A short three years ago in 2018 then Prime Minister Freundel Stuart remained in office for 90 days beyond the five year anniversary of the first sitting of parliament permitted under the Barbados Constitution. Three years later incumbent Prime Minister Mia Mottley has called a snap general election eighteen months before it is constitutionally due.
The early ring of the bell has caused tongues to wag with rumours and rumours of rumours rolling off the social media conveyor belt. The blogmaster reconciled a long time ago that political parties are in business to win general elections and this is the single consideration to reflect on when evaluating and commenting on political issues.
Every election cycle we hear talk about the need for the enactment of fixed term, campaign financing legislation etc. When the winner is announced on the night of the 19th January there will be further calls campaign financing laws and amendment to the electoral laws etc. To be expected, nothing will be done to address the issues raised by the politicians who raised them.
This week there were howls of protests from members of the public when it was discovered the voters list was posted online with personal information. The majority of Barbadians were oblivious to the fact the Representation of the People Act was amended in 2020 to make legal what occurred. What it has exposed is the lack of interest the majority of Barbadians have in what is debated in parliament. It should make the debate promised about the Barbados Constitution very interesting.
The blogmaster will resist the usual political punditry at predicting who will win which ‘seat’ on the 19th. Given the current hopeless economic state of affairs in the country, it seems a pointless exercise to expect B or D will make a difference. Both political parties have to bear responsibility for where we are today. Do not expect manna to fall after nearly fifteen years of famine.
The blogmaster and others have blogged many times on governance issues, however, BU dashboard shows these blogs record lower hits than the others. What does it say about our ‘intelligence’ as a people?
The government you elect is the government you deserve.
Thomas Jefferson
Will average Barbadians be encouraged to seriously debate the merits of imposing fixed term laws to eliminate the opportunity for a prime minister to attempt to manipulate the result of an election? The blogmaster is not optimistic. Stuart tried in 2018 and supporters of the Democratic Labour Party defended the decision. Mottley three years into a five year term has done similarly and Barbados Labour Party are stridently defending the decision. Around and around we go, when it will stop nobody knows.
What will be the issues this time around?
Same old, same old – NTSH
TLSN…we see the train wreck that is about to occur and can only try to save the young, if Blogmaster don’t want to be part of that it’s his perogative but we cannot be discouraged….that’s why am extending an offer to people like you William, Pacha, Miller, if he is up to it, and all those who know who they are and want to contribute to any quarterly issues of the Kush Magazine, so our young people can have a fighting chance when they have access to information from those with intellectual experience, to send an email to:
i know there are also many others intellectually capable of contributing, who watch the comments, but never post on BU for various reasons… they are also welcome to contribute to Kush Magazine, send an email, and it will be promptly answered..
it’s a shame, that i can get contributors across the globe and continental encouragement from places people would not believe, but the educationally stunted are still stuck in primary school mode and care NOTHING ABOUT THEIR YOUNG GENERATIONS..
btw…you don’t have to attach your names to any contributions and can use a throw away email address,,
Oh dear! You are correct that I have not read your book but I have read the barrifle of extracts you posted to BU and I did click on a link you provided to a website.
However, I based my prediction on your tendency to publish lies as clearly demonstrated here on BU.
Pity, because like William, I believe that there is some truth in your basic premise and some value in your position. And you have an amusing turn of phrase in your posts, otherwise known as The Daily Rants. (not the book extracts in which you attempted to be scholarly)
All I wanted is for you to stop lying, exaggerating and embellishing and rather to make the best use of your talent and time in furtherance of the cause. It never had to come to this.
You see, I don’t have to opine that you lie. I KNOW that I never stole your stuff. I KNOW what my thoughts were since as far back as I can remember. I know that we have opinions in common. I am just not prone to going too far east and ending up west.
You have introduced me, via videos to some serious African thinkers That was a good thing you did. It crystallized, better organised and supported with evidence the thoughts I had been thinking since my youth.
Your problem is that you cannot do what I just did. I told THE TRUTH! It does not matter what nasty lies you tell about me. You will not turn me into a liar.
Lying is counterproductive. I want to be productive. I don’t want to blow up what I build.
That would be insanity!
P.S. You have been issuing threats of exposure for a few months now. It has not stopped me. It will NEVER stop me.
And now that I have tied up that loose end ……it’s back to the Silly Season – platform edition!
So…. what’s new?
@ Mr. Skinner
RE: “But I honestly don’t care what the owners of this blog tolerate or what they censor. The last time I tried to do that I was told to get my own blog or to go “elsewhere.“
I cannot understand why some people on BU, seem to believe they have some ‘GOD GIVEN RIGHT to either CONTROL or INFLUENCE the narrative of the forum. That discussions should surround ONLY the issues they WANT to discuss and the MANNER or FORMAT in which they WANT them to be discussed, thereby purposely ignoring an individual’s fundamental right of FREE SPEECH.
I believe the best way to proceed is, rather than worrying about or wasting time trying to ‘convert’ people, engage in discussion with those persons whose thoughts are similar to yours.
RE: “We are constantly defending the BS of the Duopoly in some form or fashion.”
I’m of the firm belief everyone should be entitled, for whatever reason, to support and defend the political party of their choice, and even more so especially if their arguments are rational and based on facts, rather than ‘yard fowl’ gibberish.
And, I agree with the blogmaster for allowing people to express their political opinions. You have your opinions, while other people have theirs.
As such, I’m not going to join with anyone to castigate any person who exercise their fundamental constitutional right of freedom of association, i.e. supporting whatever half of the ‘duopoly’ he/she chooses to support.
However, I’ll exercise MY right to agree or disagree with them, or highlight their ignorance, while presenting my arguments BASED on FACTS….. and not, as we say in Bajan parlance, ‘what I feel.’
