est. 2007

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No Backbench!

It has become obvious in recent years to the thinking citizen of Barbados that our system of government is in need of an overhaul. The inability of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to function under successive governments or the disregard of the findings of the Auditor General are two examples of the dysfunction. The Upper…

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Mara Thompson M.P.

It has become obvious in recent years to the thinking citizen of Barbados that our system of government is in need of an overhaul. The inability of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to function under successive governments or the disregard of the findings of the Auditor General are two examples of the dysfunction. The Upper House (Senate) has become nothing more than a rubber stamp for the Lower House and the Lower House has denigrated to poorakeyness.

The challenge for civic minded Barbadians is how do we effectively advocate to force change. The reality is that our system of democracy has been hijacked by the political class and the unwillingness to make obvious changes.

The current state of our democracy brings into focus the role of the backbencher. Of the 16  members of parliament on the government side 13 are frontbenchers and the Speaker makes 14. Only Mara Thompson and James Paul represent the backbench – to ensure the workings of parliament Thompson performs the role of Deputy Speaker and Paul Chairman of Committees. There is no backbench!

The current configuration of the Barbados parliament does not represent how the Westminster parliamentary system is meant to function by the framers. No backbench in the Barbados parliament means that the prime minister does not have the opportunity to use a political Whip. The result is that we have had to tolerate a level of indiscipline by actors on the government side hitherto seen and perhaps best represented by David Estwick brandishing a weapon in the Lower House in the last session of parliament.

No backbench also means that there is no opportunity for dissenting opinion to influence government’s agenda. There is no need to be prolix on the problem we currently face. Our system must be designed to be always influenced by the PEOPLE.

72 responses to “No Backbench!”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    Isn’t that what we do every election cycle?

  2. Vincent Haynes Avatar
    Vincent Haynes

    Yes thats what we have been doing……a new concerted effort must be made for it to be year round.

  3. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    Vincent Haynes

    If you have not notice, it is coming across that the majority of people are hungry and in need of houses or house repairs base on the commentary coming from the BLPs rubbing shoulders campaign. Food hampers and appliances are still the agreed exchange for votes and singing praises and if you are lucky to get a few Sir Grantley, your political leader is the best as long as the cornbeef and biscuit comes at prescribed intervals. You really expecting that lot, which is a large proportion of the majority, to keep pressure on the next government to come clean and come good? Barbadians are a bunch of licorish, gullible, nitwits. Anyone can piss on them and they will except it go back in their various holes and quarrel about it, threatening to this or that next time, but when the shit hits the fan remain in their holes as long as they are not affected by it. It is like a man in the first class section of a sinking ship lamenting that it is only the front that sinking the back is still afloat.

  4. David Avatar
    David

    Arthur’s revelations made on this video is instructive in many ways. What does it confirm, what can we learn.

  5. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    David what is clear from all of this is that MAM is absolutely formidable.

    She has continued to position herself well and stay ahead of the game despite taking on various factions in her party…Payne, Topping and Arthur principally.

    We can learn that wealth, a despotic/domineering personality and gaining the support of people like Hinkson (an apparent moderate with an actual standard of integrity) can make you a political immovable.

    Bajans will clearly experience a Trump effect where in PM leadership (which seems likely at this point) she will act with all the ‘bad-tempered’, conflict of interest megalomania for which she is known.

    So at that point – if we elect her – we damn well not complain!

  6. Vincent Haynes Avatar
    Vincent Haynes

    Sunshine Sunny Shine May 22, 2017 at 12:13 AM #

    Yup….merit in your statement……we will continue on this path then untill such time as the sheeple awaken.

    The task for you,me and all like minded ones is to keep spreading the word of “people power” and wait for it to resonate.

  7. Vincent Haynes Avatar
    Vincent Haynes

    de pedantic Dribbler May 22, 2017 at 6:58 AM #

    Is Arthur’s word the end all and be all or simply the view of an insecure person who did not have to fight for his own leadership…..note the Payne vote in ’94 was secured by the elders.

    MAM has shown herself to be a great politician….with all that goes with that meaning.

    Her leadership if it turns out to be as dire as to what you are forecasting will only mean that the many opposition parties will have to step up to the plate.

    I cannot see the return of fear politics as was seen under EWB and Tom returning with a more intelligent electorate.

  8. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    Vincent Haynes

    To tell you that I have faith in th Barbadian people to lean towards what is right and what must be stood up for will be state a great big lie. I have very little faith in Barbadians to demand change one way or the other. The politicians know that they can get way with murder big time. That is why it might just make sense to let them continue doing shite and bring in the entire island to bending knees. Maybe when everything has hit rock bottom then you might just get bajans protesting for change.

  9. Alvin Cummins Avatar
    Alvin Cummins

    David,
    “…David Estwick brandishing a weapon in the Lower House in the last session of parliament.”
    What does “brandishIng” mean? The facts show that he did not “brandish” anything.

  10. Vincent Haynes Avatar
    Vincent Haynes

    Sunshine Sunny Shine May 22, 2017 at 10:58 AM #

    No disagreement on the above…..the coming budget,if the needed austerity measures are implemented may awaken the sheeple and give them impetus to react and once they have tasted that power they will not forget it.

  11. angela Skeete Avatar
    angela Skeete

    The blp operatives continue to thread the same needle that got their a ss whip. When will they ever learn.
    Mia has heavy baggage which must be unloaded. The trust factor is one of them added to her desire to include certain elements of questionable character among the fold

  12. David Avatar
    David

    @Dee Word

    What the video exposes is that Arthur had no command of the party to the extent that when he resigned not a boy followed. MAM is in control. One wonders why the threat of OSA’s return continues to be touted in certain quarters. We need to people to be more activist than pacifist in our system of government.

