An Open Letter to Barbadian Voters

Submitted by Grenville Phillips II, president of Solutions Barbados

Dear Barbadian Voters:

First, let me state the obvious. The chances of a third-party candidate getting elected in Barbados at this time, is somewhere between extremely unlikely and non-existent. We are fully aware of this. Yet, we persist.

After each election, we receive the same three types of responses. They are: (i) encouragement from those who support our message, (ii) disappointment from supporters of the established parties, and (iii) ridicule from the media and political consultants, and those whom they influence.

WHY KEEP GOING?

Have you ever asked yourselves why? What would cause persons with over 20 years of professional experience, and who are at the peak of their careers, to risk it all with an impossible mission? Why do we expose our personal and professional reputations to the scrutiny of a General Election campaign? What can we possibly hope to gain through this stubborn persistence?

Do you really want to know the answers to those questions? I have yet to hear any person ask them during the seven years of Solutions Barbados’ existence. I have given the answer several times, but unless people are curious enough to ask the ‘why’ question, they are less inclined to be receptive to our answer.

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW?

Each time we throw ourselves against this impenetrable wall during an Election campaign, we leave a bit of ourselves there. Is it worth it? No. It is not worth the disappointment in the eyes of our families, friends, clients, or employers. It is not worth the public ridicule, the baseless accusations of political operatives, or the derision of the media and social commentators.

So, if it is not worth it, then why continue to do it? If you genuinely want to know, then with all of the sincerity in my heart, l write, ‘thank you’. I cannot speak for the other so-called third parties. I can only speak for Solutions Barbados. We do it because we must. Perhaps a parable may help me explain that response better.

THE PARABLE OF THE TERMITES AND PAINTER.

There was once a termite infested house that sheltered several families. Every five years, the families elected a painter to maintain the house. But the painter only did what he knew, which was to paint over the rotten timbers.

One day, a Structural Engineer visited the house, and warned the families that the timbers were severely and extensively rotten. He then provided a solution of replacing rotten timbers, and strengthening the building to prevent its collapse, and offered to do so free of cost.

On hearing this warning, the painter quickly painted the rotten timbers with another coat of paint, and then declared the structure to be sound. The occupants unquestioningly trusted the painter, and never believed the Engineer’s warnings – until the building collapsed shortly thereafter.

THE PARABLE EXPLAINED.

The timber structure is the economy of Barbados – which shelters us all. The termites are inflated no-bid contracts that are given to political donors. The damage is the high debt created by borrowing to pay for these inflated contracts. We are taxed much more than we should, to repay debts we should never have been in, to pay for inflated costs we should never have been charged.

The building’s occupants are Barbadian voters. The painters are successive BLP and the DLP administrations, who allowed their donors to corrupt our national economy, so that it is no longer sustainable. The Structural Engineer is Solutions Barbados, who keeps warning Barbadians about the foreseen collapse of the economy.

THE FORESEEN COLLAPSE.

Based on the amount of damage political donors have done to our national economy, it can no longer take a major financial shock. However, major shocks are expected this year. The IMF are insisting that the rot in the economy must cease, but with the just concluded General Election, the political donors will insist on their right to feed.

A worse shock is that by removing God’s providential care in the new Charter of Barbados, we are, for the first time since our Independence, unprotected from major hurricanes. We are all terribly exposed.

AN OBLIGATION TO WARN.

Tragically, it is also foreseen that you will only believe us once you experience the unbearable austerity – that could have been avoided by addressing the corruption. The Government’s many public relations departments, that persuaded you that the economy was sound, will likely claim that the collapse was an Act of God. The foreseen collapse is due to corruption by political donors.

You have a right to be warned, and we have a moral obligation to warn you. Solutions Barbados mainly runs highly qualified and experienced persons for two reasons. The first is they are credible voices whom you know that you will ignore at your peril. The second is that they are capable of properly managing the economy if elected.

Grenville Phillips II is the President of Solutions Barbados. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

Difficult Conversations – Mene, mene

Submitted by Grenville Phillips, President of Solutions Barbados

The word among those who claim to know, is that the BLP will win a sizable majority on Wednesday’s Election Day.  Across Barbados, there is a sea of red posters that appear to support that view.

