Wednesday, February 2, 2011

I laughed, but it really isn't funny

Between the local budget debate, quasi-protests in Kingstown and the real thing in Egypt, and the strange weather patterns (April winds with January chill and summer rains), I had several moments this week that caused me to either to chuckle under my breath, collapse into giggles or just burst out in laughter...but my humourous reaction was founded in my disbelief that statements and actions were pursued by certain individuals and organisations rather the true existence of mirth.

I had the opportunity to look at part of the Budget Debate on television and was utterly amused by the battle between Anesia and the Speaker of the House - evident was the fact that both of these persons have had truly different experiences when it comes to opposition hence the varied reaction to such. Anesia remained resilient despite her obvious disappointment but the Speaker was flustered and bordered on a stutter when faced with an unexpected point.
I could not believe it when Dr. Slater stood and objected to Anesia's use of a flip chart. I did wonder why she did not have an easel and in ignorance sighed at what seemed to be her adaptation of NDP unpreparedness. But when the Speaker agreed with Slater and 'ruled' on the basis of the most trivial reasoning I have ever heard (granted I don't listen very often), in that the use of the flip chart was cumbersome and inappropriate but could not state WHY they were so. I assumed that it was because did not have the easel.
But this was the source of my laughter, Anesia called out the Speaker and reminded him as to the fact that she did request to use an easel and he told her that he thought it would not have been appropriate to do so.
SERIOUSNESS: this is simply irrational, how does the use of a flip chart become cumbersome and Anesia said it well "I am the one holding it up". I could have understood if it was said that the figures could have been altered or that the information was not seen by the House before her presentation but no, it was just inappropriate. Let us get this straight, this is the man that has to determine on the quality and content of Parliamentary presentations yet he does not grasp the import of having the visual element in a presentation - what the hell he did before he became Speaker? Has he ever presented? Granted most of us have graduated from chalkboards and flip charts to Power Point presentations and some to the sexy touch screen monitors but OMG inappropriate?

I AM THE MINISTER OF TOURISM - Saboto was on an ego-driven rampage and I think it is a bit too early in the game for that heroin trip. Dude you won your first election, your party won its third...you got some catching up to do. The tarzan-style chest thumping that I am an elected Member of the House was way over done and possibly could have been an attempt to resuscitate his heart that may have paused at the points of Anesia. His challenge to Anesia was surprisingly unschooled and clearly he still has not looked at his portfolio yet - and Dr. Friday jumped all the way down his throat on that one only to be followed by yet another nonsensical ruling by the Speaker , where he attempted to rationalise the statement by Saboto without asking Saboto for clarification. Huh, the moderator picking sides - oh wait SVG we are talking about.
SERIOUSNESS -
The Tourism Authority, while having Boy Beache as its CEO, is still a separate entity and he cannot just ring up a PS for a voucher or a budget shift - as far as I know, it takes a Cabinet decision to dip into the funds of a statutory corporation but why explain all of that - he knows he will get the money. And regardless to the obvious despise with which the ULP holds Anesia, her work was not something that could ever be challenged - Boy Beache himself admitted that she was an exemplary Communications Officer but that counts for naught.
And not to forget the fact that he is a mini-me - Small Papa, especially since Camillo probably not giving up dual citizenship to run (plus with the new baby) and Luke has not entered the House as yet - so he is the current future-face of the ULP.

Anesia again (she proved to be entertaining) challenged the rationale for the increase in public assistance in light of the fact that ULP claims to have improved the job culture, education and skills training of the populace (see my last blog). Mini-me jumped up (since Long Term Papa was absent dealing with issues of 'national concern') declaring the categories of persons that we all know genuinely need assistance - foster parents, the aged etc. But this was the fart part - Saboto asked what I guess he believed was a rhetorical question but it was really retarded "Do you expect my great-grandmother who is 102 or 103 to go and find a wuk?" First of all, is his great-grandmother alive still? And even if she is and she is over 100, at least try to remember the specific age, it is a milestone the last I checked.
SERIOUSNESS: Why was Frederick Stephenson left nibbling his mustache while Saboto, Minister of Tourism, defended the policy decision/campaign promise of a different Ministry (guess who else does that). And no you idiot, no one expects your great grandmother of undetermined age to work - we expect great grandchildren with fat pockets to take care of them and remove the need to have them on the list of state dependents.

Ralph declared on Friday that he was not brought to office by a Road-Block revolution AND AND AND by the way, this was a concept 'popularized by the NDP' - another huh moment - I really thought I heard wrong - this is the man that played hopscotch between public issues and protests between 1999-2000 - the man that nearly made me and several other hundred students miss my CXC exams by encouraging people to block traffic. This is Chavez's and Castro's biggest (pun intended) cheerleader - I believe he once said that he saw himself as duty bound to continue the work of Maurice Bishop - I was grunting with disbelief by this time. And today he declares in a press conference on LIAT issues, that his middle name is protest - Ahhhhmmmm, really - does he decide when to tap into his Comrade personality?

Did anyone hear the 10 minute debate between Francis and Cummings about water? If you didn't, sorry it was a moment for the present.

Loved, absolutely loved the tactical slashing of the NDP campaign by Francis - it was strategy at its best, although its place in a budget debate falls into a grey area (but guess who is Speaker of the House) - it must have been disconcerting for the NDP to sit there and listen to a list of all the mistakes that they made and essentially a mini lesson on "what not to do if you want to win a general election" - hehehehehe - like ULP or not, this was one for the books.

Vybez Kartel and the bleaching - does the idiot realise that bleaching actually strips the pigment from your skin, with the possible result of damaging the largest organ on your body and therefore becoming "blacker" than he was?

2 comments:

  1. Great, great post. I was hoping someone would do a breakdown of the budget. Sounds like anesia was the star of the show!
    I saw that the US parliament is grappling with whether to allow PowerPoint and blackberries, so we're in good company, lol. Although they do allow easels and props...
    With saboto's growing ego, plus leacock and Ralph, we may need a bigger parliament building...
    Don't get me started on Kartel. I have a conflicted relationship with the guy...

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  2. It's not funny at all. Sickeningly farcical.

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