Donville Mayers reads the news at Bajan TV

“It is expected that scores of people will line the streets of St. John to get a glimpse of their Queen…”

Man decides to start reading his own Bajan TV News on the internet. And why not? Another voice in the mix and I rather enjoy watching Donville throw in the odd little aside as he covers the stories of the day as he sees them.

We’d like to see him try some on the spot outside reporting and perhaps get into some editing of photos or videos into the presentation but mainly we hope he keeps at it! Barbados needs more citizen journalists because we can’t count on the professionals who are prevented from covering many important news stories.

(Two technical observations for Donville: You need a little more lighting to the front and you need your microphone placed closer or some other solution to get rid of a little echo or hollow sound in the background.)

Click on the photo or the link to watch Donville’s latest news report.

Bajan TV News

Mara Thompson wins David’s seat: Will she keep his Integrity Legislation promise?

Slaughter in St. John:  DLP 4,613 to BLP 553

The Barbados Labour Party’s sacrificial lamb Hudson Griffith worked hard but only managed to gather 10.7% of the 5166 votes cast in yesterday’s by-election. Griffith’s share of the vote was down from the 16% or so the BLP took in the January 2008 vote that saw the late David Thompson declared Prime Minister.

Voter turn out was eerily about the same as 2008 when 5129 voters made it to the polls.

In a normal mid or late term by-election the ruling party usually takes a hit because voters tend to use the occasion to send warnings to the government. That’s in a “usual” by-election but St. John was anything but due to the sympathy factor evoked because the candidate is the widow of a recently departed and personally well-liked Prime Minister.

Duguid’s “Politicians Into Greed” Party (PIG) the real winner

We at Barbados Free Press weren’t the first to observe that, other than personnel and shirt colours, real differences between the DLP and BLP are non-existent. Barbados has long only had one political party – the party of the elites with two branches: DLP and BLP. That’s why former PM David Thompson slammed then Prime Minister Owen Arthur for corruptly depositing “campaign funds” into his personal bank account, but then when Thompson became Prime Minister not one BLP thief was arrested or charged. It reminds us of sharks leaving one another alone out of professional courtesy.

Nothing illustrated this “one party of the elites” better than when serving Member of Parliament Dr. Duguid was caught saying that neither the DLP nor the BLP politicians would pass the Integrity Legislation promised by the DLP during the 2007 campaign.

Dr. Duguid was telling the truth because that Integrity Legislation and Freedom of Information Act disappeared faster than the fat BLP envelopes handed out in St. John yesterday.

Mara’s Choice

As the elected representative for St. John, Mara Thompson now has the opportunity to keep her husband’s promises about Integrity Legislation, FOI and a Ministerial Code of Conduct. The sad reality is that she has about as much chance of doing that as when then newly elected Prime Minister David Thompson informed his first Cabinet meeting that Conflict of Interest rules and a Ministerial Code would be declared that first day as promised. Thompson’s Cabinet rebelled and that was the end of that.

So… great little sideshow in St. John.

Unfortunately it didn’t change a thing.

St. John, meet your new Member of Parliament: Mara Thompson

Mrs. David Thompson declares she’ll speak for St. John in Parliament if voters will have her.

Okay, okay – we have to have an election first – but we don’t think we’ll have to eat gull when we predict that Mara Thompson will win the St. John by-election on January 20th and assume the seat formerly occupied by her passed husband, Prime Minister David Thompson.

As we said a few days ago when we predicted that Mara would run, we don’t see much of a contest because the Barbados Labour Party is still in turmoil. They can’t even find their computer files and website password so we don’t see how they could possibly expect voters to trust them with another Member of Parliament let alone give them the keys to government again. Owen Arthur thinks he’s the BLP leader but 50% of the party members seem to have some doubts about that.

What will Mara’s election change?

Nothing really. She’s a bright person – feisty yet classy – but she’s hardly likely to rock the boat which means the by-election will be an amusing distraction that won’t change anything. Same old, same old ’bout hey.

As a side issue, the “Queen Maker” DLP adviser Hartley Henry fell ill in the USA over Christmas and has now been released from hospital. Hmmmmm…. we wondered where he was because didn’t see him leaving comments under his usual aliases at BFP or BU for the past week. Good to see him up and around and he says he’ll be back in town for the St. John’s campaign.

Which new online alias he’ll use next?  🙂

St. John by-election January 20, 2011 – Will Mara run for David’s seat?

Mara Thompson probably will, but where is Owen Arthur?

Governor General Sir Clifford Husbands dropped the writ today for St. John. Nomination Day will be January 5th and the vote will be January 20th. The Parliamentary seat has been vacant since the death of Prime Minister David Thompson.

A few observations by Clive, assisted by a goodly tot of Bim’s finest dark…

• Will Mara Thompson run? I wouldn’t bet against it.
• If Mara does run, anyone else is fish bait. Even if she doesn’t run, the seat is still safe for the DLP. “BLP sacrificial candidate, please step forward.”
• Where is Owen Arthur? Memories of when the Cricket World Cup turned into one big rotten fish head, “Goin’ wid Owen” looks like the Invisible Man lately.

Poll: Should Mara Thompson run for Barbados Parliament?

“Perhaps I have reached a hope stage of grief, but if there is one issue in Barbados upon which Barbadians agree, it is that Mara should run.  The issue which divides us is whether she should run to, or from the responsibilities associated with replacing her late husband as the parliamentary representative for St John.  One thing is certain, having both father and husband as politicians, Mara is well prepared to count the cost of this pursuit…”

Grenville Phillips II says “Run, Mara, Run!” at his Weighed in the Balance blog.

Run to, or run away?

Our old friend Grenville Phillips II says that Mara Thompson should run, and that she would make an excellent representative of the people.

Grenville’s Weighed in the Balance blog has a poll up, so we’ll know within a day or two what Bajans think about this.

Click on the poll image or the link to vote.