Tag Archives: Eric Williams

“[…] In Dr Eric Williams’ Capitalism and Slavery, he used historical analysis of a vast number of sources to put forward his seminal thesis: West Indian sugar fuelled Britain’s industrial revolution, and slavery in the British Empire was abolished not because of humanitarian arguments, benevolence or acknowledging the atrocities of …

“On August 31, 1962, a country will be free, a miniature state will be established, but a society and a nation will not have been formed. “After August 31, 1962, the people of Trinidad and Tobago will face the fiercest test in their history—whether they can invest with flesh and …

In the run-up to our General Elections, I indicated how the world’s events impact our country and how our method of selecting candidates operates. The notion of a rentier economy (one in which a significant portion of income is derived from owning assets like land, natural resources or financial instruments, …

The autocratic nature of our politics is most memorably captured in the sordid 1962 episode featuring Dr Patrick Solomon, minister of Home Affairs in the People’s National Movement (PNM) government—with responsibility for the police service. His stepson was arrested and incarcerated for throwing missiles in a public space. Solomon allegedly …

In the mid-60s, there was a proposal to move people out of what was then called Shanty Town to Morvant. Lord Blakie (1965) summed up the resistance among the people there: How they want them to move/ They say they eh going nowhere/Build big house in Morvant/ But if they …

“I am the sugar at the bottom of the English cup of tea. I am the sweet tooth, the sugar plantations that rotted generations of English children’s teeth. “There are thousands of others beside me that are, you know, the cup of tea itself […] Because they don’t grow it …

“[…] Dr Eric Williams was referring to people who preceded Basdeo Panday that were moving mountains to divide the country in an obscene manner to get the support of the East Indians at home and abroad–all in the quest for political power based on race. “[…] When Panday talks about …

“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.” Aldous Huxley, English writer. In the present furore about selecting a new president, it appears that we, as a nation, and our leaders have rubbished our history. We …

On 30 August 1962, young boys from San Fernando, Rio Claro and Tobago stood shoulder to shoulder with the Tunapuna crew and others from Woodbrook and Ellerslie Park. We were all form one Queen’s Royal College students, present at the Queen’s Park Oval to hear Dr Eric Williams address the …

“[…] What is significant about our [Arima] icons is the fact that in almost every aspect of life the individuals were first in their respective fields.  “[…] I believe it must be incumbent on the Arima Council to lobby for the introduction of the history of Arima to be included …

I woke up one morning a few weeks ago to news that dulled the effulgence of the light that usually comes over a city like Madrid in early June. A message from my brother that Patrick White had died.  “At school when we were all students it seemed normal,” my …

Mark Twain is credited with the saying: “We have the best government that money can buy.”  Locally, we have not been shy about accepting money from unaccountable sources. Our non-existent rules about political campaign rules enable greedy political investors to corrupt our nation and destroy trust.  As Chinua Achebe observed …