No one can blame the supporters of Arsenal Football Club for being angry, frustrated and feeling let down, this is like an yearly event, players we welcomed with open arms when they were nothing, supported them through their bad times with injuries and bad form only to be cursed out and insulted by them after just one good season, it is getting stale and so very predictable. I am very angry because Arsenal is not only losing a good player but another captain, a leader. I am hurt that leaving Arsenal can be so easy for these young mercenaries, while we sing and cry “I am Arsenal till I die” they plot and plan the time of their exit.
This is the reason why I do not have any players name printed on the back of any of my shirts who has not proven himself. If I had an Arsenal Jersey with Nasri or Van Persie written on the back I would take it into the backyard and burn it.
I am gutted by Robin Van Persie’s decision and the way he went about it, it seemed just when the squad was shaping up, becoming interesting his greed took over. Arsenal has developed some of the best players in the world today, most of these players did not come to Arsenal when they were at the top of their game, their development and achievement was due to the vision of Arsene Wenger and the coaching staff who have the ability to see something in a player and build on that. I am tired of the club being used as a stepping stone, players are treating themselves like stocks on the financial market, selling out when they are on a high.
As soon as these players reached a certain level of development, as soon as the world starts to take notice of them is when we find out the true nature and personality of that player and person. Arsenal FC wasted its time and money on players like Nasri, Clichy, Mathieu Flamini, Alexander Hleb, Emmanuel Adebayor, Captain Cesc Fàbregas and now Captain Robin Van Persie just to name a few, these are the real gold digging, back stabbers and Arsenal should put up a sign in the Stadium toilets titled “Gold Digging, Back Stabbers we should never have signed” and list them all, we should have left them where we found them. If these players want to see a real Arsenal supporter and player, a true legend then look no further than Thierry Henry.
This is a new world order of Football, the age of the Bling where there is no such thing as honour, commitment and love anymore, no one wants to be a part of a squad from the ground up, to be a part of something great, everyone wants an instant trophy winning squad, the finest money can buy, these blingers are not fans or supporters of any club they play for, those days are long gone, there is nothing like the feeling of progressing with a squad, to go through thick and thin and finally to achieve glory, but this is the new world of football, The fu*k you pay me revolution is in full swing.
Van Persie said he does not like the direction the club is going without actually explaining what he means, just when I am beginning to like the direction the strike force was going with Van Persie leading the charge, I had high hopes and expectation for the coming season, we had options upfront.
I understand Arsene Wenger, we all do, we may not like some of the things he does but we know who Arsene Wenger is, we know what he is about. I personally do not want Arsenal to become one of those clubs that change their manager faster than it takes paint to dry. Wenger believes in a balance as well as honour and commitment, yes he is a man that is a bit out of touch with current times but his principles are sound.
Arsene Wenger does not believe a club should be in debt because it spends too much money in the transfer market and on weekly salary, he does not want to leave Arsenal Football Club in financial ruining and I believe he will quit the club before he starts throwing money around Willy Nilly but real Arsenal supporters are not asking the club to throw crazy money around, we are asking the club to fix the holes in the squad and we are amazed sometimes that the Manager does not see what we see. Arsenal have a stand by your man attitude even when that man is totally worthless and costing us trophies but when the Manager works with that man and he comes good then he is off, firing a salvo of insults towards the club and fans on his way out.
Arsenal Supporters wants the club to be a bit more dynamic when it comes to identifying and fixing problems as well as player selection and acquisition, we understand Arsenal may have to spend a bit more in today’s market. We would like to see a bigger squad with more options on the bench, our squad is way too lean compared to most other clubs.
Alisher Usmanov vs Arsenal Board “Arsenal has for years prescribed that the club must live from its income, and no director or owner must put a penny into the club”
This is not a bad principle to have and in any other sector would show an entity with discipline and strong moral character. This concept can only work if everyone concerned buys into it, the problem is Arsenal is the only club playing this game.
“Alisher Usmanov states that the self-financing model is being paid for by the supporters while the shareholders reap the financial benefit”
Now that is just disgusting, if we are all in this together the shareholders must shoulder some of the burden.
“Uefa's "financial fair play" rules, due to be enforced from 2014-15, which view clubs' reliance on individual rich men as unstable, generally inflationary and not what football should be about”.
Simply put the days of the sugar daddy is at an end and the playing field should once again be leveled. However Arsenal FC is enforcing a rule that has not yet been implemented by Uefa, again Arsenal is the only club playing this game and suffering for it.
