Prime Minister Mia Mottley will address Barbadians at 11:30AM, 02.02.2021. Her address comes on the eve of another ‘lockdown’ designed to combat the surge in COVID 19 infections.
Attached are the usual 2 charts showing progress in Covid incidence up to 29th Jan. The data was taken from the latest (last night’s) Worldometer updates. There have been major developments re. Covid-19 incidence during last week. The Barbados authorities reduced Active cases by 360. The rationale for the underlying major releases from quarantine was explained in Government’s Press releases. A new shutdown starting from 3rd February for 15 days was announced. The Barbados Chart above shows significant fluctuations in daily cases that might be primarily reflections on major problems encountered in the last 2 weeks in testing. Those problems seem to have now been corrected. However, the overall picture seems to be that there has been a trending down of new cases over the past week, suggesting that the Covid contact tracing and testing teams are in the process of regaining the upper hand in the fight against Covid-19. The other major development is the announcement that the British variant is here, not unexpectedly. We all need to follow the Protocols to the utmost best of our individual situations, to have a chance of controlling Covid-19- Lyall Small
“Barbados’ deaths related to the COVID-19 virus have now skyrocketed to 18, after two more elderly citizens passed away in the space of the last 48 hours.
The country had entered 2021 with just seven cases, but the latest two make it 11 in less than a month.”
@ Hal
Don’t ever tell us about any ten year plan. We think in terms only of tomorrow or the date of the next election.
Read in yesterday’s Nation that there has not been a survey of our agricultural sector since 1989. That’s 32 years. We therefore don’t know what our real capabilities are in that sector.Imagine no agricultural survey/ census for 32 years.
@William Skinner February 5, 2021 9:33 PM “Read in yesterday’s Nation that there has not been a survey of our agricultural sector since 1989. That’s 32 years. ”
True. I was one of the 1989 agricultural census takers
And one of the 1990 population census takers.
I had recently returned to Barbados and I wanted to get a feel of the place and the people. I did both censuses as a part time pick after work. I am naturally curious about how societies work.
Both censuses were very hard work. and not very well paid. I still joke that I have never worked so hard for so little in my whole life, but interesting experiences and well worth it for giving me an understanding of the workings of Bajan life.
Covid 19 is all over the world
Meanwhile a read if international news tells of govts having plans in place to rebuild their economies
Here on the 166sq . no such plans are heard or talk about by prsent govt
Last year and year before crime and violence increased and it is as if govt did not care less or did not see crime as a priority
What about unemployment havent heard nothing said as to plans govt are putting in place to stem the flow of that tide
Where are the voices of the ministers
How is it that govt can spend thousands of dollars for consultants and nothing positive is done to help increase the growth of barbados economy
Covid or no COVID people bought a pig in a bag when this govt was elected
The real overhaul will come when they remove all the thieves from the people’s pension fund.
“Barbados pension system, especially as it relates to the public service, is in for an overhaul.
This disclosure comes via the International Monetary Fund in its latest report on Barbados following an online review this week.
The IMF notes that an actuarial review of the civil service pension system was completed in November last year and provides the basis for upcoming public pension reform.
New laws are also expected to be passed in later this month to ensure greater fairness, integrity and transparency in how government hands out contracts.”
@ Hal
To date anywhere from 5 to 12/15 committees have been formed. And to date nobody can adequately report what are their findings .
We are now firmly in the land of make belief . BLPDLP lost. Atherley in the ocean on a bamboo raft.
@ Cuhdear Bajan
Thanks very much for confirming the story. One thing I learn from being on BU is that there are people who don’t believe anything unless they see it or write it themselves.
Sixty years of ignoring agriculture and now pretending it’s a life savior. Pure BS. Barbados is at least forty years behind other agricultural based countries. No damn innovation . All the wonderful live stock stations in ruin.
Those live stock stations had resident managers. They were part of the community. I bought piglets from one ; raised pigs to supplement my small civil servant income. Workers at these stations came from within the community.
People were educated about all aspects of animal husbandry but we got “ developed” and it has been down hill ever since.
Imagine no frigging agricultural census in 32 blasted years.
On Sept 15 the president punished the governor general by having her read a 52-page Queen’s Speech for nearly three hours, with lots of grand proposals. How many of them have been implemented or even initiated?
Do our newspapers or opposition parties ever follow up these proposals?
I thought it was said that the committee with Sinkyuh and Persaud had submitted their report to the PM? Or was the idea to lend the hotel sector $300M the only idea that was in the report?
@WW&C
you are confusing “System” with “Fund”. Public service pensions have NO Fund. Their “System” is to pay said pension monies out of the current year’s revenue.
You don’t hear @tron constantly wanting to reduce the (public) Civil service employment? There is a reason.
Thanks NO, it is good for others to fact check sometimes. There is too much fake news posted from so-called intelligent people.
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@ NorthernObserver February 6, 2021 10:34 AM
That’s exactly how it is. How could they invest their money profitably (see NIS)? There are hardly any worthwhile investments on our island, foreign shares are blocked for lack of foreign currency.
So if the state budget collapses without tourists (from February to October 2021), this must of course also be reflected in the salaries and pensions of the civil servants. They have a secure job. Better fifty percent less salary than no salary at all. In general, the civil servants and their unions are acting in a totally unsolidaristic manner. During the pandemic, they enjoy a comfortable life with a home office, while the employees of the hotels, suppliers and the rest of the tourism industry are facing financial ruin.
