Horse Hill on the Move

Over the past year it has become increasingly evident to the most casual observer that something was seriously amiss on Horse Hill. In recent years the parish church of St. Joseph showed evidence of shifting foundations as widening cracks appeared in the walls. The rate of deterioration accelerated this past year to the point that the building was deemed to be unsafe and engineers were called in to determine whether remedial action was feasible or if the building would have to be demolished. The church is now closed.


More alarmingly, it became obvious that the major artery to Bathsheba and Cattlewash was slipping. Subsidence and lateral movement opened up significant cracks in the road surface while houses to the east of the church developed major cracks in the walls and stairways separated from buildings indicating a major and accelerating slippage of a large area of land.
In recent weeks the cracks and level variations have been addressed by resurfacing the road but within days the road surface has once again been distorted by what is evidently a major instability problem.


This is not the only area of the Scotland District that is affected by disruptive land slippage but it is probably the most serious for the people that live in this area and the businesses that rely on good road communications.

This situation is reminiscent of the phenomenal deterioration of the highway that transited Bath Plantation and the great quantity of work that had to be done to stabilize the land and repair the road in the 1990’s. Decades of neglect magnified the problem and added to the cost of remediation.


Learning from this experience, and realizing that the soil conservation unit needed a new remit and additional resources a major study was undertaken to address the preservation and development of the land stretching from Pico Tenerife in the north to Conset Bay in the south. The study involved local and international experts and resulted in the development of a a comprehensive long term strategic development plan for the area that addressed land management and diversified economic development.


The result was the establishment of the Scotland District Authority in 2007 to implement a detailed and complex strategic plan that involved government and private land owners. In the first instance, funding for the first 5 year period was established at 40 million dollars.
When the present government came to office they defunded the Authority. Since then their actions have been relegated to fire fighting one calamity after another as roads slip away and bridges collapse. One seventh of the land mass of Barbados has been virtually ignored and we have regressed instead of moving forward with developing economic activities and carrying out critical land stabilization programmes.


As usual the actions of government are a patchwork quilt of responses shaped after the fact by external events rather than part of a strategic process that seeks to shape our own development goals. One can only hope that the neglect in the area of Horse Hill will not lead to a catastrophic failure of the road system and the destruction of homes that would make the Joe’s River debacle look like a Sunday school picnic.

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com

Sugar Redux

Once again I return to the problems faced by the sugar industry and the seemingly deliberate policy of government to strangle the independent growers while writing open cheques for the BAMC and the sugar factory operations. Last year, I asked why we were operating two sugar factories when Andrews Factory was fully capable of processing all of the sugar cane that was harvested last year. Closing Portvale Factory would produce a saving of between ten to fifteen million dollars per year that would flow from concentrating processing in a single location at Andrews and restructuring administrative functions. It would also bring to an end that long cherished pipedream of the Ministry of agriculture – a new 200 million dollar factory that we can ill afford.

When the question was posed last year about consolidating the sugar refining operations at Andrews Factory it was met with a deafening silence. This year, with increased economic constraints and a further decline in sugar cane production a solution becomes all the more urgent.

To arrest the accelerating decline in sugar cane cultivation we should create a level playing field of subsidy for all growers on the island with a view to improving efficiency of the field operations. Under the present arrangement there is a glaring inequity between what government spends on the BADMC plantation production and the price paid to private plantation operators for sugar cane. If this continues one can only draw the conclusion that the government is deliberately driving the private plantation owners into unsustainable losses that can only be corrected by discontinuing sugar cane cultivation. In this way when the sugar industry collapses the government will have someone to blame other than themselves.


Barbadians deserve better than this from those entrusted with guiding our development, diversifying our economy and protecting our environment. The value of sugar cane cultivation has been extensively documented and debated in our society. It is more than the production of sugar and rum. It plays a part in crop rotation and diversified agriculture as well as contributing to the esthetic value that enhances our hospitality industry.

It is time that we took some hard headed economic decisions that focused on dealing equitably with all those involved in the cultivation of sugar cane and it’s processing, while providing incentives for improved productivity every step of the way.