The established media are playing their normal role by suggesting that a BLP result is obvious, and the only unknown is how little the number of successful DLP candidates will be.  I am hearing different words.  They start like this.

MENE, MENE.

Mene: By forcing Barbados into a Republic, without the peoples’ consent, the BLP administration has come to an end.

Tekel:  By formally establishing thrones over Barbados for every demon under heaven, the BLP administration has been weighed in the balances and found wanting.

Peres:  For discriminatingly dividing Barbadians into vaccinated and unvaccinated people, the new Government will be a coalition of several political parties – that will have to learn to work together.

START RIGHT.

The BLP administration started in the most excellent manner.  They promised Barbadians that all ideas must contend.  So impressed were we by this refreshing promise of leadership, that we laid our political swords at the feet of our political competitors.

We made ourselves available to be deployed to fight the enemies of Barbados outside of a general election season.

END WRONG.

The BLP’s promise of allowing all ideas to contend would consistently be broken.  That resulted in a absence of any balance, to the worst possible economic advice that the BLP continually received – and tragically for us, accepted.

Barbadians are encouraged to vote for Solutions Barbados Candidates, and Solutions Barbados Endorsed Candidates.  The list of Solutions Barbados Candidates in this General Election, who are all WEALTH CREATORS, are:

  1. Ms Jacqueline Alleyne in St Andrew
  2. Mr Fallon Best in Bridgetown
  3. Mr Robert Toussaint in St Michael Central
  4. Ms Angela Edey in St Michael West-Central
  5. Ms Patricia Cox in St Michael South
  6. Ms Victorine Wilson in St Michael West
  7. Mr Kenneth Lewis in Christ Church West-Central
  8. Ms Susan Corbin in Christ Church East
  9. Mr Ronald Lorde in St Philip South, and
  10. Ms Karina Goodridge in St Philip West.

ENDORSED CANDIDATES.

The growing list of Solutions Barbados Endorsed Candidates, who have also agreed to immediately revoke the Charter, and allow Barbadians to consent, or not, to a Republic in a referendum within 3 months, follow.

  • St George North – Ms Melissa Taitt
  • St George South – Ms Alison Weekes
  • St Joseph – Mr Antonio Gittens
  • St Thomas – Mr Philip Catlyn
  • St James Central – Joseph Jordan
  • St Michael South-East – Patrick Tannis
  • St Michael West-Central – Andrew Cave
  • Christ Church South – Donald Leacock
  • St Philip North – Omar Smith

All candidates and Solutions Barbados policies are described in SolutionsBarbados.com

Grenville Phillips II is the President of Solutions Barbados. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

Solutions Barbados – List of Candidates

Submitted by Solutions Barbados

Solutions Barbados is running 10 Candidates in this General Election. All of them love and fear God. They are highly competent, capable, and experienced persons who work, and are paid for what they do. They are all wealth creators, and can be trusted to manage Barbados a lot better than what we have had before.

  • Ms Jacqueline Alleyne in St Andrew
  • Mr Fallon Best in Bridgetown
  • Mr Robert Toussaint in St Michael Central
  • Ms Angela Edey in St Michael West-Central
  • Ms Patricia Cox in St Michael South
  • Ms Victorine Wilson in St Michael West
  • Mr Kenneth Lewis in Christ Church West-Central
  • Ms Susan Corbin in Christ Church East
  • Mr Ronald Lorde in St Philip South, and
  • Ms Karina Goodridge in St Philip West.

Solutions Barbados also plans to endorse candidates who agree with our policies, and who agree to the following.

(i) Revoke the Charter of Barbados, which was passed in both houses of our Parliament, in our first sitting. The Charter formally establishes a throne for satan over Barbados – which can stop God’s blessings on Barbados, since God does not share His glory or praise with anyone or anything.

(ii) allows Barbadians to give their consent, or not, on Barbados being a Republic – because taking consent should never be tolerated or justified in Barbados. Only bad people normally take consent. This violation of Barbadians’ dignity must be corrected.

