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Showing posts from April, 2015

GRENADIAN WORKERS HAVE VALID REASONS TO 'BOO' CHESTER AGAIN.

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The once militant trade union leader; the protector of the Grenadian labour force has plunged his trades union reputation to the lowest level because of his opportunistic traits and actions. Grenadian workers now have valid reason to “Boo” Chester again if he makes an appearance at the workers rally which is set to take place at progress park in St. Andrew on May 1 st 2015. Chester has betrayed the working class of our nation. At a time when Grenadians are being taxed into poverty by a heartless and reckless government; the once loud mouth trade union czar seems to have lost his tongue or his voice box is clogged. During the labour dispute between The Grenada Breweries and its workers a few years ago, Chester said that he would die for the brewery workers. He lay down in the road in front of the brewery and invited the driver of a truck packed with drinks to run him over. He wanted to enter martyrdon for the workers that he loved. Grenadian should also give Ches

FORMER MINISTER WANTS STADIUM RENAMED IN HONOUR OF KIRANI JAMES

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St. George -- Former Sports Minister, Patrick Simmons, has reiterated a call for the government to consider renaming the refurbished athletics and football stadium to honour Olympic 400 meter champion, Kirani James. In a statement issued by the National Democratic COngress which he represented as a government minister, Simmons said that James deserves this recognition for his performances on the track. James broke a 19 year-old 400m record held by American Michael Johnson at the Drake Relays on Friday in Iowa, United States. He won in a world leading time of 44.22 seconds. "The National Democratic Congress (NDC) would like to congratulate Kirani James on his record-breaking performance at the Drake Relays meet in Des Moines, Iowa on Friday 24th April," according to the statement. "Breaking a record set by the legendary Michael Johnson is no easy feat for any athlete." But Simmons repeated a call for the government to continue to honour James for his g

Disastrous weekend for Project Grenada

The Directors of Project Grenada, Messer’s David, Humphrey and Hamlet Mark all woke up today Monday scratching their heads and licking their wounds after a disastrous weekend. First, their nefarious scheme to oust Adrian Francis as president of the Public Workers Union failed as Dr. Malachi Dottin led Team Unity failed in its bid to deliver the union to the Humphrey inspired plan. The presence of Dr. Winston Thomas in the Team Unity line up caused a red flag to be raised. Public workers will have none of that. Sources close to Team Unity explained that this was a precursor to the elections for President of the Trades Union Council (TUC). The plot was hatched by the ‘Project Grenada” mafia in an effort to get the necessary delegate votes required ensuring the election of Humphrey’s protégé Andre Lewis as President. Lewis had to settle for Vice President as he soundly beaten by Kenny James for the position of President. This is a far cry from when TAWU could decide singlehandedly w

Do our people have reason to be Cynical about politics in Grenada?

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Grenada boasts of high turnout in elections (77% in 2013) however the average Grenadian tends to be cynical of politics and politicians. Politics is supposed to be a debate where the greater good is supposed to be the ultimate aim. However the central prize that emanates from this polemic is power. At stake is the well being of the citizenry who mortgage their well being to a government led by politicians who are supposed to take care of their material needs, philosophical orientation and gatekeeper of the moral and ethical bearings of the society. Our democratic constitution provides legal cover for the exercise of certain rights to include but not limited to freedom of expression, conscience, movement and association. The competitive nature of the mechanics of our democracy is expressed through the organisational reality of our political parties. Forbes Burnham once said that if you have political power you must not allow it to be taken away from you. Therefore those who hold po

The significance of De-bushing in the NNP Polity`

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Senior folks in the Spice Isle will tell you that back in the seventies, de-bushing the roadway were called “traveau” work. I am not versed in patois or French but everyone, young or old, knew what the word meant. The oral history records that “traveau” work was only for the marginalised and senior citizens, many of whom, has long passed their active work life. The “traveau “gang was supervised by a “driver” an acronym reminiscent of slavery. The wages were pitiful and the labourers could hardly make ends meet. Many of these old folks ended up in the Richmond Home (the poor house) or were buried by the state. This sordid past gave way to a new sexy term called a Contract. This was probably initiated by Dr Keith Mitchell when he served as Minister of Communication and Works in the first NNP administration led by Herbert Blaize. De-bushing has grown exponentially in terms of scope and the financial resources that propel this enterprise of entrenched poverty. At best, the average p