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THE Caribbean Premier League (CPL) entourage moves on from Barbados and St Lucia this weekend, heading north to St Kitts for its next round of feting and T20 cricket. Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad, which hosts the final at Port of Spain’s Queen’s Park Oval on July 26, follow.

It leaves Barbados after four matches that attracted spirited sell-out crowds each night with an ominous notice from the CPL bosses that, after three years, it could well be the end of play at Kensington Oval.

Chief executive Damien O’Donohue and chief operations officer Pete Russell charged in an interview in the local press that the government and private sector had “failed to come on board” and that if they received a good offer from “people knocking on our doors” they were prepared to pull out of Barbados.

“All the other teams are making money because of the support of government and the private sector in those countries,” they said, adding that they would review Barbados’ position when the season is over.

They didn’t sound in conciliatory mood, even as they declared that they “love coming to Barbados

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Wow not even with those sold out crowds

What a sell out. Slap in the face

Oh well

If this is Franchise why are they asking the Government for help - this is not a Bajan team.

The NBA/NHL/NFL/MLB boards run their business without saddling the Federal government for funding

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

That's all this is about. They trying to force the Barbados govt to give them taxpayers' money to line their pockets.

In reply to Wasp

it is unfortunate, but the private sector of Barbados could play a significant role here by buying into the Tridents and not the government, St Kitts has nine matches this year, the beauty of the franchise system here is that even if we host neutral games like Red Steel vs Zouks, there is a "bajan" presence in both teams and fan support will still be there not to mention good T20 cricket on display, therefore money can continued to be pumped into the economy. We have a very laid back private sector which operates within a comfort zone and seem to refuse expansion and growth

even the BCA can buy into the Tridents all is left to be seen, but any territory would want to have the highly successful Tridents based in their country, how badly do we want to keep it

http://www.trinituner.com/v3/forums/download/file.php?id=359958&mode=view

In reply to hawk

bim deserve a clp franchise I am hoping they make it work

In reply to Acid

That is not correct. You need to read up.

In reply to Wasp

Deserve is one thing....getting to keep it is another my friend

Hope govt is smart enough to tell Digicel to fcuk off. A $1M US would be far better spent hosting a 3 way preseason tournament between 2 english county teams and a Barbados select lineup. Apart from being targeted at our main tourism source market it will give some young bajan cricketers a chance for meaningful exposure...something they are not getting now with the Tridents. Look what the exposure to a touring team did for Fidel who we had all written off.

Of course it probably cant be a T20 tournament if more than 3 teams involved cause the jokers at wicb signed a no compete agreement that would stop us from having even a regional youth T20 comp.

In reply to hawk
Stop being such a wuss. If Digicel follow through on their blackmail they would do a lot more damage to their brand here than harm to the barbados economy.

In reply to Commie

His statement is actually correct. They don't saddle the federal government. Instead they saddle state governments and municipalities

If I were Barbados, I would volunteer to help these ungrateful hustlers pack and bid them good riddance!!

In reply to Logic


Or gih it to the organisers of the David Thompson Memorial Football Competition....who de frigg need a cricket franchaise in Bim?......surely not the mongoose gang........either that, or the CPL organsiers could find a way to fit the name Thompson in and bam.........

Bajans need to step up, they are the greatest economic beneficiary of West Indies cricket.

In reply to camos

how does one move from being major sponsor to owner of WI most lucrative product then play terrorist and demand ransom money.

What are the benefits of being a franchise owner?

Digicel must remember that it competes with some of the same companies in the region and the nature of its restrictive contract with WICB. The BCA can't even invite T&T for a goodwill T20 series.

In reply to camos
Agreed but CPL is not west indies cricket.

In reply to camos

CPL is not West Indies cricket it move to Dubai or USA and we have no say.

In reply to camos
In fact i risk to bet that right now cpl is probably a net drain on foreign reserves. Imagine we got to pay Munaweera to stink up de place worse than Dowrich who they dropped early o'clock last year. If Digi was not putting this money into CPL they would be putting it elsewhere.

In reply to Logic

This was the best opportunity to develop a cricket industry,i.e camera operators, tv comments personnel, administrators etc. What we have instead is imported personnel being paid at levels there are unwilling to pay locals.

At least Stanford gave the legends a chance to be part of the set up.

Where's che when you need him,he rates Bim as the greatest country in the Universe.I suppose he'll soon be here telling everyone,it's only a temporary problem,the worst part,he'll write in a language no one understand.

In reply to granite
I dont get it. This is a Digicel problem...not a Barbados problem. The stands were packed for all the matches. If Digicel failed to do their sums that's not Bim fault. Digi are hoping that Bajans are so immature and shallow that they will start pressuring their government to do what they can to retain the franchise so we can continue partying. But Digi are in for a surprise. As the greatest country in the universe we will tell Digi to fcuk off and take their network wid dem.

In reply to rubberd
Yep. Standford managed to generate nuff excitement without all the imports. I support overseas participation but if we cant get some of the best then why waste money on the likes of Robin Peterson and Munaweera. I dont see any of our 2nd tier cricketers and has-beens getting pics for Big Bash or the other T20 leagues.

In reply to Logic

What if this problem is unique to the Tridents? Then in the world of international business it becomes a Barbados problem.

In reply to JOJO

Correct

Hahahahahahahaha
Oiiii
Bahahahahahahahaha

fffrrrrrranchizzzze!!!!

Yuh want national names
National colours
National symbolism
Homeboy picks
But local govt and business must play

Hahahahaha
Oi

Mike, where yuh!

The mere fact that the Government of Barbados not coming on board seem to be the issue, tell me that all the other Governments where franchaises are located are on board........

In reply to Commie

Don't think he realise that many NHL NBA teams etc have support from the 'local gov'ts there like even owning the stadium and in some cases shares on the team.

