in a 2×3 country we allow adversarial politics to to get in the way of commonsense – key players appear not to see the value in collaborating and therefore avoid the charade and grandstanding we will be be subjected to for the next two days. This is the weakness in our system of government.
Could it be the leader of the opposition will surprise us all and instead of engaging in the predicable, use her four hours on the public stage to deliver a message that will resonate and give hope to Barbadians?
There is a vacuum of leadership on the political and other fronts in Barbados, will somebody please stand up?
@ David
Obviously this guy Sealy was rattled by MAM. He also has his skeletons in the closet.
++++++++++++++++++++++
apples don’t fall far from the tree….
Did I hear it correctly or was it the GOB’s deathly silence on the Cahill energy deal indicative of what is happening with this nonsence this thing is 5+ years away from coming on line if it ever gets started. what happens between then and now???? 500tons a day for 5 years = 1million tons +- of garbage to get rid of
How is this good of the good people of our island the sale of Cahill Barbados is vindication of all those who said the Cowan woman is a fraudster and a con artist
What was he thinking?
““I listened to the Minister [of Finance] and he spoke of T-bone steak being in that basket, but what is wrong, are you telling me that the poor people must not want to eat T-bone steak? “
If proven to be true, are MAM’s allegations enough to bring down the government.
She now has to bring a non confidence motion or her credibility is shot.
“She also questioned the price tag on two low income projects which she said were constructed at $540 per square foot at a total cost of over $20 million each to Government.”
What does the $540. include? It surely can’t be just the cost of construction of buildings.
Fractured BLP (soon to be changed to Fractured DLP), made the following contribution to the article, “Rush for Savings Bonds:”
“Fractured BLP June 15, 2015 at 6:49 PM #: A very riveting and revolutionary budget presentation so far, by Hon. Chris Sinckler. Barbadians in months and years to come will appreciate its significance……”
I could not agree with you more, DLP pimp, this was truly “a very riveting and revolutionary budget presentation so far.”
Had not for this “riveting and revolutionary budget presentation,” we would have known about the corrupt and under hand practices of this DLP administration.
Or about the ownership of two the vehicles being used by Lashley and Lowe, which, according to Mottley, she will make the proof of her allegations, documents of the house and available for Barbadians to read.
Yes, Fractured, the deeds of the “four rogue ministers” has revealed the fractures in the DLP, hence your new moniker, “Fractured DLP.”
When all the evidence has been presented, surely “Barbadians in months and years to come will appreciate its significance….”
@Hants
The DLP will react the way it always does.
Barbadians if you truly love your country you will have to be prepared to fight and I mean really fight to take it back from these rogues. DO YOU HAVE THE WILL? OR HAVE YOU SOLD OUT TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER?
@ Artax and Are-We, good stuff. And Pieces, that explosive indignation is shared by this blogger. I got very queasy from your expressive “these lot return to the scene of their crime and like a rabid carrion, … eat the very sperm they deposited in the corpse” but it surely captures the morbidly dark picture painted by our present and recently deposed leaders.
And David I amusingly applaud your optimism that ” We are hopeful MAM by epiphany or for other reasons will be a change agent.” That type of epiphany is called Machiavellian intent in other places. Pacha’s analysis of MAM is correct of course, so as long as we the public remember that her cup is a poisoned one we can imbibe under caution.
You are also wonderfully sarcastic (I presume) with ” MAM has stunned the government with her prosecution good sense”. As a former chief legal officer of the country what is this other than a political theater drama. Would she not have had that stunning prosecutorial keen insight to bring these issues to the courts (ministers use of cars from a private company providing services to their ministries) or otherwise before.
But all of that aside, as several other commenters have pressed here, how can our leaders contract our 166 sq mile island to a technology that could have absolutely disastrous consequences to our climate, water table, beaches, surrounding seas and thus our very existence?
How can we even contemplate this Gasification Plasma ting here? If there are problems from the emissions in the air or in the ground can we just ease back and wait till things regenerate!
This is absolutely, mind-boggingly unbelievable.
It is DEFINITELY not the thing to do unless we can look at proven results of upsides from other sites. There is little room for error on an island like ours.
So as Pieces said and echoed by Are-We and others this “is the most depraved…” group of leaders of this country. To put the entire island at risk for the filthy lucre is truly the behaviour of a depraved mentality.
BU has done an excellent job of ventilating this gasification matter and long may it continue. We must expose all of this folly before it exposes us to an unknown future.
Artaxerxes
You said above;
Yes, Fractured, the deeds of the “four rogue ministers” has revealed the fractures in the DLP, hence your new moniker, “Fractured DLP.”
Yuh certain there is a fracture? I don’t see any so far. They all seem to be supporting the “cabal” so far.
Let’s wait and see if any one of them says anything to suggest that they are unhappy with the possible ramifications of the disclosures, even something as inocuous as; “Yuh can’ be right as Cabinet wasn’t aware of any of the things that the Leader of the Opposition brought before this honourable house and I don’t read BU”.
There is no shame amongst them!
MAM Alert:
Today is be dedicated to you and only you from the DLP with love.
