The Big Issues

The Big Issues

By The Big Issues Production TeamNewsNews Commentary
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The Big Issues episodes

  • S2.E23: Rape, Sex Crimes, Bribery, Hush Money

    Two men are to be tried over the charge of perverting the course of justice after allegedly bribing an alleged sexual assault victim to drop a rape case against one of the accused. In this episode, we ask: How serious is the issue of bribery and hush money when it comes to sex crimes and efforts to escape criminal justice?

    This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 13th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

    1. Naeemah Hazelle, Deputy Director of the National Counselling Centre in St. Kitts. She is a psychologist and a counsellor. She studied sociology and psychology at the University of the West Indies, specializing in gender and race. She has over 20 years of experience working with communities in St. Kitts and Nevis.
    2. Shelly Seecharan, an attorney at law and a Trinidadian living in Barbados. She has been a lawyer for almost 14 years and is called to the Bar in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica. She has also worked on cases in St. Lucia and Grenada, and has appeared before the CCJ.


      3. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

      34 min
    3. S2.E22: Everywhere, Everyday, Someone Is Striking For Pay

      At many times over the last few months workers have found reason to protest, often over debts owed to them, or problems with their premises. In this episode, we explore the reasons behind some of the worker protest actions over outstanding pay or wage issues that have been in the news recently. We ask: What can these protests tell us about the state of the public sector, the private sector and the state of industrial relations?

      This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 13th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

      1. Dr. Oswald Thomas, a political consultant, campaign organizer and media commentator. He is a psycho-therapist. He is a member of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP).
      2. Anderson Carty, management consultant specializing in business management, industrial relations and human resource management. He is also running as an independent candidate in St. John’s Rural West.
      3. Anthony Stuart, professionally, he is a financial consultant. Politically, is an active and founding member of the Democratic National Alliance and was formerly a senator during the Spencer administration.
      4. Sandra Williams-Jackson, former General secretary of Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Union, and a past president of the Antigua and Barbuda Trade Union Congress.


        5. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

        37 min
      5. S2.E21: Targeting The Real Problems: Budget Pt2

        In this episode our guests continue their analysis of the budget 2022 beginning with critiques by the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Jamale Pringle. He opened Thursday’s debate on the 2022 budget, by accusing the government of not being "people-focused". Pringle, the MP for All Saints East and St Luke, said that the XCD $1.64 billion "election budget" did not address direct assistance for residents who have been facing hard times since the pandemic, or how the administration plans to combat the high cost of living in the country - and it is rising. 

        But what should a budget try to achieve in the first place? Besides being an estimate of what the government will spend, a budget is also a policy statement. One of our guests stresses in this episode that a budget should target poverty, unemployment, the cost of living and the quality of life. To what extent do this year's policies take specific aim at these ongoing issues? Another guest stresses how little room the government has to maneuver with a buddle of welfare obligations to too large a low income bracket, a massive wage bill from a bloated public sector, and static tax policies. Private sector growth meanwhile, remains is elusive. Why? 

        This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 13th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

        1. Carlon Knight, socio-economic and political affairs commentator.
        2. Dr. Thomson Fontaine, an economist currently working in South Sudan. As an economist, he worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 13 years. His work and writing have focused on growth, currency crises, development, fiscal management, and debt. He is from Dominica and was a Senator there previously.
        3. Petra Williams, an economist and statistician by training. She is also a business management consultant.
        4. David Spencer, commentator and community activist. He is also the co-host of Movement Radio, a weekly programme on Observer Radio dedicated to social and political activism on a range of issues.


          5. Comments from the host:

          What becomes apparent in this discussion is that not much is changing in terms of how the government approaches its job. The social programmes seem to remain unchanged. The size of the fiscally burdensome public sector remains unchanged. The development strategy that relies on hotel investment remains unchanged. Tax polices tend to remain unchanged. Our labour force and education polices remain unchanged. Salaries and wages in the public sector remain unchanged. The bankruptcy at Social Security and the the endless list of debts to public servants remains unchanged. So much of how the government spends its money and the polices it pursues remains largely unchanged from year to year. So, is it having the desired effect on the society? 

          Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

          54 min
        5. S2.E20: Shoplifting Cop & Her Punishment, Or Lack Thereof?

          The case of a policewoman caught shoplifting has created controversy in recent days as the severity of the consequences she ought to have faced for the offense became a subject of great debate both within and outside the police force according to media reports. One paper, POINTE EXPRESS, reported that after what it termed “countless appeals to Commissioner of Police Atlee Rodney for leniency on behalf of the 56-year-old corporal”, the decision was taken to “allow her to resign” instead of being fired, so as to avoid losing her pension. In this episode, we ask: What fate should have befallen the cop? And can it ever be truly ensured that there is no double standard when the police are tasked with pursuing one of their own?

          This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 6th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

          1. Nuffield Burnette, former Assistant Commissioner of Police. He is now retired from the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, and is a frequent commentator on issues of crime, policing and public safety.
          2. Brenton Smith, policeman in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (currently on leave); President of the Police Welfare Association in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 


            3. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

            24 min
          3. S2.E19: A Jolly Pot Of Callaloo & Govt Rescue?

