Martin Daly

The Judiciary remains in an unstable state but the Attorney General has stayed in denial and keeps making dangerously short-sighted statements. In its recent decision, the Privy Council expressly reserved its position on whether quorum provisions in legislation outside of the Constitution could save all acts of an improperly constituted …

Our neighbour Venezuela and our own Tobago both remain in the news. The outcomes of their politics and ours will affect our quests for Dragon gas and ‘brands’ hotel rooms respectively. Common sense will have already told readers, even though we must try, how little influence Trinidad and Tobago and …

In July 1995 the Bosnia massacre in the town of Srebrenica, took place. Invading Serbian forces killed 8,000 persons in five days—genocide in what was supposed to be a United Nations safe zone, occupied by UN peacekeeping forces. No outside help went in. An All Stars elder and a valued …

As is well known, Manhattan, New York City—home of Wall Street and some of the most expensive real estate in the world—is an island. The Dutch bought it in 1626 from the First Peoples who were the occupiers at the time. It is uncertain what or how the Dutch paid …

The djouba is a joyful dance of West Africa, said to have been brought by slaves and diffused throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. It also refers to certain musical rhythms executed on the tambour-djouba drum. It is strongly present in the culture of Martinique. Caribbean dance—much, but not all …

The now concluded Christmas/New Year period annually engenders widespread feelings of goodwill and hope for better things. This seasonal feeling is reflected in the greeting ‘all the best’ as we reconnect with family and friends with whom we may not have interacted as regularly or kindly as we should. This …

Some years more than others, the Christmas message of peace on Earth and goodwill to all persons takes on a tone more urgent than the general warmth of the message. This is such a time. There have been over 500 murders for the year, a number of unsolved disappearances, significant …

A significant number of persons, including those who have deluded themselves, have written about the habit of rationalisation. Ayn Rand, the philosopher, wrote: “Rationalisation is a process of not perceiving reality, but of attempting to make reality fit one’s emotions.” It is too early to make an assessment whether Gary Griffith …

This column was one of the first among regular commentaries to identify that Government slackness was embracing criminality, and to make dire predictions about where this would lead. The assertion was met with dismay on the cocktail circuit. A well regarded commentator suggested to me that our governments were ‘mooks’ …

In 50 years of practice, I do not recall ever giving an interview on the courthouse steps about a case in which I had appeared before the court. Public interest in the Thema Williams matter did not permit my usual reticence. It has always been my position that my role …

The future of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is not a hot topic and I will soon return to our mainstream woes, including violent crime, which is still prevailing despite rounds of fat talk. It is necessary nevertheless to leave some record as to why, despite its 13-year existence and …

For six years I served on the Regional Judicial and Legal Service Commission (RJLSC), the regional body responsible for the supervisory management of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The RJLSC has no jurisdiction over the hearing and deciding of cases before the court. Judging is exclusively the court’s business. …