De Ingrunt word
Excellent post above! It captures the nuances that I have tried, unsuccessfully it seems, to express on BU over the past several months.
David, re. your 8:51 am post;
It should be very interesting.
We will see what MAM is truly made of if she can or cannot get her troops to back her fully. The ones who spoke after her last night did not appear to rise to the exigencies of the occasion. The fervour and thrust of their speeches today will tell us if we can hope for anything positive to come of the MAM disclosures, no less than those of the DLP members.
One person to watch carefully is Dwight Sutherland to see how he swings. I have my doubts about him.
@David,
Can we expect a counter attack from the DLP ?
Hants you should know your party by now! So why are you asking such a silly question???Have you any shame for their actions???
All political parties “react”.
We will have more entertainment in Parliament today. I hope the BLP Ministers are squeaky clean.
Big rocks and glass houses….
@IslandGal246,
Why should I be “shame”. I am not a member of the DLP. I have no influence in the party so don’t waste your time with me.
Just so you know I have never been given a job or contract by the DLP.
A simple question ministers
Is Cahill a real company or is it a channel island front racking up bills with consultants and engineers with promises of big payoffs at the tax payers expense.
There is nothing on this company anywhere for financial information
No staff other than ME Cowan which is irronic as It is indeed all about ME with this woman
Pachanama,
Without hope the people perish. I guess they don’t want to see reality because it’s unbearable. The average Barbadian politician today seems to be intellectually and morally bankrupt. The system is too far steeped in corruption to change without major upheaval of an extraordinary kind.
I used to watch the budgetary proposals way back when I was thirteen years old. I must say that today’s “debates” are more fitting for a rum shop than a “House of Assembly” No, I take that back. The rum shop fellows of my younger days had more morals and more common sense and were more eloquent. Even when blind drunk. These people embarrass me. I cannot listen.
This bunch, both the “B kind” and the “D kind” are, with few exceptions, hopeless.
@ are-we-there-yet,
you are a person with experience in government financing, so let me ask you if it is reasonable to assume the average tax payer in Bim will have to pick up the slack if the government continue to give tax free concessions to every foreign operation that indicates an interest in setting in the island.
Common sense tells me that if you allow the Butch Stewards of this world to be exempt from taxes, someone else will have to pay, so I was mad as hell but not surprised when I calculated my land tax bill will increase by $760 with the move from 0.006% to 0.008% on undeveloped land.
Mara Thompson seemed to have been struggling to present her contribution. As expected, she referred to the usual “14 years” rhetoric.
Cahill plasma plant
Papers say that it starts in September
How can that happen
No design no environment sign off no public notices no planning approval no grid connection agreed
Just like everything else NO thing is right about this plant
That’s what happens when you allow so called entaupenairs with nothing but an I’ll fated idea to sway our government with promises of all singing all dancing novel technology
@ D Ingrunt
David would like change to happen and is therefore always susceptible to the mouthings of politicians masquerading as change agents.
The brutal truth is that nobody within the party political system will ever change anything fundamentally. Of course, they will mislead us to gain power, but none of them have ever been guilty of having malice and………..forethought for the established order, as an organism.
David must come to know that all party politics is a sinister game. It can never be expected to carry within its loins the innate aspirations of any people, anywhere.
If he wants change, and we have though change management for a number of years, he has to be prepared to break something, not earnestly endeavour to keep the status quo in place and view with suspicion this writer and others who mouth unorthodox approaches, like he is tended to do.
This David mindset is as Barbadian as flying fish and cou cou. In the end it may not be a need for change at all, just to make the established system more proficient. For David is a Bajan!
Don’t mind the flying fish fly away!
So why run for an office that u cannot control
Agents of change need to be courageous
Not spineless wimps
On VOB, Jeremy Stephen is lambasting MAM for not using her reply to offer alternatives. I will not criticise him as he is entitled to his views.
Does Jeremy not know that this dlp does not listen to anyone who is not a dem? MAM did offer alternatives like consolidating the debt so that the government has more room to maneuver.
If the naked truth upsets those who are sympathetic to the DLP, so be it. Jeremy and his likes need to understand that these wild boys are dangerous to our economy and are just in office for themselves. No one can feel comfortable to hear the revelations on Cahill….no one!
@ Donna
When all’s said and done, only the imposition of ‘change’ from outside will transform anything in Barbados. Not the gang currently in ‘power’, MAM, nor anybody else to come.
Separately
Barbados is a country of imitators.
We remember well being in Miami and would see leading Bajan businessmen driving around choosing names for enterprises in Barbados. These so-called business Gurus would be saying what sounds ‘nice’ or not.
This is the nature of everything Bajan, And David is no different.
Things will only change in Barbados when they change elsewhere and the Bajans go shopping or something different is imposed from outside.
We done talking about this matter and serve notice that we should never again be so engaged. David was never serious, he can never be serious. Any such discourse was, is and always will be, a nullity.