I do think Tridents will stay in Barbados, you know how things are done last minute here in de Caribbean

In reply to positiveg

we need a strong Bim franchise. find a way to save it.

In reply to jcveletta

If you can show me the financial benefit to the Barbados economy, then I can agree with you.

I say let it go because I cannot see any real financial benefit to the economy.

How is showing 5 seconds of a sandy beach and a heritage building benefiting Barbados?

In reply to Star


Are the other countries hosting franchises benefiting financially
from them?...........

In reply to Star

so you don't think the injection of funds into the economy helps?
the additional income our cricketers can possibly earn?
Kensington gets to be used for the purpose it was built and earn some funds?
cricket continues to professionalised.

i have no idea why people thinking government should be involved. Is it because we have been brought up to depend on Government to do everything for us?, I don't think our Government need to get involved on any level with the CPL, all the Tridents need is full ownership and we have enough private sector people who can invest, why can't the BCA buy an equity interest????

In reply to hawk

Where will BCA get the money?

In reply to cherri

I don't care if the other countries are benefiting from them or not.

I spoke to an individual who is in the right position in the Barbados Government to know the facts and he told me without hesitation that the money benefiting the Barbados economy from this CPL illusion is minuscule.

The Barbados Government is hurting for money to pay its workers, let the CPL take their franchise to one of the other islands and let the Government there give the taxpayers money to them.

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

well......if the BCA don't have money for the investment of cricket in this country then we are and will continue to be in a horrible state. and making money needs to be the focus. we never seem to be in the income generation mood IMHO

In reply to hawk

Think man. What injection of funds are you talking about? It is all recycled money. It is an illusion.

Ten thousand spectators at Kensington Oval and out of that total one hundred are from outside Barbados. You need people in numbers from outside of Barbados to come in and occupy the Hotel rooms, hire taxis and eat at the restaurants.

Ninety nine percent of the funds generated by the Tridents franchise is taken out of the country.

How is this benefiting the Barbados economy?

In reply to Star

That is absurd.

Local areas that benefit:

1. Transportation - PSVs and such in operation during hours when things would normally be slow
2. Concessionaires selling food, drinks and merchandise.
3. Every person at the event providing a service - Deejays, cheerleaders, guards, commentators. This list really long.

The machine uses the services of quite a few people who are paid for their services.

Edit: btw, Christmas is a huge drain on foreign reserves. We need to get rid of Christmas?

In reply to nick2020
Nick, you are way smarter than that.

You are using recycle money from Barbadians already living and working in Barbados. Those are the people buying food. This is not new funds flowing into the economy, it is recycle money from Barbadians.

You need an influx of fresh funds for the economy to benefit, not recycle funds from Barbadians already living there.

Example would be the test match against England where 5000 Brits visited the Island, stayed in hotel rooms. traveled by taxis, rented cars and all ate at the restaurants. That is what you call an influx of fresh funds into the economy.

Get real.

In reply to Star

what Nick2020 said, that is just a few areas.

what about the paid ads on TV and Radio, print media etc.
the staff at kensington oval
the hotels where the teams stay
the meals prepared for them
and the list goes on

In Barbados we don't have a large enough capacity to earn foreign exchange, our economic success still depend too heavily on where someone chose to spend their vacation, this needs to change, until we find ways to make/create things we can sell to the outside world, we need to grab at select opportunities to generate income and sporting events can do that, if it one sport we are decent at is cricket, we should having more than 4 matches and possibly hosting the final

In reply to Star

You said 99% of the funds generated by the Tridents is leaving the country. You have not shown that. Digicel guy says the Tridents are losing $1M USD a year.

Who are they losing this money to?

They have bills. Local bills. To reduce the whole thing to 100 visitors to the island seems like an oversight to me.

I do not know how to explain this to you but I will try my best.

1: Where the teams are concerned, you are talking about less than 100 people staying at Hotels. It is negligible.

2: If you understand that the rights to the CPL were sold to Digicel, then you will get the bigger picture.

3: You need this sports franchise to bring in outside money to benefit the Barbados economy, not the other way around.

Why would any Government who cannot pay their own workers give tax payers money to a failing franchise?

That would tantamount to political suicide.

Let the Tridents take their unprofitable party to another island. Barbadians do not need this headache.

In reply to Star


We need the David Thompson Memorial Football Tournament..............

Ask your friend in the Guv'ment how much they does pump in that annually, and how much people from outside does come in and stay in hotels and bring in money to benefit the economy..........we could do without that too.........just sain......

In reply to Star
Trident is bajan, get a new name

In reply to cherri
All I am asking is why would a Government who is finding it difficult to pay its workers give taxpayers money to a franchise that released a statement stating there are losing one million US dollars.

Which Government would do such a thing?

In reply to nick2020 If Digicel can't make CPL work in Barbados despite the crownd support and performance of the franchise team it's only a matter of time before the whole thing collapses. Government would be mad to throw good money behind it. I anticipate that some external investors will come in to ease Digicel's pain re the local franchise, but if they don't rest assured that if the pull out of Barbados they will probably end up shutting down the whole thing.

Anyway the CEO should be fired for going public with this blackmail because he has now made it impossible for the government to cave on this. I would advise the owners that given the popularity of the tournament, punitively pulling out of Barbados will cost Digicel far more than the losses they are making now.

why can't mount gay and banks sponsor the team like JA and Trini has alcohol sponsors???

In reply to Star


And I am asking the same thing in reference to the football.........

And the franchise did not release any statement saying that they are losing money, it is the organisers of the tournament that made the statement..........

In reply to cherri

Being illogical is not kosher.

In reply to cherri

.
We are going around in circles> I have one more question to ask and then i am done with the discussion.

Are they not losing money because they are based in Barbados?

That is what the statement clearly stated.

The same reason they folded the Hawkbills. That franchise was also losing money in Antigua.

