Blaine will be her own victim (Observer Letter 11.08.10) .........

Since the launch of The New Nation Coalition another party possibly the sixth or seventh political party launched overall in Jamaica's political history, I stand corrected, former talk show host and the founder and former head of Hear The Children's Cry a children's rights group a position she has relinquished as she says she wants no conflict of interest in her new political vein, she has come in for some scaving criticisms.

She has not escaped that from this blog but only in as far as her pronouncements and borderline theocratic views on homosexuality and her supposed fears and warnings of the "homosexual lobby" in Jamaica. The infamous Observer article she penned in 2007 of which the online version is not available but I found a print copy an excerpt of which can be seen on Gay Jamaica Watch.

here are some of the newspaper cartoons predominantly from Lasmay of the Gleaner that depict the perceptions of Miss Blaine's new found revolve in politics but given the fate of previous new political parties there are those who already predict doom as seen in the letter excerpted below from the Jamaica Observer.

Dear Editor,

Now that Mrs Betty-Ann Blaine has launched her own political party, Jamaica will get a good demonstration of what talk-show-hosts-turned-politicians should not do.

The problem with talk-show hosts is that when they decide to go into politics, the public would have had a pretty good idea of what they are planning to do. Unfortunately for Mrs Blaine, her public utterances on her show before launching her party might have already sealed her doom.

First, she claims that God will be at the forefront of her political agenda. Now, whenever I hear politicians talk about God being in charge, it's just their way of conceding that they really don't have the solutions to solve our problems. I wouldn't want to be led by a leader who doesn't even know where to start.

Remember her no-vote campaign a few years ago? Ms Blaine thought that people shouldn't vote, as we don't have leaders who care. She was one of the chief architects of the cynicism that currently prevails in regard to people voting for politicians. What makes her think that people are going to treat her any different is a mystery to me, especially after this U-turn.

Though never a fan, I distinctly remember hearing Mrs Blaine saying a lot of things while on air. One such was her call some time ago for a police state and the curtailing of some of our rights to deal with our out-of-control crime crisis. Imagine if she were to become prime minister!

Mrs Blaine also strikes me as one who puts too much faith in her Bible. Every time I hear her on radio, she would proudly proclaim that God is in control. Yet almost immediately, she would curse the current state of affairs. Now, if God is in control, why is she complaining?

When she joined the United People's Party (now defunct), she did so under God's guidance. Shortly after that, she left, claiming that God told her that the time was not right. Now she has gone back into politics again, claiming once more that it is God's calling. Why do these people take such great pleasure in making their God look like an idiot?

Anyway, Mrs Blaine will soon get a well-rehearsed lesson in failed third parties. I am at a total loss as to why she would come to the crazy idea that her party will succeed, especially after her stint as a talk-show host.

Michael A Dingwall

Kingston
michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com

The Rastafarian captioned is also one of the many independent runners in our political history known simply as Ras Astor Black who has gotten very little support a fate that has come to many new parties under our rigid two party system.

I eagerly await the New Nation Coalition's position on the buggery law and or decriminalizing same and by extension homosexuality even though she has hinted all are welcomed under the party's new mantra of christian principles.

We watch and wait.

Peace and tolerance

H