So despite a last-minute cancellation verging on a dictatorial tactic, the Barbados Labour Party took the victimisation and capitalised on it to boost numbers. A check with Police sources indicate attendance that night at Heroes Square from as low as 8,000 or at a peak of 10,000 people! A true meeting, this session drew not just Bees and their supporters but Dems and neutrals – it was a chance to lay out a coup de grace strategy if chosen over the current Freundel Stuart regime…
Instead the public was treated to much of what it has heard since the January 2010 By-Election, with a few exceptions which are listed further on… Kerrie Symmonds used words like “contumacious” or “megalomaniac” now really; are ten-dollar words gonna pull the voters who are undecided and did not spend a long time at school? Now when I use large vocabulary, via Internet I have the option to link the phrase or word in question to various definitions – truly, would the audience be hefting dictionaries with them? Or have such devices in their phones or tablets? Why be on their phone or tablet when they can hear what’s the next move?
It also seems the majority of the Party members are trying to mimic the speech mannerisms of Owen Arthur (Arthur has a tendency with his St Peter drawl to stretch “Man” and punctuate every sentence like exclamation – now so too were most of the men that evening apart from trying to say face it and fix it in different ways, if it is the trademark of him who’s selected as Opposition Leader, then the posse need to create their own catchphrases), they need to leave that for Owen and develop their own clever clichés! There were good speakers that night, but let’s look at the more mediocre of the crew first…
Jeffrey Bostic {CLICK PREVIOUS FOR AUDIO SNIPPET} was quick to tear at Patrick Todd and his absence of innovation yet his House Attendance, it was a good idea in the sense Bostic showed how Todd did nothing for Bridgetown as an MP from 15 January 2008 to present – but the Colonel never outlined what changes he’d make or lobby for if selected instead of Todd…
Tyrone Lovell‘s coronet for Clown Prince was nearly wrested by Noel Lynch on January 18th, the man who’s vying for Freundel’s seat compared the incumbent Prime Minister to George W. Bush {CLICK PREVIOUS FOR AUDIO SNIPPET} in how he makes long-winded and classical allusions, but Bush in fact was known for mangling the English language!
Lynch was far better when not disrespecting the dead and sticking to facts, like looking at if people will recover their funds from CLICO or why UWI {CLICK PREVIOUS FOR AUDIO SNIPPET} has to scrunt for cash to keep their own curricula flourishing?
The far superior speakers that night included Dr Jerome X. Walcott, who correctly pointed out since David Thompson passed away, the DLP no longer refers nor uses the concept of Families First and certainly do not treat Barbadians that way!
The tale of woe at the QEH on Martindale’s Road would surely bring a hard man to tears the way the Christ Church South Candidate told it, how much does it take to purchase a Pediatric Ventilator {CLICK PREVIOUS FOR AUDIO SNIPPET}? Can’t they ask Rihanna?
The real chiller was a very clever dig against Mara Thompson and what could happen to her as she gets older, Dr Walcott {CLICK PREVIOUS FOR AUDIO SNIPPET} spoke of a St Lucian in Barbados legally, who was here 42 years and why she eventually died – I know what he said was true since when my Vincentian mother who used to get free medication as a diabetic, suddenly had to pay under this regime… Jerome did not stray from facts and even when he’s wicked he gave a disclaimer, a very powerful and effective session with the people – just who you need to reach!
Owen Arthur‘s speech was gripping in the sense there was a long bit of background on the new Karib Cable, his speech was very detailed so I broke it down into 2 videos embedded in this article, he cusses slightly in Part 2 but only as he was quoting a letter from a Senator (so he says) and that is the juicy Karib Cable part! The crowd pulled out huge umbrellas to make sure every word was digested that Friday…
How much better is a speech when you use quotes and references everyone can understand? Whether you’re a Chief Financial Officer or a Sugar Cane loader, if the language is simple yet effective then everyone feels involved.
That’s why Mia Mottley (who’s really slimmed down to an hourglass svelte figure now) literally stood apart from the other presenters that night, she did not use the lectern, save to lean on it while cracking a joke and she had the crowd singing Papa San’s “Lard, Me Cyaan’ Tek It No Mo‘” they stood with her through the rain and did not move!
This is what you do to achieve results, step away and embrace the audience’s diversity! Mia did not ask the people to simply vote BLP; she urged the crowd to come and save Barbados – be they BLP or Dem or Tourist to all join together and restore this country’s status and reputation; the BLP need to pay attention to both Mia’s and Walcott’s presentations! They used facts in an emotional way to appeal to the crowd’s own personal sense of responsibility!
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