: 10/30/2009
don't care bout any of them at all at all at all. not one of them can keep a promise. as long as they don't interfere with my national insurance money every month, they can kill each other for all i care. lol

BLP NO GOOD OWEN : 10/30/2009
OWEN THAT IS ON GOOD I WILL LIKE TOO KNOW IT YOU HAD A HANG OVER. FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE, TO SAY THAT ABOUT MS MOTTLEY.BECAUSE I KNOW IN LONDON WE DRINK IN THE SAME PUB ,AND YOU HOLD YOUR DRINKS .SO WHY YOU SHOULD SAY SOMTHING LIKE THAT. SHAME ON YOU. BEAST BOY.

BLP ,YES ALL THE WAY : 10/29/2009
I still support The Barbados Labour Party. I still stand in the confidences that The BLP is the Better party to run this country. I will not support any dlp . Owen Had his say. I beleive he could have done it differntly. People like myself who are supporters of the Barbados labour will feel UP SET ABOUT the media event which unfolded........................... we RECOGNISED thAT they will be those who will attemp to push this talk futher , with the intention of a repeat of that dlp circus................... I for one will NOT encourage it. BLP 2013 OR EARILER! CASE CLOSE. We in the BLP do not need to create public distraction to this DLP poor economic proformance so far. Just look at the just out Central Bank report two days ago.Thats where the focus needs to be. The country in bad shape. BLP 2013 OR EARLIER.

Have a public Run off with other potential BLP leaders other than OWen : 10/29/2009
This is not Congo Africa..Barbados should be like USA democracy.. two terms and then band these Oligarks.. What a shame to the nations..how dare Mr Authur suggest he would even be interested in more terms..stupse..and To Ms Mottley, if she believed in true democracy, she would put the vote to all members for the party to have a public run off for any members of public who want to vote.. simple and highlight all other backup leadership skills in Party, surely Mia cant be the only credible leader the party. Please. barbados need more liberal and honest politicains in instead of these backroom pawn players.

D's and not B's : 10/29/2009
Nuff problems if Barbados elect back BLP to office. Already we can see so many power struggling going on, why would we want to place people who obvious got power issues back into office, havent they done enough harm already causing our current Prime Minister to have to clean up the mess Owen Arthur did. I say No Way B's int getting back office

Problems : 10/29/2009
There are those of us that seem to think that the problems in the BLP are foreign. In almost every country under the sun you get political rivalry. Take for example America's republican party. As of to date no one knows who will lead that party in the next election because of the in-fighting that is going on. So let the power struggle go on.

@HONESTLY : 10/29/2009
Great contribution. You are so right! In some countries a bout of military action would follow what just took place here peacefully... I mean look what's going on in Honduras. One size seize power and topple the government etc. We have to give thanks to the almighty, as right.

: 10/29/2009
Forgive me for saying this but now that the Tic for tac have started, you think the Motley crew will spill the beans by leaking very very sensitive information that could completely destroy Owen and members of the BLP. I somehow feel that a storm is brewing and that storm might unearth all the speculation and talk about overseas bank accounts and large scale corruption but the BLP administration. Will be interesting to see how Mia retaliates right now she is Missing In Action.

HONESTLY : 10/28/2009
Honestly, i was shock about what was said on televison but i still respect Mr.Aruthr for being honest about his feeling and tell the truth about Miss Mia ,but i am glad David Thompson is running the country, he is trying his best and i know with everything going on he will come up on top. he is right to stay clear of this situation because if it was the DLP, THE BLP would be all up in there business. GIVE GOD THANKS FOR WHAT HE HAS BESTORED ON BARBADOS

BLP : 10/28/2009
In this matter there is only one person to blame, each other.

: 10/28/2009
When you win there is a lot of high fiving and profiling,when you lose ,everyone is pointing at each other and blaming each other.

HONESTY : 10/28/2009
Let's be honest and realistic here. Like any other leader, Mr. Arthur saw great potential in Miss Mottley and gave her ample opportunities to hone her skills; she is indeed an intelligent woman. Obviously now, as she is ascending higher, he (and others) sees things he does not like, some of which were seen before and others which were not. There is an old bajan saying about "the higher the monkey goes". Sometimes, the more power that people are given, the more their nagative qualities surface. As a leader, one has to be careful what one does in the public domain; it may come back to haunt one.

So essentially it was a Vote-of-Confidence. : 10/27/2009
If that is what it was, then there was no reason for Arthur to be there. It just means he wouldn't be able to air his vote. At the same time I don't think Mia can force- Arthur to follow what she says because he was after all voted-in by his constituency. The BLP would have to hold another vote and basically excommunicate Arthur from the party.

