The 2020 election campaigns have presented a kind of sameness or familiarity which is uninspiring. I get that their main objective is to energise their respective bases, but as comedian Sprangalang would say ‘allyuh go keel we’. Given these uninspiring attempts to excite the population, I conclude that both major …
Read More »MFO study: Gov’t lauded for re-opening economy; but Covid initiatives not benefitting businesses
The Trinidad and Tobago government came in for high praise for its phased re-opening of the economy while a large percentage of businesses were aware of initiatives meant to cushion the blow of Covid-19, according to a study by Market Facts and Opinion (MFO) published on 17 July 2020. However, …
Read More »Party time! Live Wire talks to the god of politics—spoiler: it’s not Colm Imbert
(Scene: A sports bar in Tacarigua. It is nearing closing time. Mr Live Wire sips on his rum and coke and considers the current crisis facing the planet and the havoc it has wreaked on the lives of so many innocent people. He shakes his head sadly as he wonders …
Read More »Daly Bread: Is Kamla preparing to be ‘martyred loser’? Did Cabinet ignore Laventille MPs?
My principal but probably vain hope for the general election, to be held on 10 August, is that it will not polarise the country further. Realistically, one cannot hope for more and it is mamaguy to feed us dreams of unity and overcoming while our leaders are likely to engage …
Read More »St Joseph, Moruga/Tableland, Chaguanas East… Rishi considers 2020’s marginal seats
As we go through five weeks of intense political campaigning, in the lead up to the 10 August General Election, expect to hear the word ‘marginal’ used a lot—be it ‘marginal seat’, ‘marginal constituency’ and, the perennial favourite, ‘key marginal’. ‘Marginals’ are a vital part of our electoral landscape, as …
Read More »PNM axes Antoine as D’Abadie/O’Meara candidate; Rowley confirms dismissal over USA insult
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced today the People’s National Movement (PNM) has ‘withdrawn’ retired Brigadier General Ancil Antoine as its candidate for the D’Abadie/O’Meara constituency, due to ‘insensitive and objectionable statements’ made at his campaign launch. Antoine was the sitting Member of Parliament for the area, after winning the …
Read More »Daly Bread: Does minister really think Trinis would face armed police for a few dollars?
The government has called the election for 10 August, plainly in order to have it before the unrest which gripped us last week gets worse and erases the goodwill earned through the management of the Covid-19 pandemic. On Tuesday last, there was widespread unrest in or near several disadvantaged communities. …
Read More »Damn, Darryl! Rowley’s election announcement stumps Smith’s pension plan
So the Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley has dissolved parliament and called for general elections. On 10 August, our nations go to the polls to determine who will govern us for the next five-year period. While the pending election should provoke excitement nationwide, at least one individual may be feeling …
Read More »NWU: Heritage about to bite the dust; how gov’t put T&T’s ‘jewel’ back into foreign hands
“The assets of Heritage are in a bad way… Years of poor maintenance has taken its toll. “[…] The recent rupture of tank no 27 in Point Fortin during pressure testing and the resultant flow into surrounding areas of 600,000 gallons of water and some hydrocarbon residue, causing respiratory problems …
Read More »Rowley: T&T media have interests to protect! PM pushes back on Venezuela narrative
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley launched a scathing attack on the local media today, which he accused of trying to paint him and his government as ‘liars’ with regards to its narrative on the visit of Venezuela vice-president Delcy Rodríguez and her contingent in March. In today’s …
Read More »MSJ: The problem with the Rio Treaty; and how gov’t, opposition and media got Venezuela imbroglio wrong
“[…] Central to this entire issue is the United States’ agenda with respect to Venezuela. If the US had not imposed sanctions on Venezuela there would be nothing for the government to explain about a visit by the vice-president of Venezuela, nothing to explain about the sale of fuel by …
Read More »Noble: Wasting a crisis; Le Hunte wanted Cabinet to invest in our future—and they didn’t listen
“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before,” Rahm Emanuel, (2008). The context for that quote—which is really a riff off one made by Paul Romer, who in …
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