The Christmas season is well upon us and it is the time of good cheer of giving, a time if you never shared love that you share, give and receive.
The priest asked of his congregation recently during his homily at Sunday Mass, what Christmas meant them. One answer was “work”. He asked at first what aspect of work, then, he asked kind of rhetorically as he offered, ‘well professionally!’ But no, the work had not been referring to professional work, in the true sense, while in a way it could have been termed such.
He then after a few more responses from the congregation, talked about the spirit which ran generally and simply described above and in the Christian sense.
It seems all that goes on in these Editorials is one lament after the other wishing that there was a more willingness to be straightforward and generally for more kindness and holistic focus all gearing to the dignity and progress for the land and all its people.
At mid-term of the budget year, the government was forced to go back and re-look its figures because there was a shortfall in the budgeted revenue and so some things had to give even though the DFID budgetary team supported by the Premier later expects that things will change following the festival season.
That was the season for the ‘bumper crop’ during the days of ‘good times’, which came only because it was the ‘tourist season’. It was the time when between November and April, the island, no matter how poorly things were during the rest of the year, after riding out the summer slow months, the tourists and the homeowners would either come in with their families and friends. The two weeks at the height of festival season would also see in addition the Diaspora coming back to bring and share joy with those back home to join and enjoy the cultural presentations that made up festival. The Vue Pointe would be full especially over February into March and so were all the villas from Richmond Hill to Woodlands. Local golfers could not just show up for a game, they had to book, so too for the tennis courts at the two main hotels, Montserrat Springs and the Vue Pointe hotels and even the single court at Olveston House, and later the two courts at the golf course.
It was disappointing to learn that government did not support the Vue Pointe hotel owners in their desire to re-shape the grounds of the hotel and its environs so they can open their doors. It is a shame that the reason could have been because of the foolhardy desire to ruin the bottom of the Belham Valley and Isle’s Bay area with aggregate mining and shipping.
It wasn’t any joy listening to the debate in the Assembly on Tuesday, as few listen on radio to what we will expect to hear more about. To hear the Premier and his supporters even when they agree chastise the opposition for seeking to get a little more welfare for the deserving, suggesting that to do so they would have to deny public servants and pensioners their pay. That behavior and the likes leaves one in disbelief. I suspect they will not try to listen back to that. It is worse than telling the opposition that they need to look after public servants offices before providing support for them to represent them. It is simply wrong.
In spite of it all we wish everyone a joyful and holy Christmas.
