“[…] The truth remains that not only are these gentlemen the subject of ongoing court matters in the Florida jurisdiction, but several of their co-conspirators have already served sentences for their crimes related to the Piarco Airport contract…” “[…] To be clear, just because you have run the clock down, …
Read More »Noble: Our Presidential Journey, and lessons from T&T’s history
“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.” Aldous Huxley, English writer. In the present furore about selecting a new president, it appears that we, as a nation, and our leaders have rubbished our history. We …
Read More »Noble: Considering the PDP’s collapse, the PNM Convention’s shuffle, and Volney’s passing
What a week! The events that tumbled over each other added to the exhaustion and frustration of the long road from 2020. Do we, as a country, have a clear path to success? Let us consider a few of the incidents. Firstly, the THA’s Chief Secretary announced that he and …
Read More »Noble: How the cookie (nation) crumbles—Vincent, Vishesh and the cost of T&T’s failing institutions
The presentation and discussion of a national budget usually focus on competing ideas about the future of a country. The process is a statement about the development of the country. In 2020, Branko Milanovic, a reputed US economist, wrote, “the most important role economic policy can play now is to …
Read More »Daly Bread: Buoyed by stale or tarnished Opposition, PNM is relentlessly insulting the public
A regular reader, who messages me occasionally, opened a WhatsApp exchange about last week’s Budget debate in the House of Representatives with the question: “Have you heard the comments targeted at citizens made in Parliament?” She added: “Honestly, whenever I think they can’t get any worse, they do. I do …
Read More »Noble: What empty Budget chatter reveals about T&T’s future and leadership
“Words are the clothes thoughts wear” — Samuel Beckett, Irish writer. The Budget debate and its fallout sent me scurrying to recall Beckett’s writings. He is the author of “Waiting for Godot”—a play the late James Lee Wah introduced to me in the early 70s. The state of play on …
Read More »Daly Bread: Can T&T go on this way—despite fractures with opposition parties?
Having over a long period described the issues confronting us and analysed where they would lead if left unattended, it is deeply painful to see the predicted outcomes dragging us further and further down. So much of what is dangerous and disturbing in Trinidad and Tobago today has its origins …
Read More »Early Bird: Kamla, West Indies, Paul… but why is nobody discussing Qatar World Cup?
Nobody, it seems, is enraptured with World Cup 2022, at least, nobody I know. Nobody at all is sounding really excited about it. Not even Wired868. Do the math. Mere weeks ago, in late July, three months, three weeks, three days, three hours, three minutes and three seconds separated us …
Read More »PNM NWL: UNC’s attack on PM’s wife is repugnant, reprehensible and a new low
“[…] Having failed on more than one occasion to besmirch the good name of the Prime Minister, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has let loose Senator Anil Roberts to attack the good name and reputation of the Honourable Prime Minister’s wife. “[…] Whilst politicians expect to be attacked by their opponents …
Read More »Daly Bread: Dividing the bread; PEA asks right questions on rising prices
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. …
Read More »Noble: Shameless people, a broken nation—and that’s not Reggie Armour’s fault
The ultimate sin today is criticising a group, especially on moral grounds. We live in a nihilistic post-shame era. There are no permanent standards, just the shifting judgment of the crowd. We have a culture of oversensitivity, overreaction and frequent moral panics, during which everybody feels compelled to go along. …
Read More »Gilkes: Slave Mind, Enslaved Mentality—an obscene debate over ‘my coloniser better than your coloniser’
We love to major in minors and yet, in so doing, shine lights on the majors that, the higher up the social ladder you are, the more you choose not to see. I’m talking about what everybody’s talking about. No, not the illegal US-created proxy war in Ukraine; no, not …
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