The Big Issues

The Big Issues

By The Big Issues Production TeamNewsNews Commentary
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The Big Issues episodes

  • Are No-jury Trials the Solution?

    Criminal trials have been held up indefinitely by the need to social distance being at odds with the norm of cramming 12 jurors into a courtroom. The government of Antigua and Barbuda is planning to implement no-jury trials in some circumstances to alleviate the problem. We discuss the rights of the accused to a fair trial and whether a verdict by a jury of peers should always be considered a part of that right. We get the views of Jamaica's top prosecutor, the head of Antigua and Barbuda's Bar Association, and two other attorneys from Antigua and Barbuda, and from Barbados. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


    The guests are:

    1. Lenworth Johnson, attorney-at-law practicing for over 23 years, and President of the Antigua and Barbuda Bar Association (ABBA);
    2. Andrew O’Kola, attorney-at-law in Antigua and Barbuda.
    3. Paula Llewellyn QC, Director of Public Prosecutions in Jamaica.
    4. Richard Guyson Mayers, attorney-at-law in Barbados.


      5. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 24, 2021.

      43 min
    5. Antigua's Restaurant Trade and COVID-19

      Restaurants, bars, and clubs have been especially hard-hit by the pandemic. They've been the constant focus of health inspection and evolving restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19. Workers have been laid off, venues have closed, and others are only running take-out services. As a handful of non-compliant venues in English Harbour prompt a clamp down and new restrictions across the islands, we ask two proprietors what it's been like operating during the pandemic. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


      The guests are:

      1. Barry Edwards, known by many as “Scorpion”. He is the proprietor of the Beachlimerz Restaurant and Bar, at Fort James Beach.
      2. And Claudine Vierstraete, proprietor of C&C Winehouse, and Fred’s Belgian Waffles and Ice-Cream - both in Redcliffe Quay, St. John.


        3. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 24, 2021.

        39 min
      3. What's a Degree Worth in 2021?

        Have you asked yourself if getting a degree is worth it? Perhaps you've gotten your degree but you're unemployed, working outside your field, or earning less that you expected. On this segment we discuss the value of a degree and some misconceptions. We invite an academic, a businessman and a human resource professional to tell us what a degree gives its holder and what it does not, and the work that life demands after leaving school. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


        The guests are:


        1. Dr. Curtis Charles, the Director of Academic Affairs at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda, and a former University President with extensive experience in accreditation, higher education administration, and education technology.
        2. Sven James, a software engineer in Antigua and Barbuda, and co-founder of TickeTing Inc. - the company behind the TickeTing Events App. They are also responsible for the software solutions studio, m-CAT Innovations.
        3. Shawn Maile, the Labour Relations Officer of the Antigua and Barbuda Employer’s Federation. He is a certified human resource professional with over ten years’ experience working in Antigua and Barbuda and abroad. He has also lectured in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management at the Antigua State College.


          4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 17, 2021.

          40 min
        4. The Recipe to Butch Stewart's Success

          A hugely successful Jamaican businessman and magnate, Gordon "Butch" Stewart died on the first Monday in January 2021. We ask our panel how the Sandals Resorts founder and its longtime chairman built his empire, and if others can copy his success. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


          The guests are:


          1. Dr. Damien King, an economist and Executive Director at the Caribbean Policy Research Institute, known as CAPRI. CAPRI is a not-for-profit, public policy think tank dedicated to the production and dissemination of impartial, evidence-based knowledge to inform economic, governance, sustainable and social policy decision-making in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.
          2. Desmond Allen, the Founding editor of the Jamaica Observer and close friend of Gordon Stewart, who owned the newspaper. 
          3. Adrian Loveridge, a small hotel owner in Barbados and a former director of the Barbados Tourism Authority.


            4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 17, 2021.

            43 min
          4. Do You Wanna Buy a Passport? It's Legal!

            "Cheap", "sleazy", and more akin to "a buy one, get one free commercial", are how Antiguans and Barbudans describe a viral short video promotion encouraging investors to buy an Antigua and Barbuda passport. It's the exact opposite of the tone the government says it wishes to set for the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP). The panel discusses what should be the fate of the agent responsible for the promotion, how the government should respond, and the worth of the citizenship programme in the COVID-19 era. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


            The guests are: 


            1. Vance Amory, a former Premier of Nevis serving in that office from 1992-2006 and then again from 2013 to 2017. He has been an advocate for  citizenship by investment as an avenue for economic development for small developing states;
            2. And Richard Frederick, an attorney-at- law former Minister of Physical Planning, Housing, Urban renewal, and Local Government in St. Lucia.


              3. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 17, 2021.

              32 min
            3. Still a Beacon of Stable Democracy?

              A retired diplomat, a former foreign minister and a political scientist - all citizens of the Caribbean - delve into the chaos that unfolded in the U.S. capitol on January 6th 2021 as American lawmakers sought to certify the result of the U.S. 2020 Presidential Election. They discuss the legacy of Donald Trump and what impact his final debacle will have on the U.S. and the globe. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


              The guests are:


              1. Curtis Ward, a former Ambassador of Jamaica to the United Nations and an attorney-at-law;
              2. Alex Bruno, a political analyst, Dominica native, and Adjunct Instructor of Political Science at the Palm Beach State College;
              3. Maxine McClean, who was Barbados' Minister of Foreign Affairs for 10 years between 2008 and 2018.


                4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 10, 2021.


                49 min
              4. Pleas Ignored and Political Desertion

                PM Gaston Browne makes little of an opposition show of will outside the Governor General's Residence. The opposition itself hemorrhages another deserter from its failed 2018 slate of candidates. We discuss the optics of both and whether the reactions by both sides are politically wise. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


                The guests are:


                1. Dr. Oswald Thomas, a political analyst, currently director of political affairs at the New York firm, paramount communications. Dr. Oswald Thomas was politically active in Antigua over many years with the Antigua Labour Party, now the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party.
                2. Mr. Carlon Knight, an Antiguan graduate student with an interest in politics, and currently studying economics.


                  3. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 10, 2021.


                  52 min
                3. Ailing Tourism and a Third UK Lockdown

                  We talk about the impact of yet another U.K. COVID-19 lockdown on Antigua and Barbuda's ravaged hotel sector. 


                  New U.K. rules will compel all Britons overseas to get a COVID-19 test to get home - another reason for visitors to stay away and a further strain on the twin-island state's public health system. The host is Kieron Murdoch. 

                  The guests are:

                  1. Alex De Brito, the Vice Chairman of the Antigua Hotels and Tourism Association and Vice President of Operations at the Galley Bay Resort and Spa;
                  2. David Massiah, the General Secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union which represents many of the hotel employees in Antigua and Barbuda;
                  3. Adrian Loveridge, a small hotel owner in Barbados and a former director of the Barbados Tourism Authority;
                  4. And Greg Phillip, the immediate past CEO of the Nevis Tourism Authority, currently CEO of Nevis Sun Tours.


                    5. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 10, 2021.

                    47 min

                  About The Big Issues

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                  From the remote twin-island paradise of Antigua and Barbuda, weekly guest panels discuss the biggest issues of politics, economy, people and culture, that make its sun-kissed shores famous and infamous.