View Point

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 …

MENDOZA: I am a brigand. I live by robbing the rich. TANNER: (promptly) I am a gentleman. I live by robbing the poor. Shake hands. George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, 1903. This interplay reveals the nature of men: one is a gangster bent on restoring “social justice,” the other …

“[…] Patrice gave an excellent and emotional performance. From her outfit to her energy to her typically impeccable vocals, Patrice was the CIC fete of CIC fete. “[…] But somebody needs to pull Destra square and say: ‘yo… sing yuh bangers, wine yuh bam bam and get off the stage!’ …

The Junior Panorama took place last Sunday. It is the Carnival event I most enjoy.  This year, my annual attendance was seasoned by an insightful statement from a member of the current government, whose communication is regularly that of deny, deflect and denigrate. The phrase that headlines this column is …

In September 1973, we, as a nation, were blessed with a bonanza from new offshore discoveries and a sharp rise in oil prices triggered by the Yom Kippur War and the new militancy of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). In what was said to be an unguarded moment …

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 …

“[…] This feeling of always being uneducated influenced me when I became prime minister. There were always about 6,000 children thrown on the social dump heap because they failed their Common Entrance exam. “I realised the Common Entrance was not to determine who went to school but who wouldn’t… If …

What is a Crixism? That was the latest campaign for Crix, regional stalwart for a hundred years, according to its manufacturers, Bermudez Biscuit Company. In its first appearance, it was simply called salt biscuits. I remember my paternal grandfather, who squatted on the chair that was part of a beautifully …

“[…] Yes, Basdeo Panday was much kinder to certain individuals and organisations than PNM ever was or will be, but the political and economic status quo remained while he played golf with the elites. “[…] What is the legacy of Panday? The same as those before him. Dr Eric Williams, …

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 …

“When you play the Game of Thrones, you either win or die. There is no middle ground.” Cersei Lannister, Game of Thrones, season one, episode seven. At the annual general meeting (AGM) celebrating Massy’s 100th anniversary, an employee used her shareholding rights to disrupt the commemoration. Two days later, the …