Found a nice ditty on Youtube

BLP Response

Tremor Felt in Barbados

Yesterday Barbados felt a small tremor from an earthquake that was centered off Martinique. Unfortunately we are getting reports that people lost their lives during this event in Martinique and our sympathy goes out to their families. Some people in Barbados were also hurt in the panic here in Barbados and it reminds us how important it is to be always in a state of readiness to deal with any eventuality and above all not to panic as this in itself can be worse than the actual event.

This event however was small in comparison to the massive earthquake that will hit George Street after the next election. They are in panic mode now and will soon be politically devastated. The writing is on the wall. The seismologists are seeing the readings and predicting another victory for Owen Arthur and the Barbados Labour Party. 

VICTORY

 

Happy Independence Barbados

 

To all Barbadians both at home and abroad. Happy Independence to all.

Today we celebrate the 41st year of our inpendence and as we reflect we can all relate to the substantial development this country has enjoyed and look forward to the continued development of our nation and our people as we strive to take this nation to the next higher level.

Thompson’s Last Mass

“But I believe that a no-confidence motion is a motion that can cause serious harm to the person involve and it is not something that a House should take lightly”. “But I think that a great disservice has been done to this House by way this matter has been taken to the public and to bring me into it to give the impression that I have not done what I was supposed to do”. 

With these words Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Ishmael Roett issued a scorching reprimand to the embattled Leader of the Opposition. 

If Thompson remains Leader of the Opposition following the debate of the no-confidence motion it can only be as a result of the contempt with which the other sitting members of DLP now holds the people of Barbados. That Thompson is far less liked than the DLP is enough reason why they should move now to rescue this once great political institution from the childish games and political pranks of the politically immature Thompson.

The disgrace into which the DLP was thrown on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 in the House was akin only to that of no-confidence that rocked them from their political slumber in 1994.  

No-confidence motions are very serious matters and are treated as such in every parliament in which they are admissible. Their debates are followed by the international press, students of history and politics, historians and the likes. It must therefore offend every right thinking Barbadian at home and abroad when their country is through into the international spotlight in this way, only to be met with the kind of political blood-sport as displayed by Thompson in the House on Tuesday. 

It is not to enough for Thompson’s colleagues to walk around grumbling about the manner in which the DLP in being use as the political play thing of Thompson. They must use their constitutional right to find a suitable political candidate for the serious office of Leader of the Opposition. The DLP can ill afford any further slippage of its political ground. 

Clearly the eventual debate on the no-confidence motion will have little, if any real impact on the overall political outlook on Barbados since it is clear to all that Thompson has nothing to say of significance. He seems not to be satisfied even in his own resolution when he said, “When I am satisfied with my resolution I will debate it”. 

How can a man who has spent so much time researching and publicly explaining the reasons for his no-confidence motion can now be so uncertain about its application? Thompson is either not convinced of his own actions or he is blatantly confused in his thoughts.  In any case he has demonstrated a level of leadership that is compared to that of the one eye man in the land of the blind.   

Barbados has always had intellectually sound and resolute leaders. It is that one thing that has characterized our socio-economic and political stability. It would be an act of catastrophic proportions for Barbados to risk, at this time, reaching into the political kindergarden in an experiment of “leaders finders keepers”. Leadership is not purchased its learnt.  

Barbados is proud to have at this critical juncture the political maturity and economic competence of the Rt. Hon Owen Arthur. In him there is vision and purpose and in our 41^st anniversary we would like to thank him for his guidance and continuing good management of our affairs.  

Have a blessed and a happy Independence Barbados.                    

Thompson Delaying Tactics

Didn’t all Barbadians hear David Thompson say that he was going to broaden the application of his no-confidence motion to include the BLP Government? So what went wrong? Today this column intends to shoot straight from the hip and put this matter squarely on the table. We have grown fed up with this political numb-skull Thompson taking intelligent Barbadians on a political rollercoaster. 

Firstly, to understand why the no-confidence motion remains directed at the Hon. Clyde Mascoll, one would have to have been present at the series of meetings held in George Street last week to decide on a course of action for the no-confidence motion followed the discovery of the news that Thompson really does not have any incriminating evidence linking Mr. Mascoll to Hardwood Housing Inc.  

During one of the stormy meetings to decide the fate of the ill-conceived no-confidence motion, a number of options were placed on the table for consideration. Thompson was told that he should back off the idea of laying a resolution in Parliament for a debate on the matter simply because not only could he not win in terms of the numbers in the House but more importantly the information he presented to the meeting did not remotely incriminate Mr. Mascoll in any way. However, that option was thrown through the window as it was felt by a few that Thompson had already committed himself and could not pull back at this time.  

The second option on the table was the option to broaden the no-confidence motion to include issues of corruption and governance and to direct it at the entire BLP Government. That option was immediately shot down by Sinckler. It was vociferously argued that as far as they were concern this election was about “pay back time” for Mr. Mascoll for leaving the DLP and that since the DLP could not possibly win the election anyhow it should employ all its resources to ensure that Mascoll did not retain his seat. At this point Kellman, Estwick and Lashley all tabled their reservations about participating in a debate which they felt was clearly designed to maliciously malign Mr. Mascoll.   