Candidates of other parties have agreed to implement Solutions Barbados favourably independently assessed economic recovery plan of: (i) lowering taxes, (ii) improving the management of government services, (iii) depoliticising the public service, and (iv) eliminating corruption – all of which are proven to improve a national economy.

Those who have also agreed to immediately revoke the Charter, and allow Barbadians to consent, or not, to a Republic in a referendum within 3 months, follow.

St George North – Ms Melissa Taitt

St Joseph – Mr Antonio Gittens

St Thomas – Mr Philip Catlyn

All candidates and Solutions Barbados policies are described in SolutionsBarbados.com

Difficult Conversations – Consensual or Rape

The BLP administration has done two dangerously reckless things in the last month. First, they needlessly ventured into a dark spiritual dimension and rejected God’s blessings from over Barbados. Then they cancelled Barbados’ defence insurance. In this General Election, Barbadians will choose whether to recover those losses, or make them permanent.

The Bible explains that there is One Living God from whom good blessings flow. At our Independence, we formally chose God – and God blessed us. No matter how bad things appeared, things had a habit of working out. We had food, shelter, and clothing, and the bills got paid.
LOSING GOD’S BLESSINGS.

On 24 November 2021, Parliament passed a new ‘Charter of Barbados’. In it, they recklessly rejected God and His blessings, and formally selected satan and his curses instead.

Solutions Barbados plans to amend the Charter to reflect the Constitution of Barbados, which states: “Now, therefore, the people of Barbados proclaim that they are a sovereign nation founded upon principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God”.  Barbadians can vote to either restore God’s blessings to Barbados, or confirm that they no longer want them – and prepare for the worst.

DEFENCE INSURANCE.

In 1966, Errol Barrow asked Barbadians for their consent to make Barbados Independent. The people gave their consent, and we became a fully independent and sovereign nation. We got rid of all vestiges of colonialism we wished. But we chose to keep defence insurance – because we cannot afford to defend this island on our own, and this type of insurance is extremely rare.

On 30 November 2021, the BLP administration recklessly cancelled our defence insurance – without our consent. Normally, only very bad people take consent from others.

TAKING CONSENT.

The DLP administration took our consent and told us to like it or lump it. The BLP administration forcibly took our consent, and told the international community that it was consensual – it was not.

Solutions Barbados plans to allow Barbadians to decide for themselves, whether they want to cancel their defence insurance, or not. Because the people’s consent must be willingly given – not forcibly taken.

Grenville Phillips II is the President of Solutions Barbados. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

Difficult Conversations – She is Infallible

Last week, I described the Leader of the Opposition’s irresponsible actions that unnecessarily delayed the Court case, and the Judge’s rejection of his adjournment request.  I will now report the Attorney General’s main arguments.

The Attorney General offered two main arguments.  The first was that the Leader of the Opposition’s appointment was not of sufficient public interest.  Therefore, it should not warrant the court’s attention.  That argument was rejected.

The second was that the Governor General’s appointment of Mr Atherley cannot be enquired into by the Court.  It is the second argument that should concern us all, and is the subject of this article.

UNVERIFIED ASSUMPTION.

The Attorney General based his argument on the assumption that the Governor-General’s appointment is protected by section 32 (5) of the Constitution of Barbados.  I responded that this assumption should be verified.  Section 32 (5) of the Constitution of Barbados follows.

32 (5) Where the Governor-General is directed to exercise any function in accordance with the recommendation or advice of, or with the concurrence of, or after consultation with, any person or authority, the question whether he has so exercised that function shall not be enquired into in any court.

IRRELEVANT SECTION.

I argued that this section is irrelevant to the appointment of Mr Atherley, since the Governor General did not need to consult, etc, with anyone in performing that appointment function.  Section 32 (1) of the Constitution of Barbados explains two categories of Governor-General functions.

32. (1) The Governor-General shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet in the exercise of his functions other than –

a.       any function which is expressed (in whatever terms) to be exercisable by him on or in accordance with the recommendations or advice of, or with the concurrence of, or after consultation with, any person or authority other than the Cabinet; and

b.       any function which is expressed (in whatever terms) to be exercisable by him in his discretion.

