Wired868 Wired868 for smart sport news and opinion
Another big pappy resigned last week but of course that was in foreign. As with lame duck US President Joe Biden, that big pappy too was pushed from within.
The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who was the leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, had to resign because an investigation found that he had failed promptly to report physical and sexual abuse of boys and young men by a powerful volunteer (now deceased) at holiday camps over a substantial period, after it came to his attention in 2013.
In his resignation letter Welby accepted “personal and institutional responsibility for the long and re-traumatising period between 2013 and 2024”.
Welby probably would not have survived in office had he tried to cling on, but other bishops spoke out strongly and that hastened his departure. A lay commentator wrote that: “it is a deep-seated cultural issue about the privilege in Church”.
Pressure is continuing to force other resignations from the high clergy.
By contrast, as previously mentioned, burial in the political cemetery in Trinidad and Tobago is the fate of many of those who oppose the political leader of their party—even when there are deep-seated political issues in the parties, such as repeated defeats under leadership that clings to office or clandestine preferences for the wishes of financiers over those of the grassroots.
The most recent political burial being prepared is the one for the five United National Congress members of Parliament (the UNC five) connected to the slate of candidates led by Rushton Paray MP.
Those candidates were trounced in the UNC internal elections last June by those on a slate supported by UNC political leader and leader of the Opposition, Kamla Persad-Bissessar (Kamla).
The UNC five were restrained in their criticisms and did not descend into much personal abuse of Kamla. After their defeat they tried to humble themselves. Despite all this, political execution likely awaits them.
Photo: Office of the Parliament 2024
By contrast, in the United Kingdom, Kemi Badenoch, the recent winner of the leadership contest in the opposition Conservative Party, has included her main rival in her shadow cabinet.
In the United States, president-elect Donald Trump, surprisingly given his combative nature, is reportedly intending to appoint a former opponent within the Republican party, Senator Marco Rubio, to be his secretary of state (foreign affairs secretary).
At one time Trump and Rubio had made demeaning personal remarks about each other when competing for the Republican presidential nomination.
Meanwhile, there is continuing reaction to the decision of the General Council of the People’s National Movement (PNM), the party in government, to ratify a decision to cancel the annual convention of the PNM and an internal election scheduled for 17 November 2024.
Despite protestations of unity, there remains a scent of a developing struggle for the office of political leader of the PNM—given the hints of the prime minister and political leader, Dr Keith Rowley, that he might be stepping down.
It seems that there is underlying tension between those in the PNM who are the proteges of the wealthy and those who feel they have been treated with condescension.
It may become a case of town versus ground and the PNM should take note of the recent fate of the hand-picked successor in the US Democratic party, who never had to sharpen up concrete policy positions in the absence of an open internal contest for succession to Biden.
Members of Parliament fear the wrath of their respective political leaders. As a consequence, I have already made the case that those members of the validating elites, not in the murky business of unregulated campaign financing or who are always ready to jump to the PIP (Party In Power), must find the belly to pressure the UNC to refresh its tired act.
Pressure on the governing People’s National Movement (PNM) is also required in order to relieve us of the jokers in their pack and to look for talent beyond the limited abilities of “yes persons”.
Photo: Office of the Parliament 2024
It is interesting to observe how cultures differ in their treatment of the issue of disagreement from within. The pressures on Biden, Welby and other high clergy to depart and the Badenock and Trump reported acts of inclusion are governance examples to be pondered.
Contemporaneously with critical commentaries, the Prime Minister last Sunday attempted certain deflections of the Government’s decision—despite the parlous state of Read more
The next general election at its latest is now one year away. It should be incumbent on the contesting parties Read more
“[…] The Cabinet has adopted the same arguments advanced by trade unionists in support of their claims for hefty increases Read more
“[…] A glaring example of this disconnect is the Government’s approach to wage negotiations. While public servants are offered a Read more
In August this year, I expressed concern that our country might go broke. A month before, commentators had been calling Read more
The autocratic nature of our politics is most memorably captured in the sordid 1962 episode featuring Dr Patrick Solomon, minister Read more
Martin G Daly SC is a prominent attorney-at-law. He is a former Independent Senator and past president of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
He is chairman of the Pat Bishop Foundation and a steelpan music enthusiast.
