Can We Keep the Donkey in 2012 or Will We have to Sell our Ass?

As I sat here reflecting on the past year and contemplating 2012 the chorus of Popsicle's song, "Don't Sell Cornwell", kept repeating itself in my head.  No matter how hard I tried I could not get the donkey out of my head so thus assified I started to write. (Yes, it is a word the Urban Dictionary defines "assified" as "to be made ass, by something that is already ass in state or being", I kid you not!)

It dawned on me that the Globe Cinema that had played such a major part of my young life was no more. I can still vividly remember the many Wednesday afternoons when I would join my fellow truant Lodge School students as we met with like minded Combermere boys and the occasional Harrison College deviant, for the 12:30 show in the pit to see the latest Kung Fu flick. The next three hours we would be entertained by the exploits of the Silver Fox, Cheng Sing or Chung Li as we discussed the merits of the Snake, Mantis, Crane, Tiger and Drunken Master techniques.

And who can forget the Saturday afternoons. This time at 4:30 in the House with your sweetheart or, (if you were really trying to impress and hoped to spend some quality time in Queen's Park afterwards), in the Balcony. I would take the memories of watching Endless Love and the Blue Lagoon in the Globe (with my darling of the time), to my grave as some of the fondest memories of my teenage life.
My wish is that some entity would realise the value a 1000 plus seat venue could be to the performing arts in Barbados and lease or purchase the property before it follows the Empire Cinema into infamy. This is one donkey we want to keep in 2012.

As I was thinking about jackasses my mind somehow, inexplicably, swung towards the current DLP government. 2011 ended in a flurry with rumours of attempted coups and denials of conspiracies and a leader insinuating that there will be consequences for actions planned, however badly executed. The year has started and the Prime Minister has stuck to his usual modis operandi, epitomising the premise that Silence is Golden. The belief that  keeping quiet and being thought an ass, is better than opening your mouth and removing all doubt, might be useful for some members of our current government but is not what we expect from our leaders. Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task." Mr. Prime Minister, if you cannot garner the support of your colleagues, how can you hope to command the support of voters later this year? Mr. Prime Minister, I don't know who you have advising you and how much you are paying them but I am going to offer you some free advice.  This is not an original concept. It was given to all, "future leaders", as we graduated from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. It is as follows:- "You must have an honest understanding of who you are, what you know, and what you can do. Also, note that it is the followers, not the leader or someone else who determines if the leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will be uninspired. To be successful you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being followed." As my primary school teacher used to say, "A word to the wise is sufficient." You can decide if you are going to "keep the donkey or sell your ass this election year."

It seems that 2012 is definitely going to be the year of the donkey. The Barbados Secondary Teachers Union in their wisdom has decided that 2012 is the year that they should try to remove Principal Jeff Broome from the Alexandra School. My daughter is in the Fourth Form at Alexandra and I am therefore paying very close attention to the situation as it unfolds. What annoys me most about the BSTU and their issues with Mr. Broome is the timing of their protests. Mr. Broome made his latest "offending" comments before the start of the Christmas break. If the point of the current protest was to demonstrate to the Ministry of Education that efforts must be made to somehow censor Mr. Broome for his comments, the protest should had been immediate. If the teachers of Alexandra School had spent their Christmas holidays picketing the Ministry Of Education, I would have been impressed. But to take the asinine approach of waiting until school restarts so as to disrupt the education of the students proves that Mr. Broome's comments about the commitment of some teachers were more than justified. Mr. Minister of Education, how long will you allow this travesty to continue. Mr.Broome has the backing of the parents and I hope that of your ministry. No one can question his commitment to the education of the children in his charge. Can the same be said about the teachers that have withdrawn their services?

Mr. Minister, since 2012 seems to have put me in the mood for given unsolicited advice I will remind you of a phrase popularly used to describe the British Infantry of World War I. That is. "Lions led by Donkeys."
However, as a student of history you will no doubt know that the origins of the phrase pre-date the First World War. During the Crimean War a letter was reportedly sent home by a British soldier quoting a Russian officer who had said that British soldiers were ‘lions commanded by asses'. This was immediately after the failed attempt to storm the fortress of Sevastopol. My advice to you, Mr. Minister is this, "Do not let this phrase describe the relationship between your ministry,our principals and our teachers." Just so you know, I consider Mr. Broome to be a lion.
My friends, all that remains is for me to leave you with this quote:-

“If one man says to thee, ''Thou art a donkey',' pay no heed. If two speak thus, purchase a saddle.” The Talmud