The days of gimme, gimme gimme and gimme more are over.

[b]In reply to Star[/b

because the government stands to lose more than that in annual economic activity if they pull out.



sales tax
hotel room tax
airport/tax
security fees
income tax
NIS contribution

plus destination advertisement for free.

In reply to Star

I may not be clear or sensible to you, but what I am asking you to ask your friend is a genuine and reasonable question.........


BTW.....who released the statement.....the Tridents(the franchise) or the Organisers of the CPL?.......

In reply to Controversy

Banks sponsors the English tour because they sell more beer than at any other event.

CPL does not bring additional beer consumers to the island to justify the investment ditto rum.

The CPL is not a new tournament just a re-branded version of WIBC event.

The WIBC should look at what it can takeaway from the running of this version to improve the 50 over version in the light of renewed interest arising from the world cup and recent NZ England series.

In reply to Star

Star you shifted the goal post on me.

I just had an issue with one thing you said. You said 99% of the money is going out of the island. Maybe you were talking about foreign exchange leaving more so than coming. I dunno. But your statement taken even loosely did not make sense to me.

As a government you give people concessions for a number of reasons. One big reason is employment and it is the thing most businesses argue when asking for concessions. I am not here saying the Barbados government is making an error by not playing a (greater) role in the Barbados Tridents but if what is said is true other Caribbean Islands do see value in doing so. That does not make anyone right or wrong and everyone has different circumstances.

But the CPL as a product does have value to the islands. How much you are willing to pay is a different story. If left up to you it would be not a cent. Maybe you are right.

In reply to nick2020

Who owns the Trident and is it for sale?

In reply to openning


Nobody...........you interested?

In reply to openning

No one owns them.
I would assume they are for sale. Digicel guy claims people knocking on his door.

If I had the money and the okay I would sit down and consider it. I would need some things to fall into place and understand the process.

If wishes were horses this beggar would ride.

edit: What are the numbers of the viewership of the CPL? What mileage am I getting out of it? Of most importance I need to see UK and Caribbean numbers since that would be my target audience.

In reply to nick2020

Is it that big in the UK, though?

With the English season in full swing, does the average Brit cricket fan spend time catching up on CPL when they have quality cricket in their backyard?

In reply to Tryangle

From twitter, it seems so

In reply to cherri

OK, I said the discussion was over for me but it would be improper and not in keeping with civil discourse to not put forward your question and reply with the answer I got.

Succinctly stated, he said your question may be genuine but definitely not reasonable. Said the funds surrounding your concerns at least stays in Barbados.

I tend to agree on that very important point.

Went on to say he knows you very well and that you are not an admirer of his administration.

In reply to Star


Went on to say he knows you very well and that you are not an admirer of his administration

Well I'll be damned.......I don't know the political vagrant, but there must be reasons that I do not admire his administration........and I have no desire to admire him either who ever he may be............tell him that I say, if his administration could dip dem hands in the coffers they would jump in, but that venture is not the type of fatted calf they are accustomed to.........

In reply to cherri

you could really shut yuh trap wid yuh yardfowlish, really unbecoming. what does Thompson tournament got to do wid a private T20 tournament. no comparison whatsoever

Pro sports franchise owners always want the cities in which they're located to pony up. Usually for the city to finance a new stadium etc.

It's why many pro teams have left some locations for others.

The very successful Baltimore Colts football franchise moved to Indianapolis after the city of Baltimore raised the stadium rental on top of refusing to build a new stadium. So one day, the Colts owner packed up his team and moved it in the middle of the night to Indianapolis.

Colts fans and the city of Baltimore had a team on March 28 1984. On March 29 1984, they no longer had a team.

Happens all the time in some north american pro leagues:

Seattle Supersonics became Oklahoma Thunder

Vancouver Grizzlies moved to become the Memphis Grizzlies

Quebec Nordiques in the NHL moved to Colorado and became the Colorado Avalanche

Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes, who moved to become the Arizona Coyotes and are now in danger of moving again because of a dispute between the city of Glendale (where the team is based) and the ownership over (amongst other things) who will fund the building of a new stadium.

Interestingly, the Winnipeg Jets are now back in Winnipeg.


For all intents and purposes, CPL franchise locations are the same as "cities" in most other pro sports so this issue is not new at all.

In reply to nick2020

Are you really serious?

Well then again, you may buy the money losing franchise to write it off as a business loss.

If that is your thinking, as I postulated earlier, you are a pretty smart guy.

In reply to Tryangle

Well I would assume that if you put your logo in the public domain you would want the captive audience to have synergy with the business you are doing. Why advertise a product or service when you do no business nor have any intentions of penetrating that market?

And those would be the questions an investor would ask. They would want to see the numbers.

In reply to Star

No. I am a beggar. But I am hypothesizing. What would I do?

Big shot powen now...

In reply to imusic

excellent points...

i was waiting to see if anyone hinted at the NA franchise model for pro sports...

seems like barbados only interested when england arrive on their shores to spend money to entertain and gallery their nation then..

20/20 has more appeal but these guys are short sighted, i'm glad TT has embraced 20/20...

In reply to imusic

However, it looks really bad when you just start year 3 and this happening already...

In reply to nick2020

Not everything is meant to last. If a CPL franchise is unsustainable in Bim so be it. It should not be propped up by the government, no way in hell, unless it will bring benefits beyond the investment. After all it is not a social program but a private for profit entity. Let it move to Tunapuna

In reply to sudden

It looks bad though from a CPL standpoint that a franchise is filling the stands yet...

In reply to sudden


You tek long to come pon de paling and start crowing.........yuh know wuh yuh does call wunna?...........and you could could call me every name in the book......you ent the only body, but I still maintain, I wunna coulda find a way to dip wunna paws in the thing, wunna would mek like crapauds and jump in.........you think moving the CPL would phase me.....I does work wid two or three uh dem teams every year, I could see cricket where ever it playing if I so desire...........

