Forgive Politicians, ‘They Know Not What They Do’

The blogmaster replied to retired trade unionist Facebook post titled Barbados Exports to Caricom and the World:

Robert Morris you have highlighted maintenance issues we must confront, however, you did not address the inadequate capacity as a country to earn in order to satisfy conspicuous consumption behaviour and generate employment opportunities.

Robert Morris replied:

David King, Sorry to repeat. You point out ‘conspicuous consumption behaviour’, as a major problem. Should we try to earn to satisfy that or to curb that? Give examples and strategies to curb.

The blogmaster replied:

Robert Morris we cannot continue to rely on the existing economic drivers of fickle tourism and international business. We definitely have to curb our taste for foreign, weaning Barbadians from champagne taste will require a re-education of our but it must be done. Improve mass transit (expand TAP), stop importation of all new vehicles effective midnight. Significantly subsidize inputs to producers of food and others generating forex. Aggressive adoption of alternative energy systems and energy efficient vehicles (waive duties). Scholarships to Barbadians in areas of learning that mesh with national strategic objectives. Agree to a period of five years to suspend the Constitution and install a government of consensus. Create an audit of skills in the diaspora and encourage them to participate in a think tank, reward them with 30 year bonds conditional on goals achieved. Etc

Robert Morris replied:

David King Barrow: champagne taste and mauby pockets? You did put your suggestions, my readers are free to comment.

The blogmaster did not expect comments from Robert Morris’ Facebook ‘friends’. As our good friend who Pacha introduced to the blog Krishnamurti opines- the politicians wont listen, the poor man wont listen, the deeply dogmatic persons wont listen. We are all conditioned to fiercely defend what we know, what we have been conditioned to internalize as our reality. The result is an activity humans have become synonymous, divisive behaviour.

The exchange reminded the blogmaster about the predicament the ongoing pandemic has forced on us. It is approaching two years since the novel coronavirus was reported. There was a rush to supermarkets in order to stockpile food and other essential AND non essential items, governments ordered lockdowns…etc. To stay afloat businesses created opportunities to do business by implementing ‘makeshift’ online ordering systems, curbside pickup or delivery.

There is the saying one should never let a good crisis go to waste. As soon as there was a decline in coronavirus infections many local businesses reverted to the traditional face to face model of doing business. Several years ago the government encouraged senior citizens to receive pension by direct debit, there was the usual push back to change. How many of them had to suffer because of Covid 19 induced delays when cheques could not be delivered and financial institutions closed or experienced long wait times attending customers? The point: government and private sector two years later should have implemented state of the art electronic ‘store fronts’ to facilitate purchase of goods and services,

The environment continues to demand we change behaviour; how we do business. Why are our leaders in civil society stoking discord to satisfy selfish interest? It is a zero sum game after all, you win the country loses. Then again, why are we surprised, the politicians convince themselves and the people that they have the answers but history shows they know not.

100 thoughts on “Forgive Politicians, ‘They Know Not What They Do’


  1. Ex-minister called up to shadow tourism
    By Barry Alleyne barryalleyne@nationnews.com
    Former Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy is officially back in the business of politics.
    President of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), Verla De Peiza, announced yesterday that Sealy, a former Member of Parliament for St Michael South Central, would be shadow minister of tourism.
    De Peiza, who was re-elected to the party’s top post during a contentious annual general conference last month, revealed three more of the party’s 30 candidates right after that event, and yesterday the party also made some significant changes to its shadow cabinet.
    New candidates Andrew Cave, Neil Marshall and Courie Cox have been brought on board.
    Sealy, who lost in the 2018 General Election when the DLP was hammered 30-0, had not been very public in party politics in recent times, but this latest move indicates he is very much back in the swing of things.
    “The rationale for the realignment is simply to match competitors and to match skills. It is a mixture of the two considerations,” De Peiza told the Sunday Sun when asked o explain the latest moves.
    “I said before and I strongly believe that we are close to the election date and we must shape ourselves to suit.”
    Finance and Economic Affairs
    She said that as party leader she would continue to speak on matters related to the ministries of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment, and all national issues of the day.
    She added the DLP would announce another batch of candidates “shortly”.
    Cave, candidate for Christ Church West, will be the shadow minister of people empowerment and elder affairs; Ricardo Harrison (St Michael North) will shadow housing, lands and infrastructural development, while Oldwin Skeete, another new candidate, who will contest St Andrew, will follow the ministries of Agriculture and the Blue Economy.
    Marshall, who is running in St Philip South, will be the shadow minister of education.
    Pharmacist Paul Gibson, who was spokesperson on health matters, will now keep track of energy, the environment and national beautification, while former Senator Andre Worrell, candidate for St John, will pay attention to health.
    Cox, who will be facing the polls in St Michael Central, has responsibility for labour and the social partnership, while another new candidate, St George North’s Dawn-Marie Armstrong, will speak on youth, sport and culture.
    Attorney and former president of the Young Dems, Curtis Cave, will shadow the Office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
    Ryan Walters, who will be battling for the St Michael North West seat, remains the spokesperson on small business and entrepreneurship, while the party’s acting general secretary Damien Griffith will shadow the ministries of Industry, International Business and International Transport.

    Source: Nation


  2. Punch with cultural confidence
    Gervonta Davis is the World Boxing Association super featherweight boxing champion. Standing at five feet, five inches tall and weighing around 130 pounds, Davis is one of the pound-forpound hardest punchers in boxing.
    Davis once hit a machine that measures the strength of your punch and got a higher score than former heavyweight champion of the world Deontay Wilder. Wilder stands at six feet, seven inches and can weigh around 250 pounds. He is also one of the most devastating punchers in boxing history who has sent men twice the size of Davis flying through the air with a single punch.
    Davis literally punches above his weight class. But you are not going to see him in the ring with Wilder anytime soon. It is one thing to punch above your weight class and quite another thing to take a punch above your weight class. This is why they have weight classes in the first place.
    At some point in time someone realised that it just isn’t quite fair to have a five-foot, 130-pounder up against a near seven-foot, 200-plus pounder.
    Yet this is exactly the situation in the global political, economic and social arena. Many larger nations are not only larger but also control the rules, set them in their favour and also had a head start. The outcomes are fairly predictable. Yet for many years, we in the region have allowed ourselves to believe that we could compete head-tohead with global heavyweights under the established global rules and order.
    Jamaican track and field athletes, a handful of Jamaican musical artistes, another handful of Caribbean literary giants, the West Indies Cricket team of old and some exemplary individuals in various fields have given us hope that one day the Caribbean would stand and face nations like Britain and the United States at an even eye level.
    Dose of reality
    The last few decades of economic instability, social insecurity and political apathy have been a dose of reality. When Davis gets in the ring with Wilder and realises that his eye level is in line with Wider’s navel, then he will see that size matters. What then is the answer? What is an undersized and out-resourced nation to do to survive in this unfair global ring?
    The first thing is defence. “Tank” Davis might be able to hit as hard as Wilder, “The Bronze Bomber”, but he can’t take too many of Wilder’s punches. A nation like Barbados may, in some areas, hit very hard, but it is just as important for Bim to not take hits.
    Policies and practices
    that prepare for and protect against natural, economic and social disasters are high priority.
    Focusing too much on our punching power and not enough on our ability to avoid powerful punches leads to getting knocked out.
    The next thing is an appropriate game plan and strategy. It is unlikely that Davis will knock out an opponent as big as Wilder. It may be possible, however, for him to win on points. Due to his shorter arms, he would have to quickly get on the inside to score and then get quickly back to distance. He is going to have to keep mobile and moving so Wilder can’t set his feet and load up his punches. A strategy like this one, full of activity and movement, will call for stamina and endurance. Davis would have to come in with a plan to out-hustle a larger opponent.
    Last but not least is something they call in the fight game “heart”. Some call it an indomitable spirit. Others call it willpower. When speaking about a nation, we might call it cultural confidence. It is that sense of self that makes you feel you can do it despite the odds being against you, despite being outnumbered or outgunned.
    The nation with heart or cultural confidence will keep on pushing through economic depression, political upheaval, and social unrest. Through the worst of times and through the best of times, the eyes of those who possess cultural confidence stay bright, alert and on the prize.
    No matter how outmatched, you always get the sense that they are still in the fight.
    Adrian Green is a communications specialist. Email Adriangreen14 @gmail.com.

