est. 2007

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General Election 2013, a Campaign of Nothing So far

BU joins many who are concerned about the lack of ideas and fertile discussion coming from the political platforms by both political parties.  One should easily have thought that the economic and social challenges which confront global economies  – and which ours is very dependent – would have guided the platform speak of all candidates…

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DLP 2008 Manifesto under heavy criticism by the Opposition.
DLP 2008 Manifesto under heavy criticism by the Opposition.

BU joins many who are concerned about the lack of ideas and fertile discussion coming from the political platforms by both political parties.  One should easily have thought that the economic and social challenges which confront global economies  – and which ours is very dependent – would have guided the platform speak of all candidates in the coming general election.

The other concern is the reluctance by the two major political parties to release their Manifestos at the earliest time in what is a short campaign period. Up to now a Manifesto was taken for granted by the political parties and the public. BU is hopeful that in the age of social media the time has come where ordinary citizens will be able to demand accountability of our governments. What we have is the ridiculous situation of politicians barking about the past instead offering proposals of how to chart a path forward for Barbados.

We wait!

118 responses to “General Election 2013, a Campaign of Nothing So far”

  1. Prodigal Son Avatar
    Prodigal Son

    Wait Caswell,
    You have not commented on the revelations that the Dems took back the keys from those poor people they paraded on TV last Friday night. The very next day, Courts came back for the furniture. The Dems are all show, no substance!

  2. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    Prodigal

    I did not comment on those revelations simply because I found it hard to believe that anyone could be that low, especially persons who put themselves to be champions of the poor. If it is true; I hope that those responsible suffer for that public humiliation of poor people. This action would be akin to pimping. I can’t believe that anyone would abuse poor people like this for their own personal gain. This is hateful!

    Sent from my iPad

  3. ac Avatar
    ac

    what audacity the RT hon. himself pimping the intellect of the bajan people with the overblown promises which cannot be delivered at a time when our national debt needs to be tackled., OSA 14 years of mismanagement and free giveaways is what got the nation in this problem now his promises which would raid to the treasury at the expense of debt management is cruel and unconscionable.

  4. Audine Howell Avatar
    Audine Howell

    if the nis pension age gone up unemployment would go up too

  5. NationBLPnewspaper Avatar
    NationBLPnewspaper

    I told you so and every day I am vindicated. I said repeatedly that the Nation newspaper has had a strategy of using so called independent columnists to cuss the DLP government and then promote the opposition.
    Pat Hoyos – this is the month of the election and up to yesterday, Hoyos is still keeping up his criticism of only the DLP of course.(Santia Bradshaw is Hoyos’ brother’s girlfriend). You would think that the management of the Nation would see a conflict of interest there.

    Then Peter Symmonds on Sunday lambastes the DLP in his column. (Symmonds is the brother of former BLP MP David Symmonds)

    Then Harry Russel makes this statement in today’s paper “I believe that a change of government is necessary”. Imagine that a man who spent the last 5 years writing only negative stories,the week before the election comes and openly shows a part preference.

    It gets better- The Nation Newspaper’s headlines over the last 5 years is used by the BLP to create attak ads. Obviously the Nation therefore has had numerous headlines and stories critical of the government so many that teh BLP could run an entire ad campaign.
    The BLP so called independent columnists are “coming out of the political closet” leaving no stone unturned in their quest to promote a party.
    The word on the street is now that the BLP is promising them a tv license as a reward for their hard work in support of the opposition. Journalism in Barbados is at its lowest ebb and we are seeing a corruption of a newspaper by a political party. The Nation is putting the BLP first and the country second.

  6. NationBLPnewspaper Avatar
    NationBLPnewspaper

    Harry Russell has no shame- he pretended that he was some independent analyst looking out for Barbados when he was simply a BLP pimp . The Nation newspaper refused to allow anyone who supports the government to write a column and therefore the DLP has to pay handsomely to reach the thousands who read the Nation newspaper while Clyde Mascoll can campaign in the Nation on Thursday and on the political platform at nights. How can the Nation justufy this unfairness?

  7. David Avatar
    David

    Is it reasonable to expect that Senator Darcy Boyce given his intimate involvement in economic planning of the government that he should be more visible on the political platform?

  8. NationBLPnewspaper Avatar
    NationBLPnewspaper

    We will wait to see when the BLP releases their manifesto – if any of the BLP operatives who masquerade as Nation newspaper columnists will ask the billion dollar question:
    “What will the BLP cut to pay for these proposals?”
    The Nation newspaper needs to show more maturity- remove these BLP campaigners from trying to sway public opinion – report the facts and let Bajans decide. Pat Hoyos, Harry Russell, Ezra Alleyne, Peter Symmonds, Sanka Price and Harry Russell are BLP journalistic prostitutes.

  9. NationBLPnewspaper Avatar
    NationBLPnewspaper

    @David
    “Is it reasonable to expect that Senator Darcy Boyce given his intimate involvement in economic planning of the government that he should be more visible on the political platform?”
    Darcy Boyce unlike Clyde Mascoll has never tried to be a politician. Mascoll changes his economics to suit which side of the political fence he sits as he thinks like a politician. Some technocrats are not comfortable in that role.

  10. NationBLPnewspaper Avatar
    NationBLPnewspaper

    What is apparent is that the BLP big money donors will sway the news in Barbados. The Nation newspaper has been strictly pro BLP for the last 5 years- no one can dispute that. Many times over the last 5 years, the opposition could sit back and let the Nation take the lead and push negative stories against the government. That was obvious.

    If you look at the coverage from the Advocate since the big election ads from the BLP, you will realise that the trade off for the Advocate was to give very positive coverage to the BLP.You will realise now that the BLP is on the front page of the Advocate almost every day. MONEY TALKS.

