Vexed Bermoothes

So, we’ve been holding our breath for the Speaker Stanley Lowe to explain his abandonment of parliamentary tradition and impartiality by quashing legitimate questions posed in the House of Assembly. This comes in the same week that the Speaker supported Dr. Brown’s pre-emptive move to “shut down” debate on another issue in the House. The [...]

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Here’s the Westminster explanation of parliamentary questions. The main principles are set out in Erskine May which is the guiding handbook for Westminster style parliaments (pp.345-354). As MP John Barritt points out, Bermuda’s parliamentary procedure is crap. Questions must be submitted at least 10 days in advance and are subject to a myriad of delaying [...]

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A reader reminds me that MP John Barritt highlighted the PLP’s suppression of parliamentary questions in a submission to the UK FCO Foreign Affairs Committee a few months ago. Mr. Barritt also complained about rules which said Ministers cannot be asked more than three questions per sitting which he said “constitutes a further limitation as [...]

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The Speaker of the House is supposed to be impartial. Isn’t it odd that the Speaker’s clampdown on questions from the Opposition should be announced in a press release from the Cabinet Office? And odder still that when … Asked to clarify the statement attributed to him last night Mr. Lowe said he had only [...]

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We all know that the cost of power is making life harder in Bermuda. Oh no, I am not talking about Belco’s 20-30% rate hike. I am talking about the PLP’s singleminded pursuit of power. The party has built this myth of “destiny to rule” … to which Dr. Brown has merrily appended “as I [...]

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Dr. Brown’s PLP have outwitted the UBP at every turn in abusing the rules of the House of Assembly to shut off substantive debate and to avoid transparency. The UBP’s few opportunities to force an answer have been via questions posed on the floor of the House, of which many were outstanding at the end [...]

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Well, Parliament met on Friday, just long enough for Dr. Brown to get in a huff and to shut down debate because the Opposition was asking too many questions. Well, actually not quite. You see, the MPs spent an hour and half – most of the morning session – giving their condolences and congratulations to [...]

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On the 40th anniversary of democracy in Bermuda, the Premier last night “shut down” a Parliamentary debate saying Government will do the same “every time there is the implication or insinuation of something dishonest or corrupt” by the Opposition. Dr. Brown’s approach appears to be a tactic to avoid the scrutiny raised on the floor [...]

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