    Source: Nation


  3. Relevance of age in politics
    by Ezra Alleyne
    A lifelong friend, a Dem (Democratic Labour Party member), jokingly branded me a yard fowl last week. I asked about “paling cocks” and we laughed. We agreed finally that yard fowls are important to stable democratic governance, as I will mention later.
    Also, at the end of my last column, I described Verla De Peiza and Reverend Guy Hewitt as being in “their 50s”. Miss De Peiza quickly responded on Facebook, asking me not to age her. I promised to apologise. I do so now. Setting the record straight, she will reach her 50th birthday next month.
    I was making a point about the relevance of age in politics and Verla was right to point out my mistake. Age is not “just a number” in politics. It is a very important number as examining the age at which local leaders became Prime Minister reveals!
    It is the norm for Barbadian voters to choose leaders in their 40s to be Prime Minister. It is rare in Barbados for anyone who is past his or her 50th birthday to be elected to the office of Prime Minister for the first time. Being selected on the resignation or death of a prime minister is a different kettle of fish.
    Errol Barrow was 41 years old when he became Premier and took us into Independence, becoming our first Prime Minister at 45. Tom Adams, our second Prime Minister, was born in 1931 and became Prime Minister in September 1976 at age 44.
    Prime Minister No. 5, Owen Arthur, was born in 1949 and became Prime Minister in 1994 at 45. David Thompson, born in December 1961, became Prime Minister in January 2008 at age 46.
    Our current leader, Mia Amor Mottley, born in 1965, became Prime Minister in May 2018 at age 52. By then she already had 14 years of ministerial experience, and some analysts point out that had Mottley continued to lead the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) in 2013, she would have become Prime Minister at age 48!
    We have also had three selected (after an incumbent’s
    death, as opposed to being elected) Prime Ministers, namely: Bernard St John, Erskine Sandiford, and Freundel Stuart. They became Prime Minister at ages 53, 50 and 59, respectively.
    The point I am making is that prime ministerial “life starts in the 40s” for those lucky enough to fulfil their dream of being elected to the office of Prime Minister, and that Verla is already exiting that fourth decade and Rev. Guy Hewitt has!
    Back to the question of yard fowls. We may poke fun, but they are the most important ingredient in the system of adversarial politics. They are the bedrock of party support. Hence the expression “massbased political parties.”
    Yard fowls hail for their party in good times and particularly in bad times. Without them a political party may be in danger of collapse. They are very often partisan and their colourful “flag-waving” voices raised loudly in support of their party is a potent weapon in the armoury of political parties.
    Yard fowls are not the swing vote. They have an opinion, and are very useful in persuading floating voters to “come over to Macedonia”.
    What cannot be denied is that to suffer a 30-0 defeat, the Dems must have lost some floating voters as well as a large fraction of the support of its hard-core “yard fowls”.
    Ezra Alleyne is an attorney and a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly.

    Source: Nation


  4. King David u made some very good points on changes that are necessary for economic activity to build and transform a country economy
    However when people lose faith in govt it becomes almost impossible for govt to present a message or messages of transformation to the people
    There is always the sting of distrust being felt which was left because govt did not deliver on its promises
    Take the issue of Chinese Houses listen to what people have said about govt undermining it’s people ability
    Also take a look at a govt overload on always first looking towards outside interest to build an economy
    Then pray tell when people see how the head controllers or managers of a country undermine and divide a country by bypassing the people first and looking elsewhere how is it possible for govt to undertake a massive physchological transformation in the people’s minds which is necessary to help build an economy
    Talk is cheap however it takes more than words to enact on a people what is right
    Leaders must lead first by example


    • @Artax

      All Barbadians accept the DLP is the effective political opposition in Barbados. Atherley will be no more come 2023 or thereabouts.


  5. All of these things mean zero without inspirational leadership. And I mean in all sectors including the political. All we now have is noise. Throwing things at the wall and hoping something sticks.
    Nobody can clearly articulate where the country/ region is heading.


  6. “All Barbadians accept the DLP is the effective political opposition in Barbados. “

    Do you not know the difference between ‘accept’ and ‘except’

    Anyway back to the matter to preach and teach with wizdom
    and reach the massive with opinion version excursion lyrics

    Banks are nothing but glorified paper bags with walls
    who charge fees for safekeeping custody of everyones monies
    which they invest in markets

    Investment Banks Income
    come from Short Term Deposits
    in Money Markets
    during Settlement of Trades

    Keep your monies as paper
    spend your monies wisely

    avoid the plastic credit trap
    and don’t charge it to the game
    like a big baller shot caller playa
    in street military
    who will be
    dead in a year

    I Got 5 On it
    Hustle and flow like a rapper
    if you want the bling
    and want to get the panties

    I have never ever heard of this facebook user Robert Morris before
    but we know politicians are gangstas
    who beef
    like crips and bloods

    C.R.E.A.M.
    Cash Rules Everything Around Me


  7. @William hit the nail on the head.

    There is zero inspirational leadership running Barbados at the moment so all we will get is status quo.. Tell me, after 3.5 years what has really changed in Government’’s manner and substance of discourse.. NADA

    The frightening thing is that the leader of the DLP commands even less respect and star power..

    A real leadership vacuum indeed


    • The leadership vacuum is at all spheres of civil society. We have the tendency to focus on only the political, therein lies a big problem.


  8. David September 5, 2021 7:28 AM #: “All Barbadians accept the DLP is the effective political opposition in Barbados.”

    I disagree.