Instead of taking a shot at Corbin, let’s write against this apartheid regime (privileged public servants on one hand, unemployed black masses on the other) for once. Of course, there is a lot of hypocrisy involved here. Just look at Presscott: he’s crying because the black masses aren’t rich businessmen, even though as minister he never objected to excessive import tariffs, high taxes and strangulating bureaucracy. These are the real reasons why the black masses are almost as poor as they were in 1966.
We are talking about a pay-as-you-go pension scheme; the NIS is a hybrid scheme. The real problem with the NIS, as I have said on numerous occasions, is that we must get rid of it and start again. It is rubbish in the 21st century.
The real challenge is convincing local politicians that they need to start again with a clean slate. Discussions about what we have now are a waste of time.
Oh dear oh dear seems like the sweet days of goverment workers working 33 years and going home at 55 done. Wunna will have to work now to 65 like all we then?
I wonder if they will revise the pensions for politicians too and make them wait to 65 for theirs as well?
Plus what side of the fence Tony Moore going be on, the politician side or the workers side? Interesting times ahead
@tron
the article being referred to, also noted “strengthening the effectiveness of customs”. Without any further explanation within the article, I am ‘guessing’ the IMF is referring to customs as it relates to the ‘collection of import duties and taxes’, and not the ‘custom’ of paying public service pensions.
Didn’I the Gov’t increased the eligibility age for public pensions from 65 to 67? Recent recipients under 67 may have been courtesy of being “grandfathered” in but I think the pensions for politicians remained untouched.
No words. Just Music.
Barbados is not a sizeable country it is more like a small city. Most discussions seem obsessed about monies.
All other things being equal, how do you improve society, community life without money, when there is not much money.
Is India’s microfinance smaller banking model the way to go.
Spirit Bomb
It appears the IMF are asking the same question as many if us have been asking and as no answers are forthcoming they will now step in. The question of course is
PLEASE TELL US HOW YOU PLAN TO RUN THE COUNTRY WITH A FALL IN REVENUE OF OVER 30%?
Indeed. It is about public service pensions AND import tariffs.
In any case, it is clear that we must maintain the privilege of duty free purchases for diplomats and expats. Or should they furnish their villas with local knickknacks at full price and pay full price for overpriced shirts and trousers?
Let our businessmen rob the masses but not the privileged. Social differences should also be reflected in the price. Those who can afford a lot should pay less. Sounds illogical? But it isn’t.
I have been calling on BU for many years for a radical downsizing of the state apparatus. If we had not hired new civil servants and initiated early retirements since 2008, the bureaucracy would be at least 40 percent smaller. The remaining civil servants would have to work more and would no longer have time to bully entrepreneurs with regulations and other nonsense.
In any case, the fact is that we live in the fourth world in terms of the time and cost of starting a business. Anyway, until today, our BLM activists are silent about the discrimination of the black masses in starting businesses and the like. Why is that? Because they benefit from the bureaucracy itself? PLT is a major exception here. Thank you, PLT! Don’t let the bureaucracy corrupt you.
It is highly indecent and mendacious to bemoan the predominance of white business owners, but on the other hand to systematically put obstacles in the way of black entrepreneurs starting new businesses.
” Kingston – Community spread of COVID-19 has been confirmed in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Minister of Health St. Clair “Jimmy” Prince made the announcement to the media on Friday, a day after Parliament approved an EC$1.2 million (US$444 million) budget following four days of debate in which the pandemic was a recurring theme.
His announcement confirmed what many citizens had concluded for weeks amidst a massive spike in local cases since December 28.
Covid 19 is on the loose in the Caribbean after a slow start.
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@ Tron
That is a very valid point you have on how hard it is for a small business to get started. Small business financing under current bank requirements is practically impossible. Between the security needed and the paper work and projections, most small businesses stall in the starting box.
The thing is with the level of unemployment and contraction in the economy one would of thought that the banks would of come up with a plan to attract start up ventures. Let’s be honest if the large established companies are suffering the bank can not expect to prop their bottom line up on their traditional customer base.
There are two outcomes
(1) we manage to control the spread of covid or
(2) we lose control of the spread.
To ensure (1) we need to have and rigorously enforce sound scientific protocols.
Even with these protocols, time or a lack of adherence are enemies to our maintaining control. A lapse or missing just one infected the person would allow the infection to enter the country and grow unmonitored.
When we become aware of its presence we may be past the stage of community spread.
This is a problem that small countries dependent on tourism will face. I seem to recall some here giving the leader of SVG a victory lap as they were pummeling Mia.
She said: “I have already taken the UK and Canada out of the market. So can be no push-back there. We have a complete cessation of flights from Canada through April. Typically in the middle of the Canadian winter, you are not travelling for leisure to another Winter-based destination. It makes perfect sense in principle, if you want to be able to maintain no movement within your country…the challenge that we are going to experience obviously is that you have people who are just literally tired and overwhelmed by all that has been happening with COVID.”
++++++++++++++
Could someone explain what the Minister is saying or trying to say?
@ Tron February 6, 2021 10:47 AM
“So if the state budget collapses without tourists (from February to October 2021), this must of course also be reflected in the salaries and pensions of the civil servants. They have a secure job. Better fifty percent less salary than no salary at all.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It would be interesting if your ‘justifiable’ fears are in any form going to be reflected in the upcoming Estimates of Revenues & Expenditures given that the public sector emoluments (for both working and retired recipients) make up a relatively large slice of the current expenditure budget and which can pose to be a seriously challenging monthly charge on the Treasury’s cash flow.