Today the private sugar cane farmers are paid less than 50 dollars a ton while production cost for the most efficient growers is 100 dollars a ton. By contrast analysis of the latest BAMC annual report and the Government’s Estimates of Expenditure, indicates that it costs the BAMC 200 dollars a ton to grow sugar cane. This rising disparity cannot continue, but there seems to be no effort to rein in the expenses and improve efficiency of the BAMC operations.

The result of all this is that private growers are losing at least 50 dollars a ton on what they grow and harvest while the BAMC’s full cost is picked up by the tax payer which is the same as paying the BAMC 200 dollars a ton for sugar cane. It would be far better if the BAMC and the private growers were paid the same support price of approximately 130 dollars a ton to encourage expanded private production and more efficient BAMC operations.

Without decisive and urgent action the collapse of the sugar industry is inevitable as we plummet below the critical mass of a 25 thousand ton sugar production capacity. It would be useful to know if the government has a plan for the twenty thousand acres that will become available. Thus far it seems to be a choice between growing wild tamarind like the Kingsland estates, or houses on the most fertile and productive lands of Clico in St. John.

That’s not an agricultural policy! It’s a disaster!!

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com

Environmental Fig Leaf to Pluck the Goose

For tens of thousands of years man’s sole method of travel was walking. Next he harnessed the power of the horse, camel and elephant to assist him in travelling with greater speed and distance while at the same time transporting additional weight of goods. Travel by water was achieved from the time of the Sumerians and though the size and stability of vessels improved their maximum speed did not exceed 15 knots on a good day.

For most of the last two millennia travel was limited to the nobility or the very wealthy. By today’s standards it was slow, uncomfortable and highly dangerous. Speed was limited to the pace of a horse or sailing vessels.

With the advent of the steam engine and later the internal combustion engine things began to change. First steam engines were added to existing wooden hulls fitted with sails in a hybrid attempt to get the best of both systems. Steel hulls then evolved with speeds of 20 knots or more. Navigation systems improved and the development of wireless contributed to safety and convenience.

Finally the Wright brothers broke the bonds of gravity with an heavier than air contraption powered by an internal combustion engine. The era of aviation was born. Each succeeding year saw new designs as man experimented with bi-planes, tri-planes and monoplanes, employing a variety of materials to improve the performance by limiting the weight of the airframe while developing ever more powerful engines and efficient propeller systems.

As aircraft speeds increased and ever higher altitudes were attained man encountered the challenges of low oxygen, ice forming on the wings and in the engine carburetors. Each step of the way was a learning process as aviators ventured into the unknown.

Trans-continental travel by air became a reality in the 1930’s with hardy pioneers flying a variety of flying boats. After the war air travel expanded rapidly using surplus airframes converted to civilian use and with a new generation of piston engine aircraft. But travel was still expensive and not for everyone.

True mass travel was finally achieved with the launching of the new jet aircraft in the 1960’s. Once again the ingenuity of man was tested, overcoming metallurgical problems and a whole host of other safety of flight issues. Periodic aircraft design improvements increased fuel efficiency and safety. Huge investments were made in developing successive generations of jet engines that improved reliability and fuel efficiency. Every effort was made to cut cost and improve safety, steadily bringing the cost of air travel down.

The general public has been the beneficiary of this remarkable investment in aviation by producing ever greater affordability and providing international travel to more people with each successive generation. More people than ever before can travel the globe with the utmost safety.

Now, with a stroke of the pen, politicians in Europe and the United Kingdom have reversed the trend.

Using the fig leaf of the new Gods of the Environment as cover, they have imposed a crushing revenue generating burden on the travelling public that places a punitive cost on international travel, a tax that is likely to follow the pattern of VAT by escalating over time. It’s all about revenue and nothing about CO2. The crazy logic that says that Hawaii is closer to London than Barbados underscores the point.

Political expediency has reversed the trend of ever more affordable travel produced by the ingenuity, sacrifice and dedication of generations who have contributed so much to the development of affordable civil aviation.

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com

The Scourge of Religious Fundamentalism

The explosion of violence against Christians in Egypt and Nigeria over the past several weeks, demonstrate a vicious intolerance by Islamic fundamentalists that pits them against not only Christians, but against all other faiths. Their willingness to slaughter men, women and children in their houses of worship and in their homes should be loudly condemned by the global community including Muslims who believe in a tolerant coexistence with those in multi-cultural societies. 

