#we have a pm who wants to take money from deprived areas force us into the same ideologica beliefs about britian

[hassanfield]

jokes aside my heart goes out to everyone this winter who has to choose between foods or their heating

[rachelthompsonauthor]

Every year I pick a power word as a way to guide my goals and progress each year, and this year my word is boundaries. Not a fan of resolutions, I find having one word gives me the laser focus I need not only in my personal life but also in business and writing.

Establishing healthy boundaries is a critical part of our everyday lives, regardless of whether we are survivors of abuse or not. However, due to the myriad of different ways abuse survivors develop survival skills, we may not even realize we allow people to push our boundaries because we’ve not thought about what these boundaries are.

For this article, I’m discussing boundaries we can set in ‘safe’ life situations, not abusive situations.

If you are currently in a dangerous or abusive situation, where setting a boundary with a partner can cause you physical harm, please get help. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline  – their advocates are available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) in more than 200 languages. All calls are free and confidential.

What Are Boundaries?

Boundaries can be demonstrated in five ways: body, thinking, feeling, behavioral, and now, digital. Let’s define this further:

Boundaries represent physical and emotional limits that you don’t want other people to cross. They help define your sense of self by separating your needs, desires, thoughts, and feelings from those of others’. Boundaries are the dividing lines between you and everyone else and they help make you an individual from the group. 

Boundaries also help you know your limits about how much “baggage” you can take on from other people. When you set strong and appropriate boundaries, you will help other people know how to treat you.  You will essentially be teaching them what is ok and what is not ok to do and say around you. Boundaries also give measure to the amount of time, money, emotional resources, or energy you can afford to give. (Source: Therapy in Philadephia.)

I love this definition because it so clearly states what boundaries are and how they work. In my work on #SexAbuseChat (every Tuesday 6 pm pst/9 pm est), as well as one-on-one discussions, many adult survivors find this definition terrifying. Why? Many reasons, of course; the most common is defying the authority figure (usually a parent) who is still involved in their lives, whether or not that person abused them.

In my case, an adult neighbor dad abused me at age eleven. Despite serving a less than two-year sentence, my family and his continued to live next door to one another. Once I moved away for college, I only saw him or his family when I returned home to visit my folks (quite often, since my uni was in the same city), and had no interaction with them, other than their glares at me.

Like any child who grows into an adult, I experienced the need to separate from my own parents. See the world. Be independent. Live life on my own. Visiting them less frequently helped me move away from seeing my abuser as well.

Setting a Foundation

Why is this my power word now, thirty years later, now that I’m in my mid-fifties? So much of my life has come full-circle. I moved to another coast alone in my late twenties to escape the town where my neighbor abused me, pursued a corporate career,  married for love, had two children, divorced after two decades, started my own business, wrote six books (so far), and more. Now I’m back living in a quiet suburb of the same area where I grew up.

My parents moved from that house (thankfully), and I now live with my own family about a mile away from my folks. I absolutely had to set boundaries when I moved back here. Like what?

No popping over unannounced.

No spending every holiday, birthday, and minor Jewish holidays nobody’s ever heard of together.

No getting up in each other’s business.

This foundation has helped quite a bit, though it’s not always been entirely successful (she chuckles ruefully to herself). My older sister and her husband also moved back to this area around the same time I did. Same rules apply. We do the best we can.

Setting boundaries in real life or our online lives helps us decide what behaviors we will accept from others, and even ourselves. If the way someone treats us is unacceptable, we need to realize it’s okay, and perfectly acceptable, to say no to spending time with that person because we are adults now.

What may have been out of our control when we were children now is up to us to decide. 

Ways to Set Boundaries

If setting boundaries is a goal for you, here are the tips I use and am currently working on:

Don’t Worry What Others Think

Just as I coach writers to #WriteWhatScaresYou, and to not worry if someone is upset with our truths, the same rule applies here. If others aren’t accepting of my boundaries, that’s not my issue. I’m an adult woman, and I’m allowed to make my own decisions. Sometimes, when people come at me unhappy with a boundary I’ve stated, it’s difficult. I am human, after all. It does affect me, however, I have to do what’s right for me and my own mental health.

Self-care isn’t selfish.

Example: After my divorce, things got tense, as these things often do. Due to abusive actions by my ex, I cut off all contact with him, with the exception of email, so we could still discuss any custody specifics (drop-offs, pick-ups, etc.). Other than that, I’ve blocked him on text, social media…basically, everywhere. His issues are no longer my issues.

This forced him to comply with my boundaries. It’s also empowering!

Maintain Communications If Necessary

In my example above, I set a boundary yet still maintained a form of necessary communication on my terms. With loved ones still in your life, it’s often helpful to set boundaries up front. With survivors, this doesn’t always happen due to our past experiences and the lack of the realization that we need established boundaries.

Working with survivors, many express they simply cannot tell significant others or family members, “No,” out of a fear of rejection, abusive behavior, or other fears of retribution (often valid). How do we go about setting boundaries around these fears? This is trickier, yet not impossible.

In my case, I didn’t set that boundary with my ex right away. For years, he would leave me constant texts about what I posted on social media and how that somehow was a dig at him. At one point, he attempted to use my memoirs, Broken Pieces and Broken Places, as examples in court of ‘how much she ‘hates men,’ to which my lawyer responded, ‘you realize she lives with a man, right?’ (Hilarious, but whatever).

Point is, regardless of this ridiculous back and forth, I couldn’t cut off communications completely, however much I wanted to.

Breathe and Remain Calm

Telling someone you are unavailable to do whatever it is they desire can make our hearts race as if we are running an obstacle course of trip-wires and poison-dipped arrows waiting to pierce us. Why? Because we cannot predict the reaction we’ll get and also we anticipate a confrontation about it when there may not be one at all. It’s often easier to do whatever it is someone wants us to rather than assert our free will, which then leaves us deflated and filled with self-loathing.

Not fun. Not healthy. Not what we need.

Breathe, my lovelies.

Next time someone wants you to do something you don’t want to do, tell them no. I promise you, the world will not come to an end. If saying, “No,” feels too abrupt, instead say, “I have a conflict,” which is an easy out. Another is, “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

Panic is not your friend here. Remain calm by knowing in advance what your boundaries are beforehand.

Know Your Comfort Level

As survivors, we are often hit with triggers that come out of nowhere. Sometimes we know exactly what sets us off; other times, we don’t. Life, eh? Welcome to our lives.

When triggers slam into us, we face discomfort, horror, fear. We’re brought right back into that abuse headspace. We have no choice – just as we had no choice when our abusers abused us. We learn by walking through the fire exactly what we’re okay with and what we’re decidedly not. Triggers give us that, in a warped kind of ethereal gift from the universe.

Yet, I’m not talking only about triggers here. Actively working out how far we’re willing to push ourselves into a situation (or out of one) is critical to understanding our boundaries. This can be as simple as becoming comfortable with blocking trolls on Twitter to letting clients know you’re unavailable after 6 pm.

Whatever it is, create a list of your boundaries. Then you’ll know how to stick to them, and which may be negotiable.

Change Your Paradigm

A man challenged me (shocker) on Twitter about ‘saying no,’ and boundaries, explaining 🙄 we are depriving ourselves of adventures and experiences, so instead we should say ‘yes’ to everything. I won’t go into the whole discussion about how men and women experience the world differently (duh), or defend the entire concept of the well-documented mental health value of creating boundaries for ourselves, or that survivors and non-survivors experience the world in wildly different ways.

Pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones is one thing. A blanket statement explaining how “we need to say yes to everything” is uninformed.

I will say, however, there’s no shame in working through boundary and trust issues as survivors of sexual abuse. We absolutely deserve the right to receive love and support in these choices. Doesn’t mean people will give it, yet we also cannot control that.

Final Thoughts

Boundaries are important because they help us feel safe in a variety of circumstances. That said, it’s a fluid process. Once we’re comfortable telling people “no” in one situation, it will become easier in others. We may also become more comfortable saying yes once we’ve conquered a certain fear or time has passed.

Remember: This is your journey. You’re an adult. Don’t ever feel bad because you’ve set a boundary.

This is my power word for 2020, so you’ll see many blog posts, quotes, and articles in my social media feeds on the topic. I’m working on boundary issues in my own relationships with family and friends, and I’ll be sharing those experiences with you as I traverse these paths as well.

I’d love to know what your power word is for 2020. Please share, along with any comments or thoughts, below!

***

�� Read more about Rachel’s experiences in the award-winning book, Broken Pieces.

She goes into more detail about living with PTSD and realizing the effects of how being a survivor affected her life in

Broken Places, available in print everywhere!

  The post This is Why “Boundaries” is My 2020 Power Word appeared first on Rachel Thompson.

via Rachel Thompson

[kingofthewilderwest]

TMI expression of my emotions below. [replies fine; *NO* reblogs]

I’m beyond the point of being able to take care of myself, and it’s been that way for years. I used to function fine living on my own, with a few quirky mistakes here and there (some friends may remember the Saga of the 3 month old Popcorn on the Floor). But now I legitimately can’t handle caring for myself in the most ESSENTIAL “keep this human running” tasks. 

Food? The refrigerator has lots of mold. I’m smart enough to subsist off things that can be microwaved (frozen vegetables, baked potatoes, etc.), done on stove top (canned soups, rice), or eaten right away (celery and peanut butter). But it means imbalanced meals with little protein and often turns into too much junk food (because it requires no cooking) ...which gives me no energy to function, obviously. And I can’t cook well, so even when I do have energy to prepare a meal, it tastes bland at best - where’s the payoff? It often turns into me skipping meals because... I’m bad at keeping food stocked - no energy to shop for food - or I feel depressed, exacerbated by the vicious cycle of no food-given energy in the first place.

Cleaning? The apartment is terrifyingly messy. Nothing is sanitary, not even the shower. I can’t access my own bed because my bedroom is piled with objects that haven’t been put away. I often trip over things. I’ll reuse dishes and clothes instead of washing. If I have an upbeat day and I clean, I’ll get part of the problem squared away, but never enough to make this place neat enough to function and be maintained. Yeah yeah, peck away a little at a time and keep it maintained, I know that’s supposed to be the trick, but it ain’t happening no matter what I do. And if a place I live in isn’t neat, it makes me feel more depressed and fidgety and unable to think clearly.

Sleeping? Well. My sleep schedule is always in flux. Currently, I’m sleeping from about 8 AM to 5 PM on a given day. Soooo I get no sunlight, either, and I’m not awake during hours when other people are awake or when most stores are open.

Physical health? Well, let’s say that I’m on several prescriptions, but because my brain is so FOGGED UP and I can’t think clearly anymore (I had such a sharp brain until my mid 20s dammit???)... and because my house is a mess... I constantly forget my pills, have no clue what they are, and am never consistent with them. The last time I took pain medication pills, I was in a desperate amount of pain, and I ummmm... overdosed pretty badly and found myself vomiting on the floor shaking for nine hours. (I LEARNED MY LESSON I AM NOT TAKING OVER PRESCRIPTION AMOUNT AGAIN). I also don’t think I’m on the right meds, either, so even if I were taking them, I don’t know how much I’d be helping myself. Let’s just say that I’m drastically overdue for asking for a diagnosis on bipolar. I want to visit a doctor, get this squared away, get help for this... but that would involve so many steps to find a doctor (I just switched health insurance), transfer my medical records, schedule an appointment, be awake at the right hours to get there, have extra money to pay for potential treatments, and lots of other steps. Which I don’t have the energy to do. Nowhere close.

Socialization? [laughter] Oh dear. Between living alone in an apartment (but I really do function better living alone because I’m such an introvert who needs My Space), living in a city where none of my friends live (most people are about 30 minutes to 2 hours away), and working remotely... I get VERY little physical social interaction.

At this point in time, I’m pretty lonely, but I’m so deprived of spoons that about the best I can do is exist in the same room as someone else. Big social events aren’t going to help me and are often too overwhelming for me to even consider attending. The little things are all I have energy for, but I need them. I want to exist in a room with someone else badly; another person in the area makes me work better, think clearer, feel happier, and express affection to them. I want nothing more than to physically curl up with someone and feel them and be with them and secure with them and listening to them and sympathizing with them and laughing with them or falling asleep on their shoulder. Can I be held? Please? Touch deprivation... yeah of course that’s going on.

Since I have so little energy, I often get behind on work. Which means that, when I *do* have energy, I have to prioritize making money. I live by myself in my own apartment; if I don’t got the money, I don’t got a place to live. And if I don’t do my job consistently, I’m at more risk for losing my job, duh. I expend ALL my existing energy on work. I don’t have time for anything else (food, hygiene, fixing my sleep schedule, socialization). It’s practical to focus my attention on the most important thing: making an income. Everything else will collapse if I don’t work.

Basic human needs are NOT being met for me anywhere. Food, cleanliness, human interactions, medical shit... I am objectively not taking care of myself. And I’m not a fucking irresponsible person who can’t handle large loads of things. This asshat graduated with four college degrees (including a graduate degree) and several minors in four years with Highest Honors in Phi Beta Kappa while working several jobs and even teaching a college course at one point - that sure as hell wasn’t lack of discipline that got me there. Sure, I’ve always been lazier on some things like cooking (I hate cooking, I’m so **BAD** at cooking, YOU eat my cooking and see if you like it). And sure, before I left for college, living with family helped me live fuller because I wasn’t taking care of me myself and I with no backup. But no period of my life was anywhere near the brain-muddled, helpless disaster zone I am now, unable to do anything ANYWHERE.

