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Thin-skinned Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw

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Santia Bradshaw, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

All Santia had to do was request donations are made to her charitable foundation, which it has been written she has. End of story.
Her protestations of innocence, and now threats, seem to do little but keep the story alive.

NorthernObserver

The usually untroubled Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw has decided to sue parties arising from a $7,500.00 cheque payable to her by engineering company Errol Clarke Associates. It was explained by both parties the purpose of the donation was to fund charity work in Bradshaw’s constituency.

The blogmaster recalls the late prime minister Owen Arthur dealing with a similar issue after it was found out he received a donation for $75,000 from a financial institution payable in his name. In both cases – no doubt there are others – members of the public expressed concern about the ‘loosey goosey’ arrangement, that is, no transparency and independent oversight baked into the process. A process elected members of parliament have exploited from time immemorial.

Further, the fact there is the Integrity in Public Life legislation in abeyance, anticipated to direct how donations to public officials are managed has stoked the concern of Barbadians. Why wait until the law is operationalized to act out the what is proposed by the law Deputy Prime Minister Bradshaw? By maintaining the status quo the mistrust between State and the Citizenry continues to widen. This is against a background of successive governments of Barbados having failed to enact transparency legislation over decades.

The Cyber Crime Bill has been creating a public ‘stir’. The blogmaster agrees the use of the social media platforms via the wide world web has become the wild wild west AND needs oversight to protect the vulnerable. Barbados Underground has received a fair share of pre-action letters through the years and is sensitive to the need to intelligently manage the risks associated with publishing issues avoided by traditional media. That said, there are legitimate questions for government to answer to assuage our concerns. This blogmaster is acutely aware of mischief created daily in the social media space by politicians and surrogates.

See a Related Link:

Guidelines for the governance of digital platforms: safeguarding freedom of expression and access to information through a multi-stakeholder approach

It is interesting the timing of Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw’s decision to threaten court action at this time, very strange indeed. Another connect the dots moment.

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34 responses to “Thin-skinned Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    AG: Bill protects from social media attacks

    THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY yesterday passed a bill with the Attorney General fiercely defending it against critics who said it affected freedom of speech and shielded politicians from censure.

    Last week Tuesday, Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology Marsha Caddle introduced the Cyber Crime Bill 2023 and the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matter (Amendment) Bill, 2023 but what ensued was an unabated flogging of the Government with claims that the legislation was an attempted muzzling.

    Yesterday, Attorney General Dale Marshall said the laws were protecting innocent individuals under attack on social media.

    “What freedom of speech is to be protected when individuals intentionally, publicly published malicious information. This state has a solemn duty to protect individuals against conduct that is designed to cause them harm,” he stated, adding that the Constitution provided for peace, law and order for citizens.

    When Caddle introduced the legislation last week she said it was meant to create offences in genuine cases and not to criminalise anyone, including those involved in ethical hacking. After a weekend of persistent criticism Caddle took to the radio callin programme Brass Tacks on Monday in attempt to quell the raging debate.

    Thick-skinned

    When debate resumed yesterday, Marshall did most of the talking after rising first. He referred to misapprehension and misunderstanding in relation to the matter.

    He said that nothing could be further from the truth that the Government was seeking to place a statutory muzzle or fetter the freedom of speech of others for the benefit of the political class. Policiticians were thick-skinned and had structures to defend themselves against attacks, he said.

    Marshall said that the Constitution provided for peace, order and good governance of Barbados, careful at all times not to erode or destroy the rights of others.

    Some, he said, had complained about the vague language much of which was taken from the previous law and he suggested they examine the new laws against what was there before.

    “The one thing that we know is that misinformation abounds and regrettably social media thrives on that kind of stuff. People write what they feel like, they publish without regard to the harm it may cause individuals . . . often they hide behind the anonymity of social media, they publish things in names that are not their own, they operate web pages that you cannot easily identify who the individual is, many of them live overseas and technically they are beyond the reach of our laws. They thrive in that environment. What does it benefit us to compel citizens to operate in an environment where there is no accountability?” he asked.

    Budapest Convention

    Marshall said that there were many other countries in Barbados’ position and their response was to establish the Budapest Convention which is the best practice in relation to cybercrime and a response from several countries deciding that the cybercrime anarchy taking place could not continue.