A grammatically beautifully crafted presentation by Steve Blackett, the best case I’ve heard that suggests that the Government is still focused on the society while dealing with the Economy and causing some collateral casualties on the way . He steered absolutely clear of any comments, tangential or otherwise, that could be related to the MAM corruption claims. He did not attack Mia Mottley.
I missed most of Mara Thompson’s speech but what I heard was below par. As far as I’m aware she also did not directly attack Mia Mottley
Dwight Sutherland’s speech was that of a newcomer. He offered support to MAM re. her overt hints on corruption in the Government.
Bostic’s speech was a good one that focused on calls for more to be done to improve the City. I missed a lot of it so couldn’t tell if he alluded to Mia’s thrust on Government’s corruption or not.
Going to listen to the tail end of the St Thomas BLP rep now.
The budget document reads well. Taxing mobile airtime and not data is shortsighted. Removing group losses vs limiting them is an invitation to move to another primary jurisdiction. The slide in corporate taxes was noted, but little consideration given to Bajan firms moving offshore? Government contracts need to be ONLY awarded to businesses with a similar license to individuals that they pay tax in Bim.
Has anyone calculated the losses to the tax payer over the life cycle of the plasma plant???? If indeed it is tax exempt???
Thought I would re post this for everyone to read or re read
the Cahill power purchase rate agreed by our commercially aware governing party will not be commensurate with the added cost of compensating BLP for their contractual rights and the additional capital cost of the additional infrastructure needed to connect to the grid
How long will it take the Cahill plant to come on line and meet its performance guarantees BLP will have to keep its current capacity on line until Cahill can prove its plant works
This will never happen
Let’s get real and kill this thing before its to late…..Google air products plasma on teeside and take a look at what’s happened there.
@Rastarooster June 17, 2015 at 11:57 AM #
“Let’s get real and kill this thing before its to late….”
Indeed
We are more guided by Henry Giroux than the likes of MAM. She is the problem, not the solution. And will never be!
Also, see his work entitled The Violence of Organized Forgetting’.
He argues we are in a totalitarian global state, a police state.
Heard most of Edmund Hinkson’s contribution. It was the best contribution to the debate outside of Mia Mottley’s own. He explicitly supported the Mia Mottley contribution but alas a bit too late to make additional points.
There is no pedagogy within the local sphere to help people to understand the crisis of critical agency.
Arendt, once said ‘thoughtlessness is the essence of totalitarianism’.
Bajan in NY; re. the question to me in your 9:48 post.
Thats a fairly difficult question to answer since it depends on so many variables.
If there is indeed a turnaround in the economy and it quickly rebounds to pre 2008 performance levels, sensible concessions given to new entrants are unlikely to require significant underwriting by taxpayers.
If however we continue on the same trajectory of the last 6 years or so, since practically all Government funding comes from one pot, it is likely that taxpayer inflows will have to be drawn upon to recoup unwise concessions granted to big entrepreneurs. The NIS funds is a case in point. Some of those funds appear to be in trouble and there may be a direct linkage to unwise use of NIS funds over the past 5 or so years requiring that new or additional taxes be used to take up the shortfall in the availability of adequate funding for a variety of bread and butter projects.
You may need to check Artaxerxes on this question since I retired from the Government Service over 15 years ago and things are very much different now from what they were then.
@Rastarooster June 17, 2015 at 11:57 AM
“Let’s get real and kill this thing before its to late”
And kill the $100 million Ridley Energy scam, to be financed by crowd funding, as was was pointed out in another blog by PODRYR
http://www.ridleyenergygroupinc.ca/index.html
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/green-energy–8#/story
According to the Inie GoGo site, the goal was to raise CAD$750,000; but the campaign was closed October 16, 2014, after raising “pledges” of CAD$2,951.
Only $99,997,429 left to fund the $100,000,000 WTE plant.
Has no one in this administration heard of “due diligence” – not the DD who comments on BU
Oops!
I should have said above:-
If however we continue on the same trajectory of the last 6 years or so, since practically all Government funding comes from one pot, it is likely that taxpayer inflows will have to be drawn upon to fill the monetary gaps left by unwise concessions granted to big entrepreneurs.
In a sense the 200M tax increases in this year’s budget could be largely an attempt to fill that gap.
Why do we keep repeating 200ml tax increase. The fuel chess is already being collected and has been for years. It will now come into consolidated fund instead of going to bloc.
There will be no solid waste tax this year so the land tax increase does not represent an extra imposition on land owners.
Those two add up to about 79ml.
There are about 90 ml tax payers. A net increase of 9ml from the changing of the tax bands and removal of deductions is about a net increase of 100 dollars per tax payer.
You can dislike the government but at least have a fact based discussion.
i am concerned about the technology of the waste to energy plant. I don’t like the sound of what heard and I have governance concerns. However, I can see merits to a waste to energy plant :
If we can have a solution to waste and energy in one that’s good
The deal structure where the state does not have to borrow any money must be appealing given our debt levels.
Don’t see the inherent problem with importing garbage, and if we do can’t see why it would not be duty free. Is the garbage cheaper and more sustainable than fossil fuels.
Is it a safe, viable technology? Experts may differ, but I am concerned.
