The following is a snippet from a book published by the late Gordon Matthews “Death of Barbados”. Thanks to BAFBFP.
Death of Barbados … Gordon Matthews
127 responses to “Death of Barbados … Gordon Matthews”
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What Is BAFBFP trying to say?
Is he suggesting the this Mugabe led regime, merely by destroying rather demolishing these Buildings is somehow able to destroy the Barrow legacy?
I hope that BAFBFP is going to expand on this very sparse article
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The question I want to pose is this: how relevant is Barrow to the young people of today? I pose this question because it is often touted that the ideas espoused by Barrow should be the road map for Barbados of today. Surely, the problems of today were never envisaged back in Barrow’s days and therefore one would expect a new way of thinking is needed to deal with the current problems, As for destroying Barrow’s legacy all I would say on that score is that I do not agree with having Errol Barrow’s day. I have always maintained that the day should be in honor of all of the prime ministers ( like what is done in the US : having a president day). I find that there seems to be an effort to deify the man. If you have ever tuned into the radio on the day, there is a constant snippet of his sayings as though he was the fount of all wisdom.. I expect this post will result in a hostile reception.
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Dr. Lucas
Your point is pertinent because young people ent got a clue about Barrow AND THE LINK INTIMATED BY GORDON MATTHEWS is even less visible with a generation which only knows Grand Theft Auto and Crazy Birds or Dragon Ball Z!
25 years from now and Barrow will not be mentioned BECAUSE HE ANT HOSE WHO KNEW OF HIM WILL BE GONE!!!
Bridgetown is being changed to an enclave for the rich and famous.
Nelson street and Baxters road will be razed to the ground by some unfortunate incident to make way for a new type of imported citizen.
MUGABE AMIN MOTTLEY IS THE NEW BARROW!
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@Piece the Legend January 31, 2020 8:54 PM
Thanks. You cannot say anything critical of Barrow in this country for certain people. They get very hostile.
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@Dr. Lucas
The fact young people do not know Barrow is more a reflection on the adults and our inability to share our history.
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@ David January 31, 2020 9:08 PM
What Barrow stood for is not relevant with the young of today. It has got anything to do with failure on the part of adults.
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@Dr. Lucas
Young people in the USA for example learn about Lincoln, Jefferson et al not so?
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David
January 31, 2020 9:08 PM@Dr. Lucas
The fact young people do not know Barrow is more a reflection on the adults and our inability to share our history.David
January 31, 2020 9:27 PM@Dr. Lucas
Young people in the USA for example learn about Lincoln, Jefferson et al not so?+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
How many young Brits know about Churchill?
Young people in the USA know the names but nothing about the history.
Life goes on!!
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Parties like private sector companies, change leaderships over time… but one thing is remains the same .. the core agenda
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“The Core Agenda”!
Let de ole man see if I can discern what your usually pellucid, now disjointed, single paragraphs are trying to say Baffy
De ole man will go north to come south as usual.
What is The Core Agenda of a Nation?
De ole man gine use a copy and paste to make a point about this Core Agenda thingy
“…Wherever Chinese kids may study, be it a kung fu school or an ordinary one, they adopt three principal traits from early childhood: the skill of working hard, discipline, and respect to those above them in age or position.
They are taught from a young age that they should be the best at whatever they do…”
1.5 billion people BEING FED A “CORE AGENDA” and notwithstanding the extensive fallout within the system, as it relates to the rigours of their education system WHAT ONE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ADDUCE IT THAT THEIR “CORE AGENDA” seems to induce what we, Barbados, a nation intoning AN EMPTY PLEDGE, for 53 years HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO ACHIEVE under all these selfish leaders AND THIS DESPOT MUGABE!
If you cannot articulate a Vision for the Collective, AND IF ALL YOU KNOW IS NEPOTISM AND CRONEYISM, what else can you expect your Core Agenda, to nurture ???
