About this Event

Barstool Conversations by OffScript presents: "Promises Are Meant to Be Broken"

Let's be honest, every election, every budget, every policy announcement comes with a promise. And almost every time, reality has other plans. So why does this keep happening? Is it bad governance, bad luck, or is breaking promises just... baked into how governments work?

That's what we're getting into — over drinks, at a table, no stage in sight.

Barstool Conversations isn't a talk. There's no mic, no lectern, no PowerPoint. It's exactly what it sounds like — a real conversation over drinks, the kind you'd have with a sharp friend who happens to know the economy inside out. Ask questions. Push back. Disagree. Order another round. That's the whole format.

This time, we're joined by Deshal de Mel, an economist, policy advisor, and someone who's actually been in the room when these decisions are made. Deshal played a key role at Sri Lanka's Finance Ministry, helping design and negotiate the country's post-crisis IMF-supported reform program and debt restructuring between 2022 and 2025. He's worked across government, banking, and global institutions, which means he's seen both sides of the promise: the one made at the podium, and the one that has to survive contact with the numbers.

If you've ever wondered why governments say one thing and deliver another, and whether that's a failure of the system or just how the system works, this is your evening.

23 August | 5:30 PM at Cricket Club Café

Early bird: SOLD OUT | Standard: LKR 3,000

Students get 50% off — bring your ID.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNah9i1RvhAzvT-EM9G4QhBFfoE5ptuiZXRF-tVaW6akBa4A/viewform

Grab a drink. Pull up a chair. Let's talk!