    But, I’ll be the first to agree the DEMS are keeping more noise than the official Opposition Leader and his PdP.

    The lady can appoint who ever she wants ‘to keep some noise and throw things at the wall, hoping something sticks.’

    The fact remains, Verla DePeiza is not the Opposition Leader nor the DLP the official Opposition. She is just the leader of another political party similar to how Grenville Phillips II led Solutions Barbados, Alex Mitchell and Bajan Free Party, Neil Holder and Barbados Integrity Movement or Mark Adamson and the People’s Democratic Congress.

    What separates DePeiza and the DEMS that merits them being treated differently from those leaders and their political parties?

    She should concern herself with presenting her vision to Barbadians and the DLP’s socioeconomic policies for the future development of Barbados, rather than being constantly in ‘criticize mode.’

    The reality is, we must learn to coexist with COVID-19, because it is ‘here to stay.’ By now the DLP and the other political parties, should’ve formulated policy initiatives to deal with a pandemic affected economy…… and hopefully, a post pandemic economy.

    Not what a ‘DLP foot soldier’ was trying to convince us that Verla criticizing vaccinations is an articulation of policy……. but sound, innovative, progressive policy initiatives. I haven’t heard anything from anyone in any party………. not even Mia Mottley and the BLP.

    Not even from the private sector………. they’re too busy creating innovative methods to beg for ‘handouts’ from the Treasury.


    • The blogmaster is not debating what officially is the case, there is a nuanced situation given the 30-0 result and the contrived opposition to avoid a constitutional crisis but the DLP is regarded as the political opposition.


  9. We have the tendency to focus on only the political, therein lies a big problem.
    The blogmaster is not debating what officially is the case, there is a nuanced situation given the 30-0 result and the contrived opposition to avoid a constitutional crisis but the DLP is regarded as the political opposition.

    peace
    love
    prosperity

    integrity
    honest hard work
    competency

    are not the ultimate goals in life
    they are basic requirements

    if you make peace an ultimate goal in life
    you will only rest in peace


  10. @ David

    Please note you wrote, “ALL Barbadians.”

    I do not “accept the DLP is the effective political opposition in Barbados,” and I’m sure there several other Barbadians who share a similar opinion.


  11. David BU i agree with you totally.Bajans generally see the dems as the opposition.Rev Atherley , Mr Franklyn and the rest of the PDP will be history come 2023.They are just ennoying the moment in the sun for now in my view.The problem with the Dems is that the leader does not inspire any confidence and will struggle to win a seat.Furthermore they have yet to c0me with anything of substance in terms of a policy for any area. All they habe done is to be critical of everthing thst is not a policy.Finally i think the dems have made a good move by bringing back Mr Richard Sealy their one shining star in tourism from the last administration..I gone.


  12. People of / in Barbados seem to have consistent constant or periodic moans about their Government which raises the following (double loaded) question

    Question(s):
    Is the Government of Barbados really bad or is the people moaning really bad?
    And, is this an either or situation or a bit (or a lot) of both?


  13. @ David,
    I will throw this story into the mix. Please note that the UAE is a country that we have, bizzarely, entered diplomatic relations with. It is a country with a terrible human’s right record particularly towards black African migrants.

    Is it true that some of our citizens are been encouraged to take up employment in the UAE? If so has our government considered the potential perils faced by their citizens should they take up any potential economic opportunities within that country.

    How will the UAE police make a distinguish between an African and a Bajan if they are being racially profiled?

    “African migrant workers brutalised in UAE – report”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-47639452?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=61323393b19a573a6ec39207%26African%20migrant%20workers%20brutalised%20in%20UAE%20-%20report%262021-09-03T15%3A15%3A33.294Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:4c5b8932-1ef6-4bf3-ad47-bc2459188962&pinned_post_asset_id=61323393b19a573a6ec39207&pinned_post_type=share


    • @TLSN

      The Barbadians packing their bags have choice, they have made a decision to agree to work in the UAE. For your informations many Barbadians already work over there.


  14. I Lol when I hear the blp footsoldiers on BU asking Depezia to articulate a policy
    They seem to have forgotten that when present govt was in opposition they daily diluge of anti govt policy was met with harsh and ongoing criticism by Mia Mottley
    No one ever thought that on becoming present govt
    The first order of the day was for Mia to default on govt debt
    No one ever thought that with all the ongoing daily criticisms of past govt Mia would have run to the IMF with cup in hand
    No one ever thought that Mia would dare hire Chris Sinckler to be placed on an economic board
    No one ever thought that taxes and fees would have risen to a higher level
    But then again Mia kept her mouth shut on policies criticized day and night and pretend that the opposition of the day would change and make lives better
    As a,matter of fact I have heard less criticism from the Verla about this govt antisocial policies activated on the people as that which Mia circumvent in the minds of people which she initiated and in so doing people were willing to belive Mia every word and March with her in the hot broiling sun against govt policies


  15. TLSN…i won’t even bother to enlight the ignorant know it alls in the parliament….they think they are taking the arab countries and Africa by storm…they believe in their own abilities of bullshitting their way through everything….they just got a wake up call with Nigeria, but i doubt they are deterred…they are slave master manufactured negros and feel they are unigque and invincible…let them carry on smartly.

    bullshit artists from the lowest common denominator….


  16. angela

    by nature the government will be better than opposition
    unless the opposition improve
    and reverse their situation

    to lose 30 to nada or zilch is a great achievement that is the first in history

    will it could it should it happen again or again and again

    we all anticipate that it shall

    fingers crossed

    touch wood


  17. All we can do is watch the theatre AFTER THE FALLOUT…

    and

    stay FAR AWAY as possible from the judas government(s) and that applies ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN.. as it pertains to AFRIKA…

    Afrikan minded people THE REAL DESCENDANTS…don’t need them for anything on the continent….as long as you know what to do, it comes naurally…


  18. ‘When ignorance gets started it knows no bounds.’

    And, Mr. Skinner gave BU a perfect example of this ignorance in one of his contribution to the ‘Giving Back’ blog.

    William Skinner September 2, 2021 9:10 AM

    [Quote]
    The problem is that the citizens have been led to believe that such acts are par for the course. They have lived to see each party accuse the other of “corruption”and then “ turn around” and do the same.

    This acceptance is very pronounced in public discourse, including that on BU, where we go around showing that every time the government in power does something wrong be it B or D their supporters then bring a similar occurrence to prove the others did the same thing too.
    [Unquote]

    So, here we have a shameless DLP yard-fowl, who is essentially saying, Mottley did it, so, Depeiza has a right to do it too,
    while trying to convince us Barbadians should ‘buy a pig in a bag,’ and vote for DePeiza and DLP…….. WITHOUT hearing their vision for the future development of Barbados.


  19. @David

    You actually outlined the only solution unfortunately…..Barbados focuses on political leadership as the source of all direction and inspiration…..We can all agree it should not be this way but unfortunately it is.