In reply to cherri

You think hand dipping start or will end wid de DLP? The BLP, the party you yard fowl for, has a long and rich history in this regard. I don't care which party is in power, none should get involved in the CPL beyond providing the infrastructure and easing other areas but not direct cash involvement.

In reply to sudden


You doan care, and I care less............please.........

In reply to nick2020

I would imagine that their wage bill would account for much of that. With players, coaches, management & support staff you're looking at a team of 30 or so individuals.

Plus, have you considered whether Digicel are requiring each franchise to pay an annual franchise administration fee? Let's say that Digicel are asking an annual fee of $1.5M per franchise, because the WICB have given them carte blanche to do whatever they please. In that scenario, even if the Trudents have a 1/2 million profit before the franchise fee, they still end up million in the hole after the fee is applied.

In reply to cherri

Well then stop talking Shoite bout the DLP and the Thompson football tournament to commemorate the short life of a great cawmerian

In reply to Kurt


I feel I must say thanks to everyone who discussed this topic,I continue to learn and understand things that I knew nothing about.I now feel I can talk about franchises and all that goes with it,not as much as you blokes,but at least,I am now more aware.Let me say,it's not the first time.I have learnt quite a bit,on several other topics discussed here.

In reply to Kurt

I am address Star's comment that 1% of the money is going into the island.

I haven't really considered anything.

I do know that it sucks that a location is filling the stands every event and can't keep its franchise.

In reply to sudden

That football tournament was nuff folly and I would roll over in my grave if that was associated with me...

In reply to nick2020

Your time to roll over will come someday my friend and Powen will be in charge of organizing your celebration

In reply to sudden

Once powen singing I fine wid dat.

In reply to nick2020

monumental waste of time and money, they answer to the Lime Pelican Challenge, and to boot, in a sport that has taken us nowhere, if I was liquid enough I would invest in the Tridents in a heartbeat, I cannot understand how anybody cannot see the economic benefit a successful sport can bring to a country, the economic activity it can easily generate....But this is typical our myopic, ultra conservative attitude is why we enter deep recessions every 10 to 20 years and each time it is harder to come out, we have not tapped into our full foreign exchange earning capacity and remain overly dependant on the spendings of British tourist

In reply to hawk

Without knowing what the viewership is?

In reply to hawk

Bajans are conservative.
Double-edged sword.

Sometimes it is beneficial. Sometimes detrimental.

In reply to nick2020

we always do due diligence, that goes without saying and determines the level of investment, so far the viewership appears good, the CPL is gaining in interest around the world attracting the right people, it is growing business

more often than not our ultra convservative nature holds us back, sometimes one has to strike while the iron is hot and take those risks nothing ventured nothing gained

In reply to hawk

Well after Clico...

But it is good to see Bajans buying up the Bonds. Not that that is living on the wild side.

In reply to hawk

Unnuh does talk bear Shoite about Bim being ultra conservative or some variant of that term without understanding the term. Bim has never been conversative in my life. We behave like any other small community anywhere. And Bim with a population of around 300k is small and has punched above its weight for a long time. We seem not to understand and we fool ourselves into thinking that we are some kind of big heavy weight muguffee.

There is a certain tempo to small community life that is adaptive and walks to its own beat. It knows what to select and deselect as a matter of survival and social interaction. If the market forces in Bim, say, the CPL with sell -out crowds, cannot survive its financial outlay then it shall be so and no sentiments and trite terms are going to change that.

In reply to sudden

What they are saying, if government can waste money on other programs, why not waste money on the CPL.
I know nothing on the CPL, who the commissioner is, who put the original money to formed the league.

I prefer the private sector owning the Trident than the DLP/BLP

In reply to openning

well said sir.

and in any event Sudden is being disingenuous at best...all because the cloak of transparency is being shone on his incompetent DLP government.

THE CPL will bring far more tangible and legacy rewards than that farce of a tournament could ever bring.

sure...Sudden sounds like Mark Anthony just before he arranged the riot for the Murder of Julius Caesar with his flowery language above...but alas...all in an effort to explain the unexplainable.

Questions need to be asked...- Why is the franchise losing money specifically in Barbados?

What arrangements are in place that are hindering or retarding returns to the investors etc etc etc, that somehow aren't happening elsewhere in the other franchises?

Let the Investor come clean and go from there.

The problem is : for the past 8 years the overwhelming majority of investors in anything into Barbados have found it incredibly challenging to set up and operate and that is a direct question of business facilitation in Barbados

Funny how when only certain peoples names involved that things apparently getting government ..sorry ..Cabinet approval and in many cases without any pass through of established channels.

all for now.

In reply to powen001

All that can be compressed in one word ...bullshite. The highlighted portion makes no sense and is a swipe at the DLP. It has no bearing on the CPL becos it is set up and as far as we know that was not a problem. You yourself stated that we don't know the exact nature of the problems yet you know it is becos of the DLP administration. Then when I call u an igrunt short me crotch big mout midget yuh does want to say I wrung

Not only that,the DLP is not solely responsible for the incorporation and reporting regime in Bim. From the way unnuh hypocrites does talk Bim began 8 years ago and the BLP was never in power. If only the last part was true Bim would not be in this state

In reply to sudden

Sensible analysis.

CPL is a business

Not only that....it's private enterprise meaning it is FOR PROFIT

No FOR PROFIT entity will endure heavy losses for a protracted period of time for sentimental reasons

Therefore, if Tridents or any other franchise is losing $$ with no indication that the franchise will soon be profitable, it will either fold or move somewhere else where the prospects to make a profit are better.

In reply to sudden

business facilitation.

thats my word for you.

ask those questions-

The investors can be accused of being unreasonable...ONLY if you dont want to hear the answers to the questions I asked.