I argued that it was the latter function (Section 32 (1) (b)) to which the appointment of a Leader of the Opposition belonged.  Therefore, the appointment may be enquired into by a court.

OTHER JURISDICTIONS.

The Attorney General also argued that other jurisdictions gave persons prerogative powers, that were not subject to judicial review.  I argued that the Constitution of Barbados, section 1, states the following.

“This Constitution is the supreme law of Barbados and, subject to the provisions of this Constitution, if any other law is inconsistent with this Constitution, this Constitution shall prevail and the other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.”

Therefore, if other jurisdictions chose to give specific persons prerogative powers, that conflict with the Constitution of Barbados, then the Constitution of Barbados should prevail in Barbados.

Further, the Constitution appears to give the Governor-General prerogative powers, only when she makes decisions in consultation with other parties, in accordance with section 32. (1) (a).  I argued that those prerogative powers do not extend into appointments where the Governor-General exercises her sole discretion or judgement, in accordance with section 32. (1) (b).

INFALLIBILITY ARGUMENT.

The Attorney General and I agreed that the Governor-General was obliged to act in accordance with section 75 (2) of the Constitution.  Where we diverged, is that the Attorney General ignored the fundamental prerequisite for the office, which Mr Atherley evidently did not have.  Namely, the support of other members of the House of Assembly.  Even the Judge appeared to acknowledge that fact.

The Attorney General argued that since the Governor General made the appointment, then that alone proved that Mr Atherley met the qualification.  The Attorney General essentially argued that it was impossible for the Governor General to make a mistake – she is infallible.  I explained the absurdity of that Constitution violating argument.

THE PARTY’S INTERESTS.

The Barbadian press continues to promote the provable fake news that the case was dismissed (it was not), rather than report the extraordinary arguments made during the case – which are easily available to them.  Perhaps it has time to ask why.

Jesus stated that we cannot serve two masters.  The Barbadian press must decide whether they will pursue truth – or the propaganda interests of their political party.

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

Election Day in St. George North

Today the electorate of St. George North will vote for a member of parliament to fill the vacancy created by the ‘retirement’ of Gline Clarke. The blogmaster’s assessment is that it will be a straight contest between Floyd Reifer (DLP) and Toni Moore (BLP). Of the so-called third parties Grenville Phillips should retain third option in the number count. We can debate if Barbadians are ready for a third party or is this a case of the quality of the options presented. The blogmaster respectfully suggest the latter.

The result of the election will answer a few questions for political pundits.

  • Has the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) regain its standing as the credible alternative in the eyes of voters?
  • Despite managing the affairs of state in the most challenging period post independence, will the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) be able to convince the SGN electorate that it is the most competent to govern at this time?
  • Will Grenville Phillips increase his penetration of support in the constituency to forge the way for third parties in the future?
  • How large will the protest vote be which has been fomenting in a climate of austerity for the last 3 years?
  • Has the last 90 days of campaigning confirm the urgent need for electoral reform in Barbados?

So far by-election activities has been largely peaceful in keeping with Bajan tradition. Let us continue to make the country proud by delivering an uneventful event. The blogmaster’s vote will be cast for David Walrond, the agriculturist and community practitioner.

Closing Arguments

I believe that all candidates in this by election are accomplished persons, who can competently represent the people of St George North.  However, can they address the specific problems facing this constituency?

The housing, drainage, roads, water, and transportation problems require engineering solutions – which I specialise in.  The unemployment problems require business development solutions, which I also specialise in.

The Prime Minister wants Toni Moore to assist her with some heavy lifting.  The Prime Minister can easily get Toni Moore in her Cabinet, in the same way that she appointed Senator Lisa Cummins as Minister of Tourism.  Therefore, the Prime Minister can get Toni Moore, and the people of St George North can get their first Engineer.

WHAT IF?

What if the people vote for their party’s interests instead of their own?

Nationally, it does not matter how St George North voters vote.  Mia Mottley will still be the Prime Minister of Barbados, and the BLP will still be in Government.  However, it does matter to the residents of St George North how they vote.