By the way, welcome back Baffy
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Two shitey newspapers in Barbados, barbadostoday and nationnews are responsible for this petty trifling ignorant practice, love to highlight the negative in the black population, never the positive, theft of a salt bread, breadfruit and nail clip are front page news, the asinine and unimportant. Real journalists are marveled that this shite journalism is allowed on a 2×4 island..but what else do you expect from pimps and lowlifes..
https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/02/01/keep-crime-off-front-page-fingall/
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“but one thing is remains the same .. the core agenda”
the core agenda = corruptioin, theft of public funds, theft of land, theft of estates, thefts of generations of Black population’s futures using the vile and toxic supreme court, by the black faces in parliament and their bribers.
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This is even bigger than Brexit, someone called it REVELATIONS. I could swear some skunk from the palace said slavery was not a crime back then, but with the PALACE TREE AWASHED IN BLACK BLOOD and from the Caribbean too, ah wonder what it is being called now, the family reunion should be a thing of LEGENDS…remember, it was not a crime.
Wuhloss…..the buckingham palace BLACK FAMILY TREE in the Caribbean…has FINALLY woken up, black bloodlines everywhere..it must feel so good to have Black African descended blood spilling right out of the buckingham palace family tree…time for a Brexit like celebration since they are so hellbent on returning to Africa come hell or high water.
got caught with yall drawers wrapped around ya ankles through DNA did ya.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/269202760462518/permalink/482378485811610/
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And alyuh done know me, ah here encouraging the WHOLE CARIBBEAN to be DNA tested…ya never know, ya blood maybe running right off the buckingham palace family tree…wuhloss..
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(1). “The question I want to pose is this: how relevant is Barrow to the young people of today? I pose this question because it is often touted that the ideas espoused by Barrow should be the road map for Barbados of today.”
(2). “Surely, the problems of today were NEVER ENVISAGED back in Barrow’s days and therefore one would expect a new way of thinking is needed to deal with the current problems.”
(3). “I find that there seems to be AN EFFORT to DEIFY the man. If you have ever tuned into the radio on the day, there is a constant snippet of his sayings as though he was the FOUNT OF ALL WISDOM.”
@ robert lucas
I listed, in my opinion, the three (3) most important points in your January 31, 2020 8:33 PM contribution.
You are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT……
………….. and the only people from whom you should expect your comments would draw a hostile reception, are the “blind party supporters and loyalists.”
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If it is not Bartow legacy being torn to shreds
Then why is the Queen Elizabeth Hospital still remains an enduring staple of part of barbados institution in light of its destitute and ongoing problems
Why no one dare to remove the name of a long and outdated name of Queens Park
Why Nelson still standing in the middle of bridgetown
Why are all these past historical memorabilia remain still a bastien of comfort to those who belive their relevancy stands for something
In the meanwhile we hear the loud noises coming from certain circles that Barrow name is of a past era and the new generation does not or care about his name and his relevancy does not matter -
Barrow is Father of Independence. Hail the father. Friends of all, satellites of none. He is a national hero. Hail Barrow, the great World War two pilot, the great LSE economist, the great politician, the great philosopher, the great leader.
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@ Hal February 1, 2020 6:37 AM
I am wondering if your post is a tongue -in-cheek one.
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I don’t know why black people still display such intellectual STUPIDITY despite claiming to be educated.
Barrow was not the father of shit except for being a palace/house negro…it was a calculated well designed plan, the facade of independence for colonies….and it worked FOOLS.
did he not have to depend on finance from them, are you not still over 50 years post pretend independence, depending on finance from them…steupps.
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As usual, you have politicized the issue being raised about Barrow.
To whom are you referring to re: “Why are all these past historical memorabilia remain still a bastien of comfort to those who believe their relevancy stands for something?”
Whose responsibility is it to remove Nelson from Trafalgar Square, or rename the QEH and Queen’s Park?