    “So to those individuals who think that we have gone out on a frolic of our own and try to come up with all kinds of crazy bazaar stuff that is not the case,” he stated.

    The legislation is as a result of the Law Reform Commission going back and forth with the Council of the European Union, taking into account criticism, the upgrade to Barbados’ laws were formulated.

    Marshall said it was unsurprising that it was the aspect on malicious communication that captured the critics but pointed out that it refers to intentional or reckless use of computers to publish, broadcast or transmit information that, among other things, intimidates, threatens violence or damage to property.

    No justification

    “Tell me why this Parliament should feel we have discharged our duty to the public by not protecting them from this kind of thing. We have seen the kind of harm that has happened when people use computers in this way. There is no justification for it and all we are saying is if you want to use your computer system to intimidate people, to use your computer system to threaten, to use violence or damage their property, we are going to hold you accountable,” he said.

    The law speaks to intentional and reckless to transmission of private personal photographs and video without the consent of the people in them.

    “If you want to send . . . that is up to you but the person depicted in them must have a say . . . . Because you want to maintain your freedom of speech to be able to publish that which you will, without regard for the right to privacy for the individual whose sensitive material you have,” he said.

    (AC)

    Source: Nation

  2. Create a big Peace Industry and make it bigger than the War Industry Avatar
    Create a big Peace Industry and make it bigger than the War Industry

    I will never vote for a Warmonger
    Biden and Starmer are worthless

    IMAGINE PEACE: Think Peace, Act Peace, Spread Peace.
    The world is getting better. Poverty, hunger, disease, injustice are all on the run. But it is war, war, war that is slowing down the process.
    — Yoko Ono

    intelligence collection, covert operations, and counter-terrorism blah blah blah

    Does Barbados have a spy agency like Mossad NSA GCHQ as they are biggest liars and abusers of War Industry with biased racist misinformation for their New World Order Imperial Ambitions.

    Warmongers Budget Scams are paid for with Tax Monies and same Governments claim they are broke and can’t afford to pay for social services and must introduce austerity but are always increasing spending on the War Industry and spying on the people.

    Anybody participating in the Peace Industry is making the world better. We have to be not too critical about each other in the Peace Industry and get together, be gentle & loving to each other and try to create a big Peace Industry and make it bigger than the War Industry.

  3. Xpopo Avatar
    Xpopo

    Dystopian and autocracy with key proxies in command positions to stifle dissent, glad I did my time and got out what is now a compromised service https://barbadosunderground.net/2013/07/31/an-ex-cops-view-of-darwin-dottin/

  4. John Avatar
    John

    Sanita Bradshaw is going to begin by telling the court that she is a Member of Parliament and the Deputy Prime Minister.

    This is a sophisticated deception.

    There is no constitutional Parliament because there is no leader of the opposition!!

    She is starting wrong and would be better off spending her time persuading her fellow “members of Parliament” of the error of their ways.

    Even if her opponents in the trial do not plead it and lose, they can on more sober reflection submit to have any judgment she may obtain which is favorable to herself set aside.

    “Fraud unravels all”!!

    https://www.lk.law/2019/02/fraud-unravels-everything-the-test-for-admission-of-fresh-evidence-in-an-action-to-rescind-a-judgment-obtained-by-fraud/

  5. Xpopo Avatar
    Xpopo

    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/justin-trudeau-cracks-down-on-british-expats-as-he-bans-them-from-buying-homes-in-canada/ar-BB1hSUtc?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=1a45ad2680434bfb9e147f5277fe3e65&ei=15Canadian

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has decided to crack down on British expats as he bans them from buying homes in Canada.

    Mr Trudeau has made the decision as part of a wider ban on foreign nationals buying up property in any part of Canada.

    In an announcement, the Canadian government said only temporary workers, asylum seekers, and some international students would be able to purchase property between now and 2027.

  6. TLSN Avatar
    TLSN

    @ Quaker John,

    You are on point.

    https://www.portugalresident.com/anti-corruption-campaigner-ana-gomes-absolved-of-defamation/

  7. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Steupse!

    There’s always a way to get your point across without crossing the line into defamation. 😊

    The resident right-wing looney just brought the famous Tucker Carlson method to mind. Very, very, effective, as we know, right up the point at which he wandered into Dominion territory and allowed the Kraken lady to SAY something without a disclaimer.

    “Just asking questions!”