The news on the street is that Theo Walcott is also considering his future with Arsenal as he enters his final year of his current contract... Seems he gets 60k per week but he wants 100k like the City and Manu boys and instant trophies… I remember when this muppet could not find the back of the net and would trip over his own feet, now he is putting in a few thanks to Arsenal and wants the world.
In Jamaica we call people like these “wagonist” people who jump on the bandwagon, in this case these are people who hijack other people’s successful ride. Some goes to these sure-thing-clubs and celebrate victory even when they did nothing to achieve it but ride out the bench barely making an appearance. There are clubs out there who would purchase a player with no intention of playing him, so long as they deprive the opponents of his services.
The following was written by a Friend, a Mentor and a Diehard Arsenal Supporter, Agent 86:
"Robin van Persie is looking at the next few years when he's 28, 29, 30; he thinks they [Arsenal] can't win trophies. You don't want to say it but you probably have to agree with him.'' Alan Smith
Alan Smith’s statement bothers me. Knowing that the board won’t be swayed by it bothers me more. No, I don’t want to spend irresponsibly or to upset our wage structure. I just want a powerful response to our (second consecutive former) captain’s actions that will send a crystal clear signal to all watching that Arsenal F.C. is nobody’s f*****g muppet.
Ideally, we’d have a long line of players who feel the same way as Arsene about throwing money at a problem, waiting for us to sign them. Sadly, there are far too few players of that ilk than what we need in order to properly address this latest player offensive quickly and painlessly.
Robin van Persie’s situation is an affront to The Manager, to The Club, and let’s be clear, to the fans. Van Persie has had ONE full season with us. Granted, it’s all he’s needed to prove his class. He is a superior talent. But in comparison, Thierry Henry was as durable as they come. If robin’s eight years at the club had not been more absent than present I’d give him a pass. As it stands though the guy has trampled on the fans’ adoration for him. He has shyt on his own legacy. We got a boat load of goals and some happy moments in return but short of automatic CL qualification, what do those goals do for us now?
He looks like one who’s used words conveniently to elevate himself and his image to the fans while knowing the entire time that he was not going to sign a new contract. Some would say to get over it. That it is typical of the loyalty-challenged modern player but regardless, it is unacceptable!
What will our response be? How do we fix this?
Do we force a deal with the highest bidder, minus the two Manchester teams and Chelsea? If he’s set on joining Manchester City, as suspected, he probably will not care if PSG throws silly money at him. If we choose not to sell him to a rival, we’d probably have to keep him for the final year of his contract and accept that the situation would degrade over the course of the season – moreover, how do you trust a player who is not committed to your cause? I also imagine that his agent would fear the worst (and surely not unprecedented scenario) that a serious injury occurs and his value diminishes.
If we play this right we can make a few people look pretty stupid.
A wiser man than I am has suggested selling Van Persie to Real Madrid for Higuain plus £10m. Not the worst idea! I’m really not sure how we handle it but it’s a blessing in disguise if done properly. It’s a chance to send that overdue message to the fans, to the league, to the football community, and to all players and their agents that we will NOT be f****d with.
Europeans seems to accept the worst violence when it is being carried out by other Europeans.
I just finished watching this and it was totally disgusting, I cannot understand why EUFA would reward Poland and Ukraine with holding Euro 2012. If a fraction of this violence was taking place in a country like Jamaica then Western Europe and Britain would have a travel warning against Jamaica, advising their country men to stay away but not so when it comes to white violence. I am at a lost with this, during the regular season supporters in both Poland and Ukraine were allowed to beat any non-white individuals, shout racist chants and perform the Nazi salute while the police just watch and do nothing. It seems in these countries this is the norm, one official then proclaimed that it was not the Nazi salute they were just pointing. You would have to be crazy to attend the Euro 2012 and you would have to be suicidal and crazy if you are not white and decided to travel to Poland, Ukraine or any part of Eastern Europe.
The European media love to show violence in non-white countries but never give violence in European countries and the animals that carry them out the same attention because Eastern Europe is full of Joseph Konys, try dealing with your own dirty laundry for a change.
The Wengerfication” of the English National Squad I am not a big fan of Roy Hodgson but I like what he is doing to the English Squad, I think Hodgson realized that they cannot keep sending the same old tired media built squad to international competition especially when they have not achieved anything. It is time to start rebuilding the English national team, it is time to start exploring other options and opportunities, even if they fail in their first attempt. England cannot keep sending the same old overpaid and over hype players only to watch them crash out of every competition, the time is ripe for the “Wengerfication” of the English National squad. England Euro 2012 Exit England was booted out of the Euro 2012 by an aging Italian squad and rightfully so I might add. It was painful to watch as they were outplayed every step of the way, the English squad tried to win by playing anti-football. This was park the bus at its very best as every player became a defender, yes they had some chances trying to capitalize on the break but just could not finish. England played for penalty shootout and got the penalty shootout, the problem is England have always been terrible at penalties so why were they playing like they wanted to win on penalties is anybody’s guess, I thought they had a plan, an ace in the hole but they had nothing.