I’ve asked for help. My parents have done a lot, I’m infinitely grateful, but exactly because of that, I don’t want to put any more on them. They’re empty nesters; they don’t deserve to have this weird bag of bones they raised for nearly two decades and spent a fuckton of money on... crawl back needing nannying. As far as my friends? Either it’s people long-distance who express concerns (but can’t do what I need most because of the distance), or it’s people close-by who say they’ll do something... and NEVER follow through.

I get that we all have spoon issues. Sometimes you don’t have the energy to talk to me. Sometimes you don’t have the energy to come down and visit me, or have me visit you. But if you hear me say I need help, and say you’d like to help... and then never contact me again even when I try to contact you... because you’re so sparse replying to me... then nothing helps. Spoon issues make communication more difficult. I get that. I have that problem, too. But friendships cannot be maintained and cannot be meaningful unless you interact. I get people saying “We should hang out” or “I’d like to help” and nothing ever gets done. I’m not saying this out of the selfish “help ME help ME” - or to guilt-trip people into helping me because that’d be jackshit wrong... it’s just - if we’re all doing friendships like this, we’re just going to perpetuate loneliness and unfulfilled interactions, aren’t we??? I know lots of lonely people affected by shit like this. We need to get better about this.

Of course some of it’s on me. I have trust issues where I think that even very well-meaning loving people aren’t going to make a difference because I doubt they’ll understand me enough to get what I actually need helped. I’m a logic-oriented person and lots of my friends, precious and pure and glorious sweethearts as they are, think in more emotional ways. And I’ve noticed logic-oriented and emotion-oriented people get encouraged different ways. So I never get the help that works for my brain and needs? Not to be dismissive of the kind words people give because they do want to help, but it just feels like I’m the odd one out that they don’t understand how to help, so I’m stuck at being “unhelped”? Or people telling me, “Just appreciate what they’re trying to do because they’re helping as they can!” But it... but it DOESN’T help me!

Lots of ways people try to verbally encourage fall flat to me. “I believe in you!” changes nothing; what you think of me doesn’t make me magically able to actually do it, for fuck’s sake. The point is I can’t do it, and even if I could, you thinking I could doesn’t change shit or make the problem less difficult. Heck, “You can do it!” just makes it sound like people don’t understand and acknowledge how hard this is for me. I know other people get encouraged by things like that, but for me it’s just rubbing salt in the wound. “Things will get better!” is objectively false; life is a neutral force in how it progresses; sometimes it does get better and sometimes it doesn’t. Overly squishy stuff is too coddling and actually annoying to me. Advice tends to come off as people not having processed what I’m actually going through and telling me shit I know better than they do. I know what I need and I try to communicate it humbly because I believe communication is important to good interactions with friends, and I try to listen to others to know how I can best help them in their struggles... but it just seems like there aren’t the right people in my life to be able to get the help I objectively need. I don’t mean it to sound dismissive or selfish... I really don’t... I will be the first to jump on listening and helping to friends... I always want to be there for my friends and help THEM... and it took me years to even open up to people and admit I needed help because I didn’t want to burden them...

I’m just LEGITIMATELY stuck and in a hole I can’t get out of myself. 

If I forced myself to a near-point of breaking in exhaustion every day, I possibly could do it myself... and there’s something to say about us being determined and surviving through tough times by taking that teeth-gritting step... but I don’t feel the payoff in that, as I’m pretty depressed a lot and don’t feel like my life is going anywhere meaningful. It’s a flaw but I don’t have that determination to stick through a fuckton of really really hard life changes to climb out of this hole myself. 

It’s just... everything is a tangle. I can’t solve one issue without dealing with the other issues simultaneously. Cleaning the house to make my head clearer involves me having enough energy to clean in the first place, and the time off of work to be able to afford a cleaning day. Having enough energy to do work and then clean means eating better. Eating better means having a clean enough place to cook and store food... and more energy. Having more energy means... well... you get the point. They’re all so knotted together I can’t untie this myself in my current state of mind.

It’s pathetic, really. I know that if I had more motivation, I could potentially climb my way out of this. It’d be hard work and it’d be taskmastering, especially without taking significant work time off, but the end result would be TOTALLY worth it. I can call myself out on this lack of choice too. The most successful parts of my life were those in which I cracked down on myself and disciplined myself and got shit done. I should be doing that here, too, but I’m not. I’m letting it continue to fester for half of my days. But I keep telling myself, “It’s okay, you’ll get to laundry tomorrow, you NEED to do work to pay bills,” and such as it is, then I never get this taken care of. I keep telling myself, “You can afford to sleep in after your exhaustion, even though that means prolonging the sleep schedule fix again.” I am culpable for my own problems, too. I’m not blaming myself. I’m not guilting myself. I don’t feel blame or guilt or self-hate or anything; most else might be shit, but my self-confidence is fine. I just acknowledge this problem for what it is.

Until I get these problems solved, everything else is muted. My mental processing, muted. My ability to help all my friends with all their problems, limited. The community service and church involvement I want to get back to. My desires to work on an original novel. My desire to save up money to someday afford a house. My desire to be able to get out more and make meaningful memories with friends. All that. Instead I’m stuck in this limbo of too-tired-to-work or must-work-before-tired-again and whoops-didn’t-take-care-of-myself-today-again-huhhh.

Anyway. Rant ended. For now. 

I just really really really really really want help with this mental health struggling. And I really really really want another human to Be There and non-lonely me.

[jacks-tracks]

Saigon

The 13 hour bus ride was actually 16 hours long, leaving on time at 11 pm, and crossing Cambodia in the night. Probably safer in the dark as headlights showed the oncoming traffic, and the day time fleets of motorcycles all went home. The “flat” seats were reclined to 30 degrees, padded, and made for people 5 feet tall. My feet slid under the seat in front everytime the bus braked, and I would weasel my way back up the incline, drop off to sleep again, and awake with the next slide. And it was not a through bus, but stopped in Phnom Pen to change to a day bus, and load a bunch more people. Both buses were spacious, double seats on one side, single the other, with the night bus double decked by bunk beds. Little blankets, bottle of water, a tasteless bun.. luxury! 3 hour layover in PP, totally boring like all bus stations, trying to stay awake to guard bags, despite having taken a “U Dream herbal pill”. More flat land, more overcrowding, one hell of a lot of rice. We did cross the mighty Mekong river, as wide as the Fraser  but slower and muddier. The Vietnam border was better organized, only 1 hour to process all the passengers.  And so into Saigon (aka Ho Chi MInh city) at 5 pm. Endless urban sprawl, but we left behind the drifts and mounds of plastic, all kept clean here. I even recognized some of the places from last trip, but soon swept past them to a new area closer to the river where the bus stopped curbside and dumped us all on the sidewalk. Yes Saigon has sidewalks, not all filled with pushcarts and vendors. Indeed some walkways were 20 feet wide and posed an impossible temptation to the motorcyclists, who simply jumped the curb and barreled  along the cement. Bit brain dead, but I changed some money at a dealer, and found the bus office had a travel agent. Now most travel agents are hacks who sell packages and tours. This fellow actually knew how to book buses and planes, spoke good English, and spent an hour getting my ongoing tickets. Absolutely no train seats, and all the buses were full, no tickets at all. Against my principles I had to buy a plane ticket to Quoy Nhon. Got my cheap red eye flight to Manila in February, and a train sleeper ticket from Hue to Saigon at the end of this run26 hours but lower berth with a window. So I do get a train ride after all. My own efforts to buy tickets were stymied by having no printer to produce a pass, and no phone to show the ticket on. I am the last person in Asia to not have a phone, and for tickets and pictures it would have been a good choice.

Saigon is safe but the sex trade is hot. Next to the agents stand five scantily clad women had blocked the sidewalk and were literally grabbing passing men. No takers while I was there, it was early, but the travel agent assured me that sitting there long enough he saw everything possible happen on the street. I’ve been hit on by some girlyboys, and called to by dozens of massage girls, nearly walked into a place falsely labelled a barber shop( the lady barbers were in night wear), and seen some blatent come ons. I do not approve of sex for sale, degrading women. It’s quite normal here with women fromfarm villages coming to town for  couple of years to put kids through school and support familys. Laughable to see middle aged white guys with 20 something girls holding hands as they amble along, he with a blissful smile, her checking her phone on the off side lining up the next pigeon.

    Taxied to my hotel ( the agent got me a “Grab Car”) Asian version of Uber, and could not find the correct Soi(alley) but I got out a hoofed till I found the entrance, a little paved path between buildings, lined with closed shops, and tiny hotels. Mine had a code lock door, no staff, and  a coded lock box for the room key. Lovely little room, maybe the nicest yet. AC, hot shower, big window on second floor, very quiet, TV, fridge and nice queen size bed, all for $14 US. A brief excursion back to the street got me a french roll filled with chicken salad, and so to bed, exhausted. My plans to tour the parks the next day were overeaching. I did find a cart on the street selling Pho, that delicious chicken soup, noodles sprouts and cilantro slurped on a tiny stool right on the sidewalk. The couple selling the Pho did a terrific business with office workers lining up for take out,  motocyclists driving up to get soup in a bag, and what I thought were dozens of flashily uniformed security guards, who actually were the guys who park the motorcycles in 3 deep packed rows outside the businesses, for a parking fee of course. I wanted a hait trim but the shop across the alley from my hotel was permanently busy and the “barber shop” was selling more than a trim.  After a lunch baguette I found a legitimate salon and got my split ends nipped off. I bought some takeaway for the next days travel, wandered the side streets, overarched with big leafy trees, and got lost in a maze of alleys. My internal compass works and I found the Main drag in a bit. Seemed a short day, still sleep deprived, so early night.

More Pho in the morning(repeat customer gets bigger bowl, still $1.50), the packed (crammed )  my packs and taxied to the airport 3 hours early. Did I say that everyone in Vietnam goes home fotr Tet? Well half of them were at that airport! One hour toget checked in, through surging crowds, pushing grannies, and squealing children. My flight gate got changed 3 times, was 1 hour late, and surprisingly I and My bags mad it to Quy Nhon. As I’d hoped there was a shuttle the 20K to town, and a toothless pirate on a cla

pped out Honda bike rocketed me to my destination.  We nearly got blown off the longest bridge in Vietnam, gale force winds, coughed into the gas station on fumes ( I paid for the gas) and thanks to good online directions found the beach here.

 This really is the little fishing village at the end of the road, maybe 6 tourists in a town of 500. The hotel is right on the beach, almost no English spoken, but plenty of goodwill. I have a 16  bed dorm to myself ($5) hot water, AC,power at my reading light, and after 9 just the sound of the surf. AHHH! So for 2 days  i have been eating delicious seafood, piles of tropical fruit, and doing my onward trip planning. With Tet this weekend all stops, so I will lay over till next week.  The staff invited me to a cermony here. Table laden with food, offerings and joss sticks. The all women staff brought in a guy to do the service, and he burnt the paper money, old bills, and joss sticks.Poured oil and high test booze on the flames(in a bucket), whoosh away goes the old, and room is made for the new and good fortune. A brief prayer, and we ate the food(practical). I thanked them profusely for including me.

   My twice daily beach walk collects a string of little kids, and saying Hello. We trade names, giggle and carry on. Even the dogs are friendly. Of course I say hello to everyone who will meet my eye, and try my fractured Vietnamese. Hilarity. Caused a stir when I went to the morning market and bought fruit and veg for the layover. Shy women, cheap food, good variety. I even found little packagesof yogurt! So all’s well, Beach time....

[gyrlversion]

Macron to embarrass the UK with conditions on year-long Brexit delay

Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn dodged Brexit in the Commons today as EU leaders urged Emmanuel Macron not to ‘humiliate’ her at tonight’s historic summit where they are expected to impose a lengthy delay on Britain leaving the bloc.

But the French president is the most hardline of EU leaders and wants to impose humiliating conditions on the delay – such as ‘behaviour reviews’ of the UK every three months that are designed to stop a new Prime Minister disrupting the EU.

Mrs May flies to Brussels later to ask for an Article 50 extension until the end of June – but she is expected to handed delay of up to a year as the EU takes an even tighter grip on Brexit. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Donald Tusk have urged the French President to show respect to avoid souring relations – but Brexiteers claim the UK is already a ‘laughing stock’.  

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said today that Mrs May should not be allowed to ‘drift on’ if she accepts the EU’s longer delay and quit before she faces another confidence vote.

He said: ‘It’s almost certain she would lose, it would be humiliating’.

But Justice Secretary David Gauke suggested the PM could stay on for up to a year out of a sense of ‘duty’.   

And in more bad news for the PM, a new Kantar opinion poll found the Tories have plunged nine points in a month, which would put Jeremy Corbyn in No 10 if there was a general election. 

Theresa May faced MPs in the Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions today ahead of her trip to Brussels where EU leaders are expected to snub her plea for a short Brexit delay despite her trips to Berlin and Paris yesterday

Tonight the EU is expected to demand a delay of between nine and 12 months to ‘allow the UK to rethink its Brexit strategy’ along with a ‘Boris-proof’ clause stopping a new Brexiteer Tory leader ripping up Mrs May’s deal.

Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street for Parliament ahead of PMQs and then on to Brussels where her plea for a short extension is expected to be rejected

It came as the Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay admitted the EU is now in control but tried to shift the blame by saying: ‘The Government has agreed a deal. Parliament is refusing to honour the result of the referendum’.  