BTW Tron, with so much currently on your Lord goddess’s plate to digest do you think your Supreme leader MAM should defer the luxury of going Republic in 2021 (using Covid-20 as the perfect guise) even if the dotish Lizzy is forced to abdicate after her 95th birthday and all hell breaks loose in Mother England?
Or, in true Machiavellian-recommended style in order to protect her political reputation and maintain her popularity stakes, should she exploit fully the golden opportunity to engage in a public display of pomp and pageantry in order to distract the masses away from the looming serious economic problems which can cause the standard of living for the average Bajan to plummet to an unimaginable level?
Of course, our Supreme Leader should choose the latter, second path. Without question. Currently, GG and CJ are in quarantine. She should therefore strike out THIS WEEKEND and proclaim herself the First President for Life of the Barbadian Republic without elections. After all, she could enact the constitution in a few years and rule with emergency decrees in the meantime. Once the republic is proclaimed without preparatory legislation, the previous constitution automatically expires by virtue of revolution. This would suspend all other organs of state.
If our Supreme Leader chooses this path or a similar one, I will publicly justify the revolution with an expert opinion – provided she requests it. For our new President needs not only a court jester, but also a Consigliere to clean up the mess.
Attached are updated charts for Covid-19 +ve cases and for active cases to 5th February from Worldometer data. The island wide UWI led search and seek survey has started but any linkage between that project and any resultant testing has not yet been clarified afaik. The charts for the active cases in the 5 Caribbean states show a faint suggestion of trending decreasing active cases in Grenada, Trinidad and Barbados while there is a worrying consistent upward trending in the Jamaica chart – Lyall Small
Mia said there is a lot of fake news going around, I believe the headline qualifies but the Minister’s statement(s) contribute to the fake news or she is baffling us with BS.
But they all collect a salary paid by taxpayers every month, bet you they don’t refuse to cash the checks…it’s called THEFT OF TAXPAYER’S MONEY…and they will be around in 2023 to beg for votes…throw stale piss on them…the fowl slaves should be able to tell us where they’re hiding.
“Eleven people have died so far for the year, nine of which fall in the category of the elderly. The Government-run Geriatric Hospital has reported cases of the deadly COVID-19 disease. Vulnerable, elderly people are at highest risk. Many live alone. Many need extra care. Many cannot afford the basics.
But as of up to the time I have penned this submission I am yet to hear from the Minister of Elderly Affairs and Social Empowerment Cynthia Forde. Why is this?
Last year when there was the potential outbreak at the National Assistance Board Forde could be heard. But for some reason now we cannot hear the Minister even if only to offer condolences to the families.
During the same call-in programme an elderly resident of St Thomas said he had tirelessly tried to reach his MP Forde. He recounted that the eventual response was a text message of two words. He lamented that he didn’t feel reassured or comforted by the response. What sad times we are in.
These are the same people who every five years find themselves loitering at the doorsteps of their constituents seeking their support”
Liars…dump them and the fraud system, it’s dead anyway.
“These are the same people who last November were all bedecked in red and swarming St George North to secure their colleague’s victory and promising everything other than to build a sea for parishioners.
The elderly in this country are dying, some are suffering, some need assistance. Where is the Minister? Where is the MP for St Thomas? Where is Cynthia Forde. Is she in political quarantine?”
@ Tron February 6, 2021 12:40 PM
“If our Supreme Leader chooses this path or a similar one, I will publicly justify the revolution with an expert opinion – provided she requests it. For our new President needs not only a court jester, but also a Consigliere to clean up the mess.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Why the “Consigliere”.
Are you, the Don, equating your Lady MAM to a ‘Capo Crimini’?
She has a long way to go before she can transform into a ‘Bloody Queen Mary’.
How about the “Camerlengo”, the right-hand man to God’s representative on Earth and next in succession in case of an assassination or coup in the palace of ‘political’ religion?
We are sure Machiavelli would have approved of the Camerlengo role for you.
“The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he{she} has around him {her}”.
Long time past I went with my father
to Kensington Oval. Test match England vs West Indies. Joined in an argument with some men about England beating West Indies at Kensington.
“Be a lady!” said my father, as though ladies were not allowed to have loud opinions. This was a man who enjoyed many a loud argument in a rumshop. I knew he had no problem with loud arguments.
So… I determined then and there that I did not wish to be a lady.
Barbados recorded 23 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) on Sunday, February 7, out of the 1 337 tests conducted by the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory.
A 53-year-old woman is the latest death related to coronavirus (COVID-19).
This brings to 19 the number of deaths as a result of the viral illness. Ambassador Elizabeth Thompson made the disclosure a short while ago during the live broadcast of Government’s Press Conference on the management of COVID-19 in Barbados.
Facebook is once again showing it is not democratic by threatening to ban anti-vaxers. That is not the role of social media. In a democracy people must be allowed to speak out, as long as they do not harm anyone. Facebook must not be allowed to tell us how to think.
” Since January 1 we have diagnosed about 46 of the number of patients that have contributed to the national numbers. Forty-six have come from the QEH.”
… and still if you look at the four major killers in Barbados COVID deaths are insignificant, almost 100:1.
It is more likely you will die in a car accident than from COVID.
Yet, we can do something about the 4 major killers, not much to be done about COVID except act with common sense.
Don’t get consumed in the COVID casedemic statistics, that’s all the intelligentsia have to talk about and waste your time and make themselves look important.
‘Reckless’ dumping post, claims trucker – by Anesta Henry February 9, 2021
Truck driver, Ronley Holder, is calling on Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir to apologise for a post on his Facebook page which suggested that he was caught dumping garbage illegally at Edgecumbe, St Philip.
