The one clear and straightforward route to Virgin Islands independence is through a referendum. So why are the “elites” shirking from a referendum and yet pontificating on the subject of …
July 6, 2022
June 22, 2022
COMMENTARY — COI came ‘just in time,’ writer says
The culture of “wrong and strong” is a Virgin Islands folly that will be the territory’s undoing. Currently, a significant subset is averse to the new reality of correctly imposed …
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April 6, 2022
COMMENTARY — After VI visit, UK minister weighs in on Ukraine
The Virgin Islands, along with the sister overseas territories and the United Kingdom, is part of a unique family that spans the globe, covering nine time zones. Whilst each member …
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February 2, 2022
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Feb. 3, 2022)
North Sound In the past, North Sound, Virgin Gorda had never been much on one Beaconite’s radar. Having moved to the Virgin Islands shortly before Hurricane Irma, her first boat …
September 29, 2021
COMMENTARY — Call made for ‘legacy’ mindset
I have been hearing the phrase “young democracy” in conversations lately when referring to the Virgin Islands’ development. I am not sure when the “birth” of the territory is being …
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September 22, 2021
COMMENTARY — ‘The big fish, small fish problem’
Some years ago, then-Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur told me that unless regional leaders could agree on how to achieve economic parity between Caricom’s member states, a viable Caribbean Single …
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August 25, 2021
COMMENTARY — COI seen to bring checks, balances
Make no mistake: Power corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely. And the one language power respects and understands is greater power. It is rare indeed to discover a politician or …
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July 29, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (July 29, 2021)
Holiday schedule Because of the August Emancipation Festival holiday, the Beacon won’t print next week, but advertising and editorial deadlines will return to normal for the Aug. 12 edition. Beaconites …
June 30, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (July 1, 2021)
Acting on acts A Beaconite was glad to see this week that more than a dozen laws received assent from Governor John Rankin. As legislators noted during last Thursday’s sitting, …
May 26, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (May 27, 2021)
Museum hop On Saturday, a Beaconite climbed aboard a safari bus in Road Town that whisked him away to several Tortola museums, none of which he had seen before. The …
May 26, 2021
COMMENTARY — Gov’t spending questioned
I didn’t realise how short of money we have become. The BVI Ports Authority puts out a tender and receives three quotes for old boats, not new ones. Where is …
May 26, 2021
COMMENTARY — Case made for social democracy
For positive change in the era of Covid-19, a Commission of Inquiry that is throwing a fog over the future, and a terrifying new culture of crime, social democracy is …
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May 12, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (May 13, 2021)
No good deed… Last week, a Beaconite received a text message that no one wants to read: He had recently come into contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19. …
March 31, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (April 1, 2021)
Register of interests A Beaconite was not impressed by legislators’ recent bragging about their commitment to transparency when they voted to make the Register of Interests available to the commission …
March 24, 2021
COMMENTARY — VI urged to use diplomacy with UK
For the Virgin Islands and other British overseas territories, the weapons of diplomacy, tact and negotiation are better options in moving towards self-determination than banging an anticolonial drum. Indeed, tact …
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March 17, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (March 18, 2021)
Ridge Road closure On Sunday, a Beaconite was on his way to surf at Josiahs Bay when he encountered a red plastic barricade that stretched halfway across Ridge Road. There …
December 9, 2020
COMMENTARY — Writer says democracy alone is ‘not enough’ in Caribbean
This was the year when much of the Caribbean went to the polls. General elections were held in Anguilla, Belize, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, …
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December 2, 2020
COMMENTARY — Logistical challenges predicted to follow Covid-19 vaccine
In the past few days, Pfizer BioNTech, a German-United States company, and the US company Moderna have separately announced that the Covid-19 vaccines they have been developing have proved 95 …
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November 25, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (November 19, 2020)
Censorship fail Since there are no news outlets based in any of the sister islands, a Beaconie jumps on opportunities to report there whenever she can. When she saw a …
September 16, 2020
COMMENTARY — Banking, policing seen through 2030 lens
In my recent commentaries, I have been imagining the Virgin Islands of 2030 through the eyes of a 10-year-old Guyanese girl named Maria, her older brother Zak, and their father …
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September 2, 2020
COMMENTARY — Call made for trade school
The training of Virgin Islands youth for the critical hands-on and vocational skills required by the economy is a necessity. There has been a lot in the news recently on …
August 26, 2020
Commentary — ‘MAGA’ policies seen as misguided
Prospects for international cooperation have dwindled dramatically since 2016 thanks in large part to United States President Donald Trump’s animosity towards multilateralism. US shirking of international responsibilities has been enacted …
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January 9, 2020
COMMENTARY — Bikes, bodyguards and pot draw fire
I guess the police commissioner can’t say no to the premier’s decision to allow larger motorbikes into the territory. So he suggests some conditions for importation and regulations for use. …
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October 23, 2019
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Oct. 24, 2019)
Two in one Over the weekend, a Beaconite had the opportunity to travel to St. Thomas to cover Virgin Islands Friendship Day, a celebration of VI culture attended by representatives …
October 23, 2019
Commentary — VG clinic, other issues spark concerns
If the new Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre is to open soon on Virgin Gorda, with vastly improved facilities, hopefully (that word again — more later), why is the BVI …
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