To be very pleased Barbados is now a republic?

[Bebabelouba]

I'm so glad for Barbados and Barbadians.
Anyone else?
Why has this been so underreported?

DP has Bajan heritage and we've just had macaroni pie, fishcakes and fried chicken to celebrate! 😀

Yes, me too! Very happy for them.

And I said exactly that to my dh tonight; why has it been so under-reported?

No. I genuinely could not give a shit.

🤷🏻‍♀️

Yes!

The celebrations must be fab over there!

Good for them.

Agree under reported esp since was previously Queen.

I guess it's been under reported as it might look a bit...negative for the Queen / UK, not really any way to apin it positively for the UK really?

But it's well over due and I'm happy for them 😊

I watched an interview with Mia Mottley yesterday - an impressive woman.

I think that the country has done the right thing and I’m envious.

I don’t think it’s been underreported at all - I’m in Australia and it was on the news here, plus I read at least 3 articles in the Times about it, and a brief search of the Mail shows there have been a number of articles there too.
I mean - small country becomes republic isn’t any more newsworthy than that anyway, surely?
I don’t have feelings about it one way or the other - if anything I think the U.K. are silly to have neglected a country that they had strong ties with, to allow China to swoop in and “invest” (lend money) throughout the country. I hope the Barbados government don’t live to regret it, like other countries who have had the same treatment, have done. I love Barbados, it’s a beautiful, friendly country and I wish it, and its people, every success.

It was on the BBC news, plus the letter the Queen wrote was on their social media accounts, so it doesn't seem under-reported to me.

Yeah, it was on the news here in Canada, we don't usually get the normal goings-on from Barbados.

I tend to agree with the poster above, I might be a bit concerned about what China is up to with this if I lived there. For all that the various republican boosters are cheering, constitutional monarch is a system that is designed to constrain and focus power into the service of the public, not a consideration in Chinese foreign economic policy.

I’m in Cayman and it’s been in the news here as well.

Great news for them. Us next please!

Australia, Canada and Cayman Islands reporting the new widely.

Wonder what they all have in common

China is doing by commercial means what Britain did by commercial and violent means to bring Barbados into the British Empire. In fact, China is doing across Africa, throughout Asia and parts of South America what every empire since the beginning of empires has done - flexing their financial and geopolitical wings. Remains to be seen how cruel their empire will end up being, amongst the pantheon of human empires.

@givethatbabyaname

Australia, Canada and Cayman Islands reporting the new widely.

Wonder what they all have in common

China is doing by commercial means what Britain did by commercial and violent means to bring Barbados into the British Empire. In fact, China is doing across Africa, throughout Asia and parts of South America what every empire since the beginning of empires has done - flexing their financial and geopolitical wings. Remains to be seen how cruel their empire will end up being, amongst the pantheon of human empires.

All of this!

Agree re China. The Chinese government is wonderful at infrastructure projects, money lending, trade etc but only if you’re prepared to never utter one critical word against them. Look at how they’re treating Australia at the moment. They traded heavily with us (Australian companies selling all their goods to China, ok so maybe they shouldn’t have put all their eggs in one basket but what do you do when they offer to buy ALL your stock at a good price?), and then when our govt suggested a full review into covid they have taken steps to punish Australia for daring to speak out (even pretty mildly!) against them.
Countries should learn from our mistakes!

China is quietly playing the long game.
And, it's playing it very well.

@Wingedharpy

China is quietly playing the long game. And, it's playing it very well.

I think that was true until a couple of years ago. But recently they’ve shown their true colours and countries are starting to realise what they’ve done, allowing their ports, farms, land to be bought, their communications system to be run by Huawei and allowing themselves to be in debt to a communist dictatorship, all for some new roads and fancy sports stadiums. Anyway, hopefully Barbados has come late enough to the party to not make the same mistakes as some of the early adopters.

I’m delighted for them but agree that it’s concerning regarding China getting their hands on them.

I’ve always liked the idea of CANZUK (an EU-type union of NZ, U.K., Canada and Australia) but unsure as to whether having smaller, poorer countries such as Barbados would work if they were to be able to join.

For all that the various republican boosters are cheering, constitutional monarch is a system that is designed to constrain and focus power into the service of the public, not a consideration in Chinese foreign economic policy.
That’s really not the design goal of the monarchy as a structure?

And I don’t mean that in a “they’d be a drain on us way”, more that I’m not sure if a CANZUK union would provide these countries with anything. And whether ex-British colonies would even want to join such a union.

I'm in Texas ATM and it made the main news here.
I love Barbados and wish them well. Scotland next I hope.

I'm in New Zealand, and this is the first I've heard of it.

I'm in Oz and it was all over the news yesterday. Good luck to them, I hope Oz is next.

I'm in Mexico, and it's in the news here as it's something significant that happened in a neighbouring country. This has apparently been in the works for a long time, so good for Barbados for carrying it through even during the pandemic. It's the choice of Barbadians to make, so good for them and good luck!

I would not see this as any slight to the Queen or the UK. Barbados is also the first country to become a republic and stay in the Commonwealth without having to leave and apply to rejoin, so that's a good/progressive thing that we can all appreciate.

Also kind of nice that this happened on Saint Andrew's Day; there's a cool Barbados/Scotland link for the future.

Considering that the population is roughly that of a small city, it doesn't seem underreported to me.

This is all over the news I read and listen to. Maybe you’re news concentrated on illegal immigrants and the kardashians