The recent protracted United States election campaign and the results two Tuesdays ago have thrown up a number of interesting revelations; so much so that reasonable observers here can draw obvious parallels with Barbados and even come to certain logical and likely conclusions.
Of course, the BLP and their cohorts don’t want to hear the truth. Already, they are running helter-skelter and shouting to whoever would listen, that there aren’t any similarities. The situation in Barbados is different, they are cautioning. Not True! There are similar circumstances, and many of them too.
Barack Obama and the Democrats were pilloried by the Republicans and the far right, including many sections of the media, as out of touch; money wasters; proponents of too much government; opponents of private sector dominance; extravagant politicians who had bankrupted the United States and swollen the ranks of the unemployed to undesirable levels; and overall, they were bad for the country.
They identified the worsening economic situation in the States, some failed bail-outs, ‘Obamacare’, absence of a protectionist immigration policy, a lack of global leadership and foreign policy blunders in the Middle East etc.
But, given the sagacity of the majority of Americans, Obama and the Democrats prevailed. Thank God!
Now, transport our minds to Barbados. Circumstances here are analogous to the American landscape, albeit with a few differences and the magnitude. For the most part, the script is similarly written: occasional job losses; unacceptable levels of unemployment though manageable, but a lot lower than neighbouring countries; high food prices; fluctuating petroleum and energy costs; and perennial social ills.
The BLP is scared stiff that right-thinking Barbadians, when they have listened to the rhetoric and the commentaries, and they weigh the facts and reason the various positions, common sense will win through; and like the United States, our people will return the DLP to office. You see, like the Americans, Barbadians know that the world is experiencing the worse ever recession which started in late 2007.
Here is an unambiguous parallel: President Obama inherited a recession, characterised by awful economic challenges; so did the DLP.
The BLP, like President Obama’s opponents, jump with glee at the news of rising unemployment and petrol prices, and lower tourist arrivals. Bad news energises them and gives them confidence that they will win. Well, it did not work in the United States and it won’t work here either.
Just listen to their most recent advertisement, a most obnoxious and distasteful promotion. It says countries are coming out of the recession, except Barbados. YOU HEAR LIE, THAT IS LIE! We challenge them to name the countries; surely not Britain, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Greece, Ireland, Jamaica, Trinidad, the Bahamas, Grenada, St Vincent or St Lucia.
Now, that is no comfort for us, but it shows that Freundel Stuart and the DLP are helping us to keep our heads above water and that we are even doing better than many other countries.
Right thinking Barbadians, should draw some confidence from the outcome of the United States elections. YES, FIVE MORE YEARS FOR FREUNDEL. We are definitely not going back to what we discarded in January 2008.
Stick with the Dems.
• Douglas Leopold Phillips is a pseudonym for the Democratic Labour Party.