OR

your route...

either way..UNLESS discussion ensues...BIM stands to lose out in several areas.

let me list some intangibles for your DLP blinders-

Escape - from the hardship people are under
Stress relief - winning is some good news FINALLY under this ingrunt regime
Cash flow for vendors and welcome activity at the OVAL.
Radio and Television advertising is more money flowing...

ahm...tell me how that farce of a football tournament in Barbados of all places can compare as a worthwhile investment except for the desperate attempt it has been to create a "legacy" for a man whose legacy in Bim ...will take less than three paragraphs..and three short paragraphs at that to write?

I aint only swiping ...I hitting your BS for six!

Digicel as an organisation is going to go through some pretty drastic changes over the next few months and cutting costs is going to be king.

In reply to Commie

That is accurate-

Digicel has to reposition itself to deal with the Flow/Lime merger.

Based on the benefits of having CPL here tangible and otherwise...some discussion should ensue.

I know that you should be aware that the only reason we Hearing the IRISH on this is because some DEAF ears have not been taking them seriously.

it is the M.O of this admin , so when an entity that isnt directly related to any Minister per se...the response has been slow and pretty much ignored.

dont take my word for it...ask BIBA or the Commercial sector or the service providers on this rock-

men with brains and money dont have confidence in them..and that too is a stated fact.

Sudden cannot dismiss that- its recorded fact.

In reply to powen001

All those tangibles if they existed as legitimate business targets and are obtainable can be pursued by the private sector which for far too long are dependent on government for business. The space is open. Why don't you with all your business acumen and buzz words form a company and pitch those great tangibles to potential investors and if the government don't facilitate your business pursuits called them out. I am sure Meeeah will be willing to help. How about Veeco and or 3S or Hallam Nicholls or the car company owner that got lock some months ago. The potential for investors is limitless.


Btw the Thompson tournament was never pitched as a foreigner exchange earner and is a real sorry ass comparison even for sycophant like u

In reply to sudden

I picked up this argument from your post boss- I didnt mention the Football fiasco from out o the blue jest so...but thats an aside.

This country we both love is being lead by a bunch o incompetents whose only policy has been to grab grab grab and tax tax tax...

talking entrepreneurs on one hand , then taxing the very foundations on which they use to build their baby businesses -

All we..yes We...for balance have been taxing every damn thing and making it incredibly difficult for investors...facts that Donville himself has admitted...so thats not the argument.

I am saying to you that all we have been doing is playing defense to ward off devaluation of our dollar and precious little is being discussed about EARNING money for BIMshire.

Thats the ONLY way out of this mess...so the OPPORTUNITY ought to be grabbed with both hands--- EXCEPT...as opening says-

Look at what happens EVERYTIME one of your boys gets involved...people end up driving big rides and building from houses to new apartments and all sort of new businesses show up..with their names listed somewhere down the line as attached.

it is not pretty in BIM Sudden..and I know you know cause as a lawyer some of the cheese must be close to your nose..and it is sickening.

The same government says that Private sector must lead..then the same jokers choking the private sector with taxes...incompetence Sudden...

This is an opportunity..and invitation and yes..I will admit ..an indecent proposal...but one can hear the frustration in the announcement...if you care to discern first before you defend

In reply to sudden

Sudden I would try to get in on this discussion with powen but the last time I tried that my head hurt.

The business environment has always been unfavorable because of the slowness of the system. Incorporation takes longer than it should, and the legal fraternity (sudden?) is painfully slow. But I guess you all will reason the courts to blame, which is often true. Too many cases to be heard on the same day and you keep getting push back.

Powen is a unique guy. Or so I hope. Cuz if dem got more powens in dis world, God help us!

But to him, the Sargassum seaweed is de DLP fault.
Under de Bees it is a natural occurrence.

In reply to nick2020

i was with you until you tried to swing at me..forgetting that at my height you would ve missed.

you missed again.

Sudden knows all them things..but he is sworn to defend first...even if the bloody cow in front of him he will still say its a sheep cause thats his instructions from on high.

and God will help...if you ask

panadols and six hats thinking will help you going forward.


ooh as for the sargassum sea weed..
ha ha ha ha ha h

boy you stumble on another Gem!

Evidence has surfaced that equipment to clean up this equipment was brought in...and then BLOCKED by a certain minister...and the clean up Sir..again points to exactly what you said..SLOW to move..no basic thinking about being proactive but waiting until things reach CRISIS to respond.

there you have it..SEa weed now included...you happy?

or you still struggling with separating the difference between being a thermometer and a thermostat?

In reply to powen001

powen, you cannot be engaged on these matters.

You are quick to point out what the DLP has done wrong.
Ask you what the BLP do wrong and you go missing.

How can you have any credibility when you do that?

Sudden is okay to chastize a weed smoker but support a beater?

In reply to powen001

Listen I have told you the problem in Bim is a systemic one. We simply have to change how the civil servants do business. They must understand they serve the people and not the other way. As far as I am aware it is now v easy to incorporate a business in Bim. A two day exercise I believe. The new FSC facilitated this and is streamlining a lot of business activities.why don't you report that.

You ought to know that businesses will cry and moan and groan to exact financial largesse from a Government. I remember when Richie Haynes made one of the biggest tax concessions to businesses to drum up work and expansion. What did they do...hoard profits. What about now regarding vat? Where some treat vat as a profit to companies and when BRA comes calling threaten to close down or lay off workers

Yes I say make it easy to do business but it is a two way street in our socialist country. The government must collect taxes to run that burdensome regime where every one looks to said government to keep the skids grease

In reply to nick2020

i lost ...

you win that one...re weed smoker...you mean..smoke the sargassum?

The BLP are not in power ..can you comprehend that mr thick skull?

In reply to powen001

You do know that there is enough seaweed out there to cover a large land mass. This problem is not going to be fixed by heavy machines so I dunno what scenes you on.