            The Jolly Beach Resort and the stalled Callaloo Cay hotel project are both to be taken over by the government, or that is at least the government's hope according to a recent announcement. In this episode, we ask: What are the risks the government is taking to rescue both Jolly Beach and Callaloo Cay? And will it be worth the benefit?

            This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 6th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

            1. Greg Phillip, the CEO of Nevis Sun Tours, a tour operator and destination management company in St. Kitts and Nevis; former CEO of the Nevis Tourism Authority; author of the book, The Truth About Early Birds and Worms - How Travel Business Survive and Thrive After Covid-19.
            2. Elijah James, an Antiguan and Barbudan businessman and community activist.


              3. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

              26 min
            3. S2.E18: Big Promises, Whopping Deficit: Budget Pt1

              The government has unveiled the 2022 budget with a gargantuan deficit, promising an increase in its capital spending, a faster economic recovery, and the customary raft of planned private investments. Of an XCD $1.6 billion budget for 2022, the government intends to borrow roughly $0.6 billion of that amount. That means more than a third of this years spending is intended to come from borrowing as opposed to recurrent revenue. In this episode analysts take their first look at budget 2022 to see what can be gleaned from its numbers, its policies and the politics of what many assume to be an election year.

              This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 6th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

              1. Carlon Knight, Socio-economic and political affairs commentator.
              2. Dr. Dave Ray, an elections analyst and campaign organizer. He was a Campaign Field Organizer for the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign. He is an internationally known Cosmetologist.
              3. Dr. Thomson Fontaine, an economist currently working in South Sudan. As an economist, he worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 13 years. His work and writing have focused on growth, currency crises, development, fiscal management, and debt. He is from Dominica and was a Senator there previously.
              4. Peter Queeley, a Montserrat-based economic and financial analyst and a social and political commentator. Peter Queeley worked with the Ministry of Finance, Government of Antigua and Barbuda in the areas of budgeting and economic management. He has lectured in the areas of Micro & Macro Economics, Caribbean Business Environment, Banking and Risk Management for the UWI through the Antigua State College and the UWI Open Campus. His training is in economics and in financial management.


                5. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

                1 hr 6 min
              5. S2.E17: Unfit For Trial? Jane Finch, Justice

                The young woman suspected by police to be late Piccadilly resident, Jane Finch’s killer has been deemed unfit to stand trial due to a reported psychological disorder. The homicide happened in October last year (2021). Finch was posting to Facebook in the moments before her death alerting her community that a woman she described as "deranged" was breaking into her home at that very moment. In this episode, we ask: What does the newest development mean for those seeking justice for Finch’s killing and what does it tell us about mental health in our society?

                This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 30th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

                1. Jo-Nelle Walsh, Clinical psychologist and counsellor.
                2. David Spencer, political and social commentator and activist. He is also the co-host of Movement Radio, a weekly programme on Observer Radio dedicated to social and political activism on a range of issues.


                  3. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

                  31 min
                3. S2.E16: Taken To Nursing Home, Dies Shortly After

                  A family seeks answers after the death of its matriarch at a nursing home not long after beginning her care there, and under circumstances loved ones say they have reason to question. It's suspected that she caught COVID-19 in the home, but the issue is wholly unclear. They say too many of their queries have been ignored and that Health Ministry officials have been unhelpful. We ask: What ought to be done when controversies of this nature in care and nursing homes arise? Who regulates these institutions? And who investigates claims of neglect or lapses?

                  This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 30th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

                  1. Arvel Grant, Public Health and International Development Specialist; social and political commentator.


                    2. More Background: 

                    The woman was 69-year-old Camella Horsford, a mother of six. According to Denise Caleb, daughter of the late Camella Horsford, the family received word on November 13 that the woman had passed. She was reportedly taken to the nursing home on November 3rd, as a "day patient". Denise Caleb said the the family felt that the details being shared by personnel at the nursing home about her mother’s death were cloudy, so to speak. She also charged that the home had shown a lack of compassion in regard to the mothers passing the family’s desire to understand the circumstances.

                    Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

                    23 min
                  2. S2.E15: New Ideas? Or More of the Same?

                    Oops. We were meant to host a debate on this episode with three candidates running for St. Peter. But the favored Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) nominee and the United Progressive Party (UPP) candidate participant separately withdrew for unrelated reasons. Hopefully it can happen in the future. So instead we sat for a discussion with Chaniel Imhoff, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) candidate for St. Peter. Commentator Carlon Knight joined us.

                    This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 30th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

                    1. Chaneil Imhoff, the Democratic National Alliance candidate in St. Peter.
                    2. Carlon Knight, Political and socio-economic affairs commentator.


                      3. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

                      30 min
                    3. S2.E14: Shot Fired, UPP Bolts

                      Badly beaten in the snap election of 2018 and seemingly determined fare better at the polls this time, the main opposition party, the United Progressive Party (UPP), has launched its campaign at the beginning of what is anticipated as an election year. Some wonder if their campaign engine will ware out too early. Others see it as the right political move. In this episode we ask political commentators: Has the main opposition party taken a too great a risk, or could the decision give them an advantage?  

                      This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 30th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

                      1. Dr. George Brathwaite, Lecturer in the Department of Government, Sociology, Social Work and Psychology at The University of the West Indies, Cavehill. Former Consultant Editor at the Caribbean Times.
                      2. Carlon Knight, Political and socio-economic affairs commentator.


                        3. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

                        32 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.