The Right Honourable David Thompson, Prime Minister of Barbados, Talks to the People
(DISCLAIMER: IANAP, I Am Not A Politician)
(DISCLAIMER: IANABODE, I Am Not A 'B' Or 'D,' Etecetera)
(DISCLAIMER: IANANM, I Am Not A Newspaper Man)
(DISCLAIMER: IANAP, I Am Not A Philosopher)
I first heard of the PM's planned interview/talk via the blogs and then, I think, I read something about it in one of the daily papers (sorry, can't remember which one). It's easier and quicker (for me) to check out the local blogs for information on what's news and what's happening, than it is for me to get access to the paper sometimes.
Also, not all of the print articles make the newspapers' website editions, and why would they anyway? Why would you give away all of your content for free when you could charge for it and charge for ads in your dead-tree edition? I wonder, out of a newspapers' total revenue, what percentage of it is earned from purchasers of the newspaper and what percentage is earned from running ads in the newspaper.
A full online newspaper would certainly be cheaper to run (as they are less overheads/costs, i.e., plant and equipment, staff, utilities, etc). With the reduced costs, maybe a newspaper could shift its base of operations to the web. Let the reporters write from home, or wherever and communicate via instant messaging, e-mail and so forth. Sure you probably won't have as many ads, but that's okay, you don't have that many costs and so the 'newspaper' can still survive (and earn a profit) by running ads on the website (The Nation newspaper currently has ads on their website). Improbable? Yes. Impossible? No.
But how much revenue? Will it be enough for the business to make a healthy return for its investors? What is a healthy return anyway? 10, 15, 20 or 30%? Also, not everyone has ready access to a computer and Internet access, so a dead-tree edition still is useful and there is something to be said for lazing around on the couch on a Sunday afternoon flipping through the newspaper (and comics) instead of staring at a screen for long periods of time.
Alas, I digress. Remember: IANANM, I Am Not A Newspaper Man.The point (if there is one) to tonight's post was to comment on the PM's appearance on the television and radio. As far as I can tell (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong), this is the first time that I've ever heard of, or seen for myself, a PM sitting down to be questioned by (for all intents and purposes) members of the public. This is quite simply amazing (maybe even dangerous?). It marks a radical and significant change in the island's political landscape.
STOP. Hold your horses. Hold strain. Remeber: IANABODE, I Am Not A 'B' Or 'D,' Etecetera. This post is not about what was promised and what has been delivered (or still to be delivered). It's not about the D's manifesto and it's not about the B's either, nor any political party for that matter. Put the party politics on pause people, please (try saying that five times fast). Furthermore, I've not heard all of the TV/radio discussion tonight (it is ongoing as I type this). But I need not. As far as I am concerned, the mere fact that this is happening tells me that
The Times They Are a-Changin' But for how long? Who knows. Will anything ever change? Who knows. Remember: IANAP, I Am Not A Politician. But, as I said earlier, I cannot remember a pervious occasion where something like this happened.
This may sound silly. At least, it may sound that way to people living in 'big countries.' These folks may take it for granted that they can question their politicians and public offcials and demand answers of them, or take them to task on important issues and topics. Not so here, at least, not as far as I can remember (does anyone remember?). Personified, the size of my knowledge of the island's political history is slimmer than I am, or better yet, non-existent.
Maybe some people think that questions shouldn't be asked, period. After all, politicians know more than we do, don't they? They are charged with running the country and seeing to the health and wealth of its citizens. There is also something to be said about there being a time and a place for everything and as such, a certain level of decorum and respect must be given to politicians no matter what political party they belong to (or no matter what the issues are).
But does this mean that by allowing ourselves to be governed by a minority (which we choose democratically), that in turn we must give up some of our freedom (and just
what is freedom anyway?), the ability to ask questions, to form our own opinions, and most importantly, to think for ourselves?
No. It doesn't. You have a brain, use it wisely and remember: IANAP,
I Am Not A Philosopher (LOL!). ;-)
Labels: Barbados, life, Philosophy, politics