With both these option out the window the only alternative left was for Thompson to proceed with the motion but to do everything possible to delay its actual debate as it was strongly felt that Parliament would soon be going on Christmas leave. It was also felt that the House would most likely not be reconvening until after the election and this they felt would have provided the perfect excuse for not only Thompson to get out of the debate but to also keep the issue alive during the election campaign.  Thompson would then charge that the Government ran away from the debate by proroguing Parliament knowing full that without this issue the DLP has no other election prop.   

It is therefore not surprising that after the Government went out of its way to accommodate the no-confidence debate and summoned a meeting of Parliament for Friday, November 23, 2007 that one could read in the daily news for Wednesday, November 21, 2007 that Thompson would not be in the island. He would presumably be away attending a funeral. Barbadians are therefore left to wonder how Thompson determines his priorities.

We certainly hope that upon his return to the island he would be ready to attend to the business of the people for which he is constitutionally mandated to do and stop this contemptuous behaviour towards Barbadians. Is this the kind of leader Barbados deserves? We think not.            

Electorate Ready and Waiting Thompson

I want to assure the DLP that the next election will come and it will go. Low income Barbadians will be living in their hardwood houses.  The BLP will be returned to office and they will still be out there shouting “Hardwood”.

The PNM in Trinidad won their election against the issue of high food prices and the BLP is confident that they can do the same. Why? Barbadians are now in touch via technology with all the major news channels around the world. They are aware of the fact that increasing food prices is a challenge facing both developed and developing countries. They know that in England a loaf of bread moved from 59p to 150p in just six months. In the USA and Canada food prices have also shot up. In fact, what you are seeing globally with respect to the high cost of living is an example of the dynamics of the international capital market in responding to the high global demand for goods and services. 

These are matters that are now being easily discussed and handled among first year economic students at UWI. They know that there is nothing political about it at all. The problem facing the DLP, not Barbados, is that due to Thompson’s lack of ability to grasp even the basic economic concepts has resulted in his failure to impart knowledge and to help guide his party colleagues into making public pronouncements of any substance. By the time you combined kellmonomics, estwicknomics and thompsonomics the results is the cacophony of nonsense that passes for serious economic discourse within the DLP. 

On the issue of Hardwood it is not the BLP who stands to lose from this debate. It is not our backs that are against the wall. With or without this debate there will be an election in Barbados. We have nothing to prove. It is Thompson who has to prove that there was corruption in the setting of Harwood Housing Inc. and when all the lot of long-talk is done about debating the matter only when he is ready, he better remember that the electorate, most of whom were in Queens Parks in 1994, is ready and waiting on him. That large percentage of un-decided voters, they too are ready and waiting to see the proof he said he has. If Thompson does not debate this matter his fledging political future is DEAD and if he debates it and does not prove his case he is still dead. The election is constitutionally due in mid 2008. We have the time. We are willing to wait on Thompson. If I were the Prime Minister the election date will not be announced until the no-confidence motion has been debated. So let Thompson call the shots. He gave us thirty days and he is now free to extend it. But he must be aware the public is watching and waiting. 

Opposition politics not easy at all.

Opposition politics can be soul-destroying in small economies where lateral movement to high paying jobs in the private sector is negligible.

Former Secretary of State, Kenry Kissinger or former Defence Secretary, Robert McNamara, could move easily from a high profile job in an American administration to an equally high profile job in the private sector with the twinkling of an eye.

However, if truth be told, in many instances top level administrators in American or even British administrations often accept these positions conscious of the fact that their pay packets would be much smaller.

The story has been told that on accepting the position of Secretary of State under former president Richard Nixon, Kissinger was given the assurance by one of the Rockyfeller clan that he would top- up his salary so that he would not experience any financial loss on assuming office.

The situation is quite different in the Caribbean where the economies are small and the number of high paying jobs is limited.

The question must be asked: “Where can a well known politically appointed operative or a former high profile politician find a position of equal status in the private sector on leaving office?

In many cases these functionaries have to sit out 10 or 15 years in opposition and endure tremendous economic hardships unless they are members of the honourable professions of law or medicine.

It is with this reality in mind that Barbadians must take the sanctimonious posturing of DLP propagandist, Reuden Eversley, with a pinch of salt.

In these small economies many individuals hide their inability to find gainful employment in the private sector, or for that matter the public sector, by establishing consultancies in their respective fields.

However, with the limited number of opportunities available in these small economies, many of these consultants are unable to sustain themselves while participating in opposition politics.

Under these circumstances, the local electorate must view their desperate outpourings with a measure of distrust.