Holder, who is distraught over the fact that pictures of his truck was posted on the page which suggested that it was involved in the act of illegal dumping said he is currently in discussion with his lawyer about the possibility of taking legal action because he has evidence to prove that the allegations are false.
The 42-year-old freighter claimed the post was “reckless” and had the potential to cause him to lose money as persons are now calling him inquiring why he is being linked to illegal dumping. He said the situation has caused him and his family much distress and noted that the pictures are showing him and his passengers sitting in the truck.
“I did not dump any stuff anywhere. I went to the Government dump and dump my stuff. I have my ticket proving that I dump my stuff yesterday, February 6, at 9:10 a.m. and the stuff, weighed 55 kilograms which would be a half-ton. Mr. Minister, you owe my family and my friend an apology. We were wrongfully accused.
“You all trying to blame us for something that did not happen. At least you could have reached out to us and find out what happened. You have the authority and power to find out the licence plate number, who is the owner and contact that person, but you didn’t. You just go with what you heard and run with it,” Holder said during an interview with Barbados TODAY.
On Saturday morning, on Weir’s page was posted pictures of Holder’s truck, with the truck driver, his wife, and a friend sitting in it. The page also had a picture of what appears to be a pile of garbage. The note attached to the pictures on Facebook said, “these guys were caught at 8 30 a.m. today (Saturday, February 6, 2021) dumping illegally on Edgecumbe’s property”.
Sometime ago, along with @Robert Lucas, here was a discussion about the supremacy of Western science. Now with CoVid is a good time to re-st art that discussion.
Maybe it is a good time to also have a discussion about the history of medicine in Barbados.
Read CNN “I moved from Hong Kong to Barbados during the pandemic”. We are simply the best. Soon we will be able to exchange large parts of Old Barbadians with New Barbadians.
Of course, our new arrivals also need to have a political say, such as voting rights, etc. Then we will be able to transform Barbados into a truly globalist island. As our Supreme Leader predicted.
@Hal Austin February 9, 2021 6:27 AM “Facebook is once again showing it is not democratic by threatening to ban anti-vaxers. That is not the role of social media. In a democracy people must be allowed to speak out, as long as they do not harm anyone. Facebook must not be allowed to tell us how to think.”
@Hal Austin February 9, 2021 5:05 AM “Should government pay refuseniks to take the CoVid jab? Should employers insist that all employees must have the jab?”
But a true refusenik would not accept money to do something that they would not otherwise do.
People who accept money to do things they would not otherwise do are rightly called whores.
@Tron February 10, 2021 2:41 PM. “Soon we will be able to exchange large parts of Old Barbadians with New Barbadians.”
If the New Barbadians are coming from such wonderful places please explain why they are exchanging their earthly paradises for a shithole country?
@Tron February 10, 2021 2:41 PM “Of course, our new arrivals also need to have a political say, such as voting rights, etc.”
Not so fast. No voting until a person has learned the country to which they have moved. That takes years. Sometime it never happens.
@Tron February 10, 2021 2:41 PM. “Then we will be able to transform Barbados into a truly globalist island.”
Why would people move from globalist cities to shithole countries, then to seek to transform the shithole country into a globalist place? If they liked globalist places so much would they not have been better off staying in the globalist cities into which they were born?
Your Menu of ‘MUST DO THINGS’ to help in the prevention of catching Covid, although not exhaustive, is missing one vital ingredient.
‘EAT & DRINK’ substances to boost your immune system in its ongoing/daily battle to protect the body’s vital organs from invasion by viruses and bad bacteria.
Why do you think people with “co-morbidities” like diabetes are more at risk?
“Let food [and clean water] be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
Only the doctors and politicians on the road, is this going to bring down covid numbers? They driving around in their huge suvs in such a small country, messing up the ecosystem and mia keep extending the lockdown. I think they are using covid to control and conquer. Then mia agree to lock down the supermarkets 2 days a week, but see nothing wrong with those long lines.
https://www.nationnews.com/2021/02/05/covid-19-deaths-barbados-18/
“Barbados’ deaths related to the COVID-19 virus have now skyrocketed to 18, after two more elderly citizens passed away in the space of the last 48 hours.
The country had entered 2021 with just seven cases, but the latest two make it 11 in less than a month.”
@ Hal
Don’t ever tell us about any ten year plan. We think in terms only of tomorrow or the date of the next election.
Read in yesterday’s Nation that there has not been a survey of our agricultural sector since 1989. That’s 32 years. We therefore don’t know what our real capabilities are in that sector.Imagine no agricultural survey/ census for 32 years.
@William Skinner February 5, 2021 9:33 PM “Read in yesterday’s Nation that there has not been a survey of our agricultural sector since 1989. That’s 32 years. ”
True. I was one of the 1989 agricultural census takers
And one of the 1990 population census takers.
I had recently returned to Barbados and I wanted to get a feel of the place and the people. I did both censuses as a part time pick after work. I am naturally curious about how societies work.
Both censuses were very hard work. and not very well paid. I still joke that I have never worked so hard for so little in my whole life, but interesting experiences and well worth it for giving me an understanding of the workings of Bajan life.
Covid 19 is all over the world
Meanwhile a read if international news tells of govts having plans in place to rebuild their economies
Here on the 166sq . no such plans are heard or talk about by prsent govt
Last year and year before crime and violence increased and it is as if govt did not care less or did not see crime as a priority
What about unemployment havent heard nothing said as to plans govt are putting in place to stem the flow of that tide
Where are the voices of the ministers
How is it that govt can spend thousands of dollars for consultants and nothing positive is done to help increase the growth of barbados economy
Covid or no COVID people bought a pig in a bag when this govt was elected
@ William
Not a ten-year plan. I am still waiting to see the report by the CoVid economic task force. It was given four weeks to report.