If they vote for the BLP, then they will simply switch one BLP representative for another.  Therefore, they can expect their lives to remain the same.  This sameness can be described as being house-poor and/or working-poor.

If they vote for the DLP, then since DLP projects must be approved by a BLP Cabinet, voters can expect their lives to remain the same.  The UPP, BFP, and the PdP will face the same problems as the DLP.  Therefore, that is a vote for poverty.

Poverty can cause people to justify prostitution, stealing, selling drugs, or doing any other illegal activities just to survive, and provide for their families.  Voters finally have an opportunity to vote for prosperity.

Solutions Barbados does not need any Government support for our projects.  They are designed to directly benefit the residents of St George North.  Our no-profit construction company can provide all unemployed persons in St George North with a salary, to pay their monthly expenses.  Therefore, they can pay their family’s rent/mortgage, food, clothes, school fees, school books, medicines, etc.

We can train all families in St George North to start profitable businesses, with no start-up money.  Their products may be marketed on the Internet, to countries where Barbados has favourable double taxation agreements.

St George North has this opportunity to show the rest of Barbados what a prosperous constituency looks like.  On 11 November, we will know whether voters voted for the narrow interests of their political parties, or the interests of their families and the rest of Barbados.

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer, and the Solutions Barbados’ candidate for St George North.  He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

Solutions Barbados Press Release – The Author of Confusion

Canvassing in St George North is getting congested.  There are now six political parties canvassing across the constituency.  Each party’s canvassers are known by their party colours, as is the norm in Barbados to avoid confusion during an election.

The BLP wears red, the DLP wears yellow, Solutions Barbados wears green, the UPP wears Orange, and the BFP wears black.  All of these parties contested the 2018 general election, and the different party colours avoids confusion among voters.

When Mr Atherley was appointed Leader of the Opposition, he promised the public of Barbados that he would not start a political party.  He broke that promise.  However, rather than select a colour to distinguish his party from the other political parties, Mr Atherley’s party chose the colour green.

Two parties canvassing with the same colour shirts, creates unnecessary confusion among St George North voters.  Yet this farce has been allowed to continue over the past two weeks.  There must be better management of the election process over the next 3 weeks, to allow it to be fair.

Who is the author of this confusion?  According to the Bible: “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Cor 14:33).  So, it is the other fellow.  The solution to the confusion is also found in the Bible.  “Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer, and the Solutions Barbados’ candidate for St George North.  He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

 

Solutions Barbados – Playing With Fire

The unemployment situation in St George North is dreadful.  Disappointing voters with false promises is not an option in this by-election.  Candidates must offer workable plans, to effectively address the mass unemployment problems in St George North.

There are six candidates seeking to work for the people of St George North, for the next 30 months.   It is important that none of us follow the bad examples of those who have gone before us.

Candidates who plan to use the desperate unemployed people of St George North as pawns, just to secure a seat in the House of Assembly for their party, are doing the unconscionable.  They are ensuring that the people continue to suffer, during these exceptionally difficult times.  The present suffering is compounded by an unnecessary IMF austerity program, and a global COVID-19 pandemic.

Candidates who make promises that they know they cannot keep, are deceiving voters’ families.  Candidates who know that they have no capacity to implement their party’s plans, push that deceit beyond tolerable levels.

Career politicians have repeatedly broken their promises to previous generations of voters.  Those voters had the patience to tolerate and forgive those, who repeatedly deceived them with empty promises.
The current generation of young voters are different – they will not forgive that type of deceit.  Candidates without any workable economic plans for the families of St George North, are playing with fire.

Audio Version

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer, and the Solutions Barbados’ candidate for St George North.  He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

What do the Residents of St George North Want?

Grenville Phillips, Candidate for St. George North and Leader of Solutions Barbados

From my visits to almost every community in St George North, I have found one consistent desperate need. The employed want work for the unemployed, and the unemployed want work. All other issues were secondary.

All five candidates in this by-election (BLP, DLP, Solutions Barbados, UPP, and PdP) have a responsibility to propose workable solutions to the unemployment problems in St George North. The plans must not depend on new government funding, because the Government will claim that they have no money.

