Today the BU household had fun as we tried valiantly to explain the probability theory of correlation to a sibling…ouch! The Harrison College and Queen College Alumni who grace BU with their presence would no doubt have had a field day if they were able to transform to a fly on the greenheart. It was fun and the experience afforded some of us to jump-start areas of the ‘Grey matter’ which had shriveling from non use.
After what was a rewarding experience it triggered an observation by the matriarch of the BU household.
Leading up to the last general election John Public used the call in programs to speculate on the many issue, and they were many. The moderators certainly were challenged as they struggled to appear balanced in their on-air views. Some of the moderators seem to revel in the moment while others appeared to be out of their depth. Some we even noticed disappeared from the call-in shows in the final lead up to the election.
The observation which the BU matriarch made and which surprised us was the following:
- Minister Maxine McClean was a former moderator
- Dr. Don Marshall is Chairman of the Sanitation Service Authority is/was a moderator
- Dr. Akentoolove Corbin is Deputy Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is/was a moderator
- Tony Marshall is rumoured to be in line for an ambassadorial call up. What is fact is that he currently sits on CLICO Board of Directors which is chaired by Leroy Parris (close friend and confidant of Prime Minister David Thompson). In any event he is known to be aligned to the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).
We can debate whether the moderators named collectively had any influence in shaping public opinion. Some of the BU household were of the opinion that the Democratic Labour Party may have trumped the Barbados Labour Party by having DLP sympathizers strategically positioned on the most popular radio spots. Whether by accident or design it would not have caused any harm to the DLP.
Interesting…, amazing how the mind of a female works!
21 responses so far ↓
The scout // June 22, 2008 at 10:16 PM
I was thinking the same thing too. I think it was by design. Some moderators though were very bias in their comments; maybe it was DLP’s politics of inclusion. If so, it worked. Where in all this would we place Rev Massiah?
Georgie Porgie // June 22, 2008 at 10:41 PM
INTERESTING ANALYSIS BU
Paradox // June 22, 2008 at 11:18 PM
It is not that often I listen to the call-in-programme.Those times I’ve listened, I can only recall one mentioned name above as a moderator.
Most of the time I find the programme a ‘turn-off’.
More and more people are avoiding the local ‘media’ and turning to the International media.
Barbados needs true journalists, to report the facts. I am sorry this is lacking in both print and news media in Barbados.
Bias reporting can be said for the International media too, but when it is observed, that journalist makes news himself. In Barbados, I am not so sure.
Bimbro // June 23, 2008 at 3:13 AM
Some of the moderators seem to revel in the moment while others appeared to be out of their depth. Some we even noticed disappeared from the call-in shows in the final lead up to the election.
****************
The ‘moderators’ exhibit the features of most aspects of Barbadian life, i.e. one of incompetence and or irresponsibleness. Nothing about their behaviour has surprised me! :)
Bimbro // June 23, 2008 at 3:22 AM
Dave, I don’t have much time for probability-theory but I’m reluctantly, prepared to conjecture that I won’t make it to becoming primeminister of Barbados! Not because I have n’t the talent for the position but because Barbadians don’t like to hear de trufe!! :)
me // June 23, 2008 at 3:56 AM
Peter Wickham although claiming to be a politcal scientist funtioned more as a DLP pollster ( in the american vernacular).
Ian Bourne // June 23, 2008 at 6:10 AM
I have no recollection of Don Marshall as a Moderator? However -
Well Ian if the Don Marshall referred to in the article is the lecturer at the UWI then he is/was a moderator.
David
David // June 23, 2008 at 6:56 AM
me we are not prepared to touch Peter Wickham with our brush…yet. We do agree however that many of his public comments may have been interpreted as pro-DLP. The difficulty is whether is comments contributed to shaping public opinion or whether the data from his research stood on its own as representing public opinion.
The People's Democratic Congress // June 23, 2008 at 7:16 AM
We have said it already and we will keep saying on here and in other fora that this time is RIGHT TIME – now at this juncture – for us – voters – in this country TO STOP electing BLP and DLP Governments of this country, and to seriously help the PDC, and by extension the body politic, move forward towards achievement of the objective of having Coalitional Government for this country, whereby parties, non-party political groups and independent non-party political figures will vie for a number of pre-determined positions for competing parties, competing non-party political groups and contestng independent non-party figures, within the Cabinet of the country and whereby as a result of their being selected on the basis of the “will of the voters” it will be seen that they will eventually constitute the entire Cabinet of the country.
However, to become selected to such worthy Cabinet positions, shall, et al, before involve a fundamental change – and for the better – in the electoral system of the country, from the first past the post electoral system to a proportional representational one, and shall by extension mean that the Cabinet of Barbados and the political constitutional development of the country will move onto a very historic stage, whereby the Cabinet of Barbados shall for the first time become duly and rightly elected by the Voters in the country – quite an expression of a truly sovereign people of a country like Barbados- and thus, no longer being so-called appointed by the sinecurial Queen of the United Kingdom.
In the first instance of that proposition, the President and the Vice-President of such a Cabinet, and by extension of Barbados, shall become elected by the newly elected victorious members of this Cabinet, and in the second and later instance, such a President and a Vice-President – whether chosen by the voters from the party, the non-party political or from the independent non-partisan categories – shall become elected on a simple majority basis by the said voters across the country.