Opposition politics is one thing and it was great politics from Mam, but the issues of garbage disposal don’t go away.
Should be fuel cess in earlier post.
The average man seems to be directly impacted by mobile airtime tax, gambling tax, expansion of vat basket and sweetened beverages tax. Three of these can be managed by behavioral changes.
Average man, especially lower income will benefit from Uwi fund and shoring up of qeh.
David, I find the income tax provisions interesting. They seem to signal a fundamental change in approach. Instead of a tax deductions to incentivize particular behaviors or sectors,bathe government seems to be moving to an approach of letting people have more of their money and decide what they are going to spend it on. All tax payers will have lower tax rates,some tax payers will lose deductions. What’s the net effect and what’s our view on this approach
I see a similar thing with university education. A move from universal access to tuition scholarships and grants targeted at those earning 25,000 or less.
Businessman June 17, 2015 at 2:13 PM #
“The average man seems to be directly impacted by mobile airtime tax, gambling tax, expansion of vat basket and sweetened beverages tax. Three of these can be managed by behavioral changes. Average man, especially lower income will benefit from Uwi fund and shoring up of qeh.”
Your views of the budgetary proposals are somewhat simplistic, since you have not taken certain economic variables into consideration.
You should be cognizant of the fact that over the past few years, government has raised taxes, yet revenue has not increased, except for the year when VAT was increased from 15% to 17.5%.
The “cell phone tax” has been estimated to realize revenue of $32.7M per year, some of which would be provided to the MoE to fund a national UWI tuition scholarship programme.
But remember, a country’s budgetary proposals are similar to that of a company’s statement of projected income and expenditure. They are ONLY projections and “behavioural changes” are some of variables that would have an effect on revenue.
If I were to follow your logic, you are implying that the “cell phone” tax will not affect the “average man,” since this “can be managed by behavioural changes.”
Then you mentioned “average man, especially lower income will benefit from UWI find………….”
Obviously, less mobile usage = less tax, then no $32.7M per year. So, the government would have to seek alternatives to fund the short-fall.
This is where I am having difficulty following your analysis.
The entire discussion so far has been based on projections. The whole tone of th discussion is that 200ml will be extracted and hurt growth. Projections may not turn out but we can’t see the future.
The tax measures implemented have generally yielded what was projected. The structural problem in terms of government revenue is the massive loss on corporation tax of around 200ml year, of which at least two thirds came from the offshore sector. Remember barbarous has halved the rate paid by the offshore sector in response to changes from revenue Canada. the new tax measures are trying to fill that gap so overall revenue has not increased .
an excellent analysis on government revenues and expenses was published by one of the local offshore banks. It clearly shows the decline in corporation tax revenues. The government moved to late to implement a comprehensive programme like the 19 month program, instead they borrowed to fill the hole. So on the expenditure side the structural problem is rising debt service. I think the 19 month program is a good start in fixing the hole and a primary surplus is an excellent milestone to achieve. I agree that the job is far from done and I applaud what was in many ways a responsible budget trying to lock in the gains of the program and address some structural problems.
The BLP was able to offer many of the tax concessions it did because of the offshore sector tax revenues. The fact that it came in the form of forex was another great benefit. Now that it’s not there responsible policy makers have to respond.
@ Pachamama,
When a flock of sheep invites a pack of wolves into their pen there can only be one outcome.
Exclaimer
We don’t know how David could suggest that MAM could be a change agent. The Mam we trust is a man called Mam Sonando from Cambodia who is in jail for defending poor people thrown off their land by a similar regime. That is a Mam that’s serious. Not the one talking shiite yesterday.
It is the nature of the oligarchic system Mottley yearns to preside over!
That David could even think about presenting her has a possible change agent is the height of ignorance and all time we spent here talking rasssssssoul ’bout change was a monumental waste of time.
We have declared that David in NOT serious.
“Huh?! What you talking about? You must be quite young, or have gotten caught up in this DLP frenzy of trying to deigfy their leaders. Corruption was rife under Barrrow.Ministers in his cabinet are known for it .for example The mercantile Bank cheque scandal. This thing about talking bout the poor black man and then kissing the asses of white people? Why you think they still have the support of the bajan whites in Barbados?”
Excellent post. Mr Barrow was able to successfully walk a tight rope between the haves and have-not because he was grounded in the philosophical teachings of Mr Harold Laski.Mr Barrow was a student of Laskiism.
The endurance legacy of Harold lasting is one of the problems in the region.
Harold laski
Curious to know if the sweet drink and cellphone taxes are meant to be punitive or drive behavioral change. To reinforce the point made by Artax.
Why not answer if the government is giving work to Trans Tech without a transparent process to support. This us what Ronald Jones needs to answer and leave the BS at the door.
Some body ..Anybody please tell Trevor Prescod to shut up, he is not on brass stacks,,i
Is it because he is highlighting (what most right thinking people envisioned) that The Villages at Coverley is a monumental failure? Houses empty and emptying and businesses closing down.
@ Businessman June 17, 2015 at 4:25 PM
“The endurance legacy of Harold lasting is one of the problems in the region.”