I just anit Happy : 10/27/2009
I just watch CBC TV. I am very angry at owen. Yes , what he said was very logical and made sense. It however will not severe the conclusion many people will form in they heads afther now, The mistake Arthur made was to believe that this barbadian public is a rationl one , which will take his explanations, study them and accept them in the context in which he present them.This however will not be the case. The public at large will not use deep analytical logical to formalate a conclsion, but reduce the facts present to them to the simplists terms. In other words people in general will read his NO SHOW AS not wanting to there, which by extent means , he dose not want to be invole, which by extent means , he dose not agree with something, which in term means he dose not want to support her. Thats how the majority of people will see as. Them to come with a press conference to explan away his self which was well intented but was more disserving than anything esle. The People will use reductionist logic Mr Arthur.THis one time I will Not be gaving you my support. YOU SHOULD HAVE SHOWED UP MR ARTHUR. I would then have to see a laughing peter wickham calling Miss MOTTLEY THE CURRENT LEADER, that poll of his and his comment on cbc were all directed at creating a precept disvison, It has now be made more worse by Owen actions . Thsi was a trap ,and it look like owen and mia fell in it. Right Now I VEX.

Some Big Rocks pelting bout here. : 10/27/2009
What is most funny about thois whole matter is the fact that when they were on speaking terms he used her to his benefit to secure seats in Parliament and kept singing her praises how great thou atr chorus but suddenly it is what a bad person you are because of your personal traits. The truth shall set you free and I think Owen Arthur clearly set the truth free yesterday.

Mama Mia and Owen : 10/27/2009
Who shall we believe Owen or Mia. These two political stalwarts are indeed gifts to the political arena of politics. Unfortunately, however, both have brought their degree of dubious behaviour and questionable activity that have cause many Barbadians to feel betrayed and discarded in light of the many scandals and alleges of corruption meted to this party. The BLP will go through their changes just like the DLP, but it appears that what transpired under their leadership have left a stench in the air of Barbados that many Barbadians are still smelling.

It’s up to Mia! : 10/27/2009
It’s up to Mia! Opposition Leader Mia Mottley needs to address her leadership and public perception issues across the wider-Barbadian public. This was the opinion of former Prime Minister Owen Arthur, who said yesterday that under no circumstances would he lead a struggle to put him back in the leadership role of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), having turned over the position to Mottley in January 2007. The former Prime Minister made this point during a press conference at his offices at the University of the West Indies. He said that he had been forced to comment on why he was absent from a meeting of the BLP Parliamentary group on Monday evening, where eight of the BLP members of Parliament present reaffirmed their support for Mottley. He said he did not attend the meeting because the issue of BLP leadership should not have been brought into the public domain in the manner in which it was done. Arthur noted that he had repeatedly stated that he was not involved in a leadership struggle and that he was not trying to take control. Moreover, he said Mottley had acknow-ledged there was no power struggle, so her decision to give a public ultimatum to BLP MPs to settle the issue was not warranted and a disservice to the party. Arthur said he informed the group he would not be attending and that he also issued a statement suggesting time for consultation before the vote. “In such circumstances I could not possibly attend a meeting to deal with a problem that she said doesn’t exist, that I have told the public does not exist, and that the party is aware does not exist, and should not be exercising the party at this time.” Accepting that he was still a popular choice among members of public for leadership of the BLP, Arthur said, “It is natural that after somebody has been a leader of a party, and the leader of the country for 14 years, you’d still come to enjoy more than a modicum of support in sections of the society and sections of the party.” Arthur said the situation was exasperating because he was constantly being asked to come back as leader during his everyday life. “It’s not something that I am myself pushing, but it exists, and that is something that represents a challenge to the party that has to be confronted. It however cannot be confronted by the issue of public ultimatum to members of the Parliamentary party to assemble at short notice to swear what I can only call [an] oath of allegiance.” However, his public support was not Mottley’s problem, Arthur said: “I cannot say that there is not a challenge of leadership in the BLP, that the party doesn’t face an issue in respect of the challenge of leadership, but the challenge is not about a struggle between Ms. Mottley and myself for that leadership. The challenge is, I think as represented in the Wickham poll, that Ms. Mottley … faces a problem of being accepted by the society at large and faces a problem of being accepted by a cross-section of the BLP. “But there is a part of it that she has to deal with, [it] has to do with what she symbolises in the minds of the people of Barbados and how she comes to get the people of Barbados to accept her as their leader. I cannot do anything about that.” He believed it was important for everyone in the party to help Mottley gain this support, and explained there were three needs the Barbadian society had for their leaders – to be likeable, to be respected, and to be skilful in the effective use of power. The former Prime Minister said that he felt fulfilled after his three terms in the position, and did not want to tarnish that legacy or divide the BLP. But, “I am saying that the BLP has a challenge as well, that we have a situation where there’s not a contest for leadership within the party, but there’s a problem in the wider-Barbadian society of the acceptance and acceptability of the present leader of the party.” Despite this, Arthur said he wanted to see her succeed, recalling that he made Mottley his deputy Prime Minister, gave her ministerial portfolios to develop a wide-range of experience, and suggested she became leader after his stepping down. Arthur also said if the BLP re-examined the leadership issue in the next two years before the next scheduled general election, it would not be because he instigated a contest for leadership. He said there was a distinction between being powerful and power-hungry and he was not power-hungry. “At some stage there has to be a transition to somebody else in the BLP,” he said, in order for it to move forward. “I hope that the BLP could so arrange its affairs that even if I still remain popular with the masses that there would be no need for the party to say we have to go back to you to lead because we are not happy with what we have.” In terms of his relationship with the Opposition Leader, Arthur admitted that it has been “difficult”, especially since the publishing of the CADRES poll and that they had not been speaking regularly and this had led to tension. “If the relationship has been strained it has not been because I have set out to undermine Ms. Mottley. “I accept that Ms. Mia Mottley is political leader of the BLP, I also accept that she has to be allowed to be the leader that she wants to be,” Arthur said.