Religious intolerance has no place in today’s modern world and can lead to armed conflicts of incalculable proportions, embroiling us all in unintended consequences that disrupt our economies, create havoc with global trade and destroy the tranquility that we so cherish.

Militant Islamic fundamentalists have no monopoly on religious intolerance. As the world’s religions move toward an ecumenical relationship between each other and among the various sects within Christianity, society continues to be plagued with the obdurate hatred generated by the fundamentalist adherents of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths. The common thread that binds the religious fundamentalist is their rejection of modernity and the dehumanization of non-believers.

In today’s tightly woven interdependent world, we cannot ignore the threat that religious fundamentalists play in destabilizing countries and regions through militant and exclusionary actions that would drive out non-believers from their midst or massacre them.

Many in Barbados might say this is no concern of ours for we live tolerably well with one another and there is little sign of militancy in a country where ecumenical inter-faith services have become the norm. Unfortunately, open warfare and terrorism far from our shores can disrupt oil supplies from Nigeria or through the Straits of Hormuz and double the price of oil in a flash. The resultant economic chaos of rising commodity prices and dwindling trade would savagely impact on our quality of life and social stability.

So in a very real sense the plight of the Israeli women in Beit Shemesh, Shia pilgrims of Iraq, Coptic Christians of Egypt and the Nigerian Christians are a very real concern to us all and we should join in the wider community of free modern societies in condemning the excesses of religious intolerance where ever it may raise its ugly head.

Over the years Barbados and other countries of Caricom have strengthened their stance against terrorism through improving security standards and enacting legislation that, among other things, is aimed at cutting off the flow of funds to terrorist organizations. We have done so to protect our people and those that visit our shores. What is now necessary is for us to voice our objections in the strongest terms to condemn the actions of those that persecute and kill both Christian minorities and Muslim sects in the Islamic World and in the countries of Africa where regions have a significant Islamic majority.

By our silence we send the signal that we are intimidated, disinterested or that it is none of our business. It is our business, and we should be bold enough to openly stand up to this tyranny of our times.

Phillip.goddard@braggadax.com  

Christmas Gifts that Keep on Giving

This year as we celebrate Christmas, it would be refreshing if we could focus on the Christmas message of peace, tolerance and love that the Christ child brought to us more than two thousand years ago. It is a time to think of those less fortunate than ourselves and make a commitment to help them not just at this season of cheer but throughout the coming year.

I believe that we should focus on the gifts that keep on giving such as a commitment to help the aged and infirm one day each week or to engage in voluntary community service. The gift of learning for people of all ages is a particularly valuable gift that lasts forever. To my mind, it is also a time to teach the younger generation more about the joy of giving than receiving. It seems that this is a lesson that is learnt all too late in life, and sadly, one that far too many never learn at all.

There is nothing like the magic of Christmas and the wonderment and joy that it brings to so many children around the globe. Despite the extreme commercialization of the season children often teach us that it is the simplest of gifts that mean the most because of the spirit in which it is given and the special love that bonds those that give and receive.

Most importantly it is a time for family and friends to come together, sharing friendship, good cheer and fond memories of Christmases past. In so doing we might well benefit from extending the spirit of Christmas and the good fellowship of man well beyond the Christmas season by strengthening community self reliance and releasing many from the culture of mendicancy.

The gifts that keep on giving are the most valuable of all. Knowledge, self respect, community involvement and a sense of achievement are worth more than material things and far more enduring.

I wish my readers a very Merry and Blessed Christmas and thank all those who serve and protect the community that we are so privileged to live in. I also extend a special thanks to all those service organizations who generously give to the needy and ill, not only at this time, but all the year round.

Finally as we sit down to our Christmas luncheons or dinners I raise a toast to the absent ones, Merry Christmas to all and be of good cheer.

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com

Turmoil on the Ship of State

Sailing a boat requires the constant attention of the helmsman. Once the course is set, variables such as wind velocity and direction, wave condition, currents, precipitation and fog require constant adjustments to rudder and sail. Some of these adjustments will be minor, and, for an accomplished and well seasoned sailor, made with an almost unconscious effort. Major changes in weather conditions will require more radical adjustments and call upon the coordinated efforts of the crew directed by the sailing master to meet the challenges of the elements.