The real overhaul will come when they remove all the thieves from the people’s pension fund.
“Barbados pension system, especially as it relates to the public service, is in for an overhaul.
This disclosure comes via the International Monetary Fund in its latest report on Barbados following an online review this week.
The IMF notes that an actuarial review of the civil service pension system was completed in November last year and provides the basis for upcoming public pension reform.
New laws are also expected to be passed in later this month to ensure greater fairness, integrity and transparency in how government hands out contracts.”
Prepare for the New Normal, because it is not intended for it to ever go away.
https://youtu.be/7XPfm77juoM
@ Hal
To date anywhere from 5 to 12/15 committees have been formed. And to date nobody can adequately report what are their findings .
We are now firmly in the land of make belief . BLPDLP lost. Atherley in the ocean on a bamboo raft.
@ Cuhdear Bajan
Thanks very much for confirming the story. One thing I learn from being on BU is that there are people who don’t believe anything unless they see it or write it themselves.
Sixty years of ignoring agriculture and now pretending it’s a life savior. Pure BS. Barbados is at least forty years behind other agricultural based countries. No damn innovation . All the wonderful live stock stations in ruin.
Those live stock stations had resident managers. They were part of the community. I bought piglets from one ; raised pigs to supplement my small civil servant income. Workers at these stations came from within the community.
People were educated about all aspects of animal husbandry but we got “ developed” and it has been down hill ever since.
Imagine no frigging agricultural census in 32 blasted years.
@ William
On Sept 15 the president punished the governor general by having her read a 52-page Queen’s Speech for nearly three hours, with lots of grand proposals. How many of them have been implemented or even initiated?
Do our newspapers or opposition parties ever follow up these proposals?
I thought it was said that the committee with Sinkyuh and Persaud had submitted their report to the PM? Or was the idea to lend the hotel sector $300M the only idea that was in the report?
@WW&C
you are confusing “System” with “Fund”. Public service pensions have NO Fund. Their “System” is to pay said pension monies out of the current year’s revenue.
You don’t hear @tron constantly wanting to reduce the (public) Civil service employment? There is a reason.
Thanks NO, it is good for others to fact check sometimes. There is too much fake news posted from so-called intelligent people.
@ NorthernObserver February 6, 2021 10:34 AM
That’s exactly how it is. How could they invest their money profitably (see NIS)? There are hardly any worthwhile investments on our island, foreign shares are blocked for lack of foreign currency.
So if the state budget collapses without tourists (from February to October 2021), this must of course also be reflected in the salaries and pensions of the civil servants. They have a secure job. Better fifty percent less salary than no salary at all. In general, the civil servants and their unions are acting in a totally unsolidaristic manner. During the pandemic, they enjoy a comfortable life with a home office, while the employees of the hotels, suppliers and the rest of the tourism industry are facing financial ruin.
Instead of taking a shot at Corbin, let’s write against this apartheid regime (privileged public servants on one hand, unemployed black masses on the other) for once. Of course, there is a lot of hypocrisy involved here. Just look at Presscott: he’s crying because the black masses aren’t rich businessmen, even though as minister he never objected to excessive import tariffs, high taxes and strangulating bureaucracy. These are the real reasons why the black masses are almost as poor as they were in 1966.
We are talking about a pay-as-you-go pension scheme; the NIS is a hybrid scheme. The real problem with the NIS, as I have said on numerous occasions, is that we must get rid of it and start again. It is rubbish in the 21st century.
The real challenge is convincing local politicians that they need to start again with a clean slate. Discussions about what we have now are a waste of time.
Oh dear oh dear seems like the sweet days of goverment workers working 33 years and going home at 55 done. Wunna will have to work now to 65 like all we then?
I wonder if they will revise the pensions for politicians too and make them wait to 65 for theirs as well?
Plus what side of the fence Tony Moore going be on, the politician side or the workers side? Interesting times ahead
@tron
the article being referred to, also noted “strengthening the effectiveness of customs”. Without any further explanation within the article, I am ‘guessing’ the IMF is referring to customs as it relates to the ‘collection of import duties and taxes’, and not the ‘custom’ of paying public service pensions.
Didn’I the Gov’t increased the eligibility age for public pensions from 65 to 67? Recent recipients under 67 may have been courtesy of being “grandfathered” in but I think the pensions for politicians remained untouched.
No words. Just Music.
Barbados is not a sizeable country it is more like a small city. Most discussions seem obsessed about monies.
All other things being equal, how do you improve society, community life without money, when there is not much money.
Is India’s microfinance smaller banking model the way to go.
Spirit Bomb
@ sarge
I believe it’s 67 or 33 1/3 years.
It appears the IMF are asking the same question as many if us have been asking and as no answers are forthcoming they will now step in. The question of course is
PLEASE TELL US HOW YOU PLAN TO RUN THE COUNTRY WITH A FALL IN REVENUE OF OVER 30%?
@ NorthernObserver February 6, 2021 11:01 AM
Indeed. It is about public service pensions AND import tariffs.
In any case, it is clear that we must maintain the privilege of duty free purchases for diplomats and expats. Or should they furnish their villas with local knickknacks at full price and pay full price for overpriced shirts and trousers?
Let our businessmen rob the masses but not the privileged. Social differences should also be reflected in the price. Those who can afford a lot should pay less. Sounds illogical? But it isn’t.