If a candidate does not have a workable plan, then they need to devise one. The plan should be fully operational in the 30 months remaining in the current election cycle.

UNCONSCIONABLE PRETENSE

If a candidate does not have a workable plan, then they should stop pretending that they do. It is unconscionable to give desperately hurting people false hope and empty promises.

The people of St George North do not only need a Member of Parliament (MP) in this by-election. There are so many MP’s in the House of Assembly, that the Prime Minister does not know what to do with them. The people of St George North need someone to manage workable employment generating projects.

Our plan is designed to make St George North the most prosperous constituency in Barbados. Both the plan, and my capacity to implement it, are contained in Solutions Barbados’ manifesto (attached). Please contact us if you have not received your copy.

All constituencies in Barbados are hurting. St George North voters have a responsibility to give them hope, and not let them down. They can do this by voting for the best plan for themselves, not their party.

If people are prospering, then families, businesses, churches, and community organisations automatically benefit.

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer and Solutions Barbados Candidate for St George North. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

Two and one half minute) audio recording of “What do the Residents of St George North Want?

Grenville Phillips: St George North Manifesto

Dear People of St George North.

Grenville Phillips II,
Structural Engineer and Solutions Barbados’ St George North Candidate.

My name is Grenville Phillips II. I am the President of Solutions Barbados, and your candidate in this by-election. Let me first tell you about myself, and then about what we plan to do in St George North over the next two and one-half years.

About Me.

I have qualified in several disciplines. I am a structural engineer, highway engineer, environmental engineer, land-use planner, and adjudicator. I am also a teacher and President of Walbrent College, which is a regional institution specialising in construction. Therefore, my Clients benefit from a range of different disciplines for the same fee.

I hold two Bachelors degrees (maths and engineering), two Masters degrees (environmental engineering and planning), and am currently pursuing a Doctorate in Engineering. I do this for only one reason – to provide a better service to my Clients.

If you elect me to represent you for the next two and one-half years, then you become my Clients, and I will work for you.

About Our Plans.

With only one seat in Parliament, I will not have a Ministry. Therefore, we can dedicate most of our time improving the lives of those in this constituency. If we form the Government in 2023, then Solutions Barbados will make similar improvements across Barbados.

Building Houses.

I have 30 years of experience in the construction industry. We plan to set-up a non-profit construction company, to participate in the government’s 1,000 affordable houses initiative.

We will train all unemployed St George North residents, who want to learn to safely construct a house. Training will take two weeks, at no cost to St George North residents. We will then employ them in the non-profit company, to apprentice with senior artisans. If the government’s 1,000 houses initiative does not happen, then we will build affordable houses for any client in Barbados.

Strengthening Houses.

The roofs of most houses in St George North are vulnerable to blowing off during a hurricane. We will offer to economically strengthen the roofs of all houses in St George North, for the cost of the labour and materials, but no profit.

Those who want their roof strengthened for only the cost of the materials, can volunteer their time with the no-profit company one day each week, for seven weeks. They will help to strengthen the roofs of other houses in St George North.

Dilapidated and Abandoned Houses.

We plan to identify the owners of all dilapidated and unoccupied houses in St George North. We will then negotiate with the owners an arrangement, where we will economically repair the house, and get it rented. The rent will be split between the homeowner and the non-profit company, until the construction cost is repaid.

Road Maintenance.

Potholes can lead to costly vehicle repairs and accidents. Therefore, we will organise a dedicated St George North road maintenance crew, staffed by St George North residents, to safely and permanently repair potholes. A volunteer force of 350 people, allows each person to work for only one day each year.

Energy Generation.

We will offer to install a Photovoltaic (PV) system on every roof in St George North at cost, with no profit. It would be connected to the BL&P grid, so that home-owners will have more disposable income.

Those who want the PV systems installed at only the cost of the materials, can volunteer their time with the no-profit company one day each week, for seven weeks. They will help to install PV systems on other houses in St George North.

Tree Planting.