    With the BLP in control of the Nation, their campaign money influencing coverage from the Advocate (remember the Advocate was the biggest BLP media supporter from 1994 – 2007), the Advocate will take the money and fall in line.

    Therefore the only media mountain left for the BLP to conquer is CBC.Who controls the government controls CBC. After the next election, there is a possibility of Owen Arthur and the BLP totally controlling the media in Barbados. In such an environment, who will dare report anything critical about the BLP especially given Arthur’s tendency for spitefulness and revenge?
    Journalism in Barbados will be staring down the barrel of a loaded BLP gun.You decide if that is good for our democracy.

  11. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    NationBLPNewspaper

    You wrote:

    “Therefore the only media mountain left for the BLP to conquer is CBC.Who controls the government controls CBC. After the next election, there is a possibility of Owen Arthur and the BLP totally controlling the media in Barbados. In such an environment, who will dare report anything critical about the BLP especially given Arthur’s tendency for spitefulness and revenge?
    Journalism in Barbados will be staring down the barrel of a loaded BLP gun.You decide if that is good for our democracy”.

    If you read that carefully, you would realise that you have just conceded victory to the BLP. You guys give up too easily.

  12. Polical meeting fan Avatar
    Polical meeting fan

    David Commisong calls on the leaders to debate each other on tv . Everyone wants that but hasnt Commisong read where Owen ARthur as he did in 2008 refuses to debate. Owen is frightened to debate Freundel Stuart without the gimmicks, the cake sales campaign monies and the goons of the BLP, mouta brown Owen is unmasked. Owen was frightened of David Thompson intellectually and otherwise. He was about to retire from politics when Thompson untimely death gave him a window of opportunity to to backstab MOTTLEY and return to the helm OF the blp. Fruendel Stuart would easily defeat Owen in any debate any time any where so Commisong tho your wish is noble the BLP will never debate the bright men and women in the DLP.

  13. NationBLPnewspaper Avatar
    NationBLPnewspaper

    @Caswell
    You usually are more thorough than that . Read carefully what was said:
    “After the next election, there is a possibility “.
    Saying that there is a possibility does not mean that it will happen. For example, “there is a possibility” the BLP could tell people exactly where they will find one billion dollars in expenditure cuts to offset what was announced on Saturday night. However, it will not happen before the election because if the people of Barbados hear what the pain that would be coming from these BLP cuts and privatisation before Feb. 21, the BLP would kiss any thought of victory goodbye.
    So “there is a possibility” does not mean ” it will happen”. Understand?

  14. David Avatar
    David

    To clarify, Arthur has publicly stated he will debate if it is done under the direction of the media group in Barbados for example but not CBC.

  15. fromadistance Avatar
    fromadistance

    It seems that both parties are being given the opportunity to answer to the creatives of this island before the elections. The core of creatives may number just over a thousand but when one looks at the word and meaning thereof of ‘creative’ the numbers for election day could be far more. The Culture Development Bill formulated by this government appears to lack in essence and flawed, perhaps one could say even being used at this last hour as a straw to gain some political strength. Unfortunately that straw is not only used but is bent and will bring nothing at the end of the day to the table. That the youth (according to The Minister of Culture on Barbados Today – see http://www.barbadostoday.bb/2013/02/10/youth-plan/) of this country weighed heavily on the decisions made within this Bill is to say the least a stretch. Both sides know the importance of the creative vote but if both sides continue to treat the creatives with the disrespect shown in the past, there will be problems to face even after the elections. The creatives will not allow a Bill to be passed that does not augur well for the people of this country. This Press Release is rippling through the media, electronic or otherwise from the Concerned Creative Citizens Group.

    FROM CONCERNED CITIZENS GROUP – BARBADOS

    ” We of the Concerned Creative Citizens Group, of which there are
    one thousand two hundred and forty eight members, have noticed recently that is has been made public that the much touted Cultural Industries Bill, now renamed the Cultural Industries Development Bill, has been approved by Cabinet and is ready to be passed as soon as possible.

    We would at this point like to make it very clear that there are still many aspects of this bill with much that we are not in agreement with, and that we reject completely the inference that all creatives have been consulted on the contents on this Bill, resulting in an outcome which all parties involved have agreed upon.

    Creatives by nature are NOT politically driven, and as such, we care not which party wins the election as it pertains to the future of culture and the arts in Barbados.

    We stand for what must be a Bill which presents a win win scenario to all involved, and as such, whether the DLP retains the Government, or the BLP is voted back into power, we would like to let both parties know that this is the only way a Bill of this importance should be allowed to be approved of by Cabinet and passed by Parliament…when ALL Creatives have had the opportunity to go over all elements of such an important document, and be involved in meaningful, intelligent dialogue with those in power and with whom such great responsibility lies.

    This is not just for those of us for whom creativity is our profession and only source of income, but this is for the future of those in the creative arts who will follow in the years ahead.”

    This new CIDB bill (which we have been told has been approved by Cabinet recently) may be seen in the ‘Files’ section at the top of the CCCG group page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/Concernedcreativecitizens/

  16. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    I am very thorough and I read and understand fairly well, but I keep saying that it is not about what you mean to convey in what you have written: it is about what has been received by the reader. Your statement tend to suggest that you have resigned yourself to a BLP victory.

    Sent from my iPad

  17. Rosemary Parkinson Avatar
    Rosemary Parkinson

    …food for thought on the way to perhaps convey something positive about creatives and what the Bill will do for them on the political platform…might bring in some deeper interest on a campaign that BU seems to believe is a campaign of nothing so far.

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