Why blame a man from academia who died in 1950 for the region’s current problems?
Why not Keynes or Marx or Smith or colonialism or slavery?
The past problems like slavery, blatant racism and open discrimination beset the people of the past.
The current problems of the region lie with its modern people.
The future problems will challenge future generations. Pure and simple. Life is a zero sum game complete with unending rows of paradoxes.
We listened carefully to Lowe’s emotional rant, he did not explain why he is driving a vehicle registered to Transtech, he did not explain the timelines how the MOU came to be signed. He did not explain many things arising from MAM’s exposition. Lowe needs to discuss with taxpayers the finer details about this proposed WTE plant. Barbados belongs to us as well.
@Pacha
Arthur was very loud and anti Mia and the BLP from his seat on the government side. What a farce we are witnessing.
Why has MAM absented herself from the House today?
@Hants
Arthur is anti Mia.
All of social media is abuzz about Cahill, the public is searching for satisfactory answers.
all this drama from the blp stan pipe politics,, steupse
Ronald Jones forgets the type of gutter politics we had to put up with prior to 2008.
Adriel Brathwaite, the worst AG ever (and you hear this on the big up cocktail parties and he thinks they are with him)……………………….he forgets that the late David Thompson had a whole file from MTW on 3’S on the political platform at Haggatt Hall.
They really think us for fools! Deal with the facts, ac.
Instead of gas JA address the accusations leveled against him about Cahill and Trans Tech he is insulting the public with flowery bullshit.
Lowe crying?
Instead of gas JA address the accusations leveled against him about Cahill > and Trans Tech he is insulting the public with flowery bullshit. > > >
What a lying JA!
I heard OSA with this accusation from the first time that this low man entered politics………that the college from which Lowe claimed to have received this doctorate, does not offer a doctorate programme! OSA said so!
So now that Preconco has been paid its $25 million for the Grotto houses, is this inept incompetent government going to let them stay there unoccupied?
Is it not passing strange that Preconco can get his monies as he is due but poor Al Barrack is still not paid……….. the pharmaceutical companies are still not paid as a result poor Barbadians are suffering as the QEH cannot get needed medicines and basic supplies nor can they get buses to go about their daily business as no money is available to buy or repair buses.
Blind morons are in charge!
He is yet to tell us about the car he drives!
“Why blame a man from academia who died in 1950 for the region’s current problems?
Why not Keynes or Marx or Smith or colonialism or slavery”
I think the businessman as a businessman who would have been secretly courted by Barrowism on one side of the mouth and vilified in public on the other would know the aspect of Laskism of which he speaks. It is no secret that Mr Barrow cursed white business in public to embolden his myth as a champion of the undergo but dealt with them in secret since he was not oblivious to the fact that private enterprise was necessary for his job creation exercise.
HA! HA! HA! documents flying, and the accuser Mam too shame to show face in Parliament,, today’s serving was duck soup served with onion broth tell dem lowe , boy ooh boy this woman MAM is dangeroussssss
Better still he needs to say why David Thompson moved him from the ministry he had after a few months and whether or not he deposited millions of dollars into his mother’s account!
Tell us that Low man.
Degrees can be so photo shopped, the unsuspecting eye would not know the difference. If the university he has this doctorate from does not offer a doctorate programme, how was he awarded this doctorate?
One of my children had to get the certificate of accreditation. We rushed the university to get the actual degree even before the graduation date and although the child had the degree to show, my child had to contact the university to get them to send the transcripts directly to the Accreditation Council!
So until we can see a transcript from the university, I still would not believe he has a doctorate.
His performance was pathetic……..at that coming after the pious ramblings from Ronald Jones!
Lowe now pulled a fast one lmao
@David,
In a no confidence motion who do you think Arthur will support ?
Arthur was in the house? I listened as I could not watch the dems!
Arthur cannot talk, does anyone remember his vicious wrap ups? Even I thought he went over board some times!
I saw nothing wrong in Mia’s exposing the criminal behaviour of these ministers……..she clearly rattled them!
Hopes she stays away from them now…….she has to know that these dems are nasty operators!
HA! HA! LOLwe down and dirty that is how MIA was described … What a big fat hypocrite … cant stand the heat , so today run far from the kitchen,,,
i think i heard some one saying that she was trying to buy her certification on the internet,,HA! HA! boy licks like peas heading MIA way, this is the beginning and end as she would be exposed as the liar and fraud she is ,,
@Hants June 17, 2015 at 7:56 AM ““She also questioned the price tag on two low income projects which she said were constructed at $540 per square foot at a total cost of over $20 million each to Government. What does the $540. include? It surely can’t be just the cost of construction of buildings.”
A friend is building now and buying her supplies retail. She estimates the cost of building (not including the land) will be $150 to $200 per square foot. This is middle income housing.
I do not understand why low income housing would cost three times as much to build, and why officials of the Ministry of Housing/National Housing Corporation/Ministry of Finance? would sign off on such a thing.
Surely the government has its own engineers, architects, and especially quantity surveyors to review projects before saying say to contractors.