The Italian defense did not impress me I thought they were vulnerable and I am sure will get beaten by a team hell bent on taking the fight to them and scoring goals. What was even more shocking is the fact that England does have the potential of being a very fast attacking side but choose instead to play a very defensive match, daring the Italians to “Come and Have a Go If You Think You're Hard Enough”. Milner had no right being in the squad, he is just not good enough and Young is a good player but for some reason was terrible in that match he just kept losing the ball. The time is right to rebuild the English Squad, it is time for the old guard to pack their bags and go and new younger, faster more skillful players added, the time is now.
Crown Thee King of the Hooligans So after making a big deal about racism and football hooliganism in Eastern Europe (and rightly so) it was the English fans at home who now wears the crown of King of the Hooligans. After being beaten by the Italians it was the English fans marched towards celebrating Italians and began to attack Italian supporters and lay waste to several of their cars making it a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black. The British media for the most part was very quiet about the incident and the story was missing from the Daily Whinge and Whine, the same rag that published several pictures from different angles of a fight between Russian and Polish idiots, highlighting Eastern European Hooliganism but turning a blind eye to their own as per usual “It was just lads acting up”. It always amazes me how English officials can easily marginalize and brush aside these things when it involves England but blow it way out of proportion when it involves other countries…
Spain is once again Champions of Europe:
Euro 2012 is over and the champion of the World is once again back to back champions of Europe, congratulation to Spain, they deserve it. Italy did very well to get to the finals but in the end the age of the squad got the better of them especially against a very young and skilful Spanish side. 2012 is truly the year of sports after watching the Euro, English Premiere League, the Champions League, Carling Cup, FA Cup and League football we next have the London Olympics and then it’s the regular Football season again. I wonder if these events were listed on the Mayan Calendar.
The English National Squad The idea that England was a power house of football must have been created by the English themselves, talk about living in an alternate reality. Somebody needs to break out of the matrix they have been living in all this time and start dealing with reality, it is only then that the English FA will start to fix the problems that exist and it makes no sense blaming the foreign players and the Premiere League for the current predicament. The English National squad needs to be more dynamic, so far the managers have been afraid to take chances preferring instead to stick with the muppets they know. It as gotten to the point where certain players and WAGS believe it is their God given right to be in the squad. International tournament have at times been converted into a Festival of WAGs.
Poland, Ukraine and Eastern Europe Much has been made about how dark, disgusting and raciest Eastern European can be and for the most part it is all true. There is no country in Eastern Europe I would ever visit, not one, I do not go to places where most of the people living there hate my guts, that is just suicidal, I can deal with one or two raciest idiots that is my limit.
The fact that I am sitting here in 2012 means that my ancestors knew how to survive and passed that skill down from generations to generations, they survived being captured in Africa, survived the Middle Passage, survived the cruelty and beatings on the plantation, survived anti-slavery rebellions, survived the 1938 strikes and worker’s rights riot, we survived the political violence of the 70s and we survived Hurricane Gilbert and various Gas riots so there is no way in hell, I would throw away hundreds of years of instincts to identify and stay away from danger and take a chance in Eastern Europe, no that place makes my Spidey sense Tingle.
Everyone is going on and on that Sol Campbell was wrong to warn Black people to stay clear of Eastern Europe because the tournament went by and no black person was attacked and killed, yes that might be true but only because the majority of Black people followed Sol Campbell’s advice and stayed the hell out of dodge, there was no black people to beat and kill so Eastern Europe turned on it self as running battles broke out between Russian and Polish supporters. Knowing that the world had them under a hubble like telescope both Poland and Ukraine went all out to prove that their societies are not as raciest as the British made them out to be. "You can fool some people sometime, but you cant fool all the people all the time"
On display before the final match between Spain and Italy was a musical group made up primarily of Black people, which to me is the classic statement, I am not raciest I have a black friend, well we are not raciest we have a black band. Then the many media outlets tried to print pictures of black people attending Euro 2012 but they ended up just taking pictures of the same couple black people, in the end they just gave up. Black people did not come home in coffins simply because Black people paid attention to Sol Campbell's warnings, stayed home and watched the matches on their 60 inch flat screens, in the comfort of their houses and on their comfy couches with friends or down the pub with friends. This just tells me that the Polish and Ukraine officials can control racism if they wanted to but don’t. Eastern Europe can temporarily control their primal dark disgusting urges to beat and kill black people when the world is watching, not to mention Euro 2012 was not like a regular national league match, it was an international event with a very expensive price tag that raciest tugs just could not afford and was probably prevented from attending by the authorities.