Angela Merkel is believed to have ‘taken on’ Emmanuel Macron in several recent phone calls while last night Mr Tusk made a personal plea for him to drop his request for a ‘good behaviour’ review for Britain every three months.

He said: ‘Neither side should be allowed to feel humiliated. Whatever course of action is taken, it must not be influenced by negative emotions. We should treat the UK with the highest respect, as we want to remain friends and close partners, and as we will still need to agree on our future relations’. 

DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds branded the talks ‘humiliating and embarrassing’ for the UK, and claimed Britain was ‘effectively holding out a begging bowl to European leaders’. 

Tory MP Anne Main has said the UK was becoming a ‘laughing stock’ and called it ‘appalling that we may be seeking an extension with no real sense of purpose’. 

Brexiteer Labour MP Kate Hoey said: ‘It does seem really humiliating for this country to have our Prime Minister going over to the European Union to literally beg for an extension. What is this saying about our country?’

During Prime Minister’s Questions today Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said discussions are continuing in an attempt to find a compromise Brexit deal – but swiftly moved on.

Mr Corbyn then claimed communities across the country have been ‘abandoned’ by the Government, adding: ‘Official figures show that nine of the 10 most deprived council areas in this country have seen cuts almost three times the average of any other council.

‘Why has the Prime Minister decided to cut the worst-off areas in our country more than the most well-off?’

Mrs May said councils have more money available this year and a real-terms increase has been provided, adding: ‘(Mr Corbyn) voted against that money being available.’

She also insisted leaving the EU in an ‘orderly way’ will be the best Brexit for the UK after being asked why she is not pursuing No Deal by one of her pwn MPs.

Tory Craig Tracey urged the Prime Minister to consider leaving on Friday in order to respect their party’s manifesto commitments to leave the customs union and single market.

He said: ‘Do you agree with me that if the best way to do that, rather than deliver the diluted deal which is unrecognisable to many of us who voted to leave, is to go under WTO rules, then we should grab that opportunity and believe in the ability of the British people and the Conservative government to make a success of it?’

Mrs May replied: ‘Can I agree with you that I believe a Conservative government will make a success of whatever the situation is in relation to Brexit.

‘But I still believe actually the best Brexit for the UK is for us to be able to leave in an orderly way to be able to leave with a deal.’ Mrs May added there are some MPs who do not want to ‘honour the result of the referendum’, adding: ‘I do.’

The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford then asked if an second referendum has been offered to Labour to lure them into a cross-party Brexit deal – but Mrs May refused to say, adding her position ‘hasn’t changed’.

Theresa May flies to Brussels today to ask for a delay only until the end of June – but the EU will only offer nine months or a year with Emmanuel Macron ready to flex his muscles after their meeting yesterday

Donald Tusk (left today) made a personal plea for Macron to drop his request for a ‘good behaviour’ review for Britain every three months – but strict rules including clauses to stop Brexiteers like Boris Johnson (right yesterday) tearing up Mrs May’s deal look likely

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WITH BREXIT?

WEDNESDAY APRIL 10: EU SUMMIT

Another summit with EU leaders – where May will ask for a new delay beyond April 12. 

May’s new plan is to strike a cross-party consensus in London and persuade EU leaders it means the deal can be delivered in time for Brexit on May 22.

She may have to accept a longer extension that means holding EU elections, as Brussels has made clear this is a red line – and will take a decision on delay without Britain and it must be unanimous. 

EU officials including Michel Barnier have warned that the risk of an accidental No Deal is increasing if May arrives with no plan.

THURSDAY APRIL 11: PM’S FACES MPs

Theresa May will return from Brussels with a likely nine to 12 month extension and will outline her plans in the the Commons in the wake of the EU summit.

FRIDAY APRIL 12: BREXIT DAY

Britain is due to leave the EU without a deal on this date if no delay is agreed. 

The EU president Donald Tusk has warned tough conditions would be attached to any extended postponement.

And he said the stalled withdrawal agreement would not be unpicked under any circumstances, including the election of a new Tory leader. 

The Prime Minister is asking for a short delay to try to get the agreement through Parliament, possibly in a compromise deal with Labour. But government sources said she was now resigned to a longer period if EU leaders demanded it.

Austria’s foreign minister said that she believed a Brexit extension for the UK would be agreed by the EU.

Karin Kneissl told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘In principle, I’m of the impression that this is somehow settled. But, still, I assume that a lot of conditions might be attached.’

Mrs May has insisted she could not countenance putting off Britain’s departure beyond June 30 – but is now expected to accept it.

Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay admitted today that the EU now in control – but blames MPs and said: ‘It is Parliament that has forced this – not the Government’.  

He added: ‘I don’t want to see a delay for up to a year. But, the key with any delay is we are able to terminate it once we ratify in order that we can then get on and get a deal through Parliament, ratify that agreement and leave the EU.

‘And I think that is what the EU leaders want, it is what the Prime Minister wants’. 

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels today ahead of tonight’s Brexit summit

New vote ‘within days’ if Labour agree a Brexit deal with Theresa May

Brexit legislation could be brought back to the Commons in days if the Government can reach a deal with Labour, ministers said last night.

Two Cabinet sources told the Mail discussions were under way about the possibility of asking MPs to vote this week on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the hope of still leaving the EU next month.

Ministers have also reserved the right to shorten the Easter break by asking MPs to sit on Monday and Tuesday next week if a deal looks close. Under one proposal, the Government would agree to allow free votes on key Labour demands, such as a customs union and a second referendum. If passed, these would then be incorporated into Theresa May’s deal.

But a Whitehall source last night said the ‘high-risk’ strategy would only be considered if ministers were certain that Labour were signed up to it.

‘The problem is that if you put the Withdrawal Bill in front of MPs and they vote it down then you have lost if for this session. You would have to prorogue Parliament to bring it back so it’s pretty high-risk.’

  He also confirmed that if talks with Labour fail, the Government would have to turn ‘indicative’ votes into ‘binding votes’ on Brexit options to rush it through. But that would raise the risk of a customs union or a second referendum, which Mrs May previously said were her red lines.

He said: ‘The Prime Minister has said that we will come back to Parliament and look at how we then get clarity on a vote.

‘One of the challenges there will be is how we have a stable majority to pass the legislation that would follow that vote.

‘But, we would come back to Parliament and seek to get a consensus on the various options.’

Mr Barclay said: ‘I don’t think a permanent Customs Union is a good way forward. We have actually negotiated something better in the Political Declaration.’ 

The Prime Minister faced a major Commons revolt last night, with 97 Tory MPs voting against any delay to the April 12 leaving date. Almost 80 more abstained, including a string of ministers.

Labour backed the Brexit day delay, helping it pass by 420 votes to 110. But just 131 Tory MPs supported the PM’s plan – 40 per cent of the parliamentary party.

Cabinet ministers Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox, who both abstained, both publicly questioned the PM’s tactics.

Mrs Leadsom urged her to ask German chancellor Angela Merkel to reopen the withdrawal agreement – despite the EU repeatedly ruling this out. Dr Fox hit out at suggestions Mrs May could agree to keep Britain in a customs union as part of a compromise with Labour.

Solicitor general Robert Buckland told MPs the UK would be legally required to take part in European Parliament elections if it was a member state on May 23.

But he suggested British MEPs might not have to take their seats if Westminster agreed an exit plan in the coming weeks. 

Downing Street indicated that Mrs Merkel (pictured today) had agreed to an extension of Article 50 in order to ensure ‘Britain’s orderly withdrawal’ – she prefers a Brexit delay until March 2020

Downing Street indicated that Mrs Merkel had agreed to an extension of Article 50 in order to ensure ‘Britain’s orderly withdrawal’.

Eurosceptic says Brexit delay will be illegal and will go not court over it

Eurosceptic Conservative MP Bill Cash tweeted a letter he had sent to European Council President Donald Tusk, claiming that ‘any decision by the Prime Minister to accept a long extension to Article 50 is likely to be challenged in the UK courts’.

In his letter, which he asked ‘be taken into account’ during today’s EU Council talks, Mr Cash wrote: ‘It is a fundamental principle of British constitutional law that the Government may not use their powers – including their powers to make international agreements – so as to frustrate the intention of Parliament.

‘It is very important to note that Parliament’s legal intention for the UK to leave the EU is not conditional upon a withdrawal agreement,’ he added.

Mr Cash continued: ‘There is a clear legal route for the legislative will of Parliament to be delivered: the UK can exercise its legal entitlement to leave the EU on April 12 2019 in accordance with Article 50(3).

‘A long extension, without any rationale for how it is needed in order to deliver the UK’s exit from the EU, is simply not something to which the Prime Minister can lawfully agree.

‘It would amount to a deliberate decision to frustrate the clearly-expressed will of Parliament as a matter of the rule of law.’

But there is the risk that French president Emmanuel Macron, who has questioned the point of further delay, could veto it or impose onerous conditions at a summit in Brussels tomorrow night.

Mrs May can refuse the EU’s offer of a long delay. But ministers fear MPs could vote to revoke Article 50 and cancel Brexit altogether unless a delay is agreed this evening. At a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg yesterday the bloc’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said a short extension was realistic because Mrs May had a plan to break the impasse.

But according to two diplomatic notes seen by the Mail, there was a ‘growing trend’ and ‘convergence of opinions’ toward a date much later than June 30.

Sources suggested that EU leaders are now set to extend Article 50 until at least the end of this year.

Mr Tusk last night told EU leaders there was little reason to believe that Mrs May would be able to get an agreement through Parliament by July.

‘Granting such an extension would increase the risk of a rolling series of short extensions and emergency summits, creating new cliff-edge dates,’ he said.

He urged EU leaders to agree a ‘flexible extension’ that would allow the UK to leave early if it could ratify a deal. But he added: ‘In the event of a continued stalemate, a longer extension would allow the UK to rethink its Brexit strategy.’

EU leaders have been spooked by warnings from Brexit hardliners, including Jacob Rees-Mogg, that the UK could deploy wrecking tactics if it remained in the EU, such as voting down its budget.

Mr Tusk said the UK would be expected to guarantee it would work in a spirit of ‘sincere co-operation’.

Tory Eurosceptic Anne-Marie Morris warned she could vote for Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party in the European Parliament elections in protest at the delay.

And Boris Johnson’s father Stanley revealed he hopes to stand as a candidate on May 23, almost three years after Britain voted to leave. 

Tories plunge NINE points in a month amid Brexit chaos as more than half of voters say they now back a second referendum

The Tory party has plunged nine points in the polls a new survey suggests today.

Kantar’s latest research suggests the Brexit chaos is finally hitting support for Theresa May‘s party as the PM seeks a second delay to leaving the EU.

The firm found the Conservatives are backed by 32 per cent, down from 41 per cent in the same survey in March.

The dramatic poll means Labour takes the lead with Kantar after rising four points, from 31 per cent to 35 per cent.

The Liberal Democrats have also gained group, surged three to 11 per cent support in the new survey.

Kantar’s new poll also finds more than half of people now support putting the Brexit deal to a referendum.

Kantar’s latest research suggests the Brexit chaos is finally hitting support for Theresa May’s party as the PM seeks a second delay to leaving the EU

The poll findings were published as EU leaders today urged Emmanuel Macron not to ‘humiliate’ Mrs May at tonight’s historic summit where they are expected to impose a lengthy delay to Brexit on the UK

Across all voters, 51 per cent say it should have a public vote while just 32 per cent are opposed. Leave voters split 53 per cent to 35 per cent against, while Remain voters are heavily split 62 per cent to 22 per cent in favour.  

According to the poll if a new referendum were held, 41 per cent say they would Remain, with 35 per cent backing Leave – with just nine per cent saying they don’t know and the rest vowing not to take part at all.

Kantar’s new poll also finds more than half of people now support putting the Brexit deal to a referendum. Across all voters, 51 per cent say it should have a public vote while just 32 per cent are opposed

The Tories have been trending down in the polls in recent weeks as the Brexit chaos continues to grip the nation 

Fewer than one in four people say Britain should end the impasse by leaving the EY with No Deal, with one in three saying Brexit should be cancelled instead. 

The poll findings were published as EU leaders today urged Emmanuel Macron not to ‘humiliate’ Mrs May at tonight’s historic summit where they are expected to impose a lengthy delay to Brexit on the UK. 

Will Brexit ever happen? As the EU appears set to force May into a year-long extension this is what is likely to happen as Britain’s exit is put off AGAIN tonight  

Britain is set to be pushed into a year-long delay to Brexit tonight after Theresa May effectively axed the prospect of No Deal on Friday.

The Prime Minister’s hopes of a short extension that expires in June appear to be doomed as she prepares to fly to Brussels following PMQs today.

Views among EU leaders vary – but the expiry of Article 50 looks likely to be shifted to at least the end of this year.

Mrs May could get the option to break the extension early if her deal finally passes Parliament – but EU Council President Donald Tusk has gone public with warnings there is ‘little reason’ to believe it will ever happen.

French President Emmanuel Macron has taken the most hardline stance, insisting Britain must be tied into strict rules to stop it misbehaving during any new delay. He is highly unlikely to actually veto the delay, however.

When the summit starts at around 5pm this evening, Mrs May will first answer questions from EU leaders – building on a diplomatic blitz that included trips to Paris and Berlin yesterday.

She will then be kicked out of the summit so the other 27 EU leaders can decide what to do over dinner. Only once they have a unanimous agreement on delay will Mrs May be asked to say Yes or No.

At the last summit three weeks ago the EU leaders debated in private for almost six hours. A similar row this time would mean Britain’s fate being decided at around midnight tonight.