History Repeats ? : 10/27/2009
Back in the late eighties and early ninety's the BLP was fractured into the camp that were allies of Tom and the new dispensation. It resulted in the Owen dispensation. Now this is the post Owen time and the new dispensation the fracture seems to be the Owen Allies and the new breed. The natural order of birth and growth will give the BLP its new era. All birth starts with pain and growth has the stumbles of learning. What will emerge will be the BLP for the next decade It cant be Owen again because there will be no growth only death. It can be Mia or a not yet known figure for the generation to come.

: 10/27/2009
I am sorry' but as a young Barbadian, under no circumstances can i vote in a lady with such a image as Ms Monttley

Mia will never be PM : 10/27/2009
Ask the women why. This is one time bajans don't have short memories. Go!!!! You go for it.

In-house fighting? : 10/27/2009
Didn't realize this was happening in the BLP enclave.

: 10/27/2009
Hey J what are you smoking or drinking ?? What has transpired did so after the fact. Mr.Arthur did not make the statements and then appoint Ms. Mottley. It was the other way around.Cheese on Bread !

Title change required. : 10/27/2009
"Owen has his say" should be "Owen had his day".

self centered : 10/27/2009
The problem is not Mia the problem is Arthur. Like Jack in the box he jumps up again. Now let's get this straight. Bajan 48 dose not belong to any party. Owen Arthur has a problem.The spot light must be on him all the time. Mia is no fool.I know both of them. Arthur must have his way. He would like to be prime minister for ever.There is no person that is perfect give her a chance. There are other people that are out of the party and you don't hear from them. Arthur forgot he was given a chance and helped by meany people and when he got in he forgot about every one that helped him in his time of need. Arthur only thinks about Arthur.Any one that say that is no so don't know Owen Arthur.Bajan 48 Arkansas

9 people elect a possibole PM..hmmm : 10/27/2009
Its a bit ridiculous to have a handful of people vote for a leader of a country. I hate westminster's faulty and fake democracy system which allows kingmakers to do double deals in backrooms. Make it credible, put the vote to all registered members of the BLP. And as for barbados, this is why we need a president and republic system and let individual leaders be elected independly by the population like US Governors and Presidents..that is real Democracy, not selection by 9 people in a backroom MPs. Oh god..make their conscious burn them.

BLP Machinations : 10/27/2009
This is not a gender issue. It is irrelevant that Mia Mottley is a woman. More importantly, however, is whether she possesses the requisite skills to lead Barbados. I submit to you that she doesn't possess said skills.

A GREAT DISSERVICE to the BLP : 10/27/2009
Is that the real reason sir? Maybe the real reason is not accepting a woman as a leader in a major political party. Some women are much better leaders than some of those men from that “old boys club”. This is a bright woman and effective leader with genuine leadership skills who can be our next prime minister. You did well sir, “man up” don’t abandon your party because of arrogance.

Owen has his say : 10/27/2009
"Former prime minister Owen Arthur says the woman who replaced him as leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) faces a serious problem of acceptance that he can do nothing about." Mr. Arthur has also said that "nobody has done more to promote Ms. Mottley's political career than he has." Mr. Arthur has said that Ms.Mottley needs to be loved, respected and feared (in a positive way althought I am not sure what is positive fear) If all these statements are true, why then did Mr. Arthur promote Ms. Mottley's career if he believed that she would have a problem gaining acceptance in the wider Barbadian community? ANd that further she would not be loved, respected and feared by the wider Barbadian community. Is there something else that Mr. Arthur is not saying? And if so why can't he or why won't he say it? What aspects of Ms. Mottley does Mr. Arthur believe that the wider Barbadian community finds unacceptable?