    So if we want change we have to manage within the reality of the culture…change will ONLY come when there is a charismatic change agent leader in Barbados to execute it…no other societal leader can do it…”it is who we are”…

    It is also why 2 trillion dollars and 20 years of nation building did nothing to change Afghan culture…in less than 3 weeks we are back to medieval rule…it is who they are”…and not even 2 TRILLION hard dollars can change that


  20. Artax
    Shameless bull sh..t

    So, here we have a shameless DLP yard-fowl, who is essentially saying, Mottley did it, so, Depeiza has a right to do it too,
    while trying to convince us Barbadians should ‘buy a pig in a bag,’ and vote for DePeiza and DLP…….. WITHOUT hearing their vision for the future development of Barbados
    Xccc
    My comments goes to point out the hypocrisy and arrogance of blp hard fowls and they quick response to bring charges against the present opposition claiming Depezia is running a political campaign of cfticism against present govt
    As I stated Verla Depezia criticism of govt has not been one of the same level as Mia who spared not one minute of time to criticize past govt policies


  21. Chicken versus the egg…

    WHO will effectively drive the dissolution of old mindsets and adoption of new ones you rightfully reference? It will not grow wings and fly on its own…

    All great moments in history have a single change agent name associated with it for a reason.

    We laud Singapore….but there’s no Singapore without Lee Kuan Yew. There is no Dubai without Sheikh Rashid. There is no China tiger without Chairman Mau. There is no Rwanda without Paul Kagame.

    There HAS to be a charismatic leader who puts in the work over a long enough period of time to drive the new ethos needed….history shows us this time and time again

    Success is a formula and series of known steps. National success is no different and we can’t short circuit the process because we think God is a Bajan.


  22. @David

    I am an eternal optimist to a fault…and despite the current malaise and millions spent on education I do believe we have someone with the right mix of what it takes to lead among us……but it’s not these two

    Tough circumstances have a way of forcing cream to rise to the top.


  23. David
    Good article, period! Thanks for taking the time to hear what Krishnamurti had to say. Of course, he was only representative of other like minds within that area of philosophy. May he live forever!

    William Adolphus Skinner
    Only questions.
    What is this thing called inspirational leadership as you see it?
    Have we ever had it in Barbados, if so when and who were these inspirational political leaders?
    What has such an epoch of this “inspirational leadership” achieved which endures to this day?
    What are the requirements to be an inspirational leader within the political space?
    Do you have any examples in mind, with competencies to deliver the transformation sought?
    Is inspirational leadership consistent with political duopoly as practiced in Barbados?
    In other words can inspirational leadership and political duopoly coexist?
    We’ll have about 100 more questions but would not want to be unduly overbearing.


    • @Pacha

      It was a well spent 2:46.

      It is an impossible task if you buy in to his view.

      Humankind will be what it is, forever immersed in conflict.


  24. @ angela cox September 5, 2021 11:22 AM
    (Quote):
    My comments goes to point out the hypocrisy and arrogance of blp hard fowls and they quick response to bring charges against the present opposition claiming Depezia is running a political campaign of cfticism against present govt
    As I stated Verla Depezia criticism of govt has not been one of the same level as Mia who spared not one minute of time to criticize past govt policies..(Unquote).
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Oh dear angela cox you are really ‘spinning’ that ball!

    That’s one googly delivery which not even your ‘friendly’ nemesis Artax can ‘read’.

    Your kingpin fan in London must be real proud of your recent performance(s) on the BU pitch.

    If there is one yard fowl which the DLP must promote to ministerial glory when it is returned to office, eventually, it must be our own BU “ac” the arch-critic of the now bedevilled MAM administration.

    Not even Willie Skinner would be opposed to such a move in the Bajan duopoly political party game of musical chairs.

    The mere fact that MAM, sans her big red bag, has to resort to the ‘unique’ skills of Stinck-liar for guidance on matters of finance and economics ‘only’ proves beyond a shadow of doubt that your previous deceitful lying administration was indeed on the right path to the economic perdition of your once well managed country.

    It’s time you (and your Ataraxis) advise the poor Verla to concoct her own version of “Rubbing Shoulders” in order to get the soon to be ‘empty-bellied’ people on her side.

    Karma can be a bitch especially when you are bitten by your own ‘hungry dog’.


  25. “As I stated Verla Depezia criticism of govt has not been one of the same level as Mia who spared not one minute of time to criticize past govt policies.”

    And, “as I stated” previously, “when ignorance gets started it knows no bounds.”

    Surely thine ignorance hath even gone beyond thou being able to recognize it.

    Not only are you unable to understand people have gone past the petty, adversarial politics……….you’re now comparing the level of criticism between Mottley and DePeiza.

    Seems as though you believe progressive political strategy means holding a political meeting in Bush Hall near the National Stadium, and rather than defend their tenure, while articulating policy initiatives………. each candidate took turns in cussing Mia Mottley.


  26. Artax

    …….you’re now comparing the level of criticism between Mottley and DePeiza

    Xxxxxx
    Yes I am and rightfully so especially when the blp brigade has audacity to point fingers in another direction even when one of their fingers points right back to them


  27. DavidSeptember 5, 2021 12:06 PM

    @Bajeabroad

    The millions sunk in education for nought?

    We are in a right pickle
    Xxxxccccc
    More blatant baffled bull.sh..i
    When households are suffering
    Govt talks about planting 1million trees
    Now latest to the ear govt is handing the cricket fraternity 1 million dollars


  28. David
    Was his logic flawed in any way?

    Or was he just lacking in a hopefulness unsupportable by what is really happening in our world?

    Could he not be at least seen as a benchmark against which we make value judgements, interpret phenomena?


    • @Pacha

      He or was the interviewer admitted this is about the ideal versus actual. There is no way you will get mankind to shed partisan positions based on individual limited ‘thought’ positions, no way.


    • The exercise of being exposed to his view will be helpful. Dealing with and observing people who think they know and know not calls for qualities reinforced by the learned and venerable gentleman.


  29. @ David September 5, 2021 4:04 PM

    Aren’t you, albeit inadvertently, demeaning the role of religion (especially modern-day Christianity) in the political affairs of ‘material’ man?

    Maybe mankind is regressing to a Leviathan state of nature where life for the ‘average’ Tom Hobbes will be, “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”


    • @Miller

      Any dogma based on the view of the venerable Krishnamurti is part of the problem. It is just a narrow interest that helps to feed division by humans.


  30. Human beings are one of the great apes. Therefore, fundamentally, we are instinctly animal by nature. On top of that, we have built a society on social darwinism and adversarial relationships. No amount of pacification and sophistication is going to overide our true nature: conflict and self-interest.


  31. @ Miller September 5, 2021 3:21 PM

    Perhaps it’s you who ‘misread the googly’ and was trapped on the front foot, only to be given out LBW.