@ John A February 6, 2021 11:37 AM
I have been calling on BU for many years for a radical downsizing of the state apparatus. If we had not hired new civil servants and initiated early retirements since 2008, the bureaucracy would be at least 40 percent smaller. The remaining civil servants would have to work more and would no longer have time to bully entrepreneurs with regulations and other nonsense.
In any case, the fact is that we live in the fourth world in terms of the time and cost of starting a business. Anyway, until today, our BLM activists are silent about the discrimination of the black masses in starting businesses and the like. Why is that? Because they benefit from the bureaucracy itself? PLT is a major exception here. Thank you, PLT! Don’t let the bureaucracy corrupt you.
It is highly indecent and mendacious to bemoan the predominance of white business owners, but on the other hand to systematically put obstacles in the way of black entrepreneurs starting new businesses.
ST.LUCIA COVID CRISIS
” Tuesday February 2, 2021: a total of 222 tests were conducted with 32 confirmed positive
Wednesday February 3, 2021: a total of 255 tests were conducted with 90 confirmed positive
Thursday February 4, 2021: a total of 409 tests were conducted with 135 confirmed positive ”
https://stluciatimes.com/saint-lucia-confirms-257-new-cases-of-covid-19/
ST.VINCENT COVID PROBLEM
” Kingston – Community spread of COVID-19 has been confirmed in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Minister of Health St. Clair “Jimmy” Prince made the announcement to the media on Friday, a day after Parliament approved an EC$1.2 million (US$444 million) budget following four days of debate in which the pandemic was a recurring theme.
His announcement confirmed what many citizens had concluded for weeks amidst a massive spike in local cases since December 28.
@Hants
Covid 19 is on the loose in the Caribbean after a slow start.
@ Tron
That is a very valid point you have on how hard it is for a small business to get started. Small business financing under current bank requirements is practically impossible. Between the security needed and the paper work and projections, most small businesses stall in the starting box.
The thing is with the level of unemployment and contraction in the economy one would of thought that the banks would of come up with a plan to attract start up ventures. Let’s be honest if the large established companies are suffering the bank can not expect to prop their bottom line up on their traditional customer base.
There are two outcomes
(1) we manage to control the spread of covid or
(2) we lose control of the spread.
To ensure (1) we need to have and rigorously enforce sound scientific protocols.
Even with these protocols, time or a lack of adherence are enemies to our maintaining control. A lapse or missing just one infected the person would allow the infection to enter the country and grow unmonitored.
When we become aware of its presence we may be past the stage of community spread.
This is a problem that small countries dependent on tourism will face. I seem to recall some here giving the leader of SVG a victory lap as they were pummeling Mia.
She said: “I have already taken the UK and Canada out of the market. So can be no push-back there. We have a complete cessation of flights from Canada through April. Typically in the middle of the Canadian winter, you are not travelling for leisure to another Winter-based destination. It makes perfect sense in principle, if you want to be able to maintain no movement within your country…the challenge that we are going to experience obviously is that you have people who are just literally tired and overwhelmed by all that has been happening with COVID.”
++++++++++++++
Could someone explain what the Minister is saying or trying to say?
https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/02/06/welcome-stamp-takes-impact-as-arrivals-increase/
@ Tron February 6, 2021 10:47 AM
“So if the state budget collapses without tourists (from February to October 2021), this must of course also be reflected in the salaries and pensions of the civil servants. They have a secure job. Better fifty percent less salary than no salary at all.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It would be interesting if your ‘justifiable’ fears are in any form going to be reflected in the upcoming Estimates of Revenues & Expenditures given that the public sector emoluments (for both working and retired recipients) make up a relatively large slice of the current expenditure budget and which can pose to be a seriously challenging monthly charge on the Treasury’s cash flow.
BTW Tron, with so much currently on your Lord goddess’s plate to digest do you think your Supreme leader MAM should defer the luxury of going Republic in 2021 (using Covid-20 as the perfect guise) even if the dotish Lizzy is forced to abdicate after her 95th birthday and all hell breaks loose in Mother England?
Or, in true Machiavellian-recommended style in order to protect her political reputation and maintain her popularity stakes, should she exploit fully the golden opportunity to engage in a public display of pomp and pageantry in order to distract the masses away from the looming serious economic problems which can cause the standard of living for the average Bajan to plummet to an unimaginable level?
@ Sargeant,
How can you criticise the Minister because what she said is just beyond our comprehension or is it just beyond our imagination ?
I would like to explain what she was saying but I am not a university graduate. lol
Can someone tell what the other industries are in Barbados ?
Methinks borrowing and begging is the new replacement for Tourism and it’s spin off income generators.
@ Miller February 6, 2021 12:29 PM
Of course, our Supreme Leader should choose the latter, second path. Without question. Currently, GG and CJ are in quarantine. She should therefore strike out THIS WEEKEND and proclaim herself the First President for Life of the Barbadian Republic without elections. After all, she could enact the constitution in a few years and rule with emergency decrees in the meantime. Once the republic is proclaimed without preparatory legislation, the previous constitution automatically expires by virtue of revolution. This would suspend all other organs of state.
If our Supreme Leader chooses this path or a similar one, I will publicly justify the revolution with an expert opinion – provided she requests it. For our new President needs not only a court jester, but also a Consigliere to clean up the mess.