Kingston-Wharves, Imports Only Wharves- Exports not Allowed!!
Some time ago in 2009, the then Minister of Agriculture declared that fertilizer from Jamaican companies was too expensive and as such Jamaica will import/buy fertilizer from American sources, this to me is a very anti-Jamaica and an anti-Jamaican business position for our Government to take because it is not like fertilizer was in short supply and we must increase short term supply to the local market and I do understand the need to keep the agricultural cost of production down and inflation in check. What was missing from the minister was any sort of analysis as to why the local price of fertilizer was so high, we heard nothing about the Ministry trying to engage fertilizer producers, trying to find out why prices are high and how the Government can help to reduce cost and pass lower prices on to the consumers, no long term plan of action. The Government’s position then was to undercut local manufactures, flood the market with lower price fertilizer and drive local businesses out of the market, in other words they were not working with the companies but working around them.This type of “Kick Weh Yu Foot” (Kick away your legs from under you) style of Governing must end since it does not benefits local manufactures.
At a time when all Governments around the world was trying to encourage their citizens to buy goods and services from local companies, thus allowing these companies to expand production and increase local employment, our Government was doing the opposite by overlooking local companies and buy from overseas companies. The American Government implemented bailout plans with a buy America clause attached and the Jamaican Government also implemented a bailout plan with a "buy American clause" with no intention of bailing out local Jamaican companies, it seems the aim of the Jamaican Government was to promote American companies and increase American Employment at the expense of our own.
The proper course of action is not to turn our backs on local companies but to figure out a way to help these local companies survive, to take root and satisfy local demand. Farmers need fertilizer and we have local companies who employ local people to make fertilizer, the government needs to figure out a way to get local fertilizer from local companies to our farmers at an affordable cost. In this case we need a win, win solution not a win, lose one. It is the job of the Jamaican Government to encourage the growth of Jamaican companies, encourage the consumption of Local goods and services in order to increase local employment and increase tax revenues for schools, roads and health care etc.
Our Government is so quick to give overseas companies tax break for operating in Jamaica while totally overlooking our homegrown companies. We sit around day in day out trying to encourage overseas companies to come to Jamaica and invest, while overseas Governments are trying to figure out a way of preventing their companies from going overseas. The American Government will give over a trillion dollars to American companies trying to prevent them from going out of business, if companies go out of business, people become unemployed and the US unemployment rate is about 8.0% and growing every day.
The United States currently pays around $20 billion per year to farmers in direct subsidies. Many of America’s economic sectors are in fact subsidized by the tax payer, the richest industries get the biggest subsidies, starting with finance and Big Energy, Notably, 56 percent of the total tax subsidies went to just four industries: financial, utilities, tele-communications, and oil, gas & pipelines. These people are certainly not playing by the same rules they created for us and force us to follow, they go on and on about the free market but what they say and what they do are two completely different things. I am not saying that the Jamaican Government should start shelling out cash willy nilly to every Tom, Dick and Harry with his or her name on a business card, far from it but before we cut the legs from under these companies we should at least try to figure out what problems they are having and why.
This Global Financial Crisis could have been and still can be a blessing in disguise. It is the perfect opportunity for the Government to embark on the mother of all campaign to promote local consumption and production of goods and services, a holy crusade of all things Jamaican, eat and buy Jamaican as a way to reduce the country’s need for loans. The answer to Jamaica’s problem before, during and after this financial crisis is to buy into all things Jamaica, we need to reduce our demand for foreign currency, increase local production and consume local output. A farmer might express the need for cheaper fertilizer but what is happening to the fertilizer company is also happening to the local farmers, importers are also kicking away their legs from under them by importing cheap food.
Imports Gone Wild Jamaica imports in excess of US$800 million worth of Agricultural Produce each year, most of which is already grown/produce right here in Jamaica, our total food import bill is US $1,000,000,000 (Billion) per year.Just take a look at a small sample of the madness that is taking place in our country:
JAMAICA'S FOOD import bill continues to spiral out of control, jumping by US$100 million in 2011 to a staggering US$930 million and in 2012 was US $1,000,000,000 (Billion).
Jamaica, land of wood and water, Imports $3 billion worth of lumber annually. The farm owner Dalkeith Hanna said,when he first started planting the trees, the cost was 90 cents per square foot for lumber, but in less than two decades the cost is now more than $90. He noted, however, that he still has been able to sell his locally grown lumber at a cheaper cost than the imported wood.
