There is an old trick, used particularly in India, to catch a monkey. It's a contradiction of sorts, because conventional animal traps seem not to work on the monkey. It seems the little beasts are too clever; their almost prescient nature tends to foil the most elaborate snares.

There is, however, a trap that works because it hinges on a critical flaw in the animal. What you do is take a clay receptacle, or a glass bottle with a narrow neck and substantial weight. Place inside an irresistible treat, (usually a date, or some other piece of fruit) and wait. Along comes one of those miserable, mischievous capuchin type monkeys. He smells an easy meal, one that he would be hard pressed to find in the jungle and sticks his hand in grabbing the fruit.

Problem is, as he tries to take his hand out he can’t because he’s made a fist of it, grasping the prize. In most cases, even as his towering, new master looms over him, he will twist and turn but will not release his quarry. It is not that the monkey is of lesser intelligence and, therefore, unable to unravel the complex dynamics of how he has become tethered to this predicament, his single failing that will have him dancing for tourists on a chain on the streets of Mumbai, his critical flaw , is his greed.

Patrick Manning and his roving band of capuchins have thrust us headlong into an economic conundrum that will be far more complex that many imagine. While it is true that we are in the throes of a global maelstrom, the genesis of which was beyond our control, we had advance warning to start watering out homes. Instead we have been caught pissing in the wind.

The prime minister addresses the nation, appearing on every television station as is required by the broadcast license. Given the shallow nature of his pronouncements on this very serious issue, it is no wonder that he was confident his speech would keep until after the game between the Soca Warriors and the Cuban …..guerillas(?). Noteworthy mention was made of the administration’s intention to cut government advertising . That was the prime minister’s very clever way of flipping the bird to all of the media houses who aggrieved him. It is no small figure either, budgeted in the hundreds of millions. Yet what of all of the truly monstrous projects which will threaten to bleed the already anemic heritage fund?  Nothing. Indeed , while it is possible to shelve projects which exist only on paper or in multi million dollar feasibility studies, there are others, which it is clear cannot be stopped on a dime, as much as we would like. That ship has sailed and sunk.

The Tarouba stadium has already exceeded 500 million dollars and is no closer to being complete. The government has blamed soil challenges for the cost overruns and project delays. Warnings of which where rung like a lunch bell for years in the house. Soil challenges or not, there stands, in desolate lands, the mammoth, skeletal structure of an edifice threatening to become the next Caroni racing complex.

Already we are hearing the “Finance Minister” Karen “tex” Texiera says the rapid rail cannot be stopped because work in the background has already begun. What work? Which pat? I suspect she is talking about the millions that have already been paid to do the feasibility study, (which by the way was deemed wholly unacceptable and was rubbished in parliament by the chief pompek) and the millions more to undertake the second feasibility study. After all Bouygues Battiment is already here, what ever are we to do send them packing?

And, of course, do not forget CEPEP, a culture of money for nothing. On the other side of that blade that the government is holding to our throats, is the CEPEP worker who is told “hey, de money done, allyuh will have to find work somewhere else!” Guess who is going to meet you on your porch as you come home late one night, armed with a CEPEP grass cutter, protective glasses and all.

These are just few of the consequences of Patrick Manning sticking his hand into the jar, with the narrow neck and in the process choking ours.