In reply to sudden

agreed.

And I applauded Donville on his approach to shaking up several boards...true story.

there is a need to shake the trees...but it is HOW the tree is shaken that has exposed your boys..

The Civil service has to be a serious focal point...and we agree on that.

that aint gonna happen over night but I do welcome the need to DO something .


Business moving to two days...is on paper..but I promise you here..in front of your silent supporter 2020...to post here when I hear about anybody singing the praises and declaring that 2 days indeed man...even one week I would smile at.

In reply to nick2020

Link Text

In reply to nick2020

that is true ...Seaweed aint gonna stop coming ..and its in Texas..Mexico..and elsewhere too...but guess what...when it was ONLY on the East coast this could have been addressed...so dont go missing the point lad.

The very decision to ACT would have thrown up solutions to management by now...now we drowning in it...fishermen, tourist...hotels..beach operators and vendors...and today as you heard..there is a poisonous gas associated with it once it starts to dry on the land mass.

the Wait and SEE approach has been killing this country Nick...but of course..you can always guh back from where you came so..no worries..your navel string aint bothered ...yet.

In reply to powen001

That is good. I am not looking fuh no one to come tek way what little pennies I have.

Powen, the new Kensington Oval was built under the BLP. That was and is a big mess. No one knew who even owned it at first.
The Highway expansion project was one big mess. BLP awarded the contract to 3S, a company who found itself in court for corrupt practices like bribing officials in Jamaica and Nigeria. Here
The Nigerian Water Heater project. Do a google.
At the height of our success what was our GDP, surplus/deficit/level of foreign reserves? Same numbers in 2007? What happened?
CLICO was majority a BLP problem.
Al Barrack all a BLP problem. How you could award a man with little experience a project, then kick him off the job and use his equipment? And then tell the next administration to just pay the man?

Yea. Nuttin wrong wid how tings went down then.

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

Sea weed is not new, man. And no country has been able to contend with it. It is a force of nature. But if course in Bim it is the DLP's fault.

It is unfortunate that recessions have hit the DLP twice in the last two election cycles. The BLP has been able to rule without this contraint. The last time they did they got 3 seats. Then they brag that they do a better job fiscally. Well they should under those circumstances plus with the business sector traditionally behind them.

In this protracted recession big ass countries have been brought to their knees and people in Bim expect manna from the skies given the unprecedented debt and financial jiggery under the BLP. I pointed out how the recession has hit other countries to people in Bim. Know what, they acknowledge that they know but it should not happen in Bim. Man what can you do when you hear that?

In reply to powen001

I deleted the profane laced response before I hit submit.

Okay let me try to be rational here.

Explain what you mean by this



Are you saying that if they fixed it when it was only affecting the East Coast it would not have spread? Or been as much of it?

In reply to nick2020

like I said poor fella..

wunnuh in power.

the same knife you trying to use falls to the leaders of this country..and I aint mention housing..nor waste to energy at all...cause based on the arguments proffered pre winning the election in 2008 is the same argument...knife right now that cutting yall to pieces.

but you have a serious sprained neck problem with all that looking back...


by your method - Al should suffer until the BLP back in power..and CLICO should still be running...I aint even gine follow you on that ..cause to tell you some details would make your head spin...but why bother..the public servant who is now retired..one William Layne said it for all o you to hear...but wunnuh dems turning and pointing at duppies in the sky.

get thru.

In reply to camos

The government has been doing okay before the CPL – and it will continue to do well after it is gone.


BTW - why Antigua got rid of the Hawksbills? Did they try pulling the same old stunt?
If the Birds were still in power…

In reply to TheTrail

ok...

thats it..I gine an play some call o duty...at least when I get shot there I can respawn.

In reply to nick2020

I know you can read cause you typing...its your comprehension that needs a shot of brandy or something stronger.

I gine online...come on line ...and we can finish this ...via Streetfighter or COD Advanced Warfare...

not getting much traction here with you...maybe I can beat some sense into you

In reply to powen001

History did not begin 8 years ago yuh know


When Narsham Insurance collapsed Affuh could not ensure that those policyholders got back their money. Again when under Affuh, Great Northern Insurance folded up leaving some policyholders in peril, he could not ensure that they got back money either. Uh lie

In reply to nick2020

Whose fault that is?

That statement alone tells you that something is terribly wrong with the checks and balances...

In reply to TheTrail

I cannot assess blame unless I know what was said behind closed doors.

But on the surface it would seem like some people expected money in an envelope. And de envelope never get mail.

In reply to nick2020

Link Text

In reply to powen001

Look I stupid. Spell it out for me.

What do you mean?

how are these teams going to earn revenue, is there a formula to share TV and advertising money or each entity generates its own revenue?

In reply to powen001

Digicel are going public. This changes everything.

In reply to Commie

Where did you read that?

Ah:

Link

In reply to powen001

Regimes roun planet mek mistakes...utopia if not...wunna hip to Obamacare???

piece in Bklyn News pon east coast landfill dat neva use...$30mil howler dem seh..u gots 411 pon dat...who tek rap fi dat...

Mebbe wunna cud stockpile sargussum dey....tun um into energy or nedda sumtin sumtin...

TIMBERRRR!!!!

In reply to che

Think of all the fun things Bajans can do without the Tridents distracting them.

1. Watch the fountain in Queen's Park shoot water into the air.
2. Go to a south coast beach for a nice swim.
3. Staycation at Casa Grande.

In reply to powen001

Stop the nonsense. For an intelligent person, you sometimes dissapoint.

We are trying to determine what benefit this franchise is to the Barbados economy.

This illusion is marketed as the biggest party in T20 cricket.

Show the people who matter in the Barbados Government the amount of new funds coming in as opposed to the amount being taken out.

All these people are looking for is tax payers money from the Government and it ain't going to happen.