93% of Onions consumed in Jamaica were imported in 2009.
Jamaica imported US$8.4-million worth of banana chips, up from US $3.7 million in 2010, so it seems Chippies and St. Mary Banana Chips is not enough anymore.
Jamaica imported 70 per cent of ginger in 2010.
Jamaica Imported Pepper mash from the Dominican Republic although we produce the best scotch bonnet pepper, the finest-tasting in the world.
Jamaica importing in excess of J$8 billion worth of tomato paste each year.
Jamaica’s import bill for Irish potatoes decreased from US$4 million in 2008 to US$2.6 million in 2010.
However Jamaica imported US$15.1 million potatoes chips, wedges, and fries in 2010.
Jamaica supply only 15 per cent of Goat meat on the local market.
Jamaica imported 1.3 million kilogrammes of goat meat, valued at US$5.2 million, in 2010, the country needs approximately three million goats to attain self-sufficiency.
Jamaica Imports Concentrates costing J$1 billion l
Jamaica imports orange concentrate from the United Kingdom of Great Britain, a country that does not grow oranges.
This is the low down regarding Imports, members of the political class, their family and friends are the "Art Vandelay" of the importing business they are the ones getting most of the import licenses to undercut and destroy local production in Jamaica.
Import and Tax Waiver Abuse Our Political class knows no shame, to continue this insult to injury here is a very small sample of some of Import Waivers granted to friend and company of the political class. Both the Import and Tax waiver system have been subjected to constant abuse, a lot of the Imported items being waived are products that can be grown very easily, right here in Jamaica and is in fact grown right here in Jamaica. This abuse represents the political class giving the farmers and the tax payers of Jamaica the proverbial middle finger. The total value of this very small sample of Import Tax Waiver comes to $29,032,642.42, this represents revenue that should otherwise have been use to fix schools or buy text books, buy medicines for the public hospital, fix the roads or pay down our national debt.
November 2011 1 Tout Pret Distributors Additional Stamp Duty (ASD) waived $561,486.28 (importation of red kidney beans) 2 CJ's Discount Store ASD waived $950,721.91 (importation of red kidney beans) 3 Fresh and Direct Limited ASD waived $416,970.89 (importation of red kidney beans) 4 Chas E Ramson ASD waived $789,014.08 (importation of red kidney beans) 5 River Raft Limited Total tax waived $83,097.67 (importation of rafting gear) 6 Jamaica Football Federation Total tax waived $101,220.09 (importation of refereeing and coaching course material) 7 Jamaica Olympic Association Total tax waived $4,573,010.53 (importation of wrestling mat, gears)
December 2011 1 Jamaica Boat Cruises Total tax waived $106,142.16 (importation of snorkels, fins, tie straps etc.) 2 Howard L. Hamilton Total tax waived $3,216,558.24 (importation of 14 horses for breeding) 3 Robert S. Dabdoub Total tax waived $838,919.25 (importation of one horse) 4 John Ramnon Total tax waived $713,688.43 (importation of one Rand Roller) 5 West Portland Development Fund/Daryl Vaz Total tax waived $215,453.81 (local purchase of one 20ft container) 6 Canjam Trading Total tax waived $1,223,418. 57 (importation of one container of red kidney beans) 7) David Wright Total tax waived $38,692.92 (importation of one chainsaw)
January 2012 1 Major Dionne Sinclair Total tax waived $252,601.00 (importation of personal effects) 2 Douglas Vaz Total tax waived $1,120,080.34 (importation of 2012 Honda CR-V) 3 Tastee Limited Total tax waived $4,824,411.12 (importation of beef trimmings) 4 Caribbean Producers Limited $9,007,155.13 (importation of beef cuts)
Jamaica signed an Agreement to reduce customs duties on EU imports In 2008 Jamaica and 14 other Caribbean states signed an agreement with the EU to start the reduction of customs duties by January 2011, but only six countries have so far complied. Read More: EU border tax threats 'serious issue' - The Sunday Gleaner
We Jamaicans know good and well what will happen when a stronger force engages a weaker force. Normally the weaker party gets pushed over the cliff in a life of poverty as the stronger countries enforce their will on us. European agriculture and manufacturing is highly mechanized and subsidized by their Governments. This is not free market there is nothing free or fair about the global market place. These concepts and rules were put in place because they give first world countries the advantage, they occupy the position of sellers and poorer countries stagnate in the position of borrowers and buyers. Take for example Britain’s Agriculture sector; it is highly mechanized producing about 60% of their food needs, with less than 1.6% of the labour force (535,000 workers). The EU spent €53bn (£46bn) a year on agricultural development and direct subsidies to farmers, 45% of the EU budget went to farmers as direct payments, so no wonder they want us to sign an agreement to lower tariff on EU imports, it is a win, win situation for Europe. Protectionism is alive and well in the First World, they protect their industries from competition, they subsidize the hell out of it however when Third World countries employ any sort of protectionism First World countries call it corruption.
