As has been widely discussed, the party organ published a tawdry picture of a female PUP figure,-and the paper was roundly condemned by women's groups and it was even frowned upon by the PM's wife. So what does Barrow himself think? We asked him today.

Jules Vasquez
"Your wife has spoken about the picture in the Guardian, she portrayed as being a regrettable choice particularly during women's month. Do you have a position on that?"

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister of Belize
"Well I think that if people are suggesting that the picture is disrespectful to women. The lady who took the picture and who posted it on Facebook and who is some minor functionary of the PUP is the one that ought to be charged. In terms of the picture's appearance in the Guardian, well again there is no violation of anybody's privacy, this was there for people freely to download, I would not have wanted to see it certainly on the front-page of the Guardian but it is not the sort of thing for which I would seek to chide the editor. My judgment might not have been the same as his judgment, but I believe that the focus ought to be on the lady who in fact was flaunting this sort of a picture on Facebook, notwithstanding the fact that she is - to however minor an extent - in public life."

The Guardian has not, and we gather, will not apologize because, as the PM said, it was posted on a public profile in Facebook.