    Firstly, I recall sometime on Saturday, April 11, 2020, Mottley said she invited former PM Owen Arthur and former DLP Finance Minister Chris Sinckler, among other ‘distinguished men and women,’ to join ‘government’s’ newly established Jobs and Investment Council.
    An invitation was also extended to former PM Sir Lloyd Sandiford, who unfortunately had to decline because he was a bit poorly.

    Sinckler was Chairman of the Trade and Logistics group. I’m sure you’re aware he has a MSc in International Trade Policy and was the Executive Coordinator of the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CDPC).

    Perhaps ‘government’ wanted to draw from his expertise in that area, rather than “resorting to his ‘unique’ skills for guidance on matters of finance and economics,” as you suggested.

    Secondly, as it relates to angela cox’s comment about “bringing charges against the PRESENT OPPOSITION claiming Depezia is running a political campaign of criticism against present govt.”

    The ‘People’s Party for Democracy and Development’ is the PRESENT OPPOSITION…………. NOT the Democratic Labour Party.

    Also, it is a FACT that, rather than concentrating on providing Barbadians with alternative socioeconomic policies, ‘every imagination of the thoughts of Verla’s heart has been only criticisms continually.’

    And remember, this is the SAME Verla who, when she was a government Senator of the former DLP administration, used to REPEAT the DEMS mantra, ‘stop criticizing and bring solutions.’

    Please be reminded, criticizing vaccinations, for example, is NOT an articulation of a COVID-19 policy.

    These are FACTS that CANNOT BE REFUTED.


  32. @ Artax September 5, 2021 10:32 PM

    “Please be reminded, criticizing vaccinations, for example, is NOT an articulation of a COVID-19 policy.”

    The opposition is not only fighting the vaccination campaign, but is also to blame for the many Corona deaths in Barbados:

    First, the DLP led Barbados to independence in 1966, so we are now short of vaccine. Much less vaccine doeses than lucky Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and all the grand Dutch and French overseas territories.

    Secondly, the DLP supported the anti-vaccination riots in the inner city four weeks ago. The fact is that many participants did not wear masks, presumably to spread the virus.

    Our Supreme Leader must finally act and prosecute the opposition!


    • @Artax

      You are reminded that in our adversarial system of governance borrowed from England the job of the political opposition is to promote a dissenting voice.


  33. Don’t know what it will take for people to learn that you DO NOT NEED small island misleaders for anything and you SHOULD DEFINITELY NOT follow them anywhere….you were coerced into believing they were needed POST SLAVERY/EMANCIPATION and everyone ran with that deception…….which turned out to be a lie just like EVERYTHING ELSE……they are TOO treacherous and have done nothing but elevate themselves and those who help them commit anti-Black crimes…..

    they cannot escape that fact…i would be ashamed to give them credit for anything except for the corruption and destruction they bring to Black/African lives….which is all theirs and they should own it.

    too many Black people accept disrespect.

    the government is enbling this clear rip off of consumers….and that’s only when they don’t enable the rip off of the treasury and pension fund….and each and every crime is directed at the majority population and has for over 55 YEARS..

    https://www.nationnews.com/2021/09/06/bajans-power-change-prices/

    the people need to use their SPENDING POWER and shut down these thieving operations controlled by minorities..


  34. “You are reminded that in our adversarial system of governance borrowed from England the job of the political opposition is to promote a dissenting voice.”

    I thought it was the job of rastas to provide the dissenting voices.

    The political opposition are simply actors who are a part of the establishment and their dissent is a part of a show that gives the illusion of democracy.

    Barbados was never a nation it was an outstation and one of many plantations.


  35. In Yogic philosophy and tradition the mind is part of the body and is not separate

    Your brain is your mind and your mind rules your structure so don’t blame it on the sufferah


  36. “Yes I am and rightfully so especially when the blp brigade has audacity to point fingers in another direction even when one of their fingers points right back to them”

    You dysfunctional anti-thinking is antithesis of truth

    and your spin is making you dizzy with dementia and makes us puke

    to understand the meaning and wisdom contained in an idiom you need to get it the right way round and not ass backwards like a fucked up talking parrot

    to convey a deeper meaning you have to be right and not wrong

    an index finger is a pointing finger
    which means the other fingers are curled inwards and pointing backwards

    Religiously supporting the opposition with one sided biasedness is for bamboozled suckers too
    the opposition need to up their game to up the ante

    (in Hegelian philosophy) the negation of the thesis as the second stage in the process of dialectical reasoning.


  37. Artax

    Also, it is a FACT that, rather than concentrating on providing Barbadians with alternative socioeconomic policies, ‘every imagination of the thoughts of Verla’s heart has been only criticisms continually.’

    And remember, this is the SAME Verla who, when she was a government Senator of the former DLP administration, used to REPEAT the DEMS mantra, ‘stop criticizing and bring solutions.’

    Please be reminded, criticizing vaccinations, for example, is NOT an articulation of a COVID-19 policy.

    These are FACTS that CANNOT BE REFUTED.

    Cxcccccc

    Oh well
    Verla is stuck in his head
    Lol


  38. Triple five DUbstreet

    You dysfunctional anti-thinking is antithesis of truth

    and your spin is making you dizzy with dementia and makes us puke

    to understand the meaning and wisdom contained in an idiom you need to get it the right way round and not ass backwards like a fucked up talking parrot

    to convey a deeper meaning you have to be right and not wrong

    an index finger is a pointing finger
    which means the other fingers are curled inwards and pointing backwards

    Xxcccccccccccc

    So much for more baffled sh.it


  39. Really
    The people complain about the high gas prices and govt give them a credit of one cent
    Well not to feel ungrateful I was reminded by a blp yardfowl not to kick a gift horse in the mouth also was told that a penny earned is a penny gained
    I reminded that yardfowl that come 2023 I would reward govt for their generosity

    #####downwithdeblp


  40. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/un-condemns-coup-in-guinea-as-president-is-detained-in-military-custody/ar-AAO8zqn?ocid=msedgntp

    politicians are corrupt asses…..one of the resource wealthiest countries on the continent and the ignorant for leaders would not build a road for these people, but they ran corruption since 1958 and did nothing to elevate the people from poverty.

    ….didn’t hear the bigger countries nor the UN standing up on them for degrading the country to the poorest of nations…i can’t stand politicians and all of them should have been hung for those crimes against their people …..the wicked and backward only want to see their bloated bellies, while they sold out, just like the ones that can be found in the Caribbean…they believe everything is about them and who help them with corruption.

    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/un-condemns-coup-in-guinea-as-president-is-detained-in-military-custody/ar-AAO8zqn?ocid=msedgntp


  41. angela cox September 6, 2021 5:54 AM #: “Verla is stuck in his head.”

    Yuh mean similarly to how you eat, drink, sleep, dream and awaken on a daily basis, WITH Mia Mottley STUCK, RENT FREE………

    “In your head, in your head,
    Mottley, Mottley, Mottley…ey…ey
    What’s in your head, in your head?
    Mottley, Mottley, Mottley…ey…ey…ey…oh…oh…oh…oh”

    Sung to the Cranberries song, “Zombie.”