Whatever happens, the PM must return to the Commons tomorrow to explain to MPs when and if Brexit will ever happen. 

What has Mrs May asked for? 

In a letter to Donald Tusk she formally requested an extension to Article 50 that will delay the UK’s departure beyond April 12 to June 30 – but she also wants a ‘termination clause’.

This would allow the UK to leave on May 22 – the day before European elections – if a deal can be pushed through the UK Parliament.

However, this delay is a carbon copy of that sought by Mrs May before the last emergency summit in March – which was rejected.

What has the EU said?

Mr Tusk said that a 12-month ‘flextension’ to March 29 2020 is ‘the only reasonable way out’ of the crisis and has urged leaders of the EU’s 27 member states to back him at Wednesday’s summit. 

Ahead of the summit today, Mr Tusk urged the 27 leaders to consider a long delay because there was ‘little reason’ to believe the deal would be passed by MPs before the end of June.

He said Brexit should be put off by ‘no longer than one year’ with Britain allowed to leave if and when the deal does somehow get through Parliament.   

If confirmed tonight such an extension is likely to spark fury among Tory Brexiteer MPs, with Jacob Rees-Mogg suggesting if we were kept in we should be troublesome to the rest of the EU, politically.

And Mrs May has previously said she would not be able to accept such a delay – suggesting it could prompt her to resign. This could lead to a summer leadership battle in Tory ranks before a new, most likely Brexiteer leader, takes over.

How does the EU make its decision? 

When the summit starts at around 5pm this evening, Mrs May will first answer questions from EU leaders – building on a diplomatic blitz that included trips to Paris and Berlin yesterday.

She will then be kicked out of the summit so the other 27 EU leaders can decide what to do over dinner. Only once they have a unanimous agreement on delay will Mrs May be asked to say Yes or No.

At the last summit three weeks ago the EU leaders debated in private for almost six hours. A similar row this time would mean Britain’s fate being decided at around midnight tonight.

When will Brexit be? 

It is hard to say – but it is highly unlikely to be on Friday as the law currently says.  

The PM clearly still wants to get out of the EU before European Parliament elections have to be held on May 22 but this is ultimately up to Brussels. 

Were she to pass the deal in the next couple of weeks, it is probably possible to conclude exit by around late May.

If she fails again however, exit day will likely be pushed back by at least nine to 12 months – setting the stage for a change of PM in Downing Street and possibly either an election or a referendum, or even both.  

What is happening in the cross party talks? 

The Prime Minister has said the divorce deal could not be changed but announced last week she would seek a new consensus with Jeremy Corbyn on the political declaration about the final UK-EU agreement. It is her final roll of the dice to save the deal.

Talks broke down on Friday between ministers and officials from both parties, despite previous efforts being hailed as ‘constructive’. After technical discussions on Monday, they finally resumed yesterday – but have now been adjourned again until tomorrow. 

If the talks fail, Mrs May has promised to put options to Parliament and agreed to be bound by the result. Time is short to actually call this vote.

In a second round of indicative votes last week a customs union, Norway-style soft Brexit and second referendum were the leading options – but none got a majority of MPs.  

What does Mrs May’s shift mean?   

Mrs May has abandoned all hope of winning over remaining Tory Brexiteers and the DUP on the terms of her current deal.

Striking a cross-party deal with Labour on the future relationship will require Mrs May to abandon many of her red lines – including potentially on free movement and striking trade deals.

To get an agreement with Labour, Mrs May will need to agree the political declaration should spell out a much softer Brexit than her current plans do.

This might mean a permanent UK-EU customs union or even staying in the EU Single Market.

What if Mr Corbyn says No? 

Mrs May said if she cannot cut a deal with Corbyn, she would ask Parliament to come up with options – and promised to follow orders from MPs.

In a second round of indicative votes last week a customs union, Norway-style soft Brexit and second referendum were the leading options – but none got a majority of MPs.

They would probably pass if the Tories whipped for them – but it would almost certainly mean ministers quitting the Government.   

The Institute for Government has mapped out how a crucial week in the Brexit endgame might unfold ahead of a possible No Deal Brexit on Friday 

Will May resign? 

Nodbody knows for sure. Mrs May has announced she would go if and when her divorce deal passed so a new Tory leader could take charge of the trade talks phase.

In practice, it drained Mrs May of all remaining political capital. Most in Westminster think her Premiership is over within weeks at the latest. 

As her deal folded for a third time a fortnight ago, she faced immediate calls from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn so stand down with instant effect. 

What is clear is there is already a fight underway for the Tory leadership.  

Does is all mean there will be an election?

Probably, at some point though the immediate chances have fallen because of the latest events. The Commons is deadlocked and the Government has no functional majority. While the Fixed Term Parliaments Act means the Government can stumble on, it will become increasingly powerless.

Mrs May could try to call one herself or, assuming she stands down, her successor could do so.  

Would May lead the Tories into an early election? 

Unlikely. Having admitted to her party she would go if the deal passes, Mrs May’s political career is doomed.

While there is no procedural way to remove her, a withdrawal of political support from the Cabinet or Tory HQ would probably finish her even if she wanted to stay.    

How is an election called? When would it be? 

Because of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act passed by the coalition, the Prime Minister can no longer simply ask the Queen to dissolve the Commons and call an election. There are two procedures instead.

First – and this is what happened in 2017 – the Government can table a motion in the Commons calling for an early election. Crucially, this can only pass with a two-thirds majority of MPs – meaning either of the main parties can block it.

Second an election is called if the Government loses a vote of no confidence and no new administration can be built within 14 days.

In practice, this is can only happen if Tory rebels vote with Mr Corbyn – a move that would end the career of any Conservative MP who took the step. 

An election takes a bare minimum of five weeks from start to finish and it would take a week or two to get to the shut down of Parliament, known as dissolution – putting the earliest possible polling day around mid to late May. 

If the Tories hold a leadership election first it probably pushes any election out to late June at the earliest.  

Why do people say there has to be an election? 

The question of whether to call an election finally reached the Cabinet last week.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay warned the rejection of Mrs May’s deal would set in train a series of events that will lead to a softer Brexit – meaning an election because so many MPs will have to break manifesto promises. 

MPs voting to seize control of Brexit from ministers has only fuelled the demands.   

Labour has been calling for a new vote for months, insisting the Government has failed to deliver Brexit.

Mr Corbyn called a vote of no confidence in the Government in January insisting the failure of the first meaningful vote showed Mrs May’s administration was doomed. He lost but the calls did not go away. 

Brexiteers have joined the demands in recent days as Parliament wrestles with Brexit and amid fears among hardliners promises made by both main parties at the last election will be broken – specifically on leaving the Customs Union and Single Market. 

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen wants Mrs May replaced with a Brexiteer. He believes it would push Remain Tories out of the party and then allow a snap election with more Eurosceptic candidates wearing blue rosettes.

What might happen? 

Both main parties will have to write a manifesto – including a position on Brexit. Both parties are deeply split – in many cases between individual MPs and their local activists.

Under Mrs May, the Tories presumably try to start with the deal. But it is loathed by dozens of current Tory MPs who want a harder Brexit and hated even more by grassroots Tory members. 

Shifting Tory policy on Brexit to the right would alienate the majority of current MPs who voted to Remain.

Labour has similar splits. Many of Labour’s MPs and activists want Mr Corbyn to commit to putting Brexit to a second referendum – most with a view to cancelling it. 

Mr Corbyn is a veteran Eurosceptic and millions of people who voted Leave in 2016 backed Labour in 2017. 

The splits set the stage for a bitter and chaotic election. The outcome is highly unpredictable – the Tories start in front but are probably more divided on the main question facing the country.

Labour is behind but knows it made dramatic gains in the polls in the last election with its promises of vastly higher public spending. 

Neither side can forecast what impact new political forces might wield over the election or how any public anger over the Brexit stalemate could play out.

It could swing the result in favour of one of the main parties or a new force. 

Or an election campaign that takes months, costs millions of pounds could still end up in a hung Parliament and continued stalemate. This is the current forecast by polling expert Sir John Curtice. 

Where’s Angela? Awkward moment May walked up the red carpet alone after Merkel failed to greet her  

There was an awkward moment for Theresa May as she arrived at the German Chancellery for talks with Angela Merkel – who failed to greet her.

Mrs Merkel traditionally meets important guests on the red carpet, but the Prime Minister was forced to walk down alone before entering the building.

The two leaders then re-emerged to shake hands for the cameras before disappearing again inside. 

Mrs Merkel traditionally meets important guests on the red carpet, but the Prime Minister was forced to walk down alone before entering the building

A body language expert yesterday suggested that the two leaders were at odds over a Brexit extension.

Mrs May’s hand clasp resembled a ‘begging gesture’ while both women cut ‘grim’ expressions.

Judi James said: ‘It’s the huge spatial gap between these two women that gives the suggestion of further separation rather than unity.

‘Merkel in particular tends to keep both her allies and her enemies close but this pose suggests some desire to end the conversation.’

It was a different scene when Mrs May later headed to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron, who greeted her with a hug and kisses on both cheeks. 

The two leaders talk together on the terrace of the Chancellery in Berlin today 

Tories’ open revolt over delay: Almost 100 of them vote against move to put EU departure off to June 30 

By John Stevens and Jack Doyle

Boris Johnson (pictured outside Parliament on April 8) was among Tories to vote against the motion to delay Brexit to June 30 

Theresa May faced a mass rebellion by Tory MPs last night on a motion to delay Brexit to June 30 amid claims the UK was being turned into a ‘laughing stock’.

Ninety-seven backbench Tories voted against the motion, including former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson.

And it came as the Prime Minister also faced open revolt in the Cabinet with ministers Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox publicly challenging her Brexit strategy.

In the Commons, and despite a three-line whip, almost 80 Tories were absent including several ministers, leaving just 131 to vote in favour of the motion.

No10 said there would be no disciplining of MPs who did not follow the party line. The Commons approved the motion on the extension request by 420 votes to 110, a majority of 310.

Former education minister Tim Loughton attacked ‘saboteurs’ on both sides for trying to ‘hamstring’ the Prime Minister.

He urged French president Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to veto an extension and ‘put us out of our misery now’. 

‘If the EU elections go ahead, it is highly likely the UK will elect an army of Nigel Farage mini-me’s, who I am afraid will wreak havoc with the European Parliament and wreck your calculations about the balance of power within the EU.’

New Brexit vote ‘within days’ if Labour agree deal  

Brexit legislation could be brought back to the Commons in days if the Government can reach a deal with Labour, ministers said last night.

Two Cabinet sources told the Mail discussions were under way about the possibility of asking MPs to vote this week on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the hope of still leaving the EU next month.

Ministers have also reserved the right to shorten the Easter break by asking MPs to sit on Monday and Tuesday next week if a deal looks close. Under one proposal, the Government would agree to allow free votes on key Labour demands, such as a customs union and a second referendum. If passed, these would then be incorporated into Theresa May’s deal.

But a Whitehall source last night said the ‘high-risk’ strategy would only be considered if ministers were certain that Labour were signed up to it.

‘The problem is that if you put the Withdrawal Bill in front of MPs and they vote it down then you have lost if for this session. You would have to prorogue Parliament to bring it back so it’s pretty high-risk.’

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell yesterday joined talks between the two parties in Whitehall, which also included Chancellor Philip Hammond and Environment Secretary Michael Gove. Mr McDonnell said Labour was seeking assurances that any agreement could not be overturned by a future Tory prime minister.

His comments reflect concern in Labour ranks that a Brexiteer such as Boris Johnson could simply tear up any agreement if they became PM after Mrs May steps down.

Mr McDonnell said: ‘Some of the discussion that will take place will be about how any deal is secure for the long term and how best to secure that either through domestic legislation or treaty.’ He expected the discussions would also cover alignment with the single market and environmental, consumer and workers’ rights. Asked whether the Government was indicating it would back a customs union, Mr McDonnell said: ‘Not yet – not even changes in language that I detect.’ Further talks are due to take place tomorrow.

Meanwhile, an aide to Mr Hammond yesterday said he faced the sack for attending a People’s Vote rally where he called for a second referendum. In defiance of the whips, Huw Merriman told the Westminster rally: ‘I am determined to play my part – if that means I use my voice and get fired for it then so be it.’ 

As Mrs May flew to Berlin for talks yesterday, Commons Leader Mrs Leadsom urged her to ask Mrs Merkel to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement forged last November.

Even though the Prime Minister has long given up attempts at changes as the EU has repeatedly ruled them out, Mrs Leadsom raised the prospect she should still be pushing for them.

Speaking outside her London home, she told ITV News: ‘The Prime Minister is off to see Angela Merkel today and it would be fantastic if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement.

‘There have been rumours over the weekend some senior members of the German government would be willing to do that in order to get Theresa May’s deal over the line.

‘As the person with the responsibility to get the legislation through, if we get the Prime Minister’s deal over the line because the EU has decided to support measures on the backstop, that would be the best possible outcome.’

But Mrs May’s official spokesman dismissed the idea, telling reporters: ‘Any plan going forward would be based on the current Withdrawal Agreement.’

There were also signs of resistance in the Cabinet to compromise with Labour, with International Trade Secretary Mr Fox warning that a customs union would leave the UK ‘stuck in the worst of both worlds’.