As a Jamaican lots of questions comes to mind regarding this agreement:
How are these trade agreements made?
What was the deciding factor?
Were they feasible in terms of protecting local markets?
How does the EU negotiate similar agreements that require them to lower their tariffs on imports?
What was going on /said during these negotiations, what was our Government thinking?
Were we threatened in any way? Did they threaten to withhold loans, IMF money or the shipments of ML-250 Benz, French wine and cheese?
Was a gun held to the Minister’s head or was his child kidnap by EU agents thus forcing him to sign this agreement?
What were they going to withhold if we did not sign it because this seems like an agreement that can only come from force or our Governments are made up of mentality retarded people?
Did the Government members get a bribed? Did the EU made offer of huge sums of money and promises of châteaux’s in the French countryside and a supply of ML-250 Benz for the family and friends of our Government members?
I am totally confuse about this, our government jump on a plane travel to Europe and sign an agreement whose only benefit if to flood our already flooded markets with more cheap foreign goods that we will purchase using the money we borrow from the EU and I am sure at the expense of our local companies.
Jamaica 50 Hennessy
I would like to know just how much Hennessy Jamaica imports and consume for Maurice Hennessy to personally fly to Jamaica and deliver 24,000 Hennessy VS, in commemoration of Jamaica's 50th anniversary. I remember a sales person in duty free at the Norman Manly airport trying to convince me not to buy the Appleton 21 but to purchase a bottle of Hennessy instead, at which point I asked her if I looked like a semi literate dancehall DJ. I have been told that huge quantities of Hennessy is consumed in the dancehall and clubs nightly by the so called suffering masses who cannot afford the extra 20 Jamaican dollars on a beef patty.
Reparations, Corruption, Financial Crisis and Bail Out! I have never given reparations from Britain much thought, I am neither here nor there on the subject, either way I do not care since I do not see how little Jamaica can get Britain to hand over what Member of Parliament and a fighter for reparations Mike Henry calls “Cold Hard Cash”. One argument against reparation put forward by some Jamaicans, states that, if Jamaica got reparation money we will squander it, as opposed to what? … Borrowed money? We squander that anyway but at least with reparation money we would not have to repay the money, pay interest on it and maybe we could pay back our past debts, wiping the slates clean. More than likely we would use the money to buy imports from America and Europe, more wine, cheese, SUVs, you name it the sky is the limit, so it may be advantageous for Britain to pay reparations, ask the other countries to chip in, your economies will grow as a result because there is no limit to the amount of rubbish Jamaicans will import if they had “Cold Hard Cash”.
To a person like Mike Henry and my Aunt J reparation is not a loan or handout, they are not begging anything, it is money owed that should have been paid that was not, it is money owed for hundreds of years of injustice where some people’s development was achieved at the expense of others, on the backs of others. The pro-reparation people look at slavery like the Big Bang, an instant explosion of wealth creation in space and time that ripples out from the point of origin, compounded wealth that transcends time and generation. The benefits of which is still being felt by Europe today. However the negative effects of this Big Bang is also being felt by descendants of slavery, its like being forced to create the sun but not allowed to enjoy the full glory of its warmth and light and then told to pay for a glimpse at it. The Bishop of Exeter kept 655 slaves until the time of the Abolition of Slavery Act 1833, when he received £12,700 in compensation. Again I am not an advocate of reparation nor am I against it but if it was given I would be the first in line.
On the subject of Bailouts however I realize that there is no limit to the amount of bailout the EU and other first world countries get, when they get bailout the world seems happy, the stock markets goes up. Billions of Dollars/Pounds/Euros is thrown at them on a daily basis, most recently Spain asked for and got $126 billion bailout not to mention they can say the word bailout whenever they want. However if Jamaica even whispers the word “bailout”… Then we are immediately classed as worthless, looking for handout, with cries of embarrassment and this from our own people, as was seen when the Prime Minister used the word bailout in an interview once! It seems we are the only ones playing this game as the world is in a completely different tournament, being held to different standards.
When it comes to pure Greed and Corruption nothings beats Europeans and the United States of America. I have never seen anything like it while they hold the people below them to a different standard. Western Europe is the worst by far, what they do is disgusting and what they say is Hypocritical and it disgust me but they are suppose to be civilize and we are nothing but savages.
