PHOTO
OF THE WEEK
AT COP 31: Prime Minister Philip Davis as he addresses
the Conference of The Parties in Turkiye
12 November 2026
COMMENT
OF THE WEEK
ANDRE
ROLLINS LOSES HIS HEAD
Despite being an opponent, there are some people that
you wish well. One of them is the MP for Long Island Andre Rollins who has been
from a youngster a pretty smart fellow with ambitions to be right where he is today in Parliament. Clearly, he is a
tenacious survivor but gosh he can act the fool and act the fool too many times.
The latest was the disruption of the House by calling the Speaker a disgrace
and then being thrown out.
One of the marks of a really smart man is to know when
enough is enough, to have a sense of objectivity and judgement about yourself
and your own conduct, and recognize when it is time to pivot and make a change. As Michael Jackson sings, the man in the
mirror must make a change.
Another public figure that we can use as an example was
the late former Senator Rodney Moncur. He got into public prominence by the antics
of an activist. He was always in trouble with the police, not really trouble
but annoyance trouble. It captured the headlines. He was from pillar to post on
one cause or the next and could not be ignored by the establishment.
Then he struck gold, Loretta Butler Turner became Leader
of the Opposition and decided to appoint him to the Senate. He took it seriously,
even as he entertained us. His personality changed and he began to operate from
the middle, capturing a talk show that informed us and entertained us. That is
the point from which a successful politician operates, from the middle.
Dr. Rollins knows better but it appears just cannot
govern his conduct and his head. Sir Lynden Pindling speaking at the funeral of
the late Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield described him as having a heart of gold
but a head of fire. That is not quite
Andre Rollins, we don’t know where his heart is but he certainly has a head of
fire. He doesn’t think before he acts.
Then after standing up after disrupting the House, calling
a female speaker a disgrace, he speaks words of contrition, like a little child
after being taken to the woodshed, surrounded by his FNM colleagues like he was
in prison, to say word sorry that everyone knows he does not mean.
One day, we hope he gets it for his sake. We need all the
brain power that we can to run this country. Opposition and government. You really
hate to see a man who is well trained and who has some good instincts ruin his opportunity
to act from the centre because he just cannot control his head.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 14
November 2026 up to midnight:
Number of hits for the month of November up to
Saturday 14 November 2026 up to midnight:
Number of hits for the year 2026 up to Saturday 14
November 2026 up to midnight:
THE
SPEAKER GIVES A GOOD SCOLDING
The Speaker of the House of Assembly took no nonsense
and generally brooks no nonsense. That was clear on Wednesday 11 November 2026
when she unceremoniously booted MP Andre Rollins whom we dub Mad Max from the
House. Mr. Rollins called her a disgrace. The word was unparliamentary, and he
was being argumentative in a vicious back and forth, disrupting the chamber. He
left on his own steam after being ordered out, without the police having to
lift him out. Later, he stood down stairs in false contrition saying that he
was apologizing for the word that he used, that it was unparliamentary. Of course, no one believes that he meant a
word of it.
MICHAEL
PINTARD MASTER OF TWO SIDES OF THE MOUTH
We have said this many times in this column, a word of
cheap advice to the Leader of the Opposition Michael Pintard, you cannot
aprobate and reprobate at the same time.
It must be one or the other. The latest in his all too often attempts to
have his cake and eat it too was the false apology given by the Member of
Parliament Andre Rollins for his disruptive behaviour in the House of Assembly
on 11 November 2026. Mr. Rollins stood
in the Committee Room of the House with a contrite look on his face saying
sorry and he was surrounded by the choir of the FNM MPs, looking equally as
pious but the Leader of the Opposition could not leave well enough alone, he had
to give an explanation as to what led to the disruptive behaviour that amounted
to we are only saying sorry because we know it did not go over well with the
public. When will the FNM ever learn.
CHANGES
TO THE LAW ON JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
One of the few sinecures or political gifts that the
government of the day can give to its ordinary foot soldiers who have done well
in the society is to offer them the position of Justice of the Peace or J.P. A
Justice of the Peace under the current Magistrate’s Court act is able to
notarize documents including administering in the courts and issuing summonses
or warrants for searches. Mainly they notarize affidavits. This has annoyed many in the legal
establishment and they have now persuaded the government to move to stop the
present system and make it more difficult to become a JP and to maintain being
a JP. This is one of these things that you say if it ain’t broke why are we trying
to fix it. But fix it we are and in the
end the hundreds of PLP and FNM supporters who will be looking to the government
when their political party is in power for their piece of the pie will not be
able to get it.
COP
31 IS OVER THE PM IS BACK HOME
Prime Minister Philip Davis is back home after
spending a few days at the Conference of The Parties (COP 31) in Turkiye. There he once again made the case for climate
action and climate justice as it relates to the small island developing states
like The Bahamas. The big players did not show up. China’s president was absent
and so was the President of the United States. In fact the President of the
United States calls climate change a con job.