Very importantly, two essential things about this form of Coalitional Government for Barbados will be:
1) that it will – in the context of the first past the post electoral system being replaced by the relevant proportional representational system -allow voters in Barbados to democratically select from a wider pool of – perhaps – better generic talents, skills sets, and attitudes among competing candidates, when contrasted with what we see emerge now – and which shall be a vast improvement away from voters in Barbados historically having to select from an unreasonably narrow, low and limited number of electoral political offerings mainly coming from the two old, archaic and progressively and intellectually BANKRUPT parties BLP and DLP; and,
2) that there will be some specific secretarial (formerly ministerial) portfolios, with each of them assigned by a new constitutional order to the party, non-party political and independent non-partisan categories. For instance, the Secretary of Finance shall go to one of the victorious independent non-partisan figures (those victorious members comprising this segment of the Cabinet shall agree as to who the person will be that will perform this role), and the Division of Attorney General will go to the agreed person from the non-party political grouping, and the Division of Education will go to the agreed person from the party category. Also, the President (or in the case of the Vice-President deputizing for the President ) shall NOT have the POWER and AUTHORITY to appoint or disappoint anybody from the Cabinet, only to assign/reassign members to or disassign members from those other areas or Divisions of the Cabinet of government that the new constitution of Barbados will NOT expressly provide for at that juncture.
For further details on an Elected Coalitional Cabinet for Barbados and on the creation of a system of Cabinet adjuncts (assistants) for our country, see our Pre-election Manifesto 2006 @ http://www.somassfreedem.org.
Finally, we believe that persons like Dr. Don Marshall, Mr. Akentoolove Corbin, Mr. Tony Marshall, Mr. Clyde Mascoll, Mr. Hamilton Lashley (and once upon a time too Mr. David Commissiong ) – who would appear to be so independently non-partisan in many of their public utterances and statements – would NOT now in the same breadth appear to be so partisan still, given that some persons in Barbados are of the view that they (obviously minus Mr. Commissiong now) are still too closely connected in whatever ways with these increasingly failed DLP/BLP political organizations. For, these persons and others like them would ever be among the prime beneficiaries of this kind of people’s centered progressive system of Government that is to be put in place by PDC, and which, let us say, PDC were at the helm of the government today, would clearly be being implemented all like now. For, any political system like Barbados that allows for claims by some of its constituent elements to be made as to how substantial it is “politically developing” – which is a myth – must logically therefore provide for a mechanism whereby many citizens of Barbados who really do not wish to be part of the party or group political culture of a country, can yet properly avoid doing so but at the same time can better still in their own rights make significant contributions to the further development of this country, without having to go into the very cannibalistic and viteraputive natures of these party cultures.
Indeed, we must act NOW MORE AND MORE to save our country from becoming worse off as a result of the backwardisms of the party, as that primarily this country belong to we AND NOT any damn party!!!
PDC
Bimbro // June 23, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Dave, does ignoring me confirm my comments, then?
ROBOT // June 23, 2008 at 12:49 PM
I am surprised at Dr. Don Marshall
and Maxine McClean
Both of them had indicated that they were non partisan and I believe them.
Oh it seems that I was fooled even though I would give them the benefit of the doubt and probably assumed that they were recruited within recent times
Negroman // June 23, 2008 at 2:09 PM
I do not think it was a coincidence that the moderators mentioned are aligned with the ruling DLP Government.They were stategically placed.
Interestingly other ethnic groups are strategically putting themselves in key postions in Barbados today.Analyse many of the Boards and and you will see people of other ethnic origins are in ome key positions I do not think it coincidence.
My fellow bloggers observe.
JC // June 23, 2008 at 3:11 PM
To answer your question scout, he is the only true dem that has had the guts to tell the DLP that as usual they are not checking for their own.
A little birdie told me that the BLP stalwart George Brathwaite gone way to do some studying and guess who sent him. ‘yours truly’ the present government (correct me if I am wrong).
I know for a fact that a lot of people who getting through are not DLP people but BLP! The higher the monkey climbs the more he shows his tail. Well well well, looka my party that i woulda eat ya raw for!.
Justice // June 23, 2008 at 6:52 PM
Have you people heard Colin Spencer’s latest?
Asiba-The Buffalo Soldier-still 2 much FAT on the road // June 23, 2008 at 7:05 PM
No Justice
I have not heard Colin Spencer’s latest
Tell me about it or tell me where I can hear it online before I go to the tent on Thursday night at Tims on the highway.-
I performed with Colin in House of Soca so I am interested in his repertoire
Justice // June 23, 2008 at 7:23 PM
Don’t think that it is online , ATBS-S2mfotr, but he is telling the Dems that they need to get rid of some B’s still in state positions….and he is calling names!
Tony Hall // June 24, 2008 at 9:26 AM
Tell me who in Barbados is not partisan. They might try to hide it but human nature dictates otherwise.
JC // June 24, 2008 at 1:49 PM
I have heard C. Spencer and it TIGHT! That is the truth. Check for your own. that is why I am so strongly opposed to this illegal immigrant problem. We put them there. check for your own.
George 'the BLP stalwart' // June 27, 2008 at 9:23 PM
Birdies tell lies or sing different tunes depending on the time of day, season, or even climatic conditions. Your birdie may ot be so reliable!
JC // June 29, 2008 at 7:24 PM
Your still alive! hmmmmm
George 'the BLP stalwart' // June 29, 2008 at 9:15 PM
Indeed, JC. I am well aware of the value that says ‘a birdie in the hand is worth 2 in the bush’. Enough said, since your birdie was so very unreliable.