Warner and the Third Force suffer their Cosby moments

What do Bill Cosby, Jack Warner and the Third Force Movement have in common?

All three were hilarious in their own way—certainly, if you enjoy ironic comedy—but, mostly, you would have to be high on something to take any of them seriously.

Photo: Didn't get it madam? Clearly you picked your dates wisely.
Photo: Didn’t get it madam? Clearly you picked your dates wisely.

And, whether they like it or not, the curtain is falling on their careers.

Today, the Third Force Movement (TFM), or COP-lite, waved the white flag, just nine days after announcing their presence and eight and a half days since they lost all credibility.

On their unveiling, TFM chairman Timothy Hamel Smith announced one of their key founding principles lay in party and campaign financing legislation and then promptly refused to say who financed them.

That is, of course, overlooking the racist, uncouth, narcissistic elephant in the room that was P*****p Alexander.

The TFM, according to Hamel Smith, drew “large crowds of enthusiastic supporters” in its brief existence. But he was probably just referring to P*****p’s multiple personalities.

Cosby’s demise was much longer in the making.

We know now that the darling statesman of network comedy was actually the Lance Armstrong of “date rape”—alarmingly consistent and prolific for years but heavily reliant on doping.

Photo: Hey... This isn't funny!
Photo: Hey… This isn’t funny!

So why else did Cosby’s friends and pharmacists—or, to be more precise, “enablers”—think a married man was buying industrial quantities of a date rape drug?

The naked, ugly truth is often in plain sight, winking at us. We are just too repulsed to look.

And that brings us to the third joker, Jack Warner.

Yesterday, Warner continued his “Karma for Kamla” tour at the Normandie Hotel which was billed as an exclusive revelation into the Section 34 scandal, which once brought thousands of Trinbagonians on to the streets in protest.

The Trinidad Express placed Warner’s story somewhere between three Trinidadian climbers changing their summit schedule on a Western European mountain and an18 month jail term for a mason who stole his then girlfriend’s phone to see if she was unfaithful.

Is Warner’s relationship with the media also in free-fall?

Well, during the press conference, the ILP boss and ex-FIFA vice-president chided reporters for attaching the prefixes “embattled” and “corruption-accused” to his name.

Photo: Chaguanas West MP and ex-FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.
Photo: Chaguanas West MP and ex-FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.

The Express’ story began: “Corruption-accused Jack Warner said…”

The Trinidad Guardian opened with: “Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has struck down embattled ILP leader Jack Warner…”

Warner once made Heads of States genuflect for World Cup hosting opportunities, politicians bend over for campaign financing, media houses fight for television rights and journalists kneel for free flights. Now, he cannot even get on the front page with the words “Kamla Persad-Bissessar”, “scandal” and “Section 34” in the same sentence.

To be treated with such scant courtesy by reporters now must feel like being mauled by domesticated pussycats.

Warner’s actual exposé was that the People’s Partnership was forced to repeal the Section 34 bill which was designed to help its financiers.

The Prime Minister described the claim as ludicrous and far-fetched. Rowley said he was shocked and the assertions were worse than he imagined possible.

For everyone else, it was as earth shattering as saying that guava jam and peanut butter tastes delicious when pressed together on separate slices of bread.

In truth, the notion that Warner’s utterances could be a game changer in the upcoming elections was always an insult to the intelligence of informed, educated voters. And it offered too much credit to the rabid supporters.

Photo: Ex-FIFA vice-president Jack Warner (left) and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar share a light moment during the 2010 FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago. Warner served as Works Minister and National Security Minister for the People's Partnership Government before his resignation in 2013. (Courtesy FIFA.com)
Photo: Ex-FIFA vice-president Jack Warner (left) and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar share a light moment during the 2010 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago.
Warner served as Works Minister and National Security Minister for the People’s Partnership Government before his resignation in 2013.
(Courtesy FIFA.com)

As always, the elections will be an equation between how many fanatics each party can hold on to while simultaneously wooing the more nuanced voters.

Are my interests and the country’s better served by Keithos or Kamla?

Nothing else counts.

The Third Farce never really mattered; Trinidadians, after all, are generally disinterested in recycling. While Warner probably struck his mightiest blow at the PP’s swearing-in ceremony.

And why is Bill relevant?

Well, if we are burying washed up jokers…

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18 comments

  1. Can’t understand why the PP government was excluded in this line-up. They sure as hell fit the profile………a bunch of jokers on their way out.

  2. They can’t manage themselves, how can they run a country

  3. Would someone tell me if clico bailout money was going to be used to finance the TFM and if Peter Permel wasn’t invited to the “party?” Party done, hoooy, party, party, party done.

  4. You almost had me on the ground rolling

  5. While others skirt the truth, Mr Live Wire jumps right in.

  6. Sweet… and on the money! I could not believe they included P.E.A on their executive board. TFM had to have been desperate to line up with P.E.A… A man who has a problem being challenged but this was good though, especially this part, “That is, of course, overlooking the racist, uncouth, narcissistic elephant in the room that was P*****p Alexander.
    The TFM, according to Hamel Smith, drew “large crowds of enthusiastic supporters” in its brief existence. But he was probably just referring to P*****p’s multiple personalities.”

  7. The Third Force Movement or COP-lite…. wtf man, better than that… lol

  8. Mel Lissa… i weak.I laugh so much I literally cried. Still laughing. I not moving until after the 7th. No place like here.

  9. Yup Sara..meh nah leaving
    T&T politics sweet too bad

  10. “Today, the Third Force Movement (TFM), or COP-lite, waved the white flag, just nine days after announcing their presence and eight and a half days since they lost all credibility” . You gotta love this place called T&T yes!

  11. LL, splendid stuff once more but I take issue with one affirmation: “Are my interests and the country’s better served by Keithos or Kamla?
    Nothing else counts.” I thought we were scheduled to vote for a parliament, (Keithos’ and Kamla’s PEOPLE), not for an executive president (Keithos and Kamla). But I see you have swallowed the UNC offering hook, line and sinker.We live and learn, I am reminded…

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