It appears that the show is going on and so it should. The Bahamas
revealed its plan to market carbon credits based on the sea grasses that we
have in our waters. It has taken some time to quantify and to organize but the
Prime Minister said that it was almost time to go to market. The country hopes that by marketing the
carbon credits there will be a significant windfall of funding to support the
fight against the rising sea and harsh hurricanes.
MEANWHILE
IN GRAND BAHAMA
We remind the public that the period of public
consultation has come for the proposed framework for Grand Bahama and Freeport.
The website is www.gbframework.com. It
is important for the public to make its input into the changes that must come
to Grand Bahama. In the meantime, it would be prudent for the families that run
and own the city of Freeport to try to find a way to divest themselves of it
and find an investor who can transform the city. The consultation period ends
on 30 April 2026.
THE
AMERICANS ARE WRONG PUTTING OUT SALACIOUS INFO
Last week, the Americans went further in their campaign
to undermine the PLP and the government of The Bahamas by putting another public
document in their courts that said that the politician number one that they
identified as being the person to whom drug cash was being sent on election day
when a plane crashed and they rescued the Bahamians in the crash, was a
recently re-elected politician. That set off a firestorm again in the Bahamas,
with the press and the Opposition running off the deep end about who was this
politician umber one. They pinned down
Kingsley Smith MP for West Grand Bahama and he told them “not friggen me. I don’t do nonsense”. At last we have a PLP who has the balls to
tell these stupid people eff off. This should have been done long time. The
Chairman of the PLP in in a voice note on Friday 13 November 2026 said that he
supported Mr. Smith.
THE
BAHAMIAN RESPONSE IS TOO LADY LIKE: KUDOS KINGSLEY MP
The Bahamian people are so terrified of losing their right to shop at Walmart’s that
they let these folks from across the water talk to them any kind of how and say
whatever they like, call the country crooked, attack its leaders, and we say
nothing. Such lady like behaviour will not get us anywhere.
FELIX
SANDS WRITES FROM GRAND BAHAMA
ABAGAIL
CARTWRIGHT FROM DEAN’S BLUE HOLE
IN
PASSING
A
Trip To Westminster Abbey
Facebook:
Very Reverend Harry
Bain began his Foreign Affairs assignment this evening at Evensong at the Westminster
Abbey in London. Joining me was Antonio Butler who is the Acting High
Commissioner to London and our host was Dr James Hawkey ,
the Canon Theologian and Chaplain to the King.
Fred Mitchell MP
Fox Hill
8 November 2026
The Cynthia Munnings Masterpiece
Facebook:
I was stunned by the
inventiveness of this piece by Cynthia Munnings, a Bahamian artist living in
UK. The piece is made of straw, top from the palms of The Bahamas, used in the
straw market. Great stuff. You can view it in our high commission in London.
Fred Mitchell MP
Fox Hill
6 November 2026
Meeting The Greek Orthodox Archbishop
Facebook:
It was an honour to
visit with and exchange views with His Eminence Nikitas,
Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain of the
Greek Orthodox Church. I introduced him to Very Reverend Harry Bain ( retired Dean of Christ Church Cathedral). Rev Bain's
mission is to assist the Foreign Service in the outreach to the civic and
religious community on the themes of climate change, human rights, the
environment, the rule of law and multilateralism. With me was the Acting High
Commissioner Antonio Butler. It turns out that The Archbishop is a cousin of
the Minister of Finance Michael Halkitis. I was able to connect them by phone.
Fred Mitchell MP
Fox Hill
10 November 2026
Being
Briefed On IMO News
Facebook:
Being briefed by
Ambassador Paul Rolle in London on the affairs of the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) and that of our campaign to be re-elected to the council of
the IMO.
Fred Mitchell MP
Fox Hill
10 November 2026
Meeting
The British Baptists
Facebook:
We met today at our
offices in London Reverend Alex Afriyie, President of
the Baptist Union of Great Britain. Joining me was Very Reverend Harry Bain and
Ambassador Paul Rolle. We discussed how the Baptist Church can engage with us
on common themes like climate change, the environment, reparatory justice and
the rule of law.
Fred Mitchell MP
Fox Hill
10 November 2026
A
Visit To The House Of Lords
Facebook:
With the Rt Rev Graham Usher Bishop of Norwich at the House of Lords
in London to discuss the environment and climate change with the Anglican
communion and extensive discussions on reparatory justice. Joining us is the
Very Rev. Harry Bain.
Fred Mitchell MP
Fox Hill
11 November 2026
Farewell To Patrice
McDonald
Facebook:
I signed the Book of
Condolences at St Agnes Church to mark the passing of the late Patrice McDonald
nee Astwood at St Agnes Church were the mass of the
Resurrection was held. Rest in peace.
Fred Mitchell MP
Fox Hill
13 November 2026