Do you believe “the new generation” cares about the Queen or Nelson?
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For the record, Barrow was not a world war pilot.
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Matthews should have attached prophet to his name. Many of his predictions are ringing true.
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Artarexes
Whose responsibility is it to remove Nelson from Trafalgar Square, or rename the QEH and Queen’s Park?
As usual you would try a method of distraction
The same hot and sweaty principle or idea that pursues Barrow legacy can be pursued in removing historical Eras that are out dated and which does not stand or us relevant or beneficial to barbados economy
Why cant govt expand and upgrade this outdated land mark and bring it uptodate with a modern era
Then there is the QEH the looks ofv it makes one sick but no hue and cry to demolished and replaced with a modern day thinking -
@ Robert
Moi? I sleep with a photograph of Barrow over my head. Seriously, some time ago I went to the Pine to buy my usual black pudding; under the shed were a number of lawyer types talking loud, a they usually do. One was an exMP, as he referred to his time in parliament on a number of occasions.
The person leading the conversation was a middle aged woman, and all the men were deferring to her; one of the great things she said was: Barrow was a great economist, he went to the London School of Economics. (It follows, therefore, that since the president went to the LSE, she too is an economist).
As she said that, my wife pinched me and whispered: do not say anything. I was keen to know if going to the LSE made one a great economist in itself. Sadly, I was ordered by the boss not to ask the woman what she really meant.
Hail to our national hero. -
@ Mariposa
RE: “As usual you would try a method of distraction.”
It’s CLEAR you DON’T KNOW the MEANING of the word “distraction.”
Unless you’re WILLING to EXPLAIN how ASKING you questions PERTAINING to the issues YOU raised in YOUR February 1, 2020 7:37 AM contribution, be reasonably INTERPRETED as I”m “trying a method of distraction?”
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Robert Lucas,
is a written constitution relevant?
is history relevant?
is anything beyond yesterday relevant today?
are laws written 10 years ago relevant?
are parents relevant?
i could go on and on
the fact is that times past + times present = time future
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Warm greetings to my fellow Bajans.
Hoping you are having a nice day wherever you are.
I seem to recall that a fellow Bajan did not like my greetings, so to him/her I say
Have a Great Day. May it get better with each passing moment. -
Did any of you see the plaque for Mr EWB. IWhat I saw as the plaque on FB should be removed and replaced as it does not honor the man.
Mia name is prominent. and easily visible I had to put on my reading glasses to see it was tho honor Mr Barrow.
What a shame,
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(Repetition)
I saw a picture of the plaque to honor The Honorable Errol Barrow on FB.The plaque should be removed and replaced as it does not honor the man.
The honoree’s name should be the most prominent part of the plaque. Mia’s name is prominent and easily visible and the reader has to ‘search’ the rest of the text to find Mr Barrow’s name.
Anyone with a modicum of common sense and decency would realize that this is wrong.
What a shame,.
(Reviewed)
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Theo
Mia name is prominent on the Barrow plaque and easily visible I had to put on my reading glasses to see it was tho honor Mr Barrow.
What a shame
Xxxxxxxxxxxxccc
Reason why many are questioning Mia hot and sweaty plan to demolish the NIS building and build a park
The politics rings stinks in the Barrow plaque with her name splashed in bold writing which many astute observers recognized as an intent to demean Barrow legacy
The same eventually will ring true when the NIS building a concept and a project by which Barrow name is attached with a purpose of helping the workers of barbados to have some savings in their retirement years is demolished and which will be replaced with a park honouring Mia name in bold letters
This woman character shines as one with glorious deception characteristics by any means necessary to write her name in history
What a dam shame -
Truth is Barrow never wanted to be a hero nor an idol. Looks like some want to make him either a hero or an idol. What Barrow wanted is for Barbadians to be the best humans we can possibly be and sadly that is not happening. We as Barbadians are becoming the worst human beings possible. We are morally corrupt and have no idea what his mirror image speech was about. Our true hero should be GOD and sadly we are far away from GOD and his ways.