In a four-page letter to the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, he explained how the scenario would see the UK ‘on the menu’ without any control. He said: ‘We would be stuck in the worst of both worlds, not only unable to set our own international trade policy, but subject, without representation, to the policy of an entity over which MPs would have no democratic control.’

He went on: ‘In such a scenario the UK would have a new role in the global trading system – we ourselves would be traded. As the famous saying in Brussels goes, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.’

DUP party leader Arlene Foster and Westminster leader Nigel Dodds both accused Mrs May of ‘begging’ European leaders for help to break the impasse. 

‘The talks between the Prime Minister and the leaders of France and Germany is humiliating and embarrassing for the UK,’ Mr Dodds said last night.

DUP party leader Arlene Foster and Westminster leader Nigel Dodds (pictured in Belfast on February 8) accused Mrs May of ‘begging’ European leaders for help to break the impasse 

 ‘The problems the Prime Minister is attempting to solve were not created by the decision to leave the EU, rather the ineffective negotiations by the Prime Minister to implement that decision.’

Earlier, Mrs Foster questioned Mrs May’s leadership qualities. ‘She needed to be strong, she needed to show leadership, and I’m sorry to say that hasn’t been evident in these past couple of months,’ she told the BBC.

The Conservative Party ‘will vanish’ if it doesn’t appeal to the young, say three senior MPs 

Three senior Tories in their 40s brandished their youth appeal yesterday as they pitched to be the ‘next generation’ leader to succeed Theresa May.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock, 40, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, 46, and Foreign Affairs committee chairman Tom Tugendhat, 45, are all expected to run for PM when Theresa May steps down.

All three have endorsed a report which warned the Conservative Party faces an ‘existential’ crisis unless it appeals to the young.

Foreign Affairs committee chairman Tom Tugendhat, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt and Health Secretary Matt Hancock today urged the Tory Party to appeal to the young as they launched a think-tank report 

The report by think-tank Onward found the ‘tipping point’ at which voters are more likely to vote Conservative is now 51, up from 47 at the last election.

Speaking at the report’s launch in Westminster, Mr Hancock warned Tory voters are getting older and back the party ‘when they get their first Winter Fuel Allowance’ – not when they ‘get their first pay cheque’.

Mr Hancock, a former Bank of England economist, yesterday set out the case for ‘Caring Conservatism’, saying: ‘Enough about being just comfortable with modern Britain, we need to be champions of modern Britain.We need to champion a Britain that is positive and optimistic and gregarious and outward-facing and community-building and inclusive, and perhaps above all, caring.’

Previously seen as a rank outsider, Mr Hancock’s odds of winning have shortened markedly in recent weeks.

A former chief of staff to George Osborne, he won the West Suffolk seat in 2010 and has been a minister since 2013.

Mr Tugendhat, a former intelligence officer in the British Army, told the event the next leader should be someone under 50.

Calling for more focus on technical education and cheaper childcare, Mr Tugendhat said: ‘We need to look like the people who people want to associate with. And if we don’t get that right we will be in real trouble.’

Miss Mordaunt said Onward’s report was a ‘kick up the a***’ for the Tories. The MP for Portsmouth North worked in business and public relations before entering Parliament and rising up the ministerial ranks.

The ‘Generation Why’ report, based on polling by Hanbury Strategy, found 16 per cent of under-35s would vote Conservative. Just 17 per cent of Tory voters are under 45, and only 4 per cent under 25. 

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 7/15/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Sunday 15th July 2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing Sunday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

$1B DEBT – More than ten state-owned corporations which were granted in excess of $1 billion in loans from Government, in some case more than a decade ago, still have not paid back a cent. Auditor General Leigh Trotman wants something done about it. According to Trotman, many of the agencies are not in a position to pay back the money, which had reached a staggering $1 110 646 643 at the end of 2017. In his 2017 report, which was laid in Parliament on Tuesday, Government’s chief auditor said the lack of payments continued to affect Government’s already troubled bottom line.  (SS)

NHC CRACKDOWN ON RENT DEFAULTERS– The National Housing Corporation (NHC) is going after delinquent tenants, who, in one instance, one of whom owes as much as $60 000 in rent. A lock-changing exercise was started last Friday and resulted in four tenants in different housing estates being affected and a family member being ordered to return the key to an unoccupied unit. The action is expected to continue this week. A senior official at the NHC told THE NATION that they were targeting people who were employed and could afford to pay the rent but were refusing to do so. (SS)

PM TO ADDRESS TOWN PLANNING CONSULTATION – Prime Minister Mia Mottley will deliver the feature address at the opening of a stakeholders’ consultation aimed at reforming and modernising Barbados’ Town and Country Planning Act, on Monday, July 16. The consultation, which comes off at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, will bring together public and private planners, developers, investors, architects and others who interact with the planning process. Areas for consideration include the role of the Physical Development Plan; how can the town planning system become more open and transparent; the feasibility of a one-stop shop for planning and other permits; and how should enforcement be addressed.  Other questions relate to development control decisions, the appeals process and Environmental Impact Assessments. The public is invited to participate by following the discussions, which will be livestreamed from 2 p.m. The purpose of the exercise is to enact new town planning legislation which is efficient, transparent and consistent; and which supports high quality, sustainable development for current and future generations. (BT)

JOE DROPS BEES –There’s no going back to the fold of the Barbados Labour Party Government for Bishop Joseph Atherley after he shockingly exited to become Leader of the Opposition a week after the May 24 General Election. And he hinted that much asked about resignation letter could soon be on the way as the St Michael West Member of Parliament goes about meeting with residents in the urban riding to explain his actions. In an exclusive interview with THE NATION in his office in the West Wing of Parliament, Atherley paused just briefly when asked he would return to the bosom of the party under which he won the constituency three times and lost twice since 1999. “I’ve been strongly encouraged to do so by many of them, but I don’t think that is likely to happen. I have gone to the position where I have gone with an honest heart in the interest of Barbados, in the interest of democracy . . . . Anything can happen in politics, but I don’t see that I will be returning to the fold of the Barbados Labour Party,” he said. (SS)

CAN DEMS SURVIVE – Amid preparations for what arguably is the most crucial annual conference since its formation back in 1955 in the Land’s End, St Michael home of the late Elsie Tudor-Burrowes, the once almost invincible Democratic Labour Party (DLP) finds itself today at the lowest point in its 63-year history after suffering a humiliating knock-out in the May 24 general election. The election, convincingly won by the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) which took all 30 seats in the House of Assembly, has fundamentally reconfigured the island’s political landscape for at least the next five years. For the DLP more so than the other fledgling opposition parties, the BLP’s clean sweep, unprecedented in local electoral history, has particularly profound implications for the future. Since Independence almost 52 years ago, Barbados has essentially been a  two-party democracy with the BLP and DLP alternatively taking turns at running the island’s affairs. A few other parties did emerge during this period. However, except for the National Democratic Party (NDP) which briefly looked as if it would develop into a force to be reckoned with, they all failed eventually to break the BLP/DLP stranglehold. The possibility of such an occurrence is no longer as far-fetched as before following the recent election. The result has left the DLP in a severely weakened and vulnerable position. Representing a dramatic fall from the once envious position it held under the late Rt Excellent Errol Barrow when it was considered as the “natural party of Government”, the DLP today finds itself practically on the same level as the other fledgling opposition parties, having been deprived of both a presence and a voice in the national parliament for the first time in its history. It is against this backdrop that delegates to the DLP’s annual conference from the 30 constituency branches and overseas groups will gather at party headquarters in Belleville next month. A post-mortem of the party’s dismal electoral performance under the failed leadership of Freundel Stuart, will undoubtedly top the agenda. A forlorn Stuart accepted full responsibility on the night of the election and announced he was stepping down from the leadership. However, given the vicious and unforgiving nature of DLP politics, it predictably will be “cat piss and pepper” on George Street, to use a Barbadian colloquialism. Indeed, the bacchanal has already started. Amid jostling for leadership taking place behind the scenes, news broke a week ago that the party’s executive had abruptly cancelled the long-running Astor B Watts weekly lecture series at which Donville Inniss, widely considered as most suitable candidate to succeed Stuart, was the scheduled next speaker. It was anticipated that Inniss was going to be critical of Stuart’s leadership, as he has been many times before, and the cancellation was seen as an attempt to stop the former Commerce Minister in his tracks. Whether Stuart likes it or not, he cannot escape having to face the music. What is going to be particularly painful for him, in his present state of powerlessness, is the possible sight of many, with their symbolic daggers drawn, who used to profusely praise him when he was prime minister and wielded power. In the rough world of DLP politics, it is simply part of the course. The inescapable truth is that the DLP’s failure to win a seat was the result of a national popular revolt against Stuart’s ineffective and uninspiring leadership. Barbadians simply had had enough. It is refreshing that in less than two months on the job after leading the BLP to victory, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has earned the plaudits of Barbadians for demonstrating once again what a real difference dynamic and effective leadership makes. Issues like the festering south coast sewage crisis which seemed beyond Stuart’s capability to solve, have been brought close to resolution. Besides widespread dissatisfaction with Stuart’s leadership, the other major reason for the complete rejection of the DLP, which managed to win just two electoral boxes in the whole of the island, was the irrelevance of what the ousted regime was offering to address the real and pressing needs of Barbadians. Indeed, Stuart often came across as being so detached from this reality that it appeared, through his political narrative, that somehow he expected Barbadians to continue supporting the DLP, not on the basis of their response to current problems, but the many good things it had done under Barrow 50 years ago. The political combination of Stuart and Chris Sinckler has inflicted such far-reaching damage to the DLP’s political brand that confusion now reigns in the mind of the average Barbadian as to what the DLP really stands for today. The DLP brand was created by Barrow and Cameron Tudor during the party’s heyday in the 1960s. It defined the DLP as a caring party which had introduced free secondary and tertiary education to empower the children of the labouring masses. The DLP was also seen as the party which looked out for the interests of the “small man” in contrast with the BLP which Barbadians during Barrow’s time regarded as the party of the privileged and wealthy. That favourable image of the DLP ceased to exist about five years ago. By introducing tuition fees for Barbadians to study on Cave Hill, after Stuart had assured that such would be a retrograde step, and the award of contracts which always seemed somehow to go to big contractors, Stuart and Sinckler’s policies destroyed the essence of the DLP brand. We live in the age of brands. If your brand is not cutting it, you are simply wasting your time. You are destined for failure which is the fate that has befallen the DLP. Against this backdrop, the critical task for next month’s DLP annual conference is choosing new leadership which understands the urgent need to redefine and reinvent the DLP to ensure relevance in the context of changing Barbadian needs. Voters sent an unmistakably clear message to the DLP at the recent election: Purge the Augean stables! Restructure, rebrand and reposition if you are hoping to continue playing a role in Barbados’ future! The message from the electorate is inherently ominous. The DLP has been given the option of either responding positively and addressing its shortcomings or burying its head in the sand, as it has done for the last eight years, and suffer the fatal consequences of political irrelevance. It is worth noting that in the last 30 years, quite a few once dominant political parties in the region have gone out of existence because of irrelevance. Eric Gairy’s Grenada United Labour Party is one which immediately comes to mind. If the DLP misses the boat, it is quite possible that one of the newer parties could quietly emerge as the alternative to the BLP which, I expect, will be around for a long time if Miss Mottley keeps on the present path and, most importantly, delivers. In the reconfigured Barbadian political landscape of today, Barbadians appear more open than ever to the idea of giving serious consideration to a “third” party, once its solutions are relevant to their needs. The days of voting for a party on the basis of longstanding loyalty, as was the case with the Dems in St John, are now most likely over. (Reudon Eversley is a political strategist, strategic communication specialist and longstanding journalist. Email: reudon@gmx.com)  (BT)

BELGIUM BEAT ENGLAND TO SECURE THIRD PLACE FINISH – Belgium beat England 2-0 in the World Cup third-place play-off on Saturday to secure their best ever finish at a World Cup and send Gareth Southgate’s side home with a second straight loss. France will face Croatia in Sunday’s final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. A fourth-minute goal from Thomas Meunier and an 82nd minute Eden Hazard strike earned Belgium the victory and the third-place, which improves on their previous best performance of a fourth-place finish in 1986.