  13. millertheanunnaki Avatar
    millertheanunnaki

    @ David May 22, 2017 at 1:22 PM

    OSA is a spent political force.

    The 2013 election defeat put paid to any future political resuscitation.

    Just look at how dismissively shabby he was treated in his misplaced enthusiasm to be seen as relevant by his premature excitement to be appointed chief of the Council of Economic advisors.

    Mia is now held responsible for that 2013 defeat by ‘forcing’ Privatization down the throat of OSA. What a powerful woman if not a boy-girl-in-the-yard!

  14. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @Vincent at 10:40 AM re “Is Arthur’s word the end all and be all or simply the view of an insecure person who did not have to fight for his own leadership….”——-

    That’s a rather stratospheric view of what would have actually taken place when the BLP were in opposition after the 1990 loss.

    Clearly very bright and ambitious folks would have been staking out territory so that you can categorize Arthur’s success that way is interesting.

    @David, of course MAM is in control. No question. For the moment…

    We can’t forget that Arthur himself is built of the same hubris as MAM. He surely would never describe himself as a megalomaniac but beyond a doubt some of his peers did at times. And he is certainly not as allegedly corrupted as his adversary.

    So with all that, I am sure he grudgingly admires her even as he tries to bury her.

    As Vincent said, “MAM has shown herself to be a great politician….with all that goes with that meaning”… but so too has Owen Arthur.

    We will know soon enough if MAM trumps his success by defeating him in his intention to deny her what she thinks is her ‘birth-right’!

    Unfortunately for us here in Barbados there is no tradition of a ‘special counselor’ to review possible illegal acts of the sitting PM…so unless Owen has some dry powder left to discharge he likely will lose his bid to keep her a private citizen.

  15. Alvin Cummins Avatar
    Alvin Cummins

    Vincent, SSS et al,
    “Maybe when everything has hit rock bottom then you might just get bajans protesting for change.’
    But all of you have said; since 2008, that the island has hit rock bottom. If it is already at rock bottom, what are you complaining about. If it is at rock bottom it cannot go any further; unless your logic is wrong ant it really has not gotten there yet, and you are either spreading fake news or alternative facts.

  16. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    DIPPING IN THE PIGGY BANK AGAIN ? What is the ROI ?

    THE NATIONAL INSURANCE SCHEME (NIS) is pumping $76 million into the construction and/or refurbishment of five police station complexes across the island.

    http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/97095/usd76m-nis-project#sthash.PPTaYhTI.dpuf

  17. David Avatar
    David

    @Hants

    The raiding of the NIS Fund continues at pace.

  18. Vincent Haynes Avatar
    Vincent Haynes

    Alvin

    What are you wittering on about?

    ..contrary to you I can analyse and use logic in order to understand what is happening.

    …..for the record I supported your party led by what I thought was a brilliant member of our alumnus,only to discover in a 100 days that no promises were going to be kept and everything else unravelled for all to see and then on his death we ended up with a bunch who really knew nothing about managing or leading a country forward.

    ……they had opportunities and they squandered them,possibly based on your suggestions like CAHIL…..you may continue with your blind support and spurious advice…..some of us put love of country first.

  19. Alvin Cummins Avatar
    Alvin Cummins

    Vincent,
    “… will give a greater voice to the community by establishing local councils which will allow for the getting rid of statutory corps and the senate…”
    We have Constituency Councils, that perform the same functions as yours. The problem is that from the time the concept was revealed the BLP was against it, spread negative propaganda about it, refused to give it any sort of support and for the past eight years has not helped it in any way.
    Mia has held a number of important portfolios: Attorney General (result Prison Riot and Prison burning. New prison whose cost is an albatross around our necks contributing to the size of the National debt and balance of payment outflows of foreign exchange. CLICO)) Minister of Education; Edutech Fiasco, hundreds of millions down the drain. deputy Prime Minister; replaced as leader of the Opposition, by her own people.What do you know of Cahill? Apparently nothin, because The furore over Cahill was based on a campaign to denigrate a concept by a Barbadian scientist that has been accepted by other countries and tried. A Barbadian; Alan Emptage, who conceptualized and designed the world’s first Search Engine; before Yahoo, Google or any of them showed the brilliance of Bajan scholars.His failing is in never patenting the idea or he would have been a multi billionaire today. The same thing will result in the Plasma Gasification Plant. The furore shows the paucity in vision of many of our citizens. It is only when someone else takes the idea and runs with it that we see what is possible, and what has been before us all the time. Gwen Workman’s Lead Pipes were never patented, now they are produced all over the world and sold all over as “lead Pipes” and not a cent is paid in royalties.

  20. Vincent Haynes Avatar
    Vincent Haynes

    Alvin

    Chuckle….I will not rehash the CAHIL fiasco with you…suffice it to say that others tried and walked away from it.

    Show me one politician with clean hands…..then we can discuss the merits and demerits of members of the political class.

    Constituency councils were purely political with the oppo asked to nominate individuals to it to give the flawed structure legitimacy…..whereas I am talking about a specified area voting for 5 candidates out of their community to look after it without any overt political involvement.

  21. David Avatar
    David

    Has the government published a document to list achievements to date, how financial resources have been accounted for read transparency?

    >

  22. David Avatar
    David

    Has the government published a document to list achievements to date, how financial resources have been accounted for read transparency?

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