Good riddance to them. Let them go to Trinidad.

In reply to Star

Those same illusory promises were made and accepted for cwc2007. We are yet to see those benefits

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

IMF predicted CWC2007 would be a disaster. But I dunno if they got bookies on the payroll and knew big teams would get bounced and we would not make it far enough.

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

I know a lot of people who saw the benefits. They are in the BL&P and their sycophants

In reply to nick2020

Ask Powen about the man who rented a cruise ship to hold all those 15000 who flocked to Kensington. Poor Steven Alleyne may he RIP

In reply to sudden

I really cannot ask Powen anything. And I must commend you on your deep understanding of the people in here.

You said I ain seen nuttin yet wid powen and after he stopped short of saying some bulldozers deployed early would have stopped the seaweed invasion you are truly correct; powen's folly is unending.

How did the first group of boys get into SMS? Lucky Dip?

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

Exactly.

It really galls me when some people think all Barbadians are gullible.

In reply to nick2020

Not nice. But I must say I am disappointed how this post got diverted into party politics. This is the problem with Bajans...they don't no when they are being distracted and divided. Digicel makes a public threat to government... it should not matter whether it is B or D. Bajans should unite in telling them where to get off. There will be other forum and times for dealing with party political misdeeds. If the franchise pulls out of Bim there should be no one to blame but Digicel, just as if it was the wicb we would be blaming them for incompetence, not a national government.

Government got a lot to answer for, yes, but, blaming them for a franchise failure when there is mass public support and a world class stadium and other infrastructure made available by the taxpayer (not to mention a pool of good young talent (albeit largely ignored by Tridents' management) nurtured by the various BCA and NSC programmes) is like blaming the government for ....well...the arrival of sargassum on our beaches. Pretty damn retarded.

In reply to Logic

You would be surprise how many people believe that had the BLP been in power the seaweed would not have come to Bim?

In reply to Logic

You are right. But it will become a political football if the Tridents pack up shop.

And on this board it is always good to see someone play his hand before 2018.

We know powen blames the large quantities of seaweed on the Dems. He will without question blame this on them too.

But to get back to the topic at hand the issue for Barbados is if others are dancing then why would Digicel continue to let us show up empty handed?

In reply to nick2020 Because we are not others. We made the same mistake with CWC2007, getting desperate to compete, without recognizing that we have a product that simply needed some refurbishment rather than rebuilding (I am not talking about Kensington as much as I am talking about all the other excess that we engaged in, including chartering an entire cruise vessel when we got decent hotel and housing stock). Before Sudden gets all wet with excitement, let me say that we also made the same mistake with Butch Stewart, again not recognizing that we already had a Rolls Royce that simply needed retuning, and threw it away for a shiny new Mazda sports model that won't last the distance.

I get vex with the Trini domination bout here but I also admire the trinis on many counts. Trinidad is the only country that came out of CWC2007 relatively unscathed. Money that could have been thrown away on CWC was instead available for other purposes...like protecting the Clico policyholders (in TnT only of course).

Now that some Latin American group has exercised or is exercising the option to convert debt held in Banks to equity, the reality is that through Massy and other holdings the trinis even have more interest in Banks (our national brewery) than Bajans do.

If you want to blame somebody other than Digicel for a pull out of the franchise then blame Trinidad because strategically they will get as much out of the Digicel franchise being here as Bajans would. Bajans primarily get the distraction of one big party for one brief week.

I would, out of curiosity, love Digicel to pull out, just to see how long CPL (and Digicel) would survive thereafter.

In reply to nick2020 I would add that it is funny that as Trinidadians have become more and more serious about business Barbadians have become more and more serious about partying.

In reply to Logic

I do not agree with you on Sandals. I endorsed the whole thing from day 1 and look at the immediate increase in USA visitors to the island. It is the one glaring weakness in our domestic offering. We do not have a Rolls. Barbados was lacking in brand names years ago. Sandals gives us a world wide band in the trendy all inclusive market.

Also if we had oil money we would not do the things we do like swing and miss at tourism opportunities.

When oil dry up you not going envy T&T as much.

I would call on the Barbados government to do more about developing serious young cricketers to be test match professionals and preserve the legacy we already had....created by Worrell, Weekes, Walcott, Sobers, Hall, Griffith, Greendige, Haynes, Marshall, Garner, Cozier, et al... That is the real legacy, not the CWC2007 crap and certainly not the CPL party stuff. We already have a good schools system that is exposing some bright young talent. If government can find US$1m a year, as Digicel is strong-arming them for, let them use it to start an annual scholarship for some of these youths to get scholarships at UWI, and UK and Oz tertiary institutions.

In reply to Logic

The sad reality of developing Test Cricketers is it will only be beneficial to ship them out to County Cricket. Test cricket dying dying.

The solution to this Digicel crisis is for government to help facilitate an ease for investors. But I would not want to see them sink $1M USD into the Tridents either. I also would not want to see zero.

In reply to Logic

Seriously I like your thinking .I will however take you to task for omitting Paint from the Legacy.
I do like the scholarship idea .... however there has to be room for investment or inclusion of the Likes of Rihanna ..... Its a no brainer ,she ought to own the franchise or become a stake holder. secondly during the season there ought to be at least two Rihanna concerts at the Mecca to augment proceedings

In reply to nick2020

You have a grave misconception of my Rolls Royce reference and branding. BARBADOS is a brand. That is why we have been successful at tourism for years despite having next to no branded hotels.

In reply to nick2020

Replace oil drying up , with natural gas deposits .

In reply to nick2020 And I have no problem with Sandals coming, but at what cost? The concessions given will wreak havoc in our competitive sector if not offered to hoteliers. If it is offered to hoteliers then it could be destructive to our unique and highly developed restaurant landscape, that is a big part of Barbados' branding. Either way the taxpayers and other sectors will have to pick up the slack.