Nobody except a government agency would pay $540 per square foot to build.
If somebody pointed a $540 per square foot contract at me I’d ask them to stuff it where the sun don’t shine.
what i heard from Dennis Lowe was nothing short of amazing. He is that watery dog shit. He the same man who was knocking at death door when his mother open it and walk in. He who claims on this night to be a man of God. a walking black lip piece of dog shit.
@Simple Simon ”I do not understand why low income housing would cost three times as much to build”
”Consultancy fees’.
”David June 17, 2015 at 5:41 PM # Curious to know if the sweet drink and cellphone taxes are meant to be punitive or drive behavioral change. To reinforce the point made by Artax.”
Er…simply to collect money, which the Govt is short of….
The economy is benefiting from the 2015 tourist season windfall, not any improved structural design.
As Bush Tea explained already.
Reality is that Govt is still dealing with a fiscal deficit and have realised that the mIddle class brek…. have to get money from somewhere, easiest is cellphone and soft drinks.
As for the Cahill crap, the PM needs to do an about face and work the legal angle to prove that the Ministers acted ultra vires in signing an MOU.
Additionally, ensure that the Environmental Impact Study concludes that the plant will be an environmental disaster, that should give grounds to extricate from any expected contract.
Ensure that the EIS is conducted by a Barbadian firm / engineer.
Simply do not give any work permit to any foreign national to do the EIS.
Government has not obligation to let any foreign national to have a work permit.
If (I am not saying there is, just saying if), there is proven to be any falsehood by whomever represented / sold the plasma plant to Government, and funds are / were paid to said individuals via US Banks, surely any inconsistencies will be investigated and addressed similarly to how the FIFIA matters were investigated?
Supposing….not saying there were, but supposing, inconsistencies, will the US AG be involved in the Cahill plant if there were any inconsistencies in the whole presentation of the plant?
We have been watching, from time to time, but not listening to some of the speeches by the MPs. We are depending on our ability to interpret body language. The experts in this area have found that that language communicates much more than mere words.
In addition, we cannot bear to subject ourselves to this long winded circus.
However, from our unscientific readings we will have to conclude that there is a high incidence of obfuscation, out right lies, latent criminal activity, structured attempts to mislead, self interests paramountcy, greed, ignorance and forced contributions to a useless process which nobody takes very seriously.
The body language of Dennis Lowe in particular, would have convinced us, as jurors, beyond reasonable doubt, to find him guilty of criminal activity. Based solely on body language!
@Crusoe June 17, 2015 at 7:49 PM “Consultancy fees’.
No.
Tax payers money.
My money.
I don’t like it.
Mia may be right with her criticisms but I am not convinced that the Valerie development is as bad as she portrays.
$150 – 200/sf might get you a single storey house but it wouldn’t touch a high rise building because there is an on-cost for building high.
Multi-storey buildings have reinforced concrete columns, lift shafts and upper floors, lifts, pumps to get water to the upper levels, access staircases, water, drainage and electrical vertical distribution, fire resistant doors to the stairs etc.
The building is apparently 72 units. At $23.7 million, that’s $330,000 a unit which doesn’t sound too bad to me for a high-rise unit. If Mia is correct with her reported $540/sf, it makes a unit 610sf, which sounds about right for a small apartment.
The question for me is whether Valerie was bid in competition and in accordance with the procurement rules. If it was and PreConco / Jada won it, then all things being equal, the price should be right. If they were awarded the contract without a tender, then we are probably paying more than we should be.
Dr Lowe December 12, 2007
Steupsss …so sick of this shit….
ASHAMED to be a Bajan….. Even physical brass bowls are not this dumb.
@ Pachamama,
When a flock of sheep invites a pack of wolves into their pen there can only be one outcome….
What outcome…?
That the wolves die from consuming excess shiite?
Normal sheep are NOT that dumb. Only REALLY stupid goats and Bajans are known to deliberately seek out low(e)-life wolves to come into their Paradise pen and feed to their heart’s content.
What amazing stupidity!!!
ONLY A CURSE FROM ON HIGH can explain the level to which we have sunk….
It is NOT surprising that we have been afflicted with such a cures…. we have huge piles of shiite all over the damn place…
Parliament full…
The Courts full..
The Public service full ….and smelling
The Church is one big roll..
Our business people are the soft watery kind…
The University is just a big fart
…no damn wonder we are falling head over heels to throw hundreds of millions of dollars into sewerage treatment…and the pockets of foreign opportunists…and mother’s accounts..
Those people up in Canada must have a running joke about how easy it is to come down here and become instant millionaires…
The Banks…
Emera…
The Plasma people…
Lawson…
Hants….
Money B…
…all those $#@&^ up there holding their bellies and ‘deading’ with laugh at our sorry goat asses….
..and if, God forbid, any of them should get to hear our parliamentarians ‘debating’ our budget …you can be sure of increased interest by them in ‘investing’ here…..
Wuh after all, these are some REALLY dumb-ass goats in that Parliamentary pen….with the authority to spend BILLIONS of our hard-earned taxes every year….
