Dear Nesta,
Well, dah long-awaited event – Budget Day – finally turn up las’ Mondy, mekkin’ some Bajans vex as de Devil while ethuhs – includin’ muhself – feel it coulda been much wuss!
As I tell Philomena, it don’ mek no sense to quarrel an’ carry on – it gine only be a nine-day wonder anyhow – an’ when yuh done, yuh still got to accep’ it an’ pay out whenevah necessary, or lef’ de islan’!
I don’ inten’ to gi’ yuh no blow by blow accounk, ‘cause I know you get papers an’ could read! I would only tell yuh dat as de VAT gone up by 2.5 per cent to 17.5 per cent, we life get touch in almos’ evry department! I onderstan’ dis increase should only las’ l8 monfs – but who knows?
De onlies’ t’ing to do right now is to look ’pon dis Budget like castor oil: realise it good fuh we, an’ jes’ gulp it down! Like evaht’ing in life, while mos’ get squeeze, ethuhs get ease!
Richard Stoute get a $400 000 trus’, farmers’ water rates gine down, (I hope dah ease gine trickle t’rough de pipes down to vegetable prices in de supermarkets), ZRs get a cut in annual fees an’ a rise in bus fares, de Minister slash liquor licence fees in half an’ get Mr Arthur blessin’s, an’ . . . well, I lef’ you to check de papers fuh wuhevah else sharin’ out.
Certain t’ings ‘bout de Budget I might not like, but as I know dey en no way I could talk de Minister into changin’ anyt’ing, I refuse to kill muhself ’bout it! I jes’ got to try an’ mek sure dat de money dey to pay de light bill so I en force to siddown in de dark at night; pay de water rates so I could bade muh skin when de day come, an’ I gine start slappin’ tar when I gine mos’ places, as bofe bus fares an’ gas prices gone up!
Life always gi’e yuh choices, so it up to you! All de arguments an’ lotta long talk dat now gine on still en gine mek no diff’rence; people jes’ like to hear duhself talk! So don’ stress yuhself out, ’cause yuh cyhan do nutten ’bout it! I, too, bless de minister, fuh puttin’ a stop to dem “life students” hidin’ out at Cave Hill fuh umpteen ’ears ’stead o’ gettin’ out dey an’ facin’ reality! Bless you, sir!
Chile, de two days followin’ de Budget Speech provide muh wid bare sport! Yuh know dah is when politicians get a chance to parade ’pon TV to prove hummuch duh doin fuh duh constituents!
Mr Arthur set de ball rollin’ wid ’e Budget reply, but as I en no big brains, ’e had muh a bit confuse an’ I din able to follow evaht’ing he say. I sure I hear ’e advisin’ de Finance Minister to sell BNB shares, ’stead o’ raisin’ de VAT but from wuh I been readin’ sence den, dah deal seem as ef it was a “no go” even befo’ de Budget come out. Anyhow,
Mr Arthur should know! uh I want to know is why ’e bless de Minister fuh slashin’ liquor licence fees!
Prime Minister Stuart, wid ’e usual perfeck comman’ o’ de Queen English, share some warm blows all ’roun’! Apart from Mia an’ Cynthia Forde, I en had much interes’ in hearin’ de res’! In ’e wrap-up speech, Mr Sinckler do muh proud. I nearly fall off muh chair laffin’. He show dat he well able to put any an’ evahbody in duh place! It was good!
Tek care o’ yuhself .
Yuh frien’ Babsie