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What it is, today’s politician never misses the opportunity to be opportunistic. To hell with what Barrow would have wanted. With the fortune of the island sinking the matter of exploiting Barrow’s name is being given prominence.
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Psalm 10:4 NIV
https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/10-4.html
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. -
Proverbs 29:25 NIV
https://www.biblestudytools.com/proverbs/29-25.html
25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. -
@Artax, respectfully bro but how can any riposte on Barrow (or Adams or Arthur) not be political or personal!
The original piece from Matthews certainly ticks both boxes and then the posts after go from one to the other.
@ The Blogmaster and all… What amazes me about these broadsides on this former PM and statesman is “why”… “what is the superior alternative”!
Any political historical figure will draw praise and criticism simply because of the natural partisan divide so the blunt assessment (simple) has to be: were his or her actions to the lasting benefit and improvement of the nation (were the actions divisive or driven by a need to grow); were the actions done free of personal benefit (aggrandizement/personal legacy building); were the actions practical and rational …
In short, bring a forceful but reasoned analysis to the praise or critique…. In that regard I see no reason to dismiss Barrow.
On the personal, my father disliked the man because they actually clashed… So when I read @Austin I sense that level of displeasure…
A more personal critique of…
why him alone when so many others carved a path, and that many achievements (like Independence) were almost de facto results based on other events. That seems to be the lament per my ole man …. and Austin et al.But so what if Barrow was an arrogant man with a patrician aura of over wrought self-awareness …. did he not also have the common touch to mobilize ‘everyman’ and did he not display all the requisite skills demanded of ANY leader at any time!
Of course ‘Barrow Day’ seems too singular but isn’t it up to the current information providers to effectively use that day to drill each generation on the historical importance of the era of Barrow which MUST include Adams and Tudor, Smith, Alder et al; which must include how Independence was won; how free education evolved and all that.
It is basically ridiculous to continually harp on Barrow’s ‘deitification’… like it or not he WAS the first PM of the new nation and with that comes that level of over-blown acclaim — just like Washington (or founders Jefferson, Hamilton etc) in US or Lincoln: essentially the first leader of a newly re-united US.
And is there not ‘Heroes Day’ that brings the collective historical focus.
Conversely in US is there not the singular MLK day… does this US generation have any connection or relevency to Dr. King’s ethos … isn’t that day there to ensure there is always reflection of the importance of the CIVIL RIGHTS era. The day centers on MLK of course but as the years past it is NOT about Dr King alone… His fame should DRIVE the historical reflection and narratives as Barrow’s does too!
Thus I get lost in these muddled debates.
Like or dislike Error Barrow all we want… but there will ALWAYS be significant or standout names used in historical references…. let it drive SENSIBLE debate of the era… stop the nonsensical angst and unreasoned illogic every Jan around what his name evokes !!!
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Romans 1:25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Psalm 4:2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? 1 John 5:21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.
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I’m curious, Mari.
We all are aware national insurance scheme……. and NOT the NIS building, will forever remain one that was conceptualized by Barrow.
The NIS office relocated from the old NIS Fairchild Street building over 20 years ago, to the NEW National Insurance building (which is known as the Frank Walcott building), on Culloden Road.
So, for as long as the NIS moved out the Fairchild Street building and it subsequently remained unoccupied thereafter, the NI Scheme was still providing its intended services.
Could you please explain to this forum, how would demolishing an OLD BUILDING is an intention to “demean Barrow’s legacy?”
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@Dee Word
Agree with a lot of what you posted. We love to deify.
Part of the issue is the DLP has failed to reinvent itself and rely on the venerable Barrow specter to validate the image and relevance of the party. It is why you see the BLP being opportunistic a la the OSA politics of inclusion and the DLP feebly attempting to defend.
