Did The Barbados Media Report Visit Of British Warship To Our Fair Republic?

Maybe we missed it in either the Nation News or the Barbados Advocate, but we can’t recall reading about the visit of the warship HMS Southhampton to Barbados last week. According to the ship’s website, over eighty “local dignitaries” attended an official shipboard reception on May 10th, and our Barbados Defense Force rugby team defeated the ship’s team 3-1. Several members of the ship’s crew also participated in a local Legion project to assist with some charity work at an elderly lady’s home.

Not one word in the media that we saw.

As was the case with the recent visit to Barbados by HRH Prince Edward, the Barbados media now goes to great pains to NOT report any reminders of our historical linkage to the United Kingdom.

Except slavery, of course. Slavery is the one exception to the “No reporting about British connections” rule.

The Barbados media happily reports such events as a lady who received a new waterjug from an MP, or how students felt about their 11+ exams, but God forbid that they should report which “local dignitaries” sipped British gin and tonic while representing Barbados on board a visiting British warship. God forbid that Barbados papers should report that British sailors helped out a senior citizen with house repairs.

They hate the British so much that they wouldn’t even report that our BDF rugby team trounced them fair and square.

Just what is the agenda here, folks?

Are Barbados political elites so insecure that they don’t want to acknowledge our historical connections to Britain? Or does the Queen stand in the way of those who would make Barbados into a real sugar republic?

Maybe we’re all wrong here. Maybe the media gave full coverage to the visit or did up some human interest stories that we missed.

Let us know and we’ll set the record straight, but for now we speculate that stories of visiting royalty or British warships just don’t fit in with the agenda of making Barbados a republic.

Republic.

How I fear that word. You think that Barbados has been raped now? Give Arthur and Mia their republic and see what will happen then!

Nigerian Islamic Justice For A Thief – Barbados Wants To Get Closer To This Government?

The initiative of the Barbados Government to bring closer ties with Nigeria through the Commission for Pan African affairs and its government appointed pot-smoking Director, Ikael Tafari, has to stand as one of the most idiotic projects undertaken by Prime Minister Owen Arthur and his gang.

Is there something we are supposed to learn from Nigeria, Mr. Prime Minister?

Owen Arthur, Mia Mottley and especially Ministers Gline Clarke and Noel Lynch had better hope we never institute barbaric Islamic Sharia law here in Barbados!

BBC News: Sharia stoning for Nigerian man

What Happened To The Money From Hotel and Resorts Ltd’s Assets Sale? How Much Went Into David Shorey’s Pocket?

UPDATE: February 24, 2009

With all the current interest in the GEMS Hotels scandal, we thought this BFP article from 2007 might be interesting. Don’t forget to read our most recent article on GEMS too!

Barbados Government GEMS Hotels folly continues. Where did all our money go? Three remaining GEMS hotels valued at only $74 million!

Original article published May 17, 2007…

What became of the sale proceeds of Eastry House and Silver Rock Hotel?

Has the Hotels and Resorts Ltd loan from Caribbean Commercial bank been repaid?

On July 12, 2003, the Nation News published… Elbow room: Eastry sale would free up funds.

‘The sale of Eastry House could lead to the provision of 130 more hotel rooms for Barbados. According to David Shorey, chairman of Hotels and Resorts Limited (HRL), that’s the strategy behind the proposed sale of the sprawling St Peter property for BDS$11 million’.

Anonymous Letter Sent To Many People – Raises Questions About The Air India & Destiny Cricket Charters

Adrian Loveridge tells us that David Thompson, MP, Richard Sealy MP, Denis Kellman MP, Austin Husbands, and journalist David Ellis are co-recipients of an anonymous letter that recently arrived at Adrian’s office.

Here is Adrian’s story…

I today, received via mail an unsigned letter raising a number of concerns regarding primarily, the Barbados Tourism Authority and their spending in relation to the recent hosting of the CWC.

Among the questions were:

1) What was the expense to the taxpayers of Barbados for this charter out of India?
2) What was the role of the Director of Cruise Tourism that requested her to travel to India three times?
3) How many passengers eventually travelled to Barbados, and took cabins on the (Carnival) Destiny?
4) How many ICC tickets were purchased by the BTA to give away and at what cost?
5) How many certified travel agents and certified journalists from India did the BTA pay to travel to Barbados?
6) To sum it up, how many people in all did the BTA pay for?

The three page letter goes on to make a number of serious allegations and I sincerely hope the writer will send the full text to Barbados Free Press, even if it is sent anonymously to allow the Chairman of the Barbados Tourism Authority to respond.

According to the letter a copy was also sent to the following people: David Thompson, MP, Richard Sealy MP, Denis Kellman MP, Austin Husbands, David Ellis and myself.

Adrian Loveridge