Miss Violet on The Tradewinds Brief

Miss Violet: On the Return of Cohobblopot, the Discipline Expected of Motorists, and the Moral Failure of Letting Children Wait for Counsellors

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 11:30:00 -0400

Good morning, Barbados. Miss Violet addresses you this Sunday morning from the parish of St. Michael, where I have already attended first service and am preparing myself for a proper Sunday lunch with the usual discipline that the occasion deserves.

I have read the papers. I wish to speak to three matters, in the order of their importance.

On the national mental health crisis among our children

The Barbados Union of Teachers has reported that forty percent of calls to the national mental health line come from children and teenagers. Forty. Percent. I want every adult in this country to read that figure and then close their eyes and consider what it means.

Miss Violet: On De Prime Minister's Warning, De Young Man Remanded, De Oistins Question, and What a Society Owes Its Children

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:00:00 -0400

Good morning to every reader. I am Miss Violet. I shall be more brief today than I was yesterday because I have a Sabbath School class to prepare for tomorrow and a granddaughter who expects me at four o’clock for tea. But there is much to address, and I shall address it with my usual directness.

I. On the Prime Minister’s Warning

Prime Minister Mottley has said, publicly this week, that “the world is sliding backwards.” I wish to commend her for the clarity of this statement, and I wish also to say the following to my readers:

Miss Violet: I Shall Speak Plainly About De Reparations Figure, De Burning, De Children's Helpline, and What Is Expected of Us Now

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:30:00 -0400

Good morning to every soul reading this. I am Miss Violet. I have taught in the schools of Barbados for forty-one years. I retired from teaching but I did not retire from noticing, and I have observations I intend to share with you this Friday morning, whether you wish to hear them or not.

Sit up. Pay attention. I shall not repeat myself.

I. On the Reparations Figure

Barbados has, this week, received the long-promised quantified figure for reparations owed to this nation for the system of slavery under which our ancestors were held, worked, and buried. The figure has been published. It is, as one would expect, substantial.