    NAH……… far from it my friend……… don’t care nutten ’bout Verla.

    https://media.tenor.com/images/b056d7d835ff43ee381a6efbbf1f14db/tenor.gif


  42. Artax

    “In your head, in your head,
    Mottley, Mottley, Mottley…ey…ey
    What’s in your head, in your head?
    Mottley, Mottley, Mottley…ey…ey…ey…oh…oh…oh…oh”

    Xxxxx.
    Oh yes and with good reason


  43. DavidSeptember 6, 2021 8:13 AM

    Here we go again, to achieve what?

    Xxxxxx
    Hold that thought David afterwards pass it on to govt


  44. “Yes I am and rightfully so especially when the blp brigade has audacity to point fingers in another direction even when one of their fingers points right back to them.”

    I was going to let it pass, but it caught the interest of another blogger and as result I cannot get it out of my head. My exercise this morning is to point one finger at myself. Not as easy as it sound.


  45. I saw and read the article by Ezra Alleyne today and wass immediately full of regret on finding it.

    First he apologized for aging Verla and then provided her exact age and birth month.

    Secondly, Verla is not yet 50 and so we have two possibilities
    1) his article was written a month too early. Personally, I believe it should not have been written.
    2) His hypothesis that being in her 50’s, Verla is ‘too old to become PM’ is nonsense. He then goes on to point out that Mia was 53 when she became PM. How can you believe a man who thinks that at 53, Mia was in her 40’s .

    This hypothesis that you must be under 50 to become Prime Minister is utter nonsense. If you are brutally honest, you would have to admit that having these underage PMs has not benefited us in ANYWAY. Time for us to get an older and wiser head at the wheel. This under 50 nonsense was not worthy of publication.

    His description of a yard fowl read like a true confession.


  46. Alas, my infatuation with Michelle Russel is over. It was my intention to not comment on her contribution but as I did so for EA, I had to mention her as well.

    I believe this is the first time I am mentioning Adrian Greene. I do so only
    because I do not want to be accuse of favoritism.

    I am appreciative of the efforts of the blog master in stimulating the conversation. I would urge him to be careful and throw raw meat (only) over the fence and to keep these dry bones for himself.

    Give me a few more months and I will move from critic to being a contributor.


  47. “My exercise this morning is to point one finger at myself. Not as easy as it sound.”

    Do it like a COX

    Put your right index finger in your right earhole
    Slowly say “Red” backwards
    Public Jestering
    Back talking
    Whispering
    Skylarking

    and you will fester


  48. “2) His hypothesis that being in her 50’s, Verla is ‘too old to become PM’ is nonsense. He then goes on to point out that Mia was 53 when she became PM. How can you believe a man who thinks that at 53, Mia was in her 40’s .”

    Theo …they will drive ya mad with their unintelligent, illegible, uneducated backward bullshit…for your own sanity…press the IGNORE button often , while cognizant that ALL OF THEM ARE JUST LIKE THAT…

    unfortunately, be they underaged or over aged, they all spew the same colonial derived ignorance, including what other stupidity they themselves came up with, and the older ones are even more slave minded but no less DANGEROUS…

    they are the 11 plus FAILURES…everything they touch turns into a slavery theme…nothing progressive or FINANCIALLY/ SOCIALLY uplifting for the majority…


  49. @ TheOGazerts,

    There is a place called Diaspora Corner where your aging brain will be stuffed with knowledge and the sight and sounds of pulchritudinous female singers.


  50. @Hants
    I check in DC quite often. Getting there requires some effort.

    Also I found an app that allows me to listen to brasstacks quite easily.

    Thanks.


  51. @ TheoGazerts,

    I trust you saw the ” DC ” in my comment replaced the ” HC ” and the ” aged brain ” replaced the ” tender brains “. lol


  52. Hello:

    Long time lurker; first time poster (after this post, it may be my only time too – time will tell)

    @ David, Blogmaster:

    WTF is this?

    “The opposition is not only fighting the vaccination campaign, but is also to blame for the many Corona deaths in Barbados:

    First, the DLP led Barbados to independence in 1966, so we are now short of vaccine. Much less vaccine doeses than lucky Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and all the grand Dutch and French overseas territories.

    Secondly, the DLP supported the anti-vaccination riots in the inner city four weeks ago. The fact is that many participants did not wear masks, presumably to spread the virus.

    Our Supreme Leader must finally act and prosecute the opposition!”

    I am wondering, does this dithering jackass EVER bring ANY. PROOF. OR. EVIDENCE. to support any of the dumbassery he spews all over this blog?

    I am aware that racist, fascist scum don’t believe that facts are necessary, or even desirable, when they go off on these pseudo-intellectual rants but “the DLP supported the anti-vaccination riots in the inner city four weeks ago.”

    REALLY?

    And the writer of that entry knows this how?

    The DLP is not a monolith, so who were the members that WERE PROVEN TO HAVE SUPPORTED THE “RIOTS”?

    Please, list them along with their documented, verified statements of support for the march, you dishonest fucktard.

    Where is your proof, you rancid piece of shit?

    As far as is known, the marchers wanted to have a sit-down with the “Supreme Leader” and, it seems, the whole farce was just a ruse to get her attention.

    Please, correct me if I am wrong.

    As I said before, I am a first-time poster and I am aware that this is a right-wing blog, but Blogmaster, these delusional rants of the most egregious kind – calling for political opponents to be imprisoned inter alia, and you, a supposed fighter for the inclusion of all voices, have nothing to say?

    You just let this kind of drivel go ahead without any kind of pushback whatsoever?


  53. My Dear Elon,
    I would hesitate to call this a right wing blog. I have been here for some time and without any hesitancy state that we have a mixed variety of nuts, with some nuts claiming to several types.

    Concerning, the blogger that you directed your comments on. He is also of a mixed type, sometimes quite normal at times quite funny, and at other times quite extreme. I would suggest that you read his post at least twice to get past the shock value.

    Welcome.


  54. I am having a good day
    Not going to share my happiness with nobody
    Too much finger pointing
    Xxxxx
    The reference of ladies age in politics ascending to higher positions
    Only would come our of the mouth of low life feminist pigs the likes of EA


  55. Edited.
    My Dear Elon,
    I would hesitate to call this a right wing blog. I have been here for some time and without any hesitancy I would state that we have a mixed variety of nuts here, with some individual nuts falling into to several categories.

    Concerning, the blogger that you directed your comments on. He is also of a mixed type, sometimes quite normal, at times quite funny, and at other times quite extreme. I would suggest that you read his post at least twice to get past the shock value.

    Welcome.


  56. “The reference of ladies age in politics ascending to higher positions. Only would come our of the mouth of low life feminist pigs the likes of EA.”

    Hmmmm……..