England were on top for most of the second half but with captain Harry Kane looking tired, Belgium’s greater sharpness in the final third proved decisive. Meunier’s goal came after Romelu Lukaku swung the ball out left to Nacer Chadli who burst down the wing and slipped the ball across the face of the goal and the midfielder confidently slotted past Jordan Pickford. The goal means Belgium have had 10 different goalscorers at this World Cup – equalling the record set by France in 1982 and Italy in 2006. While England manager Gareth Southgate made five changes to the side which lost to Croatia, Belgium boss Roberto Martinez made just two switches. Meunier returned from suspension and Youri Tielemans given a start ahead of Maroune Fellaini in midfield with the Belgians fielding their strong front three of Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard.  De Bruyne should have made it 2-0 in the 12th minute when the ball found him at the back post after a slip-up from John Stones, but his poorly struck shot was easily dealt with by Pickford. Kane, the tournament’s top scorer with six goals, had an opportunity when set up by Raheem Sterling in the 24th minute but was off-balance as he screwed his shot wide. Southgate brought on Marcus Rashford for Sterling and Jesse Lingard for Danny Rose at the break and the change worked well, with England well on top in the second half.  Toby Alderweireld was forced to clear an Eric Dier effort off his line at full stretch after a neat exchange between the Tottenham midfielder and Rashford ended with a chip over Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois. Dier and then Harry Maguire both headed wide from promising positions, while at thee other end Meunier went close to a second with a powerful volley that Pickford did well to save.  But the game was wrapped up when De Bruyne burst from midfield and slipped the ball through to Hazard, who glided past Phil Jones and fired into the bottom corner.   (SS)

KERBER STUNS WILLIAMS TO WIN WIMBLEDON TITLE – Germany’s Angelique Kerber stunned American Serena Williams 6-3 6-3 on Saturday to win her first Wimbledon title.  Seven-times champion Williams had been bidding to claim a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam crown but made too many errors as Kerber ran out a comfortable winner in the final. Kerber looked understandably nervous as she served for the match at 5-3 but could celebrate when Williams netted a backhand on her first match point. (SS)

ANNUAL CADET CAMP STARTS MONDAY – Approximately 650 cadets will get an opportunity to sharpen their military skills when the Barbados Cadet Corps stages its Annual Summer Camp. It will be held from Sunday, July 15, to Saturday, August 18, and cadets will be trained in areas such as drill, weapons training, shooting, first aid, land and sea navigation, seamanship, music and field training exercises. The camp will be conducted in phases and parents are advised that the cadets must report directly to their respective campsites at 7 a.m. During Phase One, from Sunday, July 15, to Saturday, July 21, Star One Alpha and Star Two Alpha, Star Three and Master Cadets will gather at Paragon, Christ Church, to undergo training, while the band’s session will be at the Regional Police Training Centre (RPTC). Phase Two will be held from Sunday, July 22, to Saturday, July 28, for Star One Bravo and Star Two Bravo, at Paragon, Christ Church; Sea Cadets at The Ellerslie School; and Master Cadets and Star Four, at the RPTC’s Training Centre. During Phase Three, the Commandant’s Parade will be held on Saturday, August 4, at Harrison College, beginning at 4 p.m. Parents and guardians are encouraged to support their children and be present. In preparation for that parade, there will be rehearsals on Tuesday, July 31, and Thursday, August 2, at Harrison College. All cadets are expected to report to the school at 8 a.m. (BGIS)

BCIDA TO HOST A WORKSHOP FOR FASHION DESIGNERS – Fashion designers and those aspiring to become designers are invited to register for a one-day export readiness workshop being held by the Barbados Cultural Industries Development Authority (BCIDA). The workshop will be held on Tuesday, July 31, and is being hosted by Fashion and Creative Consultant, Richard Mkoloma. Anyone interested in participating should present a fashion portfolio including samples of clothing and information on current production capacity. They must show evidence of resource readiness to meet any potential export opportunities and present information on current market penetration strategy. Those selected to participate in the workshops will be expected to spend up to 90 minutes with the consultant and attend a brand and product strategy lecture. To register, anyone interested should email kimbutcher@cidabarbados.org, no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 20. Spaces for the workshop are limited, therefore, priority will be given to those who fulfil participation requirements. For more information call BCIDA at 535-7770, or email kimbutcher@cidabarbados.org. They may also visit the website www.cidabarbados.org. (BGIS)

DE ANNOUNCER FIRST ON STAGE FOR SEMIS – The positions have been chosen for Friday night’s Pic-O-De-Crop semi-finals. Leading the charge will be De Announcer, who pulled position No.1 earlier today at the National Cultural Foundation’s West Terrace, St James headquarters. Donella will be the final calypsonian to take the stage. All were contented with their positions as there were no exchanges. In order of appearance on stage they are: De Announcer, Chrystal, Doyenne, Charisma, AC, Kid Site, Colin Spencer, Smokey Burke, Billboard, Structure, Raheem, Apache, Amazing Dre, Mr Blood, De Doctor, Miss Sammy G, Jude Clarke, and Donella. (SS)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 169 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles  #dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 6/19/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Wednesday June 20TH 2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing Mid-Week Nation Newspaper (MWN), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

HOUSE MOVES TO SCRAP NSRL – There was nothing social or responsible about the former Government’s most controversial tax policy and it had to go. Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Ryan Straughn, yesterday gave that justification as the House of Assembly moved to repeal the National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL). However, based on the legislation, NRSL will not disappear totally immediately. That’s because the amendment said “the provisions of the principal act relating to the collection, payment and assessment of the levy shall continue in force until all liabilities incurred under the act are discharged”. Also, it added that “relating to the refund of overpayments shall continue in force until those liabilities have been discharged”. The legislation also said the minister could issue exemptions for liabilities incurred. In her Mini-Budget last week, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Mia Mottley announced NSRL would be repealed effective July 1, which would cost Government about $145 million. Straughn said NSRL “was flawed from inception” and Barbadians “suffered tremendously” after its introduction. The Christ Church East Central MP said: “We have listened to the people of Barbados, we have listened to the business interests in Barbados and it is absolutely clear that nobody in Barbados benefited from the introduction of this NSRL. “At every opportunity the previous administration sought to inflict hardship and increase the . . . cost of living on Barbadians. We will be removing the shackles from the people of Barbados that they have experienced over the last two years with this dreaded [NSRL].” Straughn also pointed out that contrary to the promise that NSRL money would be used to help fund the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, buy garbage trucks and help in other areas, this did not take place. The minister said the imminent repeal of NSRL, coupled with the measures announced in the Mini-Budget, showed that Government intended to focus on more equitable tax policies.  (MWN)

SEWAGE FIX SOON – The South Coast sewage crisis is nearing an end, Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams has promised Barbadians. He and several high-ranking officials responsible for fixing the critical issue, including Barbados Water Authority (BWA) general manager Keithroy Halliday, updated the public yesterday.

Among the announcements were:

• Since the diversion of filtered waste water into the six injection wells from last Thursday, there have been no overflows on the streets.

• Excavation starts today to fix the breached lines by the entrance of the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary.

• A week later, more excavation will begin around the corner at Worthing by the old Scotiabank building.

• Work will be on a 24-hour basis to meet the estimated four to six-week deadline.

• Over 1 000 sewerage connections are being investigated to see if they are legal. (MWN)

GO AFTER TAX DODGERS – A Government minister wants the island’s two main revenue collection agencies to go after self-employed professionals who willfully avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson today suggested that a number of such professionals, particularly lawyers linked to the ousted Democratic Labour Party, were dodging taxes and contributions to the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), and he implored the two state agencies to examine their books to force them to comply. “I would wish to reiterate  . . . in terms of [BRA] officers and NIS officers being more diligent in terms of going to self-employed persons and professionals and looking at their books. They have that authority under the law. The impression I get is that they do not use that legal authority as much as they should,” Hinkson told his parliamentary colleagues during debate on the amendment to the Barbados Revenue Authority Act. The amended removes the clause which required those seeking to obtain a tax clearance certificate to facilitate a conveyance of land, to pay all taxes, interest and penalties accrued under the Land Tax Act, Cap 78A. Emphasizing the need for everyone who qualifies to pay taxes, Hinkson said those who dodged taxes were depriving the country of much needed revenue. And without pointing fingers at anyone in particular, the minister suggested there were several lawyers partial to the last administration who were “beneficiaries of the fatted calf” who might not have paid their taxes. “The Barbados Revenue Authority may very well have a very fertile territory in going and examining the books of some of these beneficiaries of the fatted calf under the last Government. These attorneys-at-law who got exorbitant legal fees, charging six, and eight and ten times what they should have charged. That is fertile territory. Go and examine their books . . . the VAT [Value Added Tax] too, whether they have paid the requisite amount of taxes. “So BRA needs to do its job in terms of collecting taxes from those persons who are beneficiaries of the fatted calf . . . dished out by the Democratic Labour Party among its members, supporters, shareholders to the detriment of the people of Barbados and we will certainly support BRA in that effort,” he said. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Dale Marshall made a similar call, while pointing out that the Income tax Act made provision for the BRA to enforce a judgment for taxes against self-employed individuals by presenting a memorandum at the high court registry. Stating that the BRA had no excuse to allow delinquent self-employed individuals get off scot-free, the attorney-at-law pointed out that once a judgment had been registered there were several methods of enforcing it. “I would urge the Minister in the Ministry of Finance [Ryan Straughn] to have a discussion with the BRA about how they can use the law to try to go after taxes, try to go after people . . . who do not pay, and they can be identified. You sort of know them by the car they drive, that is a good place to start, and the house that they live in and the kind of lifestyle they enjoy,” Marshall explained. While lauding the Barbados Labour Party administration for the amendment to the Act, Opposition Leader Joseph Atherley urged Government to go after the few “notoriously delinquent” private sector operators who avoided paying their taxes. “My understanding is that when it comes to the avoidance of tax obligations there are a notoriously delinquent few in the business community of Barbados who believe that they have a right to conduct themselves in the way that they do. So while the Government moves with haste today to repeal this measure in an effort to facilitate business and to provide an environment in which growth can be spurred, I believe the Government should see it equally as it responsibility to look into that mischief,” he said. (BT)

WELL DONE PM – An Opposition senator has lauded renewed efforts by Prime Minister Mia Mottley to work with the Eastern Caribbean countries to ease travel among nationals of the sub-region.    Caswell Franklyn this morning threw his support behind Mottley, who yesterday told leaders of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) who had issued a special invitation to the Barbadian leader to attend their 65th summit in St Lucia, that she intended to deepen regional integration and free movement of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nationals. Franklyn told Barbados TODAY free movement was never an issue in pre-independence days, but countries had become insular after they gained political independence. “Before we were independent, we had free travel. When every country became a state within itself, everybody started to put on restrictions on the same people who were able to travel freely and live in this place. We were integrated . . . from the bottom up. They [governments] imposed top-down integration and put restrictions on people who were making it work,” the Opposition senator said. Franklyn, a trade unionist, insisted that all the existing restrictions should be removed and every Caribbean national ought to be allowed to “come and go as they please”. “Cut out all of these foolish restrictions. It is unnecessary . . . .We are one people,” he stressed. There was also support for Mottley from political scientists Christina Hinds and Tennyson Joseph, both of whom suggested that free movement of CARICOM nationals was long overdue. “If we are serious about regionalism, these are things that should have happened a long time ago,” Hinds told Barbados TODAY. “People may have some security concerns relating to allowing people to enter the country more easily. But, really, I don’t know how a passport provides that added level of security that people seem to believe that it does,” Hinds added in support of a call by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines for Barbados to replace its passport requirement for OECS citizens with a photo identification card. The University of the West Indies political scientist argued these efforts would be welcomed in pushing integration at the regional level considering that the OECS has gone much further in its integration process than the wider CARICOM grouping. Meantime, while praising the renewed attempts by Mottley to reach out to the Eastern Caribbean, Joseph said he would wait and see if the Prime Minister’s concrete proposals would be implemented. Joseph said Mottley’s efforts were not new since former BLP leader and Prime Minister Owen Arthur had made similar overtures, but the Democratic Labour Party had adopted a different approach over the past ten years. “I am hoping that it is not a one-off thing that comes when there is a new Barbados Labour Party Prime Minister for the region. That is something we have seen before . . . and I guess our attention would have to turn to see if it goes beyond just a set of nice announcements to something more concrete,” he said. The political scientist also told Barbados TODAY this afternoon that Mottley’s initiatives augured well for Barbados’ role in terms of regionalism and the part this country has historically played in fostering integration. During Mottley’s address yesterday she proposed that travellers who are in transit at Caribbean ports-of-entry for more than two hours should no longer be prohibited from leaving the airports. “I am conscious that wherever I go in the Eastern Caribbean, there are those who are concerned about the manner in which they are allowed to move within our ports-of-entry and in particular also my own. And that with respect to those who are traveling in transit the inability to be able to clear immigration if you are there for longer than two hours, continues to be of major concern to many of our citizens. It makes no sense,” Mottley complained, adding that such a practice limits the extent to which those who visit are capable of adding to the economic activity in the various countries. The Prime Minister had said that before leaving Barbados for the OECS meeting, she sought to find out what legal obstacles were preventing in transit regional neighbours from leaving the airport and she was yet to receive an answer that made sense. She said that as a result, she wanted the OECS leaders to make this matter a priority, “because our people are precluded from doing that which is most natural. If you are in a port of entry for more than six or eight hours there is no reason to be treated like a prisoner of war”. Barbados TODAY also reported exclusively yesterday that Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson had revealed that Barbados had abolished the visa requirements for Haitian nationals entering this country. (BT)