Attached are updated charts for Covid-19 +ve cases and for active cases to 5th February from Worldometer data. The island wide UWI led search and seek survey has started but any linkage between that project and any resultant testing has not yet been clarified afaik. The charts for the active cases in the 5 Caribbean states show a faint suggestion of trending decreasing active cases in Grenada, Trinidad and Barbados while there is a worrying consistent upward trending in the Jamaica chart – Lyall Small
@Hants
Mia said there is a lot of fake news going around, I believe the headline qualifies but the Minister’s statement(s) contribute to the fake news or she is baffling us with BS.
Staff at the geriatric hospital in quarantine
@John A February 6, 2021 11:37 AM “PLEASE TELL US HOW YOU PLAN TO RUN THE COUNTRY WITH A FALL IN REVENUE OF OVER 30%?”
Cut expenditure by 30% or increase production by 30% or a bit of both.
But don’t mind me, i failed both Economics 101 and Accounting 101 and they threw me out of uni.
But they all collect a salary paid by taxpayers every month, bet you they don’t refuse to cash the checks…it’s called THEFT OF TAXPAYER’S MONEY…and they will be around in 2023 to beg for votes…throw stale piss on them…the fowl slaves should be able to tell us where they’re hiding.
https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/02/06/btcolumn-key-ministers-missing-in-action/
“Eleven people have died so far for the year, nine of which fall in the category of the elderly. The Government-run Geriatric Hospital has reported cases of the deadly COVID-19 disease. Vulnerable, elderly people are at highest risk. Many live alone. Many need extra care. Many cannot afford the basics.
But as of up to the time I have penned this submission I am yet to hear from the Minister of Elderly Affairs and Social Empowerment Cynthia Forde. Why is this?
Last year when there was the potential outbreak at the National Assistance Board Forde could be heard. But for some reason now we cannot hear the Minister even if only to offer condolences to the families.
During the same call-in programme an elderly resident of St Thomas said he had tirelessly tried to reach his MP Forde. He recounted that the eventual response was a text message of two words. He lamented that he didn’t feel reassured or comforted by the response. What sad times we are in.
These are the same people who every five years find themselves loitering at the doorsteps of their constituents seeking their support”
Liars…dump them and the fraud system, it’s dead anyway.
“These are the same people who last November were all bedecked in red and swarming St George North to secure their colleague’s victory and promising everything other than to build a sea for parishioners.
The elderly in this country are dying, some are suffering, some need assistance. Where is the Minister? Where is the MP for St Thomas? Where is Cynthia Forde. Is she in political quarantine?”
The PM thanks Modi for the donation of vaccines.
https://news.abplive.com/videos/news/barbados-pm-thanks-pm-modi-for-1st-batch-of-corona-vaccine-amid-rihanna-s-tweet-controversy-1442822
@ Tron February 6, 2021 12:40 PM
“If our Supreme Leader chooses this path or a similar one, I will publicly justify the revolution with an expert opinion – provided she requests it. For our new President needs not only a court jester, but also a Consigliere to clean up the mess.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Why the “Consigliere”.
Are you, the Don, equating your Lady MAM to a ‘Capo Crimini’?
She has a long way to go before she can transform into a ‘Bloody Queen Mary’.
How about the “Camerlengo”, the right-hand man to God’s representative on Earth and next in succession in case of an assassination or coup in the palace of ‘political’ religion?
We are sure Machiavelli would have approved of the Camerlengo role for you.
“The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he{she} has around him {her}”.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CK92sH6gnyk/
Miller,
Long time past I went with my father
to Kensington Oval. Test match England vs West Indies. Joined in an argument with some men about England beating West Indies at Kensington.
“Be a lady!” said my father, as though ladies were not allowed to have loud opinions. This was a man who enjoyed many a loud argument in a rumshop. I knew he had no problem with loud arguments.
So… I determined then and there that I did not wish to be a lady.
Next time I went to cricket by myself.
Uh-oh! Wrong blog! Sorry!
COVID-19 UPDATE: 20 new positives, 60 recovered, one deathAvatarArticle by
Barbados TodayPublished on
February 6, 2021
COVID-19 UPDATE: 33 new cases
https://www.facebook.com/SupportMiaMottley/videos/4990308417706202/
https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/02/07/covid-19-update-33-new-cases-51-recovered/
https://www.facebook.com/BBCnewsafrica/videos/725571664793308/
BIG PROBLEM!!!
Barbados recorded 23 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) on Sunday, February 7, out of the 1 337 tests conducted by the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory.
https://www.nationnews.com/2021/02/08/23-new-virus-cases-27-people-recover/
A 53-year-old woman is the latest death related to coronavirus (COVID-19).
This brings to 19 the number of deaths as a result of the viral illness. Ambassador Elizabeth Thompson made the disclosure a short while ago during the live broadcast of Government’s Press Conference on the management of COVID-19 in Barbados.
Should government pay refuseniks to take the CoVid jab? Should employers insist that all employees must have the jab?
Facebook is once again showing it is not democratic by threatening to ban anti-vaxers. That is not the role of social media. In a democracy people must be allowed to speak out, as long as they do not harm anyone. Facebook must not be allowed to tell us how to think.
” Since January 1 we have diagnosed about 46 of the number of patients that have contributed to the national numbers. Forty-six have come from the QEH.”
Since January 1
https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/02/09/46-patients-21-staff-infected-at-qeh/
@Hants â This a serious (ominous) development.
… and still if you look at the four major killers in Barbados COVID deaths are insignificant, almost 100:1.
It is more likely you will die in a car accident than from COVID.
Yet, we can do something about the 4 major killers, not much to be done about COVID except act with common sense.
Don’t get consumed in the COVID casedemic statistics, that’s all the intelligentsia have to talk about and waste your time and make themselves look important.