To address monkeys and other crop thefts, and provide some food security for St George North residents, we will participate in the Government’s tree planting scheme. We will plant thousands of fruit trees near drainage courses, open spaces, and wooded areas across the constituency.

Construction Disputes.

Disputes between homeowners and contractors are common. As an Adjudicator, I plan to listen to both sides, and give preliminary rulings on construction disputes. This service will be free of cost to residents of, and disputes within St George North.

Any party may have the matter finally settled by the court. But the preliminary ruling should let them know the likely outcome, and prompt them to settle before starting a long and costly court process.

Finishing School.

Regardless of how well or poorly students did at secondary school, we will train all willing St George North secondary school graduates (in six weeks) to be employable, and/or ready to start their own business. Training will be at no cost to St George North residents.

Participants will learn to speak, write, listen, calculate, draw, and do tasks at an excellent level. We will teach them to become responsible adults, and model employees, and employers.

Wealth Creation.

I am the 2014 winner of the National Innovation Competition. We will train people how to start and grow a profitable business, with no start-up money. The 8-week training will be at no cost to St George North residents.

The aim is for each willing participant to have a viable Internet based business, by the end of the workshop. This should provide each household with a separate income stream.

Advocacy.

In the House of Assembly, we will advocate for the following:

  1. A referendum, to measure the public’s support for a Republic, same-sex unions, and moving the statue of Nelson.
  2. An end to the corrupting no-bid public contracts, where the public must pay up to five times the cost of products, through increased taxes.
  3. Better managed public services to an international standard, where customer feedback is valued, instead of the current ‘like it or lump it’ management method.
  4. A rearranged secondary school curriculum, so that graduates leave school with marketable skills, and the confidence to succeed in life.
  5. An improved justice system, where victims are properly compensated.
  6. The removal of all taxes on healthy foods.
  7. The abolition of taxing land, for which our enslaved fore-parents already paid for with their lives’ work. The Government can find something else to tax, but not our land.

We also plan to critically examine all proposed legislation, to ensure that it is in the best interest of the Barbadian public. That should keep us sufficiently busy for the next 30 months.

The BLP won all 30 seats in 2018. This by-election is an opportunity to do at least two things. Namely, to keep the BLP accountable, and to meaningfully benefit the residents of St George North.

You are in an enviable position, where you have nothing to lose by voting for Solutions Barbados – and everything to gain.

St. George North By-Election – First Out of the Blocks

Grenville Phillips, Leader of Solutions Barbados and Candidate for St. George North

Our Prime Minister has announced that a new election is to be held in St George North. As the Solutions Barbados declared Candidate for St George North, it seems that we are the first out of the blocks.

This election will come at a time when we are still in a pandemic, an IMF austerity program, and a plan to turn Barbados into a Republic – without a national referendum. Solutions Barbados believes that the public should be allowed to declare their support of, or opposition to being a Republic. Such a fundamental change is not something that we should be forced into.

Solutions Barbados is the third largest political party in Barbados, by measure of votes cast in the last General Election. We are also the second largest, by measure of declared candidates for the next general election.

A FAIR THIRD PARTY TEST.

With a 30-0 result in the last general election, this election should be a fair test of the viability of third political parties in Barbados at this time. However, it can only be a meaningful test if the media allows fair coverage of all political views. Therefore, their role in this experiment is critical.

Solutions Barbados was founded on 1 July 2015. Our manifesto was published on Solutions Barbados.com that same day for rigorous public scrutiny. Over the past five years, we have never told the media ‘no comment’. We have always made ourselves available for any interview, and participated in any debate on any topic.

For the past 5 years, we have published between one and three press releases every week. Our articles are well researched solutions to current national problems in Barbados. If you are not receiving our press releases, then please send us your e-mail address and/or WhatsApp number, and we will add you to our growing distribution list.

To the press, we are simply asking for fair coverage.