SANDALS TAKE ON PEDDLERS OF ‘FAKE NEWS’ ABOUT THE RESORT – The Gordon Butch Stewart-owned Sandals Resorts International has come out swinging against those it said were engaged in another attempt to spread misinformation and unsubstantiated claims about the Jamaica-headquartered hotel chain. In a three-and-a-half page written statement issued today from its Montego Bay base, Sandals suggested that this latest “fake news” included a “totally sensationalized” headline regarding recent remarks by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who last week told the annual general meeting of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association that the current system of managing concessions under the Tourism Development Act (TDA) was anything but fair. It did not indicate which headline to which it referred, or which newspaper carried the headline. Mottley had told the gathering of industry stakeholders that what the concessions had essentially done was to create three classes of hoteliers in the country. “Those like Sandals that get everything without consultation . . . those who have to come to the Ministry of Tourism, and I believe every two weeks the Ministry of Tourism is taken up with having to push paper, which is nonsense, and then those who don’t even get anywhere near the Ministry of Tourism or anywhere near the concessions because their cash flow has been such that they had difficulties in being able to meet basic statutory requirements and as a result therefore they are precluded from being a beneficiary of any of those concessions,” Mottley said. She also said to loud applause that “one of the early things the Ministry of Tourism will be looking at is how to bring about greater equity as well as fairness and transparency in the management of those concessions under the Tourism Development Act”. However, in response, Sandals said it was not, and had never been deterred by “fake news”, but rather appreciated the opportunity to set the record straight. “First, we have, and have always had an amicable relationship with Prime Minister Mottley. The Prime Minister is aware that Sandals is completely open to working with her Government – as we have worked with governments throughout the region – to help move Barbados into a better and brighter future, because that ultimately is what is best for all of us,” the statement said, while going on to dismiss suggestions that it did not pay taxes. “That is totally untrue. Sandals pays significant taxes in Barbados, including Value Added Tax,” the internationally-recognized hotel enterprise said. In order to attract the renowned Jamaican hotel chain here, the then Freundel Stuart administration offered a 25-year tax holiday that included waiver on all imported duties, taxes, impost and levies on capital goods, such as building materials as well as food and beverages. The controversial deal also included waiver on duties on the importation of motor vehicles and personal and household effects for senior hotel staff and non-Barbadian workers. When the tax holiday period is over, Sandals will only be required to pay half the “applicable rates and taxes prevailing” for another 15 years. The hotel chain in its statement today, defended the concessions. “Our negotiations on concessions have always been completely transparent and open. It is because of these very same negotiations that many hoteliers have now been able to access concessions of their own for refurbishment and upgrades in what was a highly overtaxed sector,” Sandals emphasized, adding that it had been assured that in the last two years more refurbishments and modernization had been done in Barbados than in the last decade. The hotel chain also sought to make out a case for its loyalty and commitment to Barbados. “It is Sandals that has given the clearest signal to the world that it is good to invest in destination Barbados at a time when many others are intent only on singing songs of gloom and doom,” it said. (BT)

FISHERFOLK WARN FUEL LEVY COULD LEAD TO HIGHER PRICES – Fisherfolk across Barbados are anxiously anticipating a meeting with Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey, for whom they say they have lots of questions. Among the issues high on the agenda for the fish vendors and boat owners is the potential impact of the impending fuel levy on fish prices, and long awaited repairs to some of the markets, including the boatlift and jetty at the Berinda Cox Fish Market in Oistins, Christ Church. The new tax, which takes effect on July 1, replaces the road tax and is expected to raise $80 million annually for Government’s coffers. It is to be levied at a rate of 40 cents per litre of petrol and diesel and five cents per litre of kerosene. One boat owner at the Berinda Cox Fish Market told Barbados TODAY he wants Government to clarify its position on the fuel tax as it relates to the fishing community. “I got a boat and I don’t pay road tax, so I want to know if the money going on pon my boat too,” the boat owner, who requested anonymity, said. He said unless they were offered concessions, the tax would severely affect small boat owners. “All of them little boats can’t survive, so I wonder if we would still get commercial diesel and would not have to pay that 40 cents.” Fellow boat owner Kim Harris, who is also a vendor, said her concern was about the broken lift and dilapidated jetty at the market, especially in the hurricane season. “I would like that he [Humphrey] to address the slip away by the market so that we can get a crane, so that the boats can be hauled up instead of us having to pay $3,000 to $4,000 to haul the boats,” Harris said, adding that she also looked forward to hearing the new minister’s plans for the market and the industry. Over at Six Men’s in St Peter, a fish vendor who gave his name only as Reudon, said he was hoping for a satisfactory result in order to avoid a possible increase of the fish prices. “The fellas would have to get a meeting with the minister to see if they can get that problem solved,” he said. However, 83-year-old fish vendor Lucil Clarke was not at all worried about the pending tax, nor did she believe it would lead to a significant rise in prices. “I don’t think that it will affect the cost of fish. People have to wait and see what is going on. The fish might go up or the fish may go down, it all depends on how high the diesel goes,” she said, adding that “people always buy fish once the fish is plentiful”. Clarke also complained about what she said was neglect of the market by the previous Freundel Stuart-led administration, adding that she was hopeful that Humphrey would deliver on the promised repairs. “The last Government took all the money and you don’t know what they do with it. The fish market went to ruin and now we got to try to build it back up,” Clarke said. (BT)

CAMPAIGN BACK LASH - The grouping of local bandleaders and promoters is charging that the recent election campaign put a massive dent on the upcoming Crop Over season. The Barbados Association of Masqueraders (BAM) said the timing of the election forced them to play catch-up because it encroached upon time which would have been used for marketing and sales. BAM President Chetwyn Stewart told Barbados TODAY that during the campaign, which ended with the May 24 general election in which the Barbados Labour Party swept the polls, the Crop Over circuit, which normally would have been vibrant around that time, was at a virtual standstill. Stewart, whose Grand Kadooment band, Power X4, pulled out of the event last year due to financial constraints, explained that this year the popular band would once again be absent from the streets because of the late start. “We didn’t reach our target this year because while elections were going nothing was happening. Everything was at a standstill. Sponsorship for bands was very hard to come by because all of the businesses were waiting and watching to see what was going to be the outcome of the election. I know this was the story for a lot of other bands,” Stewart said. The BAM president also revealed that even though the controversial National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL), which increased by 400 per cent last July 1, will be removed on July 1 this year, the repeal may not be in time to affect prices of costumes. “The truth is that people in the entertainment business make their plans long in advance and it means that they would have brought in items since the beginning of the year. So it means that they would have already paid the NSRL and that would mean that persons cannot really expect that costume prices to go down for this Crop Over,” he said, while adding that this may not necessarily damper this year’s Crop Over atmosphere, as revellers were still eager to release some stress before Government’s austerity measures begin to bite. Bandleaders bitterly complained last year that the NSRL was an albatross around their necks, as the controversial levy, which rose from two per cent to ten per cent, resulted in depressed costume sales. At least four main bands withdrew from Grand Kadooment last year, citing financial constraints. This year frontline costumes for the more popular bands cost as high as US$1,000, while backline costumes are being sold for US$500. Stewart explained that whether or not all of these factors translate into a poorly patronized Crop Over season would depend on the marketing creativity of bandleaders and promoters. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that we are going to have a poor Crop Over season because people need a release. The reality is that people are going to have to make choices to suit their pockets. People will come out, jump and party but they need the packages that they can afford. Last year you had more tourists than locals jumping for Grand Kadooment, while many locals gravitated to the more affordable Foreday Morning jam. So, people are willing to come out and party and it is going to come down to the package you are offering the people. You might need more of the all-inclusive events or enhance the costume packages,” he contended. (BT)

CONSTITUENCY REGISTRATION CENTRES TO RE-OPEN – The Electoral Department has advised that registration services will resume at six Constituency Registration Centres on Wednesdays only, with effect from July 4. The centres are: Alexandra School, Queen’s Street, Speightstown, St Peter; Christ Church Girls’ School, Water Street, Christ Church; Princess Margaret Secondary School, Six Roads, St Philip; The St Michael School, Martindales Road, St Michael; the Valley Resource Centre, Valley, St George; and Warrens Tower II, Warrens, St Michael. According to the Electoral Department, members of the public may utilise the services at whichever centre is convenient, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. (BGIS)

OPEN HOUSE FOR SIXTH FORMERS - Harrison College (HC) will host an Open House for prospective sixth form students on Tuesday, June 26. Open House targets all students across the island, not just those from HC, who are desirous of pursuing their secondary education at the Sixth Form Level.   It gets under way at the school on Crumpton Street, St Michael, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Parents and guardians are advised that they must accompany their children or wards, who must be in uniform. Open House will provide all students with the following: information regarding HC’s academic curriculum, campus, co-curricular activities, prerequisites for specific subject study, and advice on career choice. For further information on the Open House, parents and guardians may call Year Head for the Sixth formers, Carl Applewhaite, at the school at 537-0039, or email capplewhaite@harrisoncollege.edu.bb. (BGIS)

MUMS BAWL AS TEEN SONS REMANDED – The mothers of seven boys accused of stealing over $8 000 worth of items began to bawl in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court yesterday after Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant remanded them until the middle of next month. Six boys, ranging in ages 13 to 15 from the Pine and Wildey, St Michael communities, and 16-year-old Adrico Shakur Rudder, of No. 10 Valley View Terrace, Pinelands, St Michael, admitted to criminal damage, theft and three counts of burglary. Five of the youngsters, one of whom was represented by Rhea Layne, pleaded guilty to damaging two billboards worth $4 230 belonging to the Barbados Amateur Swimming Association between June 9 and 11. Four also admitted stealing 24 bottles of cran water, 38 bottles of sparkling ice, 22 Celsius energy drinks, ten cans of pure protein shake, five premier protein shakes, five packs of mixed fruit and peanuts, and a life cycle display panel, all valued at $2 596.25, belonging to ABC Fitness Studio, located at the Aquatic Centre, St Michael, between June 10 and 11. Two of the juveniles and Rudder also admitted trespassing at the home of Charles Carrington and stealing a tablet, three cell phones, a bottle of wine, corkscrew, stove lighter, a bottle of aftershave and $400 on June 10. The items were valued at $915. On May 21, four members of the group trespassed at the ABC Fitness Studio and stole 18 monster drinks, ten bottles of water, five protein shakes, four protein bars, five wristbands, seven packs of nuts, two bottle shakers, a pair of leggings, six Celsius energy drinks, three packs of popcorn, a bottle of protein powder and six packs of protein powder, with a total cost of $683, belonging to Kenneth Griffith. And last Saturday, Rudder and two counterparts, who had previously admitted trespassing at Carrington’s home, also admitted entering the official residence of Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson with intent to steal. Prosecutor Sergeant Cameron Gibbons objected to bail. “I believe if you show young persons the path, they would try to keep away from that path,” he said, adding there was the need to protect both the public and the youngsters. Defence counsel Layne, representing a 13-year-old, said he was a student of Frederick Smith Secondary School, had no previous convictions, enjoyed football, had a history of going to church, accepted what he had done and had shown remorse. “This was simply a matter of being mixed up with the wrong crowd,” she submitted. However, Magistrate Cuffy-Sargeant chastised the young attorney and said she must not downplay the acts with the use of the word “simply”. After hearing that the boy’s grandmother wanted him to move in with her to keep a watchful eye on him, the magistrate informed them they would all be remanded. “They did not act by themselves, but in groups. There is the need to protect society, their future, instil discipline in them and to teach them to have respect for authority. There is also the need for them to learn to respect other persons’ property, and not take up what is not theirs without permission,” she said. The magistrate then sent the wailing parents out of the court. The boys all gathered on a bench awaiting transportation, mingling nonchalantly, seemingly without a care in the world, laughing and talking among themselves. The matter was adjourned until July 17 for sentencing. The Under-16s were sent to the Government Industrial School at Dodds, while Rudder was taken to Her Majesty’s Prisons Dodds.  (MWN)

TEENS REMANDED – Seven teenagers, ranging in ages 13 to 16 will spend the next 28 days at the Government Industrial School and HMP Dodds after they confessed to a spate of robberies. The seven were charged with one act of criminal damage, theft and three cases of burglary between May 21 and last Saturday. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant remanded them, after prosecutor Sergeant Cameron Gibbons objected to bail in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court earlier.  (MWN)

POLICE CONSTABLE ON BAIL – The police constable who was involved in the May 26 accident that claimed the life of 52-year-old Owen Stuart on the ABC Highway has been released on $5,000 bail. Renaldo Jerome Goodman, of Glebe Land, St George, appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today charged with seven offences under the Road Traffic Act. He is charged with causing Stuart’s death while driving a motorcycle in a manner dangerous to the public. Goodman is also accused of using the motorcycle after 8 p.m. which was prohibited on his learner’s permit. He is further charged with using fraudulent number plates, driving without road tax and insurance, and when the letter ‘L’ was not properly displayed on the front or rear of the cycle. The accused cop was not required to enter a plea after the charges were read to him. However, Goodman, who is represented by attorney-at-law Francis Worrell, will next appear before the District ‘A’ Traffic Court on June 25 when the charges will again be read to him.  (BT)

ALLEGED HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER GRANTED BAIL – A 25-year-old driver who allegedly failed to stop after being involved in an accident was granted $3,000 bail when he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today. Tre Raheem Thompson of 4th Avenue Land, Bush Hall, St Michael, is also accused driving without due care and attention and without reasonable consideration for other road users when he was in control of a motorcar on Bank Hall Road on June 18 around 2:45a.m. He is further alleged to have had no insurance and no driver’s licence. When the accused appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today he was no allowed to enter a plea. His matters were adjourned to June 25 and will now be heard in the District ‘A’ Traffic Court. (BT)

