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Category Archives: Governance

The Jeff Cumberbatch Column – The Parliamentary Interregnum

Posted on April 22, 2018 by David 32 comments

Interregnum: a lapse or pause in a continuous series; a period during which the normal functions of government or control are suspended –Merriam-Webster dictionary For the most part, Barbadians appear to have accepted the constitutional interpretation advanced by the Honourable Prime Minister and others that his office possesses the exclusive jurisdiction to determine the date of the next general election, notwithstanding that

‘Vote Buying’ Tactic!

Posted on April 21, 2018 by David 48 comments

This week Barbadians were treated with the news that the government released five million dollars to the account of the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) to settle income tax returns. And that an additional five million dollars will be disbursed in the coming days. If public comment is to be believed, outstanding returns go back many years. Clearly the government- like

Mara Thompson’s Porous Legacy

Posted on April 15, 2018 by David 49 comments

The idea to hatch a Thompson dynasty in the St. John constituency by the late prime minister David Thompson at the behest of his political advisor Hartley Henry ended in failure last week. The last representative for the St. John riding Mara Thompson announced her retirement from elective politics last week and took the opportunity to anoint George Pilgrim who

The Adrian Loveridge Column – Tourism is Our Only Hope

Posted on April 9, 2018 by David 78 comments

As we edge apparently aimlessly towards an inevitable general election there appears, at least through my eyes, little or no compulsion to place my X on the ballot paper of any wannabe politician in my constituency. We have only seen our current representative twice in over ten years, a onetime visit to our property and the second at a popular

The Jeff Cumberbatch Column – The Fundamental Right to Know

Posted on February 11, 2018 by David 80 comments

“Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing”. –John D. Rockefeller The several guaranteed rights and freedoms in our Constitution are each directed towards a more substantial democratic existence for the individual citizen by the preservation of his or her dignity and autonomy. While those such as

A Citizen’s Response To The Newly Amended Police Act

Posted on February 8, 2018 by David 213 comments

So, even in the face of wise counsel from such eminent and well respected Barbadian patriots as Senator Sir Roy Trotman, Senator Sir Henry Fraser, Senator Lady Carol Haynes, Senator John Watson, and Senator Sir Trevor Carmichael, to the effect that the Bill to amend the Police Act has such critical implications for the Constitutionally guaranteed rights of the Barbadian

The Jeff Cumberatch Column – Emergency Powers and Good Governance

Posted on February 4, 2018 by David 190 comments

‘Emergencies’ have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded. Friedrich August von Hayek It seems unlikely that I should be personally affected by the operation of the proposed legislation. After all, I am essentially a homebody and scarcely to be found on the road at “ungodly” hours so as to be inconvenienced by

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