    Santia could sue those who don’t know how to “ask questions”.

    🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

    Or she could just avoid even the appearance of impropriety. 😊

    I suggest the latter.

  8. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    David,

    Isn’t it funny how she seems to be so ready to follow this new law but is not so ready to follow the other, long passed but not proclaimed?

    I hope that doesn’t get us sued. 😊

  9. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    The actions of the honourable Deputy PM amounts to what is termed “libel chill” i.e. put the fear of God into anyone who dares to be critical of her for fear that they may be faced with legal bill. An issue is described as “Case closed” except when it isn’t. It is astonishing to observe the alacrity with which the BLP passed the Cyber crime bill, it benefitted immensely from the various comments from their supporters on social media during the 2018 election, so it is now trying to ensure that others don’t derive the same advantage.

    I read somewhere that part of the rationale for establishing the DPA was to combat the negative information emanating from social networks pertaining to Gov’t policies, the agency looks like it is a miserable failure but instead of being dismantled (gotta find jobs for the connected), it has been coopted into the GIS and giving teeth to squash headlines like the one leading this discussion.

    Meanwhile the Integrity in Public life bill withers on the vine.

    The lesson here is “be careful what you wish for, you might get it”.

    Beware the tyranny of the majority.

    Case closed.

  10. Concerned Citizen Avatar
    Concerned Citizen

    @David, you need to download Tor onion browser to make interception of your sources more difficult to detect. I hope you also using double vpn to mask ip addresses. Hearing the yardfowl tallboy on brasstacks spouting his functional illiterate diatribe in defence of a bill which threatens truth against politicians

  11. David Avatar
    David

    @Concerned Citizen

    TOR is unstable with Double VPN.

  12. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    Another related news matter, lawyers for singer Taylor Swift, issued a cease and desist warning against a Florida student, who using information in the public space, posts on social media the whereabouts of her private jet.

    The same student had his account on formerly Twitter erased by owner Musk, after he posted the whereabouts of his private plane, and wouldn’t stop when requested to.

  13. Aaron Avatar
    Aaron

    @David, perhaps, the despots within Caricom will soon move to ban VPNs

  14. John Q Avatar
    John Q

    #WeDoNotForget #WeDoNotForgive

    Mobile Verification Toolkit

    Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) is a tool to facilitate the consensual forensic analysis of Android and iOS devices, for the purpose of identifying traces of compromise.

    It has been developed and released by the Amnesty International Security Lab in July 2021 in the context of the Pegasus Project along with a technical forensic methodology. It continues to be maintained by Amnesty International and other contributors.

    In this documentation you will find instructions on how to install and run the mvt-ios and mvt-android commands, and guidance on how to interpret the extracted results.

    https://docs.mvt.re/en/latest/

  15. Assistant · Bot Avatar
    Assistant · Bot

    If one party were to win all 650 seats in the UK Parliament, it would result in a situation known as a “landslide victory” or a “parliamentary majority.” In this scenario, the winning party would have an overwhelming majority in the House of Commons, which is the lower house of Parliament. While there would technically be no opposition in terms of numbers within the House of Commons, it’s important to note that opposition to the government can still come from outside the Parliament. Civil society, the media, and other political parties would likely take on a more prominent role in holding the government to account. Additionally, the House of Lords, the upper house of Parliament, would continue to provide scrutiny and potential opposition to government policies and legislation. In practice, a single-party majority government still faces challenges and scrutiny, and the democratic system is designed to allow for checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power. So, while there would not be a formal opposition within the House of Commons, there would still be mechanisms and institutions in place to ensure accountability and oversight of the government’s actions.

  16. Daddy Rollin' Stone Avatar
    Daddy Rollin’ Stone

    Officially and Spliffically
    “BU” is the Opposition
    and say on the regular
    Fuck the Government
    Bunch of Cunts

  17. Sir Freddy Money Avatar
    Sir Freddy Money

    @Assistant Bot, Peter Harris CGI get all de government business and he ic Fernades own Barbadostoday newspaper. The prime minister buddy Carol Martindale is managing editor of the Nation newspaper. These papers are both compromised mouth pieces.

  18. Sir Deadwood Dick Avatar
    Sir Deadwood Dick

    The loyal opposition…drum roll… BarbadosUnderground and the Marcia Weeks & Anarchist

  19. David Avatar
    David

    If the blogmaster were leader of a major opposition party this would be a good time to mobile good strategies. Barbadians ready.