    Likewise, “my comments goes to point out the HYPOCRISY and ARROGANCE of DLP yard fowls and their quick response to bring charges against Ezra Alleyne,” especially if one takes into consideration when the DEMS launched their 2018 election campaign with a political mass meeting in Bush Hall, near the National Stadium, at which DLP candidates and spokespeople took turns in cussing Mia Mottley.

    We did not HEAR one word of CONDEMNATION from angela cox, nor did she describe those individuals as “low life feminist pigs.”

    Instead, she LAUGHED and ENDORSED their BEHAVIOUR.

    I’m also reminded of the time when a DLP operative leaked information from former Transport Board employee Lisa Marshall’s personal file to BU, to insinuate she stole money from the Board, simply because she asked about her severance pay.

    Not only did angela cox ENDORSED the operative’s actions, she joined with him to TARNISH the name of her fellow woman, while remaining ADAMANT Lisa was a thief, despite there wasn’t any evidence to prove she stole anything.


  57. Right-wing blog!

    🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️


  58. Artax

    Likewise, “my comments goes to point out the HYPOCRISY and ARROGANCE of DLP yard fowls and their quick response to bring charges against Ezra Alleyne,” especially if one takes into consideration when the DEMS launched their 2018 election campaign with a political mass meeting in Bush Hall, near the National Stadium, at which DLP candidates and spokespeople took turns in cussing Mia Mottley
    Xcccccccccc
    Duh is this your grannmuruah RH response to my comments given the context of the issue having to deal with woman and age in politics and by which low life feminist pig EA thought it best to raise the bar when woman use their skills and political knowledge to ascend to high office
    Well I cannot see or understand how u took a issue about age and transformed it to campaign attacks by two rival competitors
    However if u think that EA was in full right of taking a stand using suttle political mouthings to attack Verla period of age which highlights her to be of older generation then u are no better than EA
    In any case he was wrong


  59. You’re ‘making a mountain out of a molehill’ and ‘scraping the bottom of the barrel’ in the hope of finding something to criticize.

    Ezra Alleyne, BLP + Verla DePeiza, DLP = “TWO RIVAL COMPETITORS.

    Alleyne mentioned something about DePeiza’s age………. and you spent several months on BU trying to convince the forum Mottley was practicing law illegally in Babados.

    Which is worse?

    You need to grow up and get a life, rather than confining yourself into a political bubble and coming on BU with childish, one dimensional political criticisms and complaints.

    By the way, you ‘said’ you don’t read my contributions, but hear you are trolling, cyberbullying and cyberstalking me.

    I’m scared.


  60. Artax

    You need to grow up and get a life, rather than confining yourself into a political bubble and coming on BU with childish, one dimensional political criticisms and complaints.

    Xxxccccccccc

    Better yet u get a life and stop trolling me all over social media platforms
    Scary


  61. Artax September 6, 2021 5:31 PM #: “By the way, you ‘said’ you don’t read my contributions, but hear you are trolling, cyberbullying and cyberstalking me. I’m scared.”

    Approximately 50 minutes after…….. can’t even think for yourself.

    angela cox September 6, 2021 6:21 PM #: “Better yet u get a life and stop trolling me all over social media platforms. Scary.”

    Your turn, you can’t resist……. tick, tock, tick, tock….


  62. @ Elon Musk September 6, 2021 12:27 PM

    Dear DLP grandee. I take your insults as a sign of distinction. Thank you very much!

    The fact is that very many participants in the inflammatory protests four weeks ago deliberately did not wear masks. The fact is that the opposition unanimously celebrated the inflammatory protests four weeks ago against the vaccination campaign as a great success.

    PROOF Barbados Today 7 August 2021: “Analyst says opposition parties seek ‘juicy opportunity’ in vax debate”: “Wickham contended that the Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) is attempting to use “convenient political issues” like the COVID situation to “manipulate public opinion”.”

    Not a SINGLE member of the opposition has so far stood behind our government on the vaccination campaign since last winter. Now that the situation with the Delta variant has gone out of control, the opposition suddenly wants nothing more to do with their applause.

    That is why I support our Supreme Leader because she has restored dignity to the island and its people. Our great government is working day and night to address the crisis while the opposition is trying to undermine the vaccination campaign and stir up mistrust against the excellent vaccines.

    I remind everyone that I was the first to predict a prison sentence for Donville Inniss when so-called Queens Counsels and other shysters on BU touted Donville Inniss as an innocent lamb. Of course I was right because MY moral compass is not broken.


  63. Heard a media talk host making fun at them 2×4 huts being built at the Fairchild street market
    One hut costing a bill of 37thousand dollars per hut

    What say yes David
    Xxcxxxx
    Yeah bajans are slow but they catch up.


  64. No steps forward ALL STEPS BACKWARD.

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/09/07/regional-five-cases-of-the-mu-variant-of-covid-19-detected-in-svg/

    OURCE: SEARCHLIGHT NEWSPAPER – Five cases of the Mu variant of Covid-19 were detected in St Vincent and the Grenadines between July 19 and…”

    the Caribbean as we knew it, is virtually over, it needs a redo anyway and get rid of the two-legged trash in the parliaments once and for all they are overstayed, overpaid and too toxic to remain…..


  65. Read it again and stop allowing these frauds in the parliament and ministry of health to fill ya heads with shit….do YOUR OWN RESEARCH to stay up to date whether vaccinated OR NOT..

    “Mu is the fifth ‘variant of interest’ to be monitored by WHO since March 2020. The WHO weekly COVID-19 bulletin states that this variant of interest ‘has a constellation of mutations’ that may make it less susceptible to vaccines and immunity from natural infections. Research and further monitoring will be done to better understand the characteristics of this variant of interest”


  66. Today I heard the MOH giving a politician explanation as why govt handed labour to the Chinese labour Market for building pre-assembled houses
    While listening to his mambo jumbo a question crossed my mind as to why Union involvement was absent from. Govt decision
    Also now the story has made headlines why are the Union’s silent


  67. @ angela cox September 8, 2021 7:01 PM

    There is a good reason why employers in Barbados prefer to hire foreigners …

    The Chinese work up to 72 hours a week, our workers at most 30 hours. Moreover, the Chinese do not sing and dance all the time during work. They also don’t want to go on strike once a week and are less rebellious.