They are goats ….so Bajans have to be brass bowl bush,,,,,,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party
Boston tea party
The Tea Party was the culmination of a resistance movement throughout British America against the Tea Act, which had been passed by the British Parliament in 1773. Colonists objected to the Tea Act because they believed that it violated their rights as Englishmen to “No taxation without representation,” that is, be taxed only by their own elected representatives and not by a British parliament in which they were not represented..The British government responded harshly and the episode escalated into the American Revolution.
We elcted our guys, BUT are they still representing OUR interests?
Bushie.
Treat them as I do West Indies cricket. Check in periodically for the bad news. It is too embarrassing to watch our so-called cricketers “play cricket” and it is equally embarrassing to listen to our so-called representatives “debate the budget”.
OSA was masterful. Made the most sense, so far!
We have said before that he understands these economies better than most, we repeat that claim.
interesting from owen. I agree that the outcome will depend on implementation of the growth initiatives.
Owen sent the Dems into epileptic shock and now Estwick piss parading and dropping word pon Sinckler.
Stuart fah real doh stupesss
Look and listen to him and weep for Barbados
Read about the ist 17 pages of that mofo speech and was dun.
“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on
saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by
really becoming incapable of doing it. On the
contrary, if I have the belief that I
can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at
the beginning.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
So true of this mofo Sin……. He became what he believed himself to be. He kept on saying to himself he couldn’t do a certain thing like being a tiefing, lying, traitorous scumbag, then on the contrary he had the belief that he could be a tiefing, lying douchebag, ‘YES I CAN’ and he surely did acquire the capacity to be so even if he fooled himself into believing that he did not have it at the beginning.
And to quote Ghandi another nasty, vile despicable character who’s constantly held up as some freedom fighter is excellent company for that DLP lot.
The Minister of finance has securely planted the country’s well-being in the future, when he will definitely reap the sweets of their hard labour.
The problem with Bajans in general i.e about 70% is that they are some of the most ignorant motherfuckers on god’s earth and when confronted about their ignorance they become embarRASSingly arrogant. I don’t know if its the size of the island, the education system, the rum or the coral in the water, but these are some of the pettiest, most easy-to-bamboozle baboons in human form pretending to be intelligent. No sophistication of the world around them whatsoever. (may Karma forgive me if this isn’t true).
How in god’s name that after the death of Thompson and these Bitch-Ass-Niggas aka the DLP gained sympathy from a simple-minded public, that they get to hold governance again after all the shite they did in the first 4 years. Fat Pension? Retirement Benefits? Wow, maybe I would sell my mudda fa such a nice cushion on de other end too.
All those stats he gloated about regarding the economy should be challenged for validity and accuracy because he’s fluffing.
The mofo talked about the ‘strong growth prospects in the US.’ What the shite is he talking about? The only strong growth prospects for the US is stealing more money from its citizens and more gold from sovereign, democratic nations and the trafficking in heroine from the field of Afghanistan. Is this what you are pegging the Barbados economy to and talking about the dollar being safe? Mr. Finance Minister do you really understand world economy and why China is ‘cooling’ hers?..BTW who wrote that speech for you huh, man-up and tell us?
Are strong prospects in the US economy the reason behind this administration signing that FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) for the FAT CATS to imbibe their putrid bowels on, yes Pachamama, FATCA. This agreement would let the dogs loose on overseas Bajans who after paying taxes in the US, and having sent their savings back home (allowing the gov’t to make use of their little foreign exchange) would be further subjected to more taxes if deemed so by the stinking blood-sucking US Treasury. This is the same FATCA that these parasites used to close down certain Cyprus Bank Accounts because the Russians were dumping the useless US Treasury Bonds for some stone cold gold. Not only is this bitch-ass lot taxing the life out of the local Bajans but they’re also willing to sell out those who also contribute to that economy from abroad while protecting the filthy rich business class with little or no taxation…when they can afford to pay same. Mr. Minista the world is dumping the bloody US Treasury bonds…so much for strong US economic prospects. The investors are moving to the East.
But have no fear and be proud to know that you as Bajans are in an honourable class worldwide i.e the class of sheep, ripe for the fleece. PS..in the Chinese calendar this is the year of the Sheep..
This whole taxation on the working people but NOT the corp. is a worldwide scam perpetrated by the Banksters and that International Mother-Fucker aka the IMF. These arseholes don’t answer to the people they answer to the ‘jewish’ slave masters whose main thrust now is to engulf this whole planet. Fleecing is the name of the game. The little tradesman MUST fork over taxes as a citizen but these stinking corporations can move from country to country freely without paying a damn cent in taxes. Give me a good reason why these mofos shouldn’t be Guy Fawked.
The minister was further proud to demonstrate that he had installed power monitors and15000 CLF bulbs all in accordance with the UN GEF . Mr minista where were these bulbs installed and are you aware as you should be, that these bulbs are toxic and shouldn’t be given to your worst enemy. Did you or anyone in your Science and Health department do the research on such? Bajan pls don’t put these in ur houses. You’d be better off using a sut-lamp.