Even though Eversley and other DLP scribes are aware that the high cost of food items is presenting major challenges to regional and metropolitan countries, they prefer to present the false argument that the Owen Arthur administration is showing a reluctance to deal with it because the wholesalers and retailers are the BLP’s natural constituencies.

Are we to believe that if the DLP were to assume office following the next general election the high price of food will be brought under control immediately?

This is patently false, and Eversley and other DLP scribes are aware of it, but it is not in their interest to say so at this time.

Their main goal at this time is to get their hands on the reins of power so that they would have friends at court who can assist them in achieving their goals in life.

I am told that some DLP operatives have already identified overseas postings for themselves in the event that their party wins the next general.

Where does the ordinary voter stand in this equation in spite of the gross posturing on the plight of the poor by Eversley and others?

Thompson’s dislike for serious discussion.

Once again Opposition Leader David Thompson is showing his distaste for serious political debate.

Last Sunday night Thompson told party members and supporters at the Glebe Public Market, St George, that the opposition would not be participating in any debate on the Public Service Bill because of the haste with which it was being brought before parliament.

On that ocassion he charged that the draft bill and a companion constitutional amendment had been in circulation less than two weeks which was not enough time for civil society and those not formally in the social partnership to study the document.

However, in response to the claims Minister of Labour and the Civil Service, Rawle Eastmond, pointed out that Government had spent more than six years on the preparation of the new bill as opposed to the ” less than two weeks as charged by the opposition leader”.

Eastmond further pointed out that over time, the workers’ representatives had not only been consulted but permitted to make inputs so that the final bill would be in good shape.

According to the Minister of the Civil Service, around six to seven weeks ago the draft bill was sent back to Cabinet for a final decision as to when it should come before parliament.

However, based on his recent announcement in Canada to party faithfuls there, one can only conclude that Thompson would have been aware of some of the provisions in the new Bill.

Barbadians may recall that Thompson’s proposals on the improvement of the conditions of work for the island’s civil servants were strikinly close to those announced by Prime Minister Owen Arthur on the final day of the BLP’s 69th annual conference.

Is he now running scared of the debating skills of the Prime Minister, Eastmond, Mia Mottley, Kerri Symmonds and Clyde Mascoll?

Last Tuesday he was on familiar territory when he reached into the gutter and hurled insult after insult at Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Clyde Mascoll. Mascoll’s defection continues to cause pain and great embarrasment to the top brass of the DLP.

Meanwhile, as the date of his no-confidence motion approaches he has announced that he may be shifting his no-confidence motion from Mascoll.

This shift should not come as a surprise to thinking Barbadians since were he in possession of incriminating evidence against Mascoll he could have mentioned it in parliament where he enjoys immunity from prosecution for defamation.

Harold and his friend Peter are off target again.

Soothsayers Harold Hoyte and Peter Wickham were way off target in their analysis of the recently concluded Trinidad and Tobago general election.

They continue to make the fundamental error of mistaking human beings who are equipped by God with emotions, biases and brains, with inanimate objects. They fail to recognise that even though Comte and other trailblazers sought to make the social sciences exact sciences like physics and chemistry, they are not.

Their failure to recognise these deficiencies in the social sciences has resulted in their inept analysis of the political landscape of Trinidad and Tobago.

In their haste to see the back of the Owen Arthur administration, they are hoping that a “wind of change” will remove all of the current administrations in the region, thereby giving some glimmer of hope to their “knight in shining armour”, David Thompson.

November 5 general election victory for Patrick Manning’s PNM party would have forced these two political pundits to re-examine their bizarre political theories.

Readers may recall that Wickham had predicted a loss for the PNM based on the large percentage of voters who were calling for change. He even called into question Manning’s political savvy.

How could he emerge the winner after these two political analysts had argued that he should have called the election last year when conditions were more favourable for his party?

Excerpts from Wickham’s column which carries the caption “Election Time” should suffice to highlight the wishful thinking of the author.

Commenting on the timing of the general election in Trinidad and Tobago Wickham said: ” It is ironic that Arthur and Manning appear to have made identical errors, although Manning’s have the potential to be more fatal.”

He maintained that in both instances neither leader fully exploited the major tool available to the Westminster Prime Minister that allows him to call an early election.

Wickham concluded that both were now faced with the prospect of losing the next election.

However, in spite of these predictions, Manning and his PNM party went on to defeat the two opposition parties by a margin of 26-15, with the Congress of the People Party failing to win a single seat in parliament.

Readers may recall that Wickham had pointed out that in the run-up to the November 5 poll, the COP had grown stronger.

Meanwhile, expressing similar views on the timing of both leaders, Hoyte argued that any further delay by Arthur could make it difficult for him to win another election.

Manning has scored a clear victory after readers were told in the Nation of November 5 that it would be a close election.

Like Manning, Arthur has been instrumental in improving the economic fortunes of the country and it is left to be seen if the Barbadian electorate would place their future in the hands of rookies such as DR David Estwick.

There is no doubt that Wickham’s and Hoyte’s self-fulfilling prophecies will once again go awry.