Monday, July 30, 2007

Stealing manifestos

The JLP - Jamaica's opposition party - is launching its manifesto today, the first party to do so before the general elections of August 27th.

No doubt it will be a thick and well thought out document - outlining their plans for their hoped for term in government.

No doubt the ruling PNP - which will be launching its manifesto on August 9th - will pilfer,lift, plagerise and down-right steal most of the best ideas, which they will then scramble to put in a basic and flimsy document 10 days later.

That is what happened 5 years ago - so there's no need to expect different this time. Hopefully though, the electorate will not be fooled this time around.

Fact is 99% of the electorate, if not more, do not read the manifestos anyway - although some will get to hear about them trough the media. The JLP had the better manifesto by far last time and it made little difference. Or did it?

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Any number can play - not just a 7

Hey guys - you still out there? Were you ever?

OK - topic of the mo. is the upcoming election. August 27 is the date. And its deja-vu all over again. The PNP's slogan -Time for a Change - which it ran with in the 1972 election is back again. But now its on the JLP's lips. And the PNP is left saying 'We not changing no course.' While at the same time proving their gymnastic capabilities by saying 'We are the party of change'.

Quite how they will not change while changing remains to be seen.

Portia Simpson Miller (PSM being the correct TLA) - is busy painting herself as God's chosen one - while at the same time taking an unholy interest in the number 7. We have 7 national heros, this is the 7th month, blah, blah, so nomination day is the 7th of August and election day is the 27th.

Her religious defenders tell us that the number 7 is very relevant to Christians. Haven't heard them speak of the 7 deadly sins though.

Meanhwile, the poll by the Gleaner (and PNP's) pollster puts them at 40% and the JLP at 34%. But the analysis shows the JLP leading in every segment bar one - the oldest group. So quite how that can be, I don't know.

Violence appears to be up - as the climate and the politics heat up, we can expect more of the same.