The reactions of most Jamaicans when they read that the Prime Minister had said the word Bailout was one of shock, horror and total embarrassment or pretend shock, horror and total embarrassment based on which party you support. There is no difference between asking for an IMF loan and a bailout, it just makes us feel better to say we negotiated a loan from the IMF, well if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it must be a bloody duck.
The Reason for the world’s financial crisis was greed and corruption, first world corruption at its very best and the reason for Jamaica’s financial crisis is home grown corruption and pure greed. The financial crisis in America, United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and many others is as a result of greed and corruption. But yet we seem to judge their financial crisis, their corruption as different from ours. In the minds of most Jamaicans and the world there is a difference between white/first world corruption and black third world corruption, one is a simple white collar mistake and the other is downright banana republic, nasty black corruption and throwing any money at it is like throwing pearls before swine.
I understand that the world is not level I understand that different countries get treated differently, I just do not understand why Jamaicans hold the rest of the world to a different standard than they hold Jamaica and themselves.
The IMF and World Bank as Fly Guy and Jamaica as the Bit<h!
Please Read!! In five years between 2006 and 2010, Trinidad and Tobago exported more than $23 billion worth of goods to Jamaica and in the same period Trinidad imported a mere $1 billion from Jamaica. T&T 2006-2010 exports to Jamaica: $23 billion
In 2011, Jamaica imported US$6.6b in goods and exported US$1.6b. The trade deficit was approximately US$4.9b.
There are people in Jamaica who thinks certain developed countries have Jamaica's interest at heart but they are just fooling themselves … These countries are a bunch of Hypocrites and Parasites, back in the 90's the United States of America took Britain and the EU to WTO court to remove preferential treatment for CARICOM banana because it wanted American own companies in south America and Puerto Rico easy access to EU market but the USA is giving Virgin Islands (USVI) and Puerto Rico preferential treatment on RUM…. This is made even worst when UK-based Diageo threatens the Caribbean about taking the USA to WTO court… In August, the UK-based Diageo reportedly warned that should CARICOM mount a complaint to the World Trade Organisation over the alleged subsidies it would "re-evaluate" its Caribbean interests….. Everyone is looking out for their interest alone and what they are saying to CARICOM is Fuck You and suck salt!!!...
The EU is still upset that Jamaica and the other Caribbean countries have not implemented its Economic Partnership Agreement which would see a reduction of duties between the EU and the Caribbean, claiming it will also benefit the Caribbean to sign this agreement. They the EU are even offering carrot on a stick to sweeten the deal and get us to sign the agreement. You can trust me when I say that the EU is only pushing for this agreement simply because it knows it has the Economic advantage over CARICOM and will benefit more from this agreement, this a cheery agreement for them because once you sign this you are on your own as they push their products and tell us our products are not good enough, there standards are like a moving goal post. This agreement will further push Jamaica and the Caribbean into a balance of trade deficit with the EU. The fact of the matter is sooner or later we must sign this agreement, we do not have a choice as the EU will call the Americans for help and both will gang up to gangbang the hell out of us and force us to sign, no loans or deal and a couple downgrades later and we will bend to their will.
:A state of uncertainty about what should be done.
I came upon a debate taking place on the messaging board of a popular Jamaican online news site in which one set of Jamaicans was correcting the spelling of another set of Jamaicans. The first set declared that the correct spelling of the word in question was the American English way and the second set was defending the Jamaican/Queens English way of spelling the word. I understand that different people have different versions of software on their computers and that the region and language settings may be different, so normally I am not too concerned with spelling but I have a problem with Jamaicans who turn their backs on the Jamaican way of life and then try to push their adopted way of life on their homeland.
On that same news site a Jamaican wrote to the site reporters declaring that he was correcting a particular news item, he stated that Labour Day was not on May 23rd but in September, even though Jamaica’s Labour Day have always been celebrated on May 23rd.
If I am on an American site and they reported about Labour Day, I would assume they were talking about Labour Day in America, the one in September. I know enough about the world to understand that things are done differently in different parts of the world and I respect that. I would expect the same outlook when someone is on a Jamaican site, even more so from a Jamaican, you enter the Jamaican mode. I just cannot imagine writing to the editors of the Huffington Post telling them to use the date for Jamaica’s Labour Day instead.
This all goes hand in hand with the lady who wrote the Jamaica Gleaner complaining that the 911 emergency services were not working and a waste of time (in mid 90s when no such service existed)when in fact the number for Jamaica’s Emergency Service is 119, so no wonder it was not working.
