Martin Daly

I begin this week with a thank you to those in the airport who welcomed me home on the Saturday after Easter with the knowing look of having ‘made me out’. That includes the officers on duty commencing with the friendly immigration officer and I specially acknowledge the charming smile …

It is 22 years to the day that my very first column appeared in the Sunday Express newspaper. It has done so every Sunday since, save and except odd days when I let my caring editors know in advance that I will not submit a column on a particular weekend. …

Last week’s column was forced to return to what I assert is the government’s unwillingness to take any responsibility for the prevailing rampant killings, particularly for the easy passage of guns and drugs into our island for well over a decade. If not government agencies, who else is expected to …

For some weeks this column had been focused on the good, the bad and the ugly of Carnival and its component parts. Last week, I returned to commentary on the government charades that are passed off as effective governance—on that occasion, dealing with the haphazard situation in respect of the …

The centrality of the Panorama competition to the steelband movement cannot be doubted.  However, there are some downsides to it receiving paramount attention. In the Newsday, early last week, Mark Lyndersay penetratingly labelled Carnival as “an entrenched competition economy” and summarised the deficiencies of Carnival in its current form as …

How do we get our brilliant steelbands and their significant numbers of youthful players and supporters back on the road on Carnival days? The steelbands are a unifying and healing force and are capable of mitigating the divisiveness and socio-economic exclusivity with which the Carnival band scene is riddled. Carnival …

There is speculation how tomorrow and Tuesday’s Carnival will turn out, as it is taking place amid concern about the price of Carnival participation and the possible deterrent effect of rampant violent crime. At last, there is also intensity of concern about the changing character of the mas’. Social media …

Last Sunday, this year’s Panorama semi-finals brought strong feelings of peace and togetherness to the Queen’s Park Savannah and its environs. The event mirrored the camaraderie of the previous Sunday when the Panorama judges visited seven Port of Spain panyards and the crowds were so big that they could only …

The crowds are as large as ever, the competition as keen and the bond of the band and followers as strong. We already therefore have some confirmation that participation in pan music has not been significantly suppressed by crime. That is a relief. However, the joyful surge of emotion does …

The State funeral of former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday last Tuesday occupied the centre of the first news cycle of 2024. Sadly, it did so jointly with a renewed onslaught of murder and violent crime, which once more made a mockery of the statements of the Prime Minister and the …

A New Year traditionally renews feelings of hope. Realism may dash hope so commentators feel pressured not to write gloomily during the Christmas/New Year season. My first column of last year invited a re-imagining of the possibilities of sustainable co-operation within communities. I had been departing from the subject of …

As previewed last Sunday, Pantopia is a steelband musical inspired by the music of Ray Holman, scheduled for performance in April next year. I describe this week the strong historical context that should impel support for Pantopia. The historical context includes the insertion into the Trinidad Music Festival of competitive …