  68. TronSeptember 8, 2021 7:11 PM

    @ angela cox September 8, 2021 7:01 PM

    There is a good reason why employers in Barbados prefer to hire foreigners

    Xxxxxxxxx
    In this case the employer is govt
    Didn’t know that govt encourage slave labour
    Xxxxxxxxxx


  69. Verla’s second eleven?

    By Ralph Jemmott

    The more one thinks about it the more one feels that the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) faces an uphill struggle in the next elections whenever the bell is rung. A second electoral sweep or something of that proportion would render Barbados a de facto one-party state, something no right-thinking Barbadian should countenance. Apart from its economic and social problems, given the haste with which the current administration seems to operate, this country could also face a politically dystopian future.
    In a recent discourse on the future of the DLP and its leadership, the discussion focused on the team that the party might offer in the electoral contest constitutionally due in 2023. It is highly possible that the Government might want to ring the proverbial bell sometime before that date.
    The debate surrounds who and how many of the old guard Ms Verla De Peiza might want to retain either as candidates in an electoral contest or in some form of close association with the party. De Peiza is one of the few leaders of the DLP to openly admit the flaws in the party between 2008 and 2018, and its complicity in its own disastrous defeat. Any ambition to reform the DLP should not exclude all of the old stock.
    Should have a role
    The DLP president should not appear to be building a completely new edifice as that construction might prove too difficult in the short term.
    Some of the old, less-damaged blocks might serve to strengthen a weakened structure. There are a few people whose reputations were not harmed in the so-called “lost decade”. These would include Messrs Richard Sealy and Stephen Lashley. Sealy was a reasonably successful Minister of Tourism, and Lashley a presentable Minister of Culture. Other persons such as Maxine McClean and Leroy McClean, if they have an interest in the ideals of Errol Barrow and the party, should have a role in a resurgent DLP.
    As the saying goes, “Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of the party.” There are some of the old group whose political reputations appear largely unsalvageable. It is highly regrettable that the Reverend Guy Hewitt ran off so quickly, apparently without saying a word. One is tempted to talk about “hirelings whose own the sheep are not”.
    If he really cared about “the soul of the nation” as he once put it, he should have given assistance to De Peiza in the interest of the party and the country and asked his supporters to do the same. But we inhabit a world of naked self-interest and, as one writer put it, “this is not an age of heroic virtue”.
    It has been suggested that a new DLP team might very well take on the appearance of a cricket second eleven, given the fact that its players are not particularly well known, with no record of sterling performance on or off the field. The resurgence of the Democratic Labour Party will depend on two primary factors. The first is the willingness and ability of members to coalesce around Ms De Peiza or some other person of the party’s choosing. The second factor is the second eleven’s capacity to contend against a first eleven led by Ms Mia Amor Mottley.
    Presence
    In a visual age, Ms Mottley has acquired a presence locally, regional and ostensibly internationally.
    I have some real problems
    with the haste with which our Prime Minister pursues things – the cart before the horse syndrome. Republican status is announced before constitutional implications are considered.
    The Common Entrance Exam is supposedly abolished before we know exactly what is to replace it. Be that as it may, taking into account the ongoing COVID-19 dilemma, the current Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration has not been asleep at the wheel. It has much to its credit.
    Garbage collection has improved. The COVID pandemic has been reasonably well managed. If you think not, you should see the situation elsewhere in the world.
    No country has outrun the coronavirus.
    The electric buses are running. The West Coast highway is fixed even if with some minor deficiencies.
    Housing is being addressed and the squatters are going from the vicinity of the airport. Crucial issues remain unaddressed, including inefficiencies in the Public Service. Increasing indebtedness is a problem, but the COVID crisis has forced many countries to spend more with declining revenues.
    Boris Johnson has had to break a campaign promise and has increased taxes to enhance the National Health Service. Ms Mottley has to address law and order concerns. Productive economic capacity cannot be divorced from the socio-cultural values that undergird it. The Prime Minister talks about “the kind of people that we are”. Beyond the rhetoric; what kind of people are we, really?
    Ralph Jemmott is a social commentator and retired educator.


  70. DLP misses chance to stand out

    By Ezra Alleyne

    The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) in its current dispensation is giving its opponents proof that it is not yet ready for office. Nor are its preparations seeming to yield fruit.
    This past week the former Senator Andre Worrell took to the airwaves to defend the position of the DLP on health-related COVID-19 matters. He ran into Peter Wickham as moderator.
    Wickham asked if the DLP would support mandatory vaccination of front-line workers, if the Government decided that the situation warranted such a step.
    Worrell’s answer was that the party would defer that decision to the law courts. Wickham pressed the point and Worrell’s answer remained. I was stunned in the extreme.
    Shadow ministers of health or any other portfolios must be able to distinguish between judicial decisions and governmental executive Cabinet derived policy.
    They cannot as shadow ministers duck a question like that. You either have a policy or you do not have a policy. But if your party is the Opposition, unofficial or otherwise, or if it is the “government-inwaiting” then it has to have a policy.
    Deferring that decision to the courts is the clearest indication that the DLP is not ready. The courts are not really concerned about policy, except in extreme circumstances, but that is another very esoteric concept. In reality, policy must come before, not after the legal decision.
    Let me explain what I am getting at. When Errol Barrow was faced with black power advocates or extremists carrying on in a manner that he thought challenged the “peace, order and good governance” of the country, he did not duck the decision and defer to the courts.
    He considered the issue and decided as a matter of policy to pass the Public Order Act outlawing certain behaviours and licensing others like marches and so on.
    It was left to anyone who was affected by the act to apply to the courts to determine if the Public Order Act was unconstitutional.
    So Wickham’s question to Worrell was a key question and it deserved a straight answer which could have separated the DLP from the other political parties. Alas, it did not.
    Here is another example. In 1981 Tom Adams believed the social conditions of plantation tenantries was a scar on the landscape of an independent Barbados 15 years after 1966.
    He did not defer his action to remedy that injustice to some court decision. He passed the Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act, which mandated plantation owners to convey plantation tenantries to qualified tenants at ten cents per square foot.
    Both the Public Order Act and the Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act affected fundamental rights. So too would mandatory vaccine laws. Political parties must have policies on critical social issues of the day. How else can these parties claim to have any skin in the game, if they do not.
    It is for the Government to pass the laws and for the courts to determine if the laws are constitutional or not. That is what we mean by the separation of powers On the issue of vaccination policy, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley said she was hoping for consensus among the workers on the one hand and business on the other, but she made it clear that if there was no consensus, she “would govern”.
    That was simply a statement by the Prime Minister of her duty, yes her duty (as Prime Minister and the chief member of the executive power) to make laws for the “peace, order and good governance” of the country as specified in Section 48 of the Constitution.
    Some malicious thinkers said this was dictator’s language. Nonsense. Now you can see it was nothing of the sort. Unlike opposition parties, governments cannot shy away from governing, especially in crises.
    Worrell is the third DLP shadow Minister of Health since 2018. Perhaps former Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy should have been appointed as Shadow Minister of Health.
    Ezra Alleyne is an attorney and a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly.


  71. The article shows once again that the DLP is trying hard to undermine the vaccination campaign. We therefore urgently need to revoke the medical accreditation of all doctors with DLP party membership! One cannot be against the Corona vaccination and at the same time treat patients and thus expose them to risk.

    The DLP is the party of the anti-vaccinationists. That has become clear today. Of course, wild DLP grandees like @Elon Musk will now crawl out of their holes and call me vicious names. They also tried to intimidate me when I predicted a long prison sentence for Donville Inniss. These people have no moral compass.

    Fortunately we have Mia Mottley and her grand ministers. Thank you Supreme Leader for saving us with the Biontech vaccine doses!

The blogmaster dares you to join the discussion.