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@ Mariposa February 1, 2020 10:09 AM
“This woman character shines as one with glorious deception characteristics by any means necessary to write her name in history
What a dam shame…”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Isn’t that why power-hungry people enter politics to do?
Get to the top of the warring heap to write their names in the footnotes of the pages of history whether; for good or bad?
Do you think the politically-gifted go into electoral politics to be a Saint Francis of Assisi to live like one of the poor according to the teachings of Jesus?
Why do you think the name “Hitler” would go down in political eternity?
It’s a pity your favourite politician Lord Fumbles will go down as a mere ‘black’ jot in the annals of Bajan political history when time governing the social and economic development of the country stood still.
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I have lowered my number of exchanges to one and this is it.
“With the fortune of the island sinking the matter of exploiting Barrow’s name is being given prominence.”
This can be taken in a broader context to what I wrote, but let me take it personally.
There are several ways of performing a task and these include the wrong way.
Some things that do not offend one individual may be highly offensive to others.
Some of us know the difference between a six and a nine and that plaque is a six being passed as a nine.
I am quite certain that one can find a protocol/list of instruction on how text on a plaque should be presented, and that what was done is contrary to what is in the protocol.
We must not only fight on big issues, but we must point out any obvious wrong that we observed.
The plaque should be corrected.
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David and BAFBFP,
Wunna tear out a page from the man’s book and pelt um pun wunna blog. Nutton rong wid dat, but wunna cud at least seh when de said same book wuz published. I gots tuh know de timeline before I tell meself dat de man wuz a prophet dat had inside information.I did try to search fuh um, but de computer seh um ain’t noh wuh I tawking bout.
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@ The OGazerts February 1, 2020 11:09 AM
“We must not only fight on big issues, but we must point out any obvious wrong that we observed.
The plaque should be corrected.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Well put!
Clearly done by a clique of unsophisticated apparatchiks without taste or class but with too much zeal to please their political masters.
One is either born with ‘class’ or earns it through a lifetime of moral education and training at the university of life (UoL).
It cannot be bought like diplomas from a dodgy university or unproductive paper mill.
Barbados is sorely lacking in graduates from the first ‘class’ but overrun by a surfeit from the paper mill on the hill.
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Why Isnt Mia going after names like Queen Elizabeth
If there is one derelict that needs to be demolished for the betterment of the people its is the Queen Elizabeth or as mentioned Queens Park which can make valuable impact to the economy of barbados having signature style similar to Central Park and characteristic infused with a family appeal
However all and sundry knows such idea or concept would not fit into Mia conception of building her legacy off the backs and shoulder of Errol Barrow
What a dam shame -
Why Isnt Mia going after names like Queen Elizabeth
If there is one derelict that needs to be demolished for the betterment of the people its is the Queen Elizabeth or as mentioned Queens Park which can make valuable impact to the economy of barbados having signature style similar to Central Park and characteristic infused with a family appeal
However all and sundry knows such idea or concept would not fit into Mia conception of building her legacy off the backs and shoulder of Errol Barrow
What a dam shame -
I noticed the plaque too and I was like … seriously. Everybody so drunk on koolaid that none can see that um ent look gud atall atall?
Some overzealous lackey is probably responsible and it will be quietly corrected. Hopefully.
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Barrow was a great lawyer. He was Ashton Gibson’s lawyer over the Caribbean House affair. How did that end?
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What Miller said before I posted.
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@ David February 1, 2020 7:25 AM
“For the record, Barrow was not a world war pilot.”
You are correct. The man was an alleged navigator during the war.. Remember all the noise and hollering when he managed to get his wings from the Light Airplane Club of Barbados? It only shows the lack of critical analysis on the part of Barbadians. The critical question that should have been asked was why would a pilot get his wings. if he could really fly a plane? If he was qualified to fly he would have done a couple of flights and then be certified to fly the particular type of plane.
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