Butch argued that these were the concessions he got from Grenada to do the resort there so that is what Barbados should give. Rubbish. Barbados has a highly developed infrastructure and workforce. Butch did not have was effusive in his praise of the local construction professionals and workforce here for the rapid turnaround on the Dover Beach development. He did not mention though that he caused some of them to lose their shirts with the liquidated damages he imposed for not meeting the ridiculous completion deadline. These contractors made the same mistake that government made. Temporarily difficult economic times led them to make commitments that could cause them / country long term damage.

As for Trinidad envy... to be brief, let me say that having lived in other Caribbean territories and visited others frequently, I can assure that by most measures Barbados is the best of the best. Admiration and envy are two disparate things. I admire the fact that Mussolini got the trains to run on time. I don't particularly admire him and I certainly don't envy him.

In reply to ponderiver Rihanna already committed to donating some big sums to the hospital.

In reply to ponderiver

You think this is yard, man. Bim got real legacy. Paint got a mountain to climb before he get a mention.

Very interesting thread

In reply to Logic

love that girl, she could give even more if she invested in the Tridents

By the way Bim getting some heat re its unflattering tax haven status is this at the root of the problem?

The thread started well, but diverted into politics.

As far as Almond Resorts and Sandals, I've stayed at the Casuarina 4-5 times since 2007, not once did I receive any promotion from the Almond resorts,
Since Sandals took over, every other day we get emails on promotions and deals

In reply to Star

but Star..the same foil you pointed at me..you just cut your own throat with-

and

You prove my point!!

Discussion MUST take place.

Your flippant response is exactly what this admin has been doing ad nauseum...How has that been working out for you?


Of course its a veiled threat...IF your eyes closed...OR its an opportunity to negotiate , this time properly ...IF they are capable...but you know how I feel about the advisors to the Government...

You sound just as hostile as them...by them..Sinckler to the chamber of commerce, Donville to the hoteliers, Central Bank Governor to the Press..Freundel..to every bloody body.

beating your chest dont make you a winner cause you in Power....long after these jokers are sent packing ..businesses and foreign direct investment will still be around to return and negotiate with willing people.

a word to the wise is sufficient.

In reply to Logic

its not just that.

I happen to be very close to someone from England who wanted to have a meeting about succession planning for the Oval...and just like this admin...it fell on deaf ears. This was 2006 Summer btw.

the Man who would have seen it through, resigned in disgust over some shenanigans taking place..and the rest is history.

I am not saying crap doesnt happen...its accountability thats the sore point...and it appears more sore now than ever before..thats what I am saying.

notice people who wanted the Jamaican government to spend millions to erect lights at Sabina are now rational when it is their government turn to spend some money!

In reply to camos

Either this is Groundhog Day or you made this comment before.

From a superficial level the two issues are similar but they really are not. In the world of TV audience and the fact that we live on an unfavorable time zone for Indian and English viewers, lights are beneficial beyond CPL. So by not having lights, Sabina becomes less popular for even International T20 matches (I know you have lights now).

So the PM from St Kitts is here giving thanks for the exposure and benefits of having the CPL there.

What are the investors in BIM saying about us- politics aside.

What can St Kitts do that BIM cannot...even now?

Oh I see...let this too go to TnT...Jean an Dyna

In reply to powen001

Which Government Minister and which Prime Minister would waste precious time negotiating foolishness.

You want numbers, let me give you numbers.

Impact of dollars spend on the GDP of host country Barbados re CPL = 0.2 percent.

That equates to EIGHT ( expatriates returning home from the UK to settle in Barbados. It is an infinitesimal amount as far as the Barbados government is concern.

As I said earlier, let the CPL take their con game to another island and leave the Barbados taxpayers alone.

Gimme, gimme and gimme more is over with.

In reply to Star

Would you mind elaborating on your numbers?

Well I would like to hear the dollars spent and how do you track the dollars spent.

In reply to nick2020

Easy Nick.

Powen knows, this is his field of expertise.

Here are some more numbers for you.

Guyana 0.14 percent
Jamaica 0.07 percent
T&T 0.05 percent
St.Lucia 0.7 percent
Antigua 0.65 percent

In reply to Star

I am not questioning your numbers.
I guess I do not know what the numbers are and how did you get to the number.

.2% of Barbados GDP = .2% of $7B = $14M.

Correct?

How did you get to $14M?

Edit: Last Estimate was actually $10B BBD but then again I have no idea if we are working in USD or BBD. Does not matter though because .2% is .2% so $20M BBD.

In reply to nick2020
OK NIck, let me give you the amounts and a caution we are dealing with "SPEND" in the procurement process.

We have the following.
1: Overall Spend
2: Non-Payroll Spend
3: Influenceable Spend
4: Managed Spend.

The amounts are in US Dollars.
Antigua: 7.35 million
Barbados 9.1 million
Guyana 4 million
Jamaica 10.65 million
T&T 12.85 million
St.Lucia 7.3 million

In reply to Star

What would you say is the total economic impact of a single home match?
And what does one capture to estimate that kind of information?

In reply to nick2020

correct but you are mixing up two completely different statistics.

It is the impact of dollar on the GDP.

Also note that 0.2 percent is not the same as .2 percent.

In reply to Star

I posted that before you told me the number - 9.1. You only quoted it as .2%
So I had to Google Barbados' GDP and calc .2% and depending on source let us call .2% = $10M. Close enough to your 9.1M.

In reply to nick2020

The Jamaica day matches were better for Indian viewers, who make up the biggest portion of watchers and the English. As a matter of fact they were the most watched matches over the last 2 CPLs. Since we clamoured for later games we have almost had to pay double to watch dem

In reply to Maispwi

Interesting statistic.

In reply to Star

I concur.

I met three IMGs in T.O who also concur with you.