  20. Meditation for Erectile Dysfunction and Sexual Health Challenges 🍆🍌🍄 Avatar
    Meditation for Erectile Dysfunction and Sexual Health Challenges 🍆🍌🍄

    @ Sir Deadwood Dick

    Your moniker implies you may have a problem in the region below your navel and above your perineum. Check this video out for a meditation to improve blood circulation

  21. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    The Bill was subsequently passed later in the day as the Cybercrime Bill 2024.

    https://nationnews.com/2024/02/07/ag-praises-cybercrime-bill/#

  22. Sir Deadwood Dick Avatar
    Sir Deadwood Dick

    I am a British aristocrat and do not have any phallus issues, I beg you pardon!

  23. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    After reading reports on the bill, I hastened to the parliament website to read the bill itself. I was particularly interested in the definition of ‘ethical hacking’ a term Min Caddle had used several times. But could find no such term in the Bill. Being a technological idiot, I am left to guess, the various parts of the Bill amount to what is ‘ethical hacking’ and what is not.

  24. David Avatar
    David

    Professionals engaged in ethical hacking is accepted behaviour as being for a greater good.

  25. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    https://www.synopsys.com/glossary/what-is-ethical-hacking.html#:~:text=Ethical%20hacking%20involves%20an%20authorized,and%20actions%20of%20malicious%20attackers.

  26. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2024/02/08/lawyers-back-abrahamss-call-to-repeal-camouflage-law/

  27. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    David
    Since one of my children is involved, the line between what is ethical and what is not, can get blurry, especially when the term National Security is invoked. And that has seemingly elastic boundaries.

  28. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Who hasn’t seen the photo of three politicians wearing the banned clothing?

  29. Miller Avatar
    Miller

    The criminalization of the wearing of “camouflage” items of clothing was Unconstitutional from the inception of that law.

    So too is any law against cussing or swearing; aka using indecent language in a public space.

    It’s one of the most blatant curbs on the enshrined Constitutional Right to Freedom of Expression.

    Using Bajan “cuss” words like: Suck ya RH; god blind ya ;**&?@ xyz , cay ya mudda cu**t, etc, are some of the most melodious-sounding expressions to the human ear.

    At least swearing or cussing in public is not as ‘wicked or evil’ as paedophilia and homosexuality ‘practised’ by priests hiding behind religion or those Judeo-Christian cult leaders ‘programming’ people to commit suicide or to be killed as the only way to go to heaven in order to be with Jesus.

  30. Bajan TheO Avatar
    Bajan TheO

    I hey dat dey rushing and passing new laws. Was dey any muvement on de law that covvuh politicians getting cheks from bizzness they do bizzness wid.

    Wasn’t dat law reddy to go?
    Wah holdin it back?

    Some politicians mussee still got a few more Xmas checks to cash. Hurry up and cash them and leh we get our new law

  31. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    Agree @Milluh.

  32. Victor Callender Avatar
    Victor Callender

    Anyone who believes that Santia Bradshaw has put fear into the populace, by her threats, has failed to realize the truth of “Servants of the people.” Before Santia Bradshaw there were politicians like Sir Harold Bernard St John, who presented as being politically aloof, and paid the ultimate political price. Ms Bradshaw walks at best, a tenuous political line, one misstep can result in political suicide. The line that exist between politics and the people, is filled with many dangers. Democracy has been under siege, with the assistance of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP)and its inability to harness decency, forthrightness. Substandard is the benchmark of the DLP, and political idiocy, their great embrace. An apology to the masses is where Ronnie Yearwood should start. The offering of poor political candidates, and recycled political hasbeens, has given our beloves island home a one party state. The trestle board upon which Mr. Yearwood must work, requires serious craftsmanship, for which I am not sure he is equipped. We must embrace the substance of things and not the style of things. I have tried to listen to the message of the man, withoutlooking at the messenger. But the message is constantly lost in translation. And so it goes, life for the poor in Barbados is as wrong “As two left shoes.”

  33. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    Tech hub
    dodgy companies that spy on citizens are dodgy Israeli cyber companies

  34. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    The only cybercrime which needs removing is World Governments spying on citizens which is the biggest abuse of technology and breach of individual rights and data protection laws.

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