Martin Daly

As propounded last week and applying the words of the late Oxford legal philosopher, HLA Hart, whom I have frequently quoted, Trinidad and Tobago is now firmly in a situation in which “the laws of the land have legal validity but cease to be effective, leading to a breakdown in …

No, no Mr Jacob, Acting Commissioner of Police, you cannot expect us to be patient and bear with the police in tackling crime. During the 20 years of these weekly columns, violent crime—particularly murder and the impunity with which it is committed—has been a high profile subject. As long ago …

The prominent sold out fetes this June provided precursor vibes of the 2023 Carnival season as fete goers celebrated “we outside again”. The coming season was loudly announced by the Tribe band launch in July, which drew large crowds behind music trucks on Ariapita Avenue. Other promoters remained at event …

Not surprisingly the fiery protests against our rulers’ disdainful treatment of many disadvantaged communities are continuing. Here is a comment with its background described below, which may match the perception of many of us who are sincerely troubled about the direction in which decades of “unresponsible” governance is taking us: …

The Prime Minister has previously made casual references to violent crime being a public health issue. However, on Monday last, he stated that his “Government’s intention was to develop a national plan of action that would be driven by a public health approach [which] would involve the defining of the …

Before examining the context of our fiery protests, let us first turn to some events abroad that are relevant to the use and abuse of power. “For now, each party’s biggest strength is the weakness of the opponent.” Does this statement resonate? It is in fact a conclusion drawn last …

Public trust and confidence in the capacity of our country’s institutions and high offices to make full disclosure and to observe due process of law has again been shaken. Compromising due process is a potential catalyst for wider social unrest because of the way in which the authorities manipulate the …

The earthy language of Phillip Alexander may make his commentaries unattractive to some people. It is useful however that he repeatedly sticks it to the establishment, revealing a far better understanding of socio-economic reality than many of our rulers—even though he might not get many votes at the ballot box. …

All of last week there was intense focus on whether, in the words of one editorial writer, the Attorney General “told an untruth in a sworn affidavit in the Miami court”. All three daily newspapers in the course of the week contained editorials severely critical of the Attorney General (the …

In July 2021, I wrote: ‘There is now an urgency also to get real about ourselves in light of the nasty, and now what seems a dangerous and emotionally unbalanced feuding between the Government and the Opposition.   ‘The country has descended almost exclusively into the practice of the poisonous …

Like the rest of the world, much of Trinidad and Tobago has been holding its breath waiting to resume social interaction—unrestricted by Covid-19 and the public health regulations piled upon us. The North Coast Jazz event at Blanchisseuse this weekend, which culminates in a J’Ouvert, will no doubt openly reveal …

As previously indicated, I was not impressed with the professed heartbreak of the pathetic Minister of Gender and Child Affairs Ayanna Webster-Roy. The cruel treatment of children in State- funded homes, exposed by the recent Judith Jones report, has been going on under the nose of the Minister and of …