Vexed Bermoothes

A number of airlines have recently canceled routes to Bermuda “due to the high cost of fuel.” This is code for “Bermuda seat sales are lagging” making the routes uneconomic.
The UBP believe Tourism is fudging the arrivals numbers. I think a second trend is coming into play, namely Tourism’s habit of mixing the [...]

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My view (simplified à l’Obama) is that there are two types of racial tension at a personal level in Bermuda:

Some people haven’t mixed to build personal relationships with other races. In other words, racial distrust is based on lack of community.
Some people actually are racist.

The problem with Dr. Brown’s approach to the Big Conversation [...]

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The Cayman Island’s legislature approved a public access to information law last year, following a detailed public consultation on the draft law.
 

Premier Ewart Brown promised earlier this week that PATI would happen in Bermuda but said putting it in place was a “laborious” task. [Cayman Islands Government Leader] Mr. Tibbetts said his country found [...]

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It’s the Bermuda tradition that each wave of new insurance startups - corresponding to major catastrophes such as the World Trade Centre attack and Hurricane Katrina - are called “the class of” whatever year. Bermuda may have it’s first class graduate as ACE announced [PDF] today that it will move its incorporation from the [...]

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The UBP has introduced a resolution to the Senate that the PLP and the UBP collaborate on the development of PATI laws in Bermuda.
“This Honourable Senate recommends that a joint select committee be established to oversee the introduction and implementation of public access to information legislation in Bermuda.”
This should be taken seriously. Unlike most legislatures, [...]

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Senator Burch says that he supports transparency, but not the Royal Gazette’s sunshine week or campaign.
“I don’t need no legislation to make me truthful and I don’t think this Government needs legislation. I am offended by a campaign that is considered in our right to know.”
With all due respect, Senator, stop being [...]

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This is Sunshine Week and many countries around the world are focussing attention on Freedom of Information.
Here in Bermuda, we’ve had promises for enhanced “public access to information” for years, but progress has been slow. There is money in this year’s budget and Government has hinted that drafting instructions will soon be put [...]

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I will happily say, without libel protection, that the members of the Corporation of Hamilton are doing themselves no favours.
While they engage in internecine squabbles, rather than proactively driving ahead with reform, they reinforce the idea that the Corporation is secretive and outdated.
Eventually they will have their proverbial handed to them on a platter.

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The problem is, that while the PLP feels that it must talk up “freedom of information,” it doesn’t really want it. Thus any efforts made towards the “public access to information” enjoyed by most countries will be slow and compromised.
Here are the abrupt comments of David Burch, who is normally one of the PLP’s more [...]

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Government proposes to block all “non-essential development” in the name of sustainable development.
Under the PLP, the Government has allowed our planning policies to become woefully inadequate, and has subverted even those archaic restrictions through political interference and the repeated use special development orders (SDOs).
So instead of having a clear and equitable standard for all, they [...]

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