In planning a successful voyage there are certain prerequisites that are essential and that many take for granted. These include a destination and an alternate should the primary destination become inaccessible for any reason. In addition, the crew should be well trained and briefed on their roles during the voyage and how they would respond to any emergencies. During the cruise clear lines of communication and frequent, timely, and accurate situation reports are essential for the captain to weather the vicissitudes of a hostile environment and bring the vessel home to a safe harbor.

Information on current conditions is a key component to command decisions as well as the efficiency of the crew. For example, should a fire break out the fire drill must be flawlessly implemented with alacrity and without confusion. With the approach of a squall line sails must be reefed and the hatches battened down till the storm passes.

This all sounds quite logical and very simple but as always it is the devil in the details that seems to confound us. Slow or inaccurate communication of vital information impairs the quality of decision making and makes the tasks of the crew impossible. Conflicting commands adds to confusion and with a steadily deteriorating situation the crew become restive and ultimately in a worst case scenario the authority of the captain is challenged and mutiny breaks out.

Thus it is with the Ship of State where evidence based analysis and prudent leadership would have buttressed us against the storm, and with skill, allowed us to tack into the wind making slow but steady progress against the odds. By telling the public the truth from the very outset and outlining a national strategy to deal with the economic problems facing us Barbadians would have rallied to the cause.

Instead we have ignored the repeated onslaughts of a perfect economic global storm that show little signs of abatement. It has been business as usual with periodic expenditures of appeasement aimed at one sector or another of the community that might pay a political dividend but add to the ever widening fiscal deficit. We continue to party, dance and shop our way to oblivion. Statistics are ignored or manipulated. We know neither where we go nor which shore might we be cast upon next. We now live with the fervent hope that it is not a reef that will strand us far from shore.

Finally, there is news that the crew is unsettled and agitating for a new captain while the fiscal deficit continues to widen and the sources of funding dry up. Maybe it’s time to ask the passengers what they think.

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com

Niall Ferguson’s Six Killer Apps

Niall Ferguson recently gave a lecture to the Technology Entertainment Design conference that briefly addressed the global economic history of the past 500 years. In it he described what economists refer to as the Great Divergence where, during a period of rapid growth in global wealth, the per capita GDP of the western world increased dramatically while the rest of the world saw a more modest increase or stagnation.

He went on to define what he termed were the six killer apps that he thought were responsible for the great global imbalance in wealth and how that imbalance was being corrected in the 21^st Century. Whatever one might think of Professor Ferguson’s theories, his lecture, available on the internet in both video and text, is certainly worth listening to. It should be required viewing by all Parliamentarians, business and union leaders and the incoming classes of UWI. Even the professors might learn something.

In it he defines the six most important things that shaped the economic growth of countries. There are Competition; Scientific research; Property Rights; Modern Medicine; The Consumer Society and finally a The Work Ethic.

Interestingly, he dismisses geography as a factor in the creation and accumulation of wealth citing the examples of Korea and Germany where two competing ideologies produced startlingly different results. Communism on the one hand, in East Germany and North Korea, produced grinding poverty while West Germany and South Korea developed robust economies. The difference was in the ideas and institutions that ordered the way of life and the economic activities of these four countries.

While Ferguson’s ideas might be controversial in some aspects, there is a need for us to analyze this lecture in the context of Barbados and the wider Caribbean region. Indeed we have done so from time to time, though in a rather piece meal and unstructured way. For example the periodic discussions about our work ethic and its role in national productivity indicates that at some level there needs to be an improvement but little real effort is applied to develop a solution.

It is time that we saw these issues in a holistic context, each reinforcing the other, strengthening the social fabric, buttressing property rights and the rights of the individual. We need to encourage innovative use of technological tools and enhance the competitive environment.

We well understand the value of modern medicine and the development of a healthy society as well as the value of education. Successive governments of both political parties have invested heavily in both areas. However, what is lacking in many of our educational institutions is the development of a positive work ethic and a greater degree of self discipline.

By discussing the pros and cons of Ferguson’s arguments we may better understand the key factors that will strengthen our own competitive edge while reinforcing our society. At the same time we can take the opportunity to cut loose much of the ideological baggage that has weighed us down, drained our will to work and made us part of a cult of victimization.

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com