Author name: Professor Canute Thompson

In September 2023, the Government of Jamaica made an unprecedentedly hurried amendment to the Constitution, completing the tabling and passing of the Bill in a single sitting in the Lower House. Within another three days (that same week) the Bill was passed in the Upper House, and two days later it was signed into law […]

Recent events in Jamaica have ignited reflection on how our democracy is functioning and what changes we may wish to consider in seeking to strengthen it.  These events include: Is Jamaica’s democracy at risk? Lloyd Smith, a 40-year veteran in the field of journalism, a former Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House

Greatness is defined by doing, impacting and serving exceedingly above the ordinary. This construct must therefore be seen through the lens of a spectrum; identifying the least to the most or rather the ordinary to the extraordinary. In the realm of education, the impact of a teacher is incalculable, transcending textbooks, internet and classrooms to

It is correct that those members of parliament from the People’s National Party (PNP) who were present in Jamaica’s House of Representatives on the occasion of Mrs Juliet Holness’ selection to be the Speaker of the House should have objected to the wife of the Prime Minister (PM) being so elevated. Instead, at the time,

Introduction In the last thirty years it is hard to find a criminal case that has captured the interest of the Jamaican populace in the manner that the Vybz Kartel case has. The fact that the trial started off, just when the term social media was gaining traction and that it has continued along into

Neo-colonial vestige There is a neo-colonial vestige in Jamaica which is rooted in the country’s education and wider social system, which assigns the labels of bright and dunce to people, especially children.  The assigned label often remains with the child / person for a long time (in some instances for life).  One of the insidious

There has been a debate, over several years, in Jamaica as to whether it is an appropriate act of professionalism and ethical duty for journalists and political analysts to declare their political allegiance.  There are several factors driving the debate, among them are: In view of the above facts, there are some who hold that

The overall results At the time of writing (11:30 a.m. on the morning after the polls), the results of the polls in Jamaica’s 17th Local Government Elections were not finalised but the current position showed that the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) had won 95 of the 228 divisions or 41.7%, while the People’s National

One of the issues I have been discussing over the last seven (or so) years, is what I regard as the unfortunate relative absence of academics from the public square and contests of ideas in Jamaica.  I have argued that the heyday of public intellectual battles among academics, which characterized the 1960s and 70s have

The  term ‘shelf life’ is often used to describe commercial goods produced  for consumption; generally referring to the time you can expect to have the best use of  the product or in other words,  best consumed before this date. We can all imagine a supermarket selling expired or outdated goods to the public or a