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer and President of Solutions Barbados. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

Do Not Squander the Stimulus Spending

The Government of Barbados wisely invested in upgrading the Harrison Point facility, in response to the COVID-19 threat. The derelict buildings have become a functional medical facility. Well done.
Since we are in a hurricane and earthquake prone region, it is important that opportunities to upgrade buildings, are not limited to functional uses only. They should also be upgraded to survive expected hurricanes and earthquakes.
Since the publication of our National Building Code in 1993, buildings in Barbados were supposed to be built to survive Category 2 hurricanes. However, with three Category 5 hurricanes devastating some of our Caribbean neighbours, over the past three years, new construction should be built to Category 5.
The normal response to this recommendation was to assert that it is prohibitively expensive. However, it is unlikely that those who made that assertion, actually looked at both costs. The truth is, it is not prohibitively expensive.
Our Caribbean neighbours’ tragic experiences with hurricane damage is instructive. It is extremely costly to rebuild after experiencing catastrophic damage. Foreign investors in hotels, businesses, and other properties, may choose to keep insurance payments, and not rebuild, or delay rebuilding in Barbados.
For the past 30 years, the ‘prohibitively expensive’ assumption was accepted as fact. With the Government planning to oversee the spending of approximately $2B of stimulus money, we can no longer afford to do so. It is time to compare both costs – before any of the stimulus money is spent.
Most developers may be surprised at the comparatively minor additional cost, and regret not building Category 5 buildings before. However, others may decide to maximise profits, by constructing the worst building that our Building Code will allow.
It is in Barbados’ best interests for all buildings to remain functional after a major hurricane and earthquake. This will allow business activity to resume with minimal disruption. The Government can easily facilitate this new building standard, by making it more profitable for developers to do so.
Solutions Barbados recommends that VAT on construction materials be waived, for all developments that are built to withstand major earthquakes, and Category 5 hurricanes.
Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer and President of Solutions Barbados. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

Solutions Barbados – Stop Blaming the Public

grenville-phillips

Submitted by Grenville Phillips II

We have repeatedly praised PM Mottley’s efforts in calming our nation during this COVID-19 event. We believe that she genuinely cares. That genuineness is evident in her press statements, to the extent that we may feel sympathy for her, for having to deliver bad news to us.

Barbadians are generally obeying her instructions. She says do and we did. We: closed our businesses, stayed away from our churches, did not visit our family and friends, and remained at home. This separation affected our emotional fragile, but we rally around each-other: virtually, on the phone, or across the yard.
Barbadians are generally a compliant people. That was proved with the successful implementation of the seat belt law in 2002. Some complied because of safety, while others feared the $500 fine, but we obeyed. That is why attempting to blame Barbadians for any part of this event is so wrong.
Whenever Governments make mistakes, they automatically blame the last administration. In Barbados, the Government continuously refers to the “lost decade”, in reference to the DLP’s management of the economy. This is an indicator of the number of mistakes that they are making.
No amount of public relations can believably blame the last administration for Government’s mistakes with COVID-19. So, to comply with the number one rule of modern politics (never accept blame), a scapegoat must be found.
The reason for the number one rule, is to prevent opposition parties from using such admissions in political advertisements. Solutions Barbados do not play those dirty games.
When operatives unreasonably attacked the DLP’s Chris Sinckler, UPP’s Lynette Eastmond, and BLP’s Mia Mottely, we defended them with facts. We may be temporary political competitors, but we are foremost, Barbadian brothers and sisters.
The Scapegoat.
But back to the scapegoat. The Government has blamed the public for: panic buying, not adhering to physical distancing, not staying at home, and listening to fake news. We are supposed to believe that Government’s mistakes are somehow our fault.
We are supposed to accept any further disruptions to our lives in silence. Now is not the time to complain – neither is later. Never is the only acceptable time to voice an independent thought.
The complying public should be allowed to express their opinions – without being swarmed by political operatives. We are designed to express our frustration with perceived injustices. Pent-up frustration is emotionally and physically unhealthy, and should never be encouraged by Governments.
Solutions Barbados intends to consistently give our best professional advice, whether it is accepted or not. Our advice to the Government at this time is simply to do what you were elected to do. That includes managing this COVID-19 event to the best of your ability.
What does that mean? It means: using available resources, considering alternate solutions, and stop blaming others for your mistakes.
Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer and President of Solutions Barbados. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com