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SECURITY CONCERNS
Just two Wednesdays ago, a press conference was held at the Office of the Prime Minister at which the Chief of Defence Staff and the acting Commissioner of Police named two former officers of the...
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Guilty or not guilty?
Last week, it was announced that Wade Charles, Dominic Pitilal, Asim Luqman, Andre Battersby and Leslie Daisley were to be returned home to Trinidad after being in detention in Venezuela since March...
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The Cazabon firestorm
The controversy that erupted last week over the 2017 portrayal by Brian MacFarlane of his Carnival band Cazabon: The Art of Living was most instructive. The section of the band called La Belle Dame and...
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Red and Ready revised
Last Monday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley effected his second Cabinet reshuffle in the space of 13 months since taking office. On March 17 this year, he dismissed Marlene McDonald as Minister of...
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The Trump movement
At the time of writing, with the votes still being counted in many states, it is possible that for the fourth time in its history, the first past-the-post system may elect a United States President who...
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DEBATING THE MIXED SYSTEM
The statement made by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley that he plans to repeal the proportional representation provisions in the Municipal Corporations Act raises a fundamental issue of debate. At a time...
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UNDERSTANDING THE MIXED SYSTEM
As the voters of Trinidad go to the polls tomorrow in the 14 local government corporations, they will once again be involved in voting in the only mixed system in the country. Many voters may not...
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CLEAR POLITICAL SIGNALS
At the time of writing, the preliminary results of last Monday’s local government elections were available with recounts taking place in some areas. The general consensus appears to be that there was a...
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The first thing that can be established inside the numbers of the local government elections is that the turnout was 34.3 per cent, which is the lowest since 1983. A deeper examination of the results...
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A PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER?
Tomorrow in the United States in the 50 state capitals and Washington, DC, the Electoral College will meet to choose the next President of the United States.Writing in Federalist Paper Number 68 on...
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THE FATCA DANCE
The Republican Platform 2016 that was adopted at the Republican Convention in Cleveland last July stated the following at page 13 under the heading “The Fourth Amendment : Liberty and Privacy”: “The...
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MESSAGE FROM GRENADA
On November 24, 2016, there was a post-parliamentary referendum held in Grenada in accordance with the provisions of their Constitution that require that a referendum be held in order to amend certain...
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TIME FOR A NEW PARADIGM?
The strike notice has been served, the battle lines have been drawn, and tomorrow we shall know whether the OWTU will go ahead with its strike action at Petrotrin if the Government fails to avert...
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HAS THE WILLIAMS MODEL FAILED?
Having listened to Prime Minister Rowley’s address last Wednesday, one had to wonder whether the perilous nature of the finances of Petrotrin described by him were an expression of the failure of the...
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INFRINGING RIGHTS BY TACTICS?
Last week, during the consideration of the Miscellaneous Provisions (Marriage) Bill 2016, the Attorney General sought the removal of the Preamble to the bill as well as the certificate that confirmed...
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THE FATCA RESET
Last week, it was revealed that Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar wrote to then president-elect Donald trump on January 13 to inquire about the position of his incoming administration on the...
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FATCA AND THE JUDICIARY
The explanatory notes accompanying the The Tax Information Exchange Agreements Bill, 2016, read, in part, as follows:“This bill seeks to implement certain tax information exchange agreements entered...
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THE CCJ COMPARISON
The issue of the CCJ emerged following a symposium hosted by the Law Association two Saturdays ago. According to a Guardian report on February 7, 2017:“Retired Indian Supreme Court Justice Bellur...
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THE THREE-FIFTHS MAJORITY
The recent statement by the Attorney General that the requirement for a three-fifths majority in certain legislation has made him tired of the way that the Opposition has handled such legislation in...
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TRUMP AND ROWLEY
Last Sunday, President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Keith Rowley to have a discussion. The release from the Office of the Prime Minister was particularly opaque, while the Washington Post...
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