Monday, January 14, 2008

Barbados Report No 5

Sounds of the Caribbean everywhere, raucous and insistent. By day, its the hooting of horns - cars, lorries and buses. There is an entire language of toots and parps that would take me weeks to decipher - none of it aggressive though. By night, the hills are alive with the sound of frogs. And its not only the hills. They're everywhere, and it goes on all night.

Out on my run an hour ago, I was passed by another election convoy. Shorter than yesterday's - more ghetto blaster than carnival. Had a bit of a shock though when I passed a poster I hadn't seen before. A big poster with a face that looked like that of a dark skinned version of Mike German - with '1 Lib Dem' printed across it. I didn't have my glasses so I stopped in my tracks to take a closer look. Blessed relief. It was a Democratic Labour Party poster with a picture of Owen Arther's opponent and a pitch for the votes of the poor and forgotten. It read 'I Wid Dem'. Promise you I didn't make this up.

And equality concious Helen Mary would have been proud of me. There was what can only be described as a 'Love Cruise' from our hotel last night. It was advertised as 'Champagne at Twilight' - so I made some tentative enquiries. The message was as brazen as you like. It was a cruise for couples, but we don't allow "No man with man" and "No woman with woman" couples. Ok, so its no skin off my nose - but I've not heard it put quite so blatantly for years. We went to Reefs instead.

Cannot help but be struck by the shape of the Barbadians. All the men are lean and rangy. They all look as if they should have been born with a cricket ball in their hands. Half an hours practice and they'd be county standard. But the women are very different. Today's run coincided with the school run, where most of the girls are slim. All the children are in tidy school uniforms. But mature women are (how shall I put this) more substantial. They seem as proud of the ampleness of their 'booty' as there ability to shake it. In Wales this would be read as insulting, but I don't think it is here. No-one seems to care a hoot about their weight. I cannot help but wonder why there is such a difference in what happens between men and women. But there is no way I can ask.

I'm pleased to read that Dafydd Wigley has at last stepped forward to accept his destiny. He is from the 'sane' wing of Plaid Cymru, and will be a credit to Wales in the House of Lords. Smart move by what some of some of those who comment on this blog call the 'separatists'

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pity you were not at home to watch the devastating programe for Terry grange on Wales This Week.
It brings a lot of things into question.

Glyn Davies said...

terry - sorry I missed that. Will carch up on it next week.

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

On contra, there’s nothing wrong with Plaid … that can’t be ironed out with a steam-roller.

Glyn Davies said...

anon - sorry- should have said 'more sane'. What I cannot forget is that many thousands of good solid Tories left us and switched to Plaid Cymru. I would like them to switch back. That is why I temper my remarks under the heading 'reasonable'. i jsut do not like to see people with a good capitalist outlook refusing to even think about voting for us.