TNN 97

Hello folks…an’ welcome again to we broadcast…(deep voice)… This Is TNN…… Tell meh wey yuh been las’ night, Caroline… out by Picadilly…. if it wasn’t you, den who could it be……. tell meh wey yuh been las’ night, Caroline…… (Roaring Lion …. (background music)

Jumpstation: State of de economy...and what a state; Bas and Pathos...soap opera, Yuh know carnival jus' aroun' de corner when.

In his first intelligent move in the past two weeks (what ah relief!) we new PM Maddening put ah team of economists to study the state of the “fiscal accounts” of TnT.

Well, low an’ behold, the upshot is ..”Doh make de mistake an’ spend any money!  Keep everything tight!  One false move an’ we dead!”. 

Den in de odder breath de economist say de economy sound (i.e. de economic signs alright…). 

Now me eh no economist, but what ah hear de man say is dat we at least TT$7 Billion over de 50% ration dat we supposed not to exceed, an’ if I not mistaken the foreign debt is some TT$35 Billion when it was TT$17 Billion six years ago. 

According to my maths, with ah oil an’ natural gas boom we still manage to accumulate TT$17 Billion more in debt over six years..   De money was spent on what, yuh say?! Ummm... hmmmm!    But he say we have 4 months (ah not sure of foreign reserves) an’ it have several hundred million in de oil stabilisation fund, so it have money, at least we not bankrupt….

De advice to de PM was doh try no extra spending because if he do dat, we cocolux dead! 

But what did Manos promise of de platform?… Oh, FREE school books to all school children, full repayment of public servants’ debt (read TT$1.1 Billion) an’ ah TT$200 increase in old age pension..  

Did he consult wit’ economists den?!  No, now he go have to eat he words or send we further into debt… way to go Pathos, yuh is ah boss! 

Yuh ever hear de sayin’ “Hush yuh mout’ an’ leh people like yuh”?..  Ahhhhhhh boy…… now yuh realise dat de world economy on ah slide.. which means…. we go have less money comin’ in?  

Lemme see how de PM go deal wit’ dis hot potato.. he go have to be ah gravedigger to get heself outta dis one…but I was de one sayin’.. watch how we spend we money… when we need it, it eh go be dey….  Now Health callin’ for money because is pressure in dem hospitals, it still have water to run to certain areas, agriculture need ah shot in de arm.. all de t’ings ah was tellin’ dem to focus on, dey eh take meh on….  Dose who doh hear go damn well feel, eh?!…

Ay boy… de saga continues... de new PM Maddening and de former PM , Uncle Bas heself! 

Bas say he never indicated to de President dat he was willing to accept de post of Opposition Leader and he considers it an “imposition” to hand him papers making him such…. but ahhhmmmmmmm…. did he say he was NOT willing to accept it?   Den it would make de whole issue ah comedy fest… if yuh ask de Prez. to choose between you an’ Maddening, who should be PM an’ yuh eh willing to accept de post of Opposition Leader, den de Prez. would have no choice, so why come to him in firs’ place?   An’ yuh believe it have people swallowing dat nonsense?!   Now he say he callin’ in CARICOM (an’ dey would do what?) an’ he go contact de UN (yeah…?) etc, etc.. 

Maddening on de odder hand behavin’ like we win 30 of 36 seats.. he appointin’, he disappointin’ an' anybody who disagree wit’ him getting’ ah backbench or piece of ah Ministry…. de strongest people in de party getting’ small wuk, because he fraid dem. 

So he bring back Say-it (Saith) ain’t-so, ah man in foreign affairs who is no Gift (dat is he name too) an’ he appoint ah young businessman to be Security Minister. 

Man, all ah could say is “Wait an’ see”.  At least he was honest enough to say he didn’t consult wit’ people when he pick he Cabinet, so dat relives the party of ah major responsibility. 

Meanwhile Bas still goin’ on wit’ he losin’ battle.. now ah hear he want to come to Parliament, but they have to meet wit’ Maddening, dey want to choose de House Speaker (an’ since de Speaker has a deciding vote in ah tie in Parliament, it means that de Opposition go be able to hang de government jack on any initiative. Yeah, all ah we is stupidies.. how about somebody BOTH sides trust?! 