Many of us are aware there aren’t any significant political, ideological or philosophical differences between the BLP and DLP. But, you MUST ACCEPT that, although many of us recognise the similarities of the ‘duopoly,’ are more glaring than the differences, ‘die hard’ supporters will always BELIEVE otherwise.
And, no matter how detailed the ‘pros and cons’ are present in ANY debate, they CANNOT be CONVINCED to engage in a rational, reasonable discussion or change their opinions as a result.
@ Artax
With due respect , there is rational and there is hypocrisy and there is nothing rational about those who come here with their back and forth about the BLP and DLP.
Like I said the direction of BU is of no concern to me.
Peace.
African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2021. All Rights Reserved January 5, 2022 6:13 PM #: “and all Artax Saint Liar gotta do is send an email to African Online Publishing and complain that am using their company name without permission, the email address is on the page and they answer right away…..”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It’s a good thing you DON’T READ my contributions, yet, you always make some reference to them, either directly or snidely.
However, I must REMIND you that YOU’RE the person who PUBLICLY ADMITTED on BU to LYING and……….
……….. “MAKING UP THINGS just to MAKE THINGS interesting.”
Additionally, you keep ‘picking’ on Donna and she has admitted having not read your book.
Perhaps you should ASK, “TLSN, William, Pacha and Miller,” if they READ it.
Just as predicted…and can still get nowhere, and am still on top, because i have a goal and a reason to contribute to the development of the young and vulnerable who are the future.
When / If you have run out of teachers..
Get on a Highway to Knowledge..
HP01 Recharging is Practicing Truth & Ahimsa | Kriyayoga LIVE at YFT
HP01 Recharging is Practicing Truth & Ahimsa | Kriyayoga LIVE at YFT
William Skinner January 6, 2022 10:53 AM #: “With due respect, there is rational and there is hypocrisy and there is nothing rational about those who come here with their back and forth about the BLP and DLP.”
@ Mr. Skinner
Please note I wrote, “I’m of the firm belief everyone should be entitled, for whatever reason, to support and defend the political party of their choice, and even more so especially IF their arguments are rational and based on facts…….
……… RATHER THAN ‘YARD FOWL’ GIBBERISH.
The word ‘gibberish’ was used to define the “hypocrisy of those who come here with their back and forth about the BLP and DLP.”
We’re essentially ‘saying’ the SAME thing.
Artax
Stop behaving like a sissy
All.up in woman sh..it
“..….that’s why am extending an offer to people like you William, Pacha, Miller, …”
When / If you have run out of teachers..
Get on a Highway to Knowledge..
Recharging is Practicing Truth & Ahimsa | Kriyayoga LIVE at YFT
William…we go on many platforms and only a few really cater for young people to gain valuable knowledge that would help them in their personal development and even less help them get an understanding of their true history, for that you need to have entry to information that can only be found in certain places and only certain people would be able receive it, now i have access to some very ancient ancestral information that would aid the young in knowing who they really are, a lot of it had to be interpreted, hence the reason for THIS WEBSITE..
it was not created to showcase celebrities, it was done to EDUCATE the young about what is still being hidden from them, there may be a few celebrities on it but that’s because we are all on the same page and understand what needs to be done….but it is dedicated to SHOW THE YOUNG THE POSSIBILITIES.
Some on BU act like i owe them something, i don’t owe yall anything, no one owes anonymous people anything and it would serve ya well to stay out of my business. Blogmaster spent his resources creating the website/blog, he gets his props…..commenters who have nothing to do, need to find useful things to enrich their lives, not going to find it with me..
@AC
If I may be so bold as to make a comment.
It is thrice that I see you invited yourself to a party. Is your Mia project completed? Are things slow?
Kiki…we don’t need teachers in the colonial sense of the word, we need writers, creatives, people who have that ancient skill/gift that FLOWS and teaches others what they need to know…
TheOGazertsJanuary 6, 2022 11:58 AM
@AC
If I may be so bold as to make a comment.
It is thrice that I see you invited yourself to a party. Is your Mia project completed? Are things slow?
Xxxx
THEO
I am. across other political land fields bowling like Charlie Griffth knocking down nuff of the blp cackling geese stumps
BU is ok.but the real live action is on other Social media platforms where all the blp geese are found
Lawd have merci
BLP geese, DLP yardfowls, all fowl or foul!
Who is excited by this piss poor poorakey political platform pappy show performed by power hungry pretenders?
Really, still!
Listening to brasstscks and now believing that some listeners may be expecting too much.
There some to be some confusion between a debate and a speech at a political campaign. A politician using speech suitable for a debate would lose before he got off the ground.
And some thin skins.
@ angela cox January 6, 2022 11:45 AM
And, you came to the party, UNINVITED, behaving like a MALICIOUS BAYIEAT HAWAA, all up in my business?
‘Know yuh yard-fowl place, do.’
I have information for the magazine to last me a couple years, but needed input from local people from a community perspective on the island or those who have immigrated.. It gives a better understanding when told from the view of the intellectually mature..
Heard Rev Atherley latest is to go to court to prevent the election.It seems that the realisation that his in my view pretense of being leader of the opposition is about to end.He has decided to switch constituency as he knew the persons in St Michael West were ready to throw him out.In my view it will make little difference for him.
On another note heard the dems has already mash the crease with Ms Armstrong forced to apologise.I believe i heard her on brasstacks before where she sounded like a person short of manners to me.They seemed not to have learned anything from the waterford fiasco in 2018.I gone.
Lorenzo
Remember “Any idiot can play cricket ”
Also Barbadians speak on issues and can’t spell the words
Xx
Look the blp cackling geese needs to shut
This PM has insulted bajans many times over and never once apologized