As we get ready to celebrate Jamaica 50, it has become clear that the Jamaican society is truly in a state of uncertainty as we are being pulled every which way by various members of our society. There is no clear cut definition of what it means to be a Jamaican, no preservation of shared history and value system and as such we have become a chameleon like society as we disregard our "Jamaicanness" to adopt all things foreign.
The fabric of our society is being unravelled before our very eyes, the “Ja-Mericans” wants us to be more like America, to adopt American values complete with East Coast/West Coast gang signs and the Anglophile wants us to embrace “Britishness” while both sees no value in preserving our shared rich culture and history. One of the main problem is no one really knows what “Jamaicanness” is anymore, how it is defined, like a Croaking Lizard we change colour depending on colour of the surface or the country we adopt.
Anything that was truly Jamaican has been devalued and diluted as we have become a net importer of culture. Historically we are missing that big bang, that moment in time that seals in the flavour of “Jamaicanness”, that brings everyone together and on the same path and make us Jamaicans now and forever.
The United States of America have had their big bangs, moments in time that made them uniquely Americans. The United Kingdom of Great Britain has had centuries of big bangs from Brutus landing at Totnes (History of the Kings of Britain), to the events of 1066, to Winston Churchill rallying the British people during the Second World War. All these historical events is what gives the British people that Keep Calm and Carry on mentality, what don't kill you make you stronger and define you.
We have also had Big bangs in our history but the difference between our big bangs and that of other countries is that they preserve their history, they are proud of their history; they respect their history and value their achievements. It is used as a driving force to create a nation state they can be proud of. Their history is used to define who they are as a people while we are ashamed of ours.
Most Jamaicans devalue their history and belittle our big bangs, the things we are supposed to be proud of, we brush them aside as meaningless rubbish, when you hear a Jamaican proclaim that “anything too black, no too good”, then you are listening to a people who have devalued themselves, I have never heard whites declaring that "anything too white, no too good”. It is a saying that must have had its origin from slavery, I can imagine it being said for the first time on the plantation by the slave master just before the whip cuts across the slave’s back and picked up by both field and house slaves alike, they now started using it against each other.
Our failure to define our “Jamaicanness” is made even worst by the migration of Jamaicans overseas and the resultant importation of other countries culture and value system. This migration have lead to the destruction of the family unit and the creation of generations of abandoned orphaned barrel children left to find their own way in life.
It is so easy for other countries culture to infiltrate our society because most of us are looking for an alternate realm of existence, anywhere else but here. Before 1970 it was Britain, everyone wanted to be British and everyone wanted to go to the mother country, after 1970 everyone wanted to be Americans. With such poor perception of ourselves it is no wonder that we live in a deteriorating society.
In almost all other societies and cultures the people try to preserve certain historical buildings and structures that stand the test of time and survived against all odds, these buildings reflect a certain historical architectural beauty of the past. Both the Government and the people see no value in anything old, these great structures are left to rot. The government have never set out to educate the people on the value of these historical artefacts. I am convinced the Government does not want an educated society with values preferring instead the “Just-Eat-A-Food” mentality, since they are much easier to control and they are the first to say “Afta dat can nyam!” (it is of no value because it cannot be eaten).
Jamaica 50 should not be about parades, costumes, fireworks, street dances and various merriment. We have been doing that every year for as long as I can remember, that is about the only thing we are good at, that and spending money we have not earned.
Sick to my Stomach of these two circus clowns
I am amazed when ever I hear members of our political class go on and on about celebrating Jamaica 50. Our political class has not invested in the development of Jamaica as a Nation State, they are asking us to celebrate something they have not promoted and have destroyed for their own selfish, greedy lust for political power and wealth. There are people right now who are members of our political class who have armed Jamaicans and send them out to kill other Jamaicans. There are people right now who are members of our political class who have and continue to dip their greedy hands into the public purse stealing from the very people they are supposed to be serving. They are not guided by strength of character and moral devotion to duty nor are they there to build a Nation State for the good of the people and future generations. What are we celebrating, years since independence or achievements since independence?
Jamaica 50 is suppose to be something more, something special, a result of 50 years of hard work, achievements and Nation Building that highlights to the world our maturity and strength as a people to over come adversity, making the right decisions to build a nation state every Jamaican and the world can be proud of but sadly I am not feeling it. From slavery to emancipation, to workers rights, to universal adult suffrage and independence, our entire history should have been leading us to this point in space and time when we can look back on our achievements and bask in our own glory BUT we have failed as a people and as a society. Both myself and all my fellow Jamaicans regardless of geographic location have failed.