So de see-saw continues an’ all de clamour getting’ drowned out in baccahnal, because ……

IS CARNIVAL TIME AGAIN.....

Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!  An’ de season short..  by de middle of February de season finish.   So fete promoters take off like bullet from gun.. de usual public fetes…. WASA fete!  Soca flowin’ like WATER!  Or Flour Mills… Soca by de silos, followed by Army fete.. Operation Big Jam an’ doh forget Fire Services bram “Blazing Soca”. 

It even have Brass festival which used to be bands with brass instruments commpeting, but now is just synthesizer music, jump and wave.. sad man, sad….. We hearin’ some good fete songs this year, and ah glad to say ah lot of dem comin’ from de islands… is about time we soca bards stop dis nonsense of tryin’ to make ah hit song wit’ poor lyrics an’ ah even poorer hook line… man de island brethren take it by storm. 

Apparently dey get de message dat we local bards refuse to get.. make ah song dat could hold its own all year round… dis make-ah-song-for-Carnival eh carryin’ we music nowhere.. it only have so many jump up songs yuh could make, yuh unnerstan’…. raise yuh eyes l’il bit.. dem people songs startin’ before Carnival an’ finishin’ in September.. by ash Wednesday people fed up hear yuh song…  What I go be doin’ listenin’ to ah song “Jump! Wave! Misbehave!” in de quite of my house in April.. eh? T’ink nah man, t’ink…!

Anyway ah know alyuh waitin’ to get de Carnival vibes from de Cobra… well de party songs dis year have some variety in terms of lyrics, music and melody, which is ah good sign for dis year.  De tents open an’ goin’ guns.. I eh hit one yet, but ah could inform yuh as soon as ah go…. doh expect me to be in de “Mash up de place!”, “Break dong de fence!”, “Get on bad!” public fetes… ah like meh sneakers an’ ah LOVE meh life.. it does have some kinda ignorant characters in dey.. mash dey foot an’ is fight!   An’ ah doh want to put dong ah man horizontal in front of he frens, yuh unnerstan’.. so to save de brudders dem embarrassment.. ah go cool it (I nice, eh?!). 

Las’ wekend ah make ah small cultural lime.. went an’ buy some souse…. eat it in de open… den ah pass by Independence Square for some coconut water an’ whatever odder vittles dey had dey, waltz round de place, take in de street music from de pirates on de pavement… jus’ cool vibes.. ah go keep alyuh informed and entertained on de happenings.. fear not!

YUH KNOW CARNIVAL JUS AROUN' DE CORNER WHEN.....

Yuh bedposts vibrating from de music from de fete dong de road… dem people eh have reason boy… ah mean is 2 o'clock in de mornin’! 

Yuh decide from las’ year dat yuh coolin’ it dis year, but yuh ringin’ mas camps to fin’ out if dey have any “extra” costumes…. jus’ in case! 

De same fete music yuh was complainin’ about….. you yuhself in de same venue de week after! 

Yuh t’inkin’ about takin’ out ah loan to tide yuh over de season….! 

Yuh eh know how yuh getting’ home, but yuh gone anyway…… ah mus’ bounce up somebody wit’ ah car dong dey! 

Dem work days seemin’ longer an’ longer… (yeah, well try an’ get home before 4a.m. nah!)! 

Yuh want to go to de gym everyday now….. buh wey all dis weight come from….?! 

Yuh work calendar mark up wid all de dates of fetes and Panorama…….! 

Yuh suddenly become addicted to coffee! 

Yuh chippin’ on yuh way to work, because de music still in yuh head!

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Dat’s all for dis week folks… remember any queries, questions, comments, hail outs etc… jus’ write to we anchorman Cobra at ttcobra1@hotmail.com an’ we go get back to yuh… Take care, alyuh, ah gone…. Peace….. Gimme more! Gimme more! Ah want ..ah like it…! Ah have ah soca temperature….meh body on fire….soca is de beat..dat gi meh dis heaT! HEAT! HAET! (Crazy…, background music)