“[…] The 10 years under the Dr Keith Rowley-led PNM saw a vicious attack on the trade union movement and the working class as that government pursued its neo-liberal policies that result in the rich becoming richer, the middle-income struggle to make ends meet, and the poor not able to …
Read More »Noble: PNM, quo vadis? Anatomy of T&T’s electoral results
“There are two things that are important in politics,” said Mark Hanna, a 19th-century businessman and political kingmaker in Cleveland, Ohio. “The first is money, and I can’t remember what the second one is.” Pete W Moore, the MA Hanna associate professor of politics at Case Western Reserve University in …
Read More »Noble: Trust fund babies chasing the wind—how the PNM still avoids reality
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, …
Read More »Daly Bread: Bouncing divided heads—can T&T prevent itself splitting in two?
The level of divisiveness in our small island nation—about which I gave examples in my recent columns—will undoubtedly compound the difficulty of getting the country as a whole behind the serious fights to survive, which now so starkly face us. It seems to me that, despite the end of the …
Read More »Daly Bread: Are Padarath and Kamla in sync? And what to make of PNM Changemakers?
Since her return from Opposition to the office of prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar (Kamla) has been putting great emphasis on her United National Congress (UNC) Government treating the battered population with empathy. On the occasion of the ceremonial opening of the new Parliament, a little over a week ago, the …
Read More »Daly Bread: Change or exchange? Gov’t must address CJ, SEA, panyard model and economic diversification
Our changes of government frequently receive a verdict of “no change only exchange”. The current apparent dead end in the search for a gas supply to revive certain of our petrochemical industries is illustrative of the peril of governments having no appetite for fundamental reform. Added to all the unimaginative …
Read More »Vaneisa: Governance with empathy—Kamla and ‘Penny’ promise refreshing change
Miriam Castellano, the name by which a prolific social media commentator goes, responded to a column I had written on the distressing impact of global warfare. “Disengage! You sound like an empath. For your own mental health you should train yourself to know when a Time Out is necessary,” she …
Read More »Dear Editor: UNC has opportunity to shift T&T’s political culture—but are they capable?
“[…] The PNM’s defeat was not merely a result of shifting political allegiances but a reflection of deeper dissatisfaction among the electorate… Many citizens felt alienated, as the government operated with an air of ownership rather than stewardship. “[…] The new government, a coalition of interests, has made ambitious promises …
Read More »Dear Editor: Can T&T hinge its gas future on USA’s political whims and fancies?
“[…] All other requirements being considered equal, the Dragon Gas Field is Trinidad and Tobago’s most feasible option. The obstruction is simply Donald Trump and the […] USA’s policy [which] can change at any time according to its whims and fancies. “So, what should an independent, sovereign country do under these …
Read More »Daly Bread: The fix that failed—PNM collapse started with Rowley’s sneaky succession moves
In October last year, almost immediately after a strong intimation in Parliament from then People’s National Movement (PNM) prime minister Dr Keith Rowley that he was having his swansong and would be leaving the Parliament, the PNM tersely announced that: “its 51st Annual Convention, as well as the internal election, …
Read More »PNM names ‘Penny’ as opposition leader; Rowley revokes posts of Imbert and Gadsby-Dolly
The People’s National Movement (PNM) has appointed Arima MP Pennelope Beckles as its opposition leader. Beckles, 64, was endorsed by the PNM’s General Council today after producing writing support of six from the opposition’s 13 MPs: Symon de Nobriga, Marvin Gonzales, Colm Imbert, Kareem Marcelle, Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, and Keith …
Read More »Rowley, Young resign PNM posts; party seeks opposition leader, chair and vice-chair
Former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley vowed to resign as political leader of the People’s National Movement (PNM), just two days after the party’s disastrous showing at the polls. The PNM was routed in the 2025 General Elections under the joint leadership of Rowley and Prime Minister Stuart Young, as …
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