On Sunday, when I checked in at the Oval on Facebook. there was a solitary comment on my post. “You have more patience than Job!” it read. And I thought to myself it is hardly about patience. There is a secret, though, to watching West Indies cricket. To paraphrase Dr …
Read More »Who will lead WI away from the abyss? Vidale urges fans to rally for the team we deserve
“It is bad captaincy that is causing us to be scrambled, everybody is whispering and shrugging shoulders. ... In this campaign I shall spare nobody… I hereby give notice; I shall not let this question rest until it is corrected… This fooling with the West Indies captaincy has gone on too …
Read More »I’m no feminist, Mr PM, but wrong is wrong! Akins Vidale bats for embattled women
I remember a family friend saying to me, when I first expressed my interest in electoral politics, that I should follow one important rule: “A closed mouth gathers no feet.” There was no confusion about what this meant as there is no shortage of examples of our politicians tripping over …
Read More »Scary Shamfa! Ex-FITUN official Akins Vidale on the iron fist inside the TDC glove
I can still remember the accolades coming in from many quarters for the impressive PNM candidate for Tobago West in the 2015 General Election. I refer, of course, to Shamfa Cudjoe. It took one short month in office for the newly appointed Minister of Tourism to declare to the Parliament …
Read More »Budget analysis: Online tax fiasco, ageing population, diversification dilemma and more
Two Tuesdays ago at a meeting in Mt D’or, Minister of Finance Colm Imbert boasted that there were only two people who knew the contents of the budget, the Prime Minister and himself. The subsequent applause for this revelation is symptomatic of the nature of our state. We are accepting …
Read More »Closing GATE on opportunity: The problem with the PNM’s education reform
In my previous pieces, I often referred to George Orwell’s 1984. Indeed in this country maintaining sanity is a Sisyphean task. Your concept of reality is questioned on a daily basis. Just when you think you have your wits about you, your grasp on reality is challenged and you spend …
Read More »The CPL and the West Indies Resurgence: What Franchises Can Do for Us
The 2016 CPL T20 started at the end of June and no doubt, no matter who wins, the tournament will be heralded as a success. The recent success of the West Indies in the shorter format of the game has contributed in no small way to the tournament’s growth and …
Read More »The Politics of Labour: why Governments fear Trade Unions
I want to start by quoting some comments on the impact of wage increases on the economy. High wages wrenched by the trade union movement, led to capital intensive investment since investors preferred to use more machinery rather than pay the high cost of labour High wages were jacking up …
Read More »No Biggie: Why we shouldn’t be too quick to celebrate Marlene’s dismissal
I must give credit to my colleague Earl Best for the title of this piece given that, on this rare occasion, he was faster out of the blocks than I was. The news late last night was that Housing Minister Marlene McDonald had been fired. Don’t pop that champagne just …
Read More »An Open Letter to Earl Best: Vidale’s view on T&T’s political stage
Although I am not the architect of this design and did not create our plantation, I have none the less been waiting for you. You have posed many questions. Although the last six months has altered your consciousness, you remain irrevocably Trinbagonian. Ergo, some of my answers you will understand, …
Read More »Chickens coming home to roost: Millette’s murder must be a tipping point
In 1963, Malcolm X referred to the assassination of President John F Kennedy as a case of “chickens coming home to roost.” He had made this statement in response to a question after a speech delivered in December of the same year. He was suggesting that the failure of the …
Read More »Shoot, don’t talk: Vidale bemoans the low level of Parliamentary banter
Though I am not a big fan of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, I have to admit that there are pockets of dialogue which I have never forgotten. One such scene goes as follows: Elizabeth: Captain Barbossa, I am here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Royal. …
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