by Linda Straker Tuesday, 3 December 2024 marks 40 years since the country held its first general election following the collapse of the People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG) in October 1983. That election was won by the New National Party (NNP), whose leader, Herbert A Blaize, died in office. The previous election was held in December 1976, won by the Grenada United Labour Party (GULP) with Sir Eric Gairy as the leader. However, on 13 March 1979, his government was overthrown by military revolutionaries led by Maurice Bishop. One of the first declarations of the revolution was that Grenada’s constitution was suspended. As Maurice Bishop, the leader of the PRG, was not an elected Prime Minister as guided by the constitution, he should not be referred to as Prime Minister, but as Revolutionary Leader — but we will debate that another time. After the collapse of the revolution and all the challenges that came with it, the Queen’s representative at the time, Governor-General Sir Paul Scoon, appointed an Interim Advisory Council led by Sir Nicholas Brathwaite to administer the affairs of the country until the 1984 election. The other members of that advisory council were Meredith Alister McIntyre, Arnold M Cruikshank, James De Vere Pitt, Patrick Emmanuel, Allan Kirton, Christopher Williams, Joan Purcell, and Raymond Smith. Fast-forward 40 years. Since the NNP won that election and parliament became the People’s House, the NNP is now the official opposition, and a trending discussion these days is the future leadership of that party. Although it won the 1984 General Election, by 1987 the Union Island Alliance/Coalition which established the NNP was beginning to crumble. In 1987, George Brizan and Francis Alexis could no longer see themselves as part of that accommodation and gave birth to the National Democratic Congress (NDC). By its 1989 convention, the delegates voted in a new leader, splitting the coalition further, and for the 1990 General Election, the NDC was in control of administering the affairs of the country. Since then, under the leadership of Dr Keith Mitchell, the NNP has experienced highs and lows. One may say its greatest low was during the 1990 to 1995 period when the NNP had only 2 seats in the Lower House of Parliament, but those of us who paid attention to the news could never forget how loud Dr Mitchell’s voice was during those “lonely days.” He spoke so long on a budget presentation that there were new rules in the standing orders by the next budget presentation. During the past 40 years, the party won 6 general elections, 3 of which awarded all the seats in the Lower House; while the NDC won 3. NNP was born as a coalition, and over the years, based on its core principles, there have been several accommodations based on “forgiveness.” As the party approaches what I consider a turning point convention, will the delegates once again experience “accommodation of convenience”, or has 40 years taught the party and its delegates that its core principles and ideals have reached the stage for a complete makeover?Unai Emery felt his Aston Villa side restored confidence by returning to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Brentford in the Premier League. Morgan Rogers’ fourth goal of the season, an Ollie Watkins penalty and Matty Cash’s finish put Villa 3-0 up after 34 minutes. Mikkel Damsgaard pulled one back for Brentford in the second half but the damage had been done as Villa ended their eight-match winless run in all competitions. Emery was relieved to end the unwanted streak but quickly turned his attention to the next fixture against Southampton on Saturday. “We broke a spell of bad results we were having,” the Villa boss said. “We started the first five or 10 minutes not in control of the game but then progressively we controlled. “Today we achieved those three points and it has given us confidence again but even like that it’s not enough. We have to keep going and think about the next match against Southampton on Saturday. “The message was try to focus on each match, try to forget the table. How we can recover confidence and feel comfortable at home. Today was a fantastic match.” Tyrone Mings returned to the starting line-up in the Premier League for the first time since August 2023. Emery admitted it has been a long road back for the 31-year-old and is pleased to have him back. He added: “Mings played in the Champions league but it’s the first time in the league for a year and three months. “I think he played fantastic – he might be tired tomorrow but will be ready for Saturday again. “It was very, very long, the injury he had. His comeback is fantastic for him and everybody, for the doctor and physio and now he’s training everyday.” Brentford fell to a sixth away defeat from seven games and have picked up only a solitary point on the road this season. They have the best home record in the league, with 19 points from seven matches, but they have the joint worst away record. Bees boss Thomas Frank is confident form will improve on the road. He said: “On numbers we can’t argue we are better at home than away, but on numbers it’s a coincidence. I think two of the seven away games have been bad. “The other games we performed well in big spells. I’m confident at the end of the season we will have some wins away from home.” Frank felt Villa should not have been given a penalty when Ethan Pinnock brought Watkins down. He added: “I want to argue the penalty. I don’t think it is (one). I think Ollie kicked back and hit Ethan, yes there is an arm on the shoulder but threshold and all that – but that’s not the reason we lost.” We do not moderate comments, but we expect readers to adhere to certain rules in the interests of open and accountable debate.Laser Technology Market to Exhibit a Remarkable CAGR of 5.68% by 2028, Size, Share, Trends, Key Drivers, Demand, Opportunity Analysis and Competitive OutlookTrump Defense Attorneys Cite Biden’s ‘Extraordinary Condemnation’ Of DOJ In Motion To Dismiss