And as for that Cahill waste plant on an island 167 sq miles..please don’t allow this to happen. Such a plant will totally fuck up the Barbados environment. Think about the water shortage and the air and water pollution because shit will be burning. And furthermore they will be importing garbage as well? Who’s to say that they won’t import nuclear waste? I know Barbados is a monkey-see-monkey-do society, but must we also add a dumping ground as well for the world’s waste? Is this what we are about to become? Did these Canadian mofos operate such a plant elsewhere or is Barbados their guinea pig? Did any of the MPs who signed on to this shite-agreement take the time to actually visit a plant and spend time there to see the operations and the side-effects? The island is too small to carry so much shite..literally? These Cahill people are some fly-by-night opportunist. Why don’t they go back to their homeland and set up this shit. Barbados does not need this plant nor the shitty little amount of energy that it purports to supply. Should shit hit the fan Barbados can revert to the good old days when many people did NOT have electricity.
Its so hard to believe that this lot could be so fucking stupid and ignorant. These mofo are worst than hurricane Janet. Why is it so difficult for Barbados to develop a solar energy program throughout the island? Everyday there’s sunlight. You boast about how smart and educated your people are yet you can’t find the funds to teach the children about solar energy usage and installation? I’m sure the Chinese could teach them the ins and outs for 1/2 of what these white blood-suckers would exact.
Why de hell do they need some bogus plasma gasification? All you have to do is add the word TECHNOLOGY to any term and you can truly impress the simple minds of silly folk.
NO TO PLASMA GASIFICATION in little Barbados. It stinks. To hell with these white, toxifying looters who are just looking to make more money and more money only at the expense of the Bajans.
And don’t think for one minute that the animal cares about the health of the poor people by instituting a sugar-soda tax. He is just following orders. A bunch of fucking buffoons. They don’t have a clue about their responsibilities. Blasted jackasses.
Enough of this shite for now.
but look wha political debates come to in Barbados doh
Even with all the pissy performances from politicians, Bushie has to say that this budget debate has been the absolute worse spectacle imaginable ….for allegedly grown, intelligent people.
shiite man….
a bunch of classless, thieving, imbeciles….
No wonder they are friends of Parris….
But even so…the MoF has BY FAR outdone himself in coming across as a low-life slime ball…
…and the PM as a woosie
We all knew that Mia is bent …THAT is why we dumped the BLP…
Now we know why the DLP has reneged on a clear DEFINITE PROMISE to enact integrity legislation within 100 days…..they are all the same….
No class
No morals
No intelligence
No justice
No transparency
….DEFINITELY NO CLASS…..
slime…..
@Bush Tea
The closing by Sinckler last night was an embarrassment we have to agree.
Off message
White man walks into a black church in Charleston, Carolina and blows away nine negroes. The very same people we Bajans welcome with open hands as tourists and business stakeholders.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-33179019
Somebody above, we think Balance, urgues that OSA was never a real BLPite. That case is difficult to sustain. It presupposes that being a BLP or DLP member is somehow genetic or that once one joins a party that action is irrevocable. Balance is obviously a purist. He’s also tribalist of the highest order!
“OSA was masterful. Made the most sense, so far!
We have said before that he understands these economies better than most, we repeat that claim.”
There is no doubt about that; but as a political strategist he surely has lost his way.
come on david. he answered the questions on preconco well, as well as cahill to some extent. OSA cannot be like a child and get peeved because his advice is not followed to the letter by the government. Debt restructuring like virtually any other economic policy has pros and cons. Barbados has never defaulted on its debt. a debt restructuring is a default event, an orderly default but a default nonetheless. the reputational dammage can be siginficant and must be weighed against any benefits.
@businessman
He might have answered for you.
What is the value in referring to all the old projects the BLP? Isn’t this why the BLP was booted out?
On 18 June 2015 at 10:24, Barbados Underground wrote:
>
Despite the “artificial” emotional preamble of his autobiography, Denis Lowe FAILED to address the fundamental issues of the allegations Mottley levied against him.
1) The particulars relative to CAHILL
2) Who owns the vehicle he drives
3) If there is a conflict of interest
I am not referring to old projects.
For one, I am referring to the responses on preconco. Official documents showed a significantly lower per sq foot price. i had no evidence to contradict mam, i have none to contradict sinckler, and mam did not question what he said. the funds were paid to the bank or else the state would have been in default and preconco was then paid from the bank. again mam did not question the statement.
the Transport minister’s evidence on the extent of purchases from transtech was not refuted either.
I have major reservations about the waste to energy plant, but again mam did not rebut his explanations. I guess i will wait until sunday night.
based on what has been presented so far mam lost badly on preconco. cahill is much closer between the two of them.
Please continue discussion HERE.
https://barbadosunderground.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/mia-mottley-accuses-government-ministers-of-entering-shady-arrangement-with-cahill-energy-and-trans-tech-inc/
This is the opportune moment for the information relative to Denis Lowe’s millions stashed in his mother’s bank account should come to the fore.
Could you imagine this man bragging he went to Bible college, and behaved the way he did last night in parliament?