MISSING MAN’S EX AT WITS END OVER HIS DISAPPEARANCE – The former spouse of Andrew King, the man who was reported missing in the early hours of Sunday morning at the end of a pleasure cruise, says she is at a total loss over how to cope with his disappearance. What has made King’s disappearance even more difficult for Sophia Brathwaite is the impact it is having on their 13-year-old son, Alex, a student of Princess Margaret Secondary School. “My son is in shock saying everyday he can’t believe it. He wants to know why he don’t have a father and he is asking me questions as a mother that I can’t even answer. I can’t feel good about this. My son keep getting up in the wee hours of the morning and crying for his dad,” Brathwaite told Barbados TODAY in an interview outside of King’s home. “This is a couple days that he hasn’t eaten or went outside to play. He is very withdrawn and I’m trying to get some counselling [for him], and having not a body is very hard, and that is taking a toll on him. He doesn’t talk much and is keeping it inside and I don’t want this to interfere with his learning. I don’t even know what to do. I’m lost,” she added. King, 49, is believed to have boarded the Jolly Roger on Saturday night for an 11p.m. cruise, but was unaccounted for when the boat returned to its dock just outside Carlisle House, The City early on Sunday morning. Searches by the Coast Guard and the Marine Unit of the Royal Barbados Police Force have proved futile thus far, and his disappearance remains a mystery. Brathwaite told Barbados TODAY while she and King were no longer a couple, they had maintained a friendly relationship. Therefore, she said, his mysterious disappearance was taking a toll on her. “He being missing, there are not any words to describe it. I’m mourning and crying, not only because of the type of relationship we had. Although we weren’t together, we were friends for a very long time,” she said. “He left home good and in high spirits. He don’t go on cruises – he would hardly go – so I was a little sceptical of him going. Having to deal with this for the past couple of days has been the hardest thing of my life and for my son. “Father’s Day I got up and I was on rocks with the Coast Guard looking for a body because I could not face my son that morning,” the mournful mum cried. Jolly Roger owner Allan Kinch said yesterday he was at a loss to explain what happened to King, particularly because of the level of security on board the vessel. Kinch told Barbados TODAY the boat was safe, and there was no altercation during the cruise, nor had anyone reported seeing King jump or fall off. “We have added additional ropes around the deck and above the sides and we have lights shining out into the sea as well all around the boat,” Kinch explained. However, Brathwaite refused to buy Kinch’s explanation, telling Barbados TODAY she was certain the operators of the vessel were negligent in her ex’s disappearance. “They putting more rope because the patrons are cattle, sheep, goats and cows. You put rope around animals. They also say they will put added security now. It means they didn’t have it in the first place. It is negligence on their part.  The fact that he was able to go overboard means nobody was looking. It was too easy for he to go over. It was negligence. “The people who go on the Jolly Roger pay their money to enjoy themselves and to feel safe. They are now putting measures in place now that someone has lost his life,” she complained. In fact, the grieving Brathwaite said she was certain King had fallen off the boat, and to her consternation, she said, no one found out until the cruise had ended. “The thing that hurting as well is that Andrew fell off the boat and then when the boat docked nobody knew anything. It could have been anyone. This has to send a message to all the cruise that are coming up,” she added. Equally saddened by King’s disappearance was boyhood friend Jeffrey Lee, who simply told Barbados TODAY: “I don’t believe Andrew fall off, he won’t kill himself. This has really hurt me to lose my friend like this.” Meantime, when told today about Brathwaite’s charge that the Jolly Roger was negligent, Kinch expressed his sympathy to the family, and restated that additional security measures would be put in place.  (BT)

U.S. QUITS U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS BODY, CITING BIAS VS. ISRAEL, ALARMING CRITICS – The United States withdrew from a “hypocritical and self-serving” United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform, a move activists warned would make advancing human rights globally even more difficult. Standing with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley slammed Russia, China, Cuba and Egypt for thwarting U.S. efforts to reform the council. She also criticized countries which shared U.S. values and encouraged Washington to remain, but “were unwilling to seriously challenge the status quo.” Washington’s withdrawal is the latest U.S. rejection of multilateral engagement after it pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. It also comes as the United States faces intense criticism for detaining children separated from their immigrant parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein on Monday called on Washington to halt its “unconscionable” policy. “Look at the council membership, and you see an appalling disrespect for the most basic rights,” said Haley, citing Venezuela, China, Cuba and Democratic Republic of Congo. She did not mention Saudi Arabia, which rights groups pushed to be suspended in 2016 over killings of civilians in the Yemen war. (BT)

BDFSP BOOTS STRIKE 6 TIMES – Hat-tricks by Omani Leacock and Kyle Gibson delivered a devastating 6-0 victory for Barbados Defence Force Sports Programme (BDFSP) over Claytons Kola Tonic Notre Dame in their out-of-zone clash on an exciting Sunday night of action in the Barbados Football Association’s Premier League. Dames’ Zone 1 rivals Paradise had much better fortunes against Zone 2’s Mark’s Auto Spares Porey Spring United in their opening encounter at the Wildey Turf, winning 3-0 before University of the West Indies (UWI) Blackbirds survived a late resurgence by Empire to grind out a 2-1 success. (MWN)

CAMPAIGN BACKLASH – The grouping of local bandleaders and promoters is charging that the recent election campaign put a massive dent on the upcoming Crop Over season. The Barbados Association of Masqueraders (BAM) said the timing of the election forced them to play catch-up because it encroached upon time which would have been used for marketing and sales. BAM President Chetwyn Stewart told Barbados TODAY that during the campaign, which ended with the May 24 general election in which the Barbados Labour Party swept the polls, the Crop Over circuit, which normally would have been vibrant around that time, was at a virtual standstill. Stewart, whose Grand Kadooment band, Power X4, pulled out of the event last year due to financial constraints, explained that this year the popular band would once again be absent from the streets because of the late start. “We didn’t reach our target this year because while elections were going nothing was happening. Everything was at a standstill. Sponsorship for bands was very hard to come by because all of the businesses were waiting and watching to see what was going to be the outcome of the election. I know this was the story for a lot of other bands,” Stewart said. The BAM president also revealed that even though the controversial National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL), which increased by 400 per cent last July 1, will be removed on July 1 this year, the repeal may not be in time to affect prices of costumes. “The truth is that people in the entertainment business make their plans long in advance and it means that they would have brought in items since the beginning of the year. So it means that they would have already paid the NSRL and that would mean that persons cannot really expect that costume prices to go down for this Crop Over,” he said, while adding that this may not necessarily damper this year’s Crop Over atmosphere, as revellers were still eager to release some stress before Government’s austerity measures begin to bite. Bandleaders bitterly complained last year that the NSRL was an albatross around their necks, as the controversial levy, which rose from two per cent to ten per cent, resulted in depressed costume sales. At least four main bands withdrew from Grand Kadooment last year, citing financial constraints. This year frontline costumes for the more popular bands cost as high as US$1,000, while backline costumes are being sold for US$500. Stewart explained that whether or not all of these factors translate into a poorly patronized Crop Over season would depend on the marketing creativity of bandleaders and promoters. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that we are going to have a poor Crop Over season because people need a release. The reality is that people are going to have to make choices to suit their pockets. People will come out, jump and party but they need the packages that they can afford. Last year you had more tourists than locals jumping for Grand Kadooment, while many locals gravitated to the more affordable Foreday Morning jam. So, people are willing to come out and party and it is going to come down to the package you are offering the people. You might need more of the all-inclusive events or enhance the costume packages,” he contended.  (MWN)

YOUNG INNOVATORS LAUDED – Young innovators from primary and secondary schools across the island were lauded for their outstanding work in the Electricity and Renewable Energy Science Exposition as well as the Barbados Manufacturers Exhibition (BMEX) 2018. The victorious students were presented with their winnings at the Christie Conference Room this morning by members of the Media Resource Department, Barbados Light and Power as well as the Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training Dr Rommel Springer. In the Science Exposition held at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology and Innovation, the Blackman Gollop Primary School was victorious in the Primary School category and the Frederick Smith Secondary School won the Secondary School category. In the BMEX category, St Silas Primary placed first in the Primary School category with The St Michael School placing first in the secondary division. Chief Media Officer Acting Burkley Lowe said that with the country now in economic turmoil, the time has come to ensure that students utilize their creativity in all disciplines.

”I believe that we must raise the priority of our students to pour things creatively into all kinds of things that they do and we must do so right now. Barbados is at the crossroads. We need to turn a corner… and get our economy and our workers back on stream,” Lowe stressed, adding that he would like the students, parents, and teachers to speak with Senator Rommel Springer about how they can take education and the country, by extension, forward. ”I want that the teachers, the principals and the students today engage him in conversation and don’t just complain because we like to get the opportunity to complain. We want you to share with him the things that you are doing. We want you to share the passion to reach students in the community who are sometimes overlooked or just bypassed. Share those things and how we can get a better Barbados,” Lowe said.  (BT)

GOOD DEEDS – Barbadian Corey Lane has received the 57th Commonwealth Point of Light Award from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11 in honour of his exceptional voluntary service helping young people to develop their leadership skills. Corey has created a fully working farm to provide a positive alternative to young Barbadians at risk of falling into a life of crime. He started out with one horse, a crop of lettuce plants and some rabbits in his grandmother’s backyard and has grown the ‘Nature Fun Ranch’ into a thriving charity. Relocated on a larger site, the ranch is now home to 16 horses and a range of sports facilities including an archery space and obstacle course. The young people who attend cultivate watermelons, squash, and peppers, distributing their harvests to the local public hospitals. Over 2,000 young people have visited the ranch where they developed leadership skills, learned about healthy lifestyles, and integrated positively with the local community. As part of the legacy of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London this year, Her Majesty The Queen – as Head of the Commonwealth – is thanking inspirational volunteers across the 53 Commonwealth nations for the difference they are making in their communities and beyond, by recognising one volunteer from each Commonwealth country each week in the two years following the summit.  This follows an earlier round of awards to Commonwealth volunteers before the meeting, in which fellow Barbadian Kemar Saffrey was recognized. Accepting the award, Corey said, “I’m extremely happy to be the second Commonwealth Point of Light for Barbados. Just ten days ago, I celebrated 20 years of service through the Nature Fun Ranch… This is where we created an innovative and adventurous way of getting at-risk young people to become citizens of excellence. At this time I feel recharged, fired up and ready to go for another 20 years. Thank you for this honour.” UK High Commissioner in Barbados Janet Douglas who was in attendance, said, “I am pleased that Corey Lane has been chosen. Through his outstanding work with the Nature Fun Ranch and other community initiatives, Corey has made a sterling contribution by turning around the lives of at-risk teens in Barbados. Volunteering can make a real difference to communities, and Corey’s work shows what can be achieved.” Each Commonwealth Point of Light will receive a personalized certificate signed by Her Majesty The Queen as Head of the Commonwealth. The award for Corey was presented this morning at Government House, by Governor General, Dame Sandra Mason. The Commonwealth is a diverse community of 53 nations that work together to promote prosperity, democracy, and peace. The Heads of Government meeting brought together leaders from all the 53 Member countries to reaffirm common values, address shared global challenges and agree how to work to create a better future for all citizens, especially young people. Voluntary service is a vital part of this agenda, which is why Her Majesty The Queen has chosen to recognize outstanding volunteers across the Commonwealth in this special way. (BT)

NEW ROLE FOR GG – Dame Sandra Mason was officially named the patron of the Soroptimist International Barbados at Accra Beach Hotel and Spa on Monday. President of Soroptimist International Barbados Judith Toppin presented the Governor General of Barbados with a Patrons Pin which officially appointed her as patron of the women’s organization. In her welcome, Toppin thanked the Governor General for accepting the invitation to be patron of the women’s organization that focuses on advocacy for young women and girls. “We are excited, extremely pleased and deeply honoured that Your Excellency so graciously accepted our invitation. So thank you again,” Toppin said. In the Programme Action Report by Andrea Simon, the organization announced that they will be working on a number of projects at the Government Industrial School for Girls (GIS).

“We will be partnering with Slow Food and the US Embassy to facilitate an educational gardening programme at GIS. The Programme will commence on [July 19] with the planting of the garden and [this] project will be funded primarily by the US Embassy. [In addition,] we will be working with the Young Yam Creations and Mustard Seed to facilitate a drama production at GIS. The purpose will be to use social development issues which impact and affect young people,” Simon said. Marguerite Woodstock-Riley who is in charge of regional and international affiliations explained the international and regional reach that Soroptimist International has as it continues to advocate for women’s rights. In her slideshow presentation, she highlighted some of the countries where women live in desolate conditions even after fleeing from abuse in some circumstances. Her presentation also showed the importance of advocating for change in many countries where women’s rights are not recognised and gender equality is years away from being equal. As the Barbados branch seeks to advocate through legislation, Woodstock-Riley also implored the members of the Soroptimist to use some of those issues as their focus. “I think President Judith wants us to be more involved in making changes through legislation. We certainly have been trying to get changes in the Government Industrial School – the provisions which are at least 100 years old. I think that we have met with the Attorney General for 20 years and that is unfortunate that we have been unable to make any change. But I think we are going to be working on that and different areas that we can advocate for change,” she said. (BT)

ROMEO LAID TO REST – The entertainment fraternity came out in their numbers to give calypsonian Charles ‘Romeo’ Smith a final send off this afternoon. Romeo, who died June 6, was heralded as a compassionate individual during tributes at Breath of Life Seventh Day Adventist Church White Hall, St Michael. Long-time friend and sometimes musical arranger Mike Sealy spoke of Romeo’s spirituality and passion for detail, while Minister of Culture John King who in part spoke as a calypsonian, recalled the moments when he was schooled in the art of calypso by Romeo. King also made a call for Romeo’s works to be documented, a sentiment endorsed by former Minister of Culture Stephen Lashley who was also present. The congregation included such names as Adonijah, George Jones, Terry ‘Mexican’ Arthur and Andy Armstrong of members of the retired band Square One, Mac Fingall, Stedson ‘Red Plastic Bag’ Wiltshire, Smokey Burke, Mighty Gabby, radio broadcaster Anthony ‘Admiral’ Nelson and former Democratic Labour Party Senator Maxine Mclean. Gabby, Colin Spencer and Keisha Christian were among those who paid tribute to Romeo in song. (MWN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 194 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles  #dailynewscapsbythechasefiles