By all means be aware, just be careful!!
https://qz.com/india/1959402/indians-hesitant-to-get-covaxin-covishield-covid-19-vaccines/
Good morning BU posse
Here is your Daily Exercise Routine to Fight Covid
https://exercising7.music.blog/2021/02/10/daily-exercise-routine/
Indar about to get sue…
‘Reckless’ dumping post, claims trucker – by Anesta Henry February 9, 2021
Truck driver, Ronley Holder, is calling on Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir to apologise for a post on his Facebook page which suggested that he was caught dumping garbage illegally at Edgecumbe, St Philip.
Holder, who is distraught over the fact that pictures of his truck was posted on the page which suggested that it was involved in the act of illegal dumping said he is currently in discussion with his lawyer about the possibility of taking legal action because he has evidence to prove that the allegations are false.
The 42-year-old freighter claimed the post was “reckless” and had the potential to cause him to lose money as persons are now calling him inquiring why he is being linked to illegal dumping. He said the situation has caused him and his family much distress and noted that the pictures are showing him and his passengers sitting in the truck.
“I did not dump any stuff anywhere. I went to the Government dump and dump my stuff. I have my ticket proving that I dump my stuff yesterday, February 6, at 9:10 a.m. and the stuff, weighed 55 kilograms which would be a half-ton. Mr. Minister, you owe my family and my friend an apology. We were wrongfully accused.
“You all trying to blame us for something that did not happen. At least you could have reached out to us and find out what happened. You have the authority and power to find out the licence plate number, who is the owner and contact that person, but you didn’t. You just go with what you heard and run with it,” Holder said during an interview with Barbados TODAY.
On Saturday morning, on Weir’s page was posted pictures of Holder’s truck, with the truck driver, his wife, and a friend sitting in it. The page also had a picture of what appears to be a pile of garbage. The note attached to the pictures on Facebook said, “these guys were caught at 8 30 a.m. today (Saturday, February 6, 2021) dumping illegally on Edgecumbe’s property”.
Sometime ago, along with @Robert Lucas, here was a discussion about the supremacy of Western science. Now with CoVid is a good time to re-st art that discussion.
Maybe it is a good time to also have a discussion about the history of medicine in Barbados.
Great news!
Read CNN “I moved from Hong Kong to Barbados during the pandemic”. We are simply the best. Soon we will be able to exchange large parts of Old Barbadians with New Barbadians.
Of course, our new arrivals also need to have a political say, such as voting rights, etc. Then we will be able to transform Barbados into a truly globalist island. As our Supreme Leader predicted.
@Hal Austin February 9, 2021 6:27 AM “Facebook is once again showing it is not democratic by threatening to ban anti-vaxers. That is not the role of social media. In a democracy people must be allowed to speak out, as long as they do not harm anyone. Facebook must not be allowed to tell us how to think.”
But anti-vaxxers DO CAUSE HARM.
@Hal Austin February 9, 2021 6:27 AM “Facebook must not be allowed to tell us how to think.”
Facebook is not asking your permission., but if you want to stop Facebook, go ahead.
Have fun.
@Hal Austin February 9, 2021 5:05 AM “Should government pay refuseniks to take the CoVid jab? Should employers insist that all employees must have the jab?”
But a true refusenik would not accept money to do something that they would not otherwise do.
People who accept money to do things they would not otherwise do are rightly called whores.
And whores are quite correctly reviled.
@John February 9, 2021 4:49 PM “… and still if you look at the four major killers in Barbados COVID deaths are insignificant, almost 100:1.”
John nobody may have told you but the mortality rate in every country is 100%. Ypo know that I am a well documented expert on life expectancy.
Everybody 100% of people die eventually.
Governments everywhere are not trying to prevent us from dying, as NO government anywhere has the power to prevent every single one of us from dying.
Governments everywhere are simply trying to prevent premature deaths.
So wash your hands.
Wear your mask.
Keep 6 feet from other people, especially keep 6 feet [or more] away from me.
Take the vaccine once it becomes available.
Real real simple.
@Tron February 10, 2021 2:41 PM. “Soon we will be able to exchange large parts of Old Barbadians with New Barbadians.”
If the New Barbadians are coming from such wonderful places please explain why they are exchanging their earthly paradises for a shithole country?
@Tron February 10, 2021 2:41 PM “Of course, our new arrivals also need to have a political say, such as voting rights, etc.”
Not so fast. No voting until a person has learned the country to which they have moved. That takes years. Sometime it never happens.
@Tron February 10, 2021 2:41 PM. “Then we will be able to transform Barbados into a truly globalist island.”
Why would people move from globalist cities to shithole countries, then to seek to transform the shithole country into a globalist place? If they liked globalist places so much would they not have been better off staying in the globalist cities into which they were born?
@ Cuhdear Bajan February 10, 2021 3:33 PM
Your Menu of ‘MUST DO THINGS’ to help in the prevention of catching Covid, although not exhaustive, is missing one vital ingredient.
‘EAT & DRINK’ substances to boost your immune system in its ongoing/daily battle to protect the body’s vital organs from invasion by viruses and bad bacteria.
Why do you think people with “co-morbidities” like diabetes are more at risk?
“Let food [and clean water] be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
Only the doctors and politicians on the road, is this going to bring down covid numbers? They driving around in their huge suvs in such a small country, messing up the ecosystem and mia keep extending the lockdown. I think they are using covid to control and conquer. Then mia agree to lock down the supermarkets 2 days a week, but see nothing wrong with those long lines.