Sure, I don’t drink the Kool Aid, but that doesn’t stop me listening to Ewart Brown’s speeches with a mixture of dismay, humour, and awe. His speech last night at a PLP banquet was a clone of last year’s pre-election spitfest, starting off with biblical references, impressively pumping up the adrenaline, and wrapping it up [...]
Entries from October 23rd, 2008
Noise in the System
October 22nd, 2008 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
In a recent Bermuda Sun column PLP Chairman David Burt advocated the use of aggressive tactics by declaring that “In politics, you’re either defining your opponent or you’re being defined by your opponent.” And that’s exactly what he’s up to with his excited statements in today’s Combined Opposition: Mr. Burt however, said: “Trevor Moniz has [...]
Tags:
Pay Hikes?
October 22nd, 2008 · Comments Off · Accountability, Bermuda Politics, Transparency
The Bermuda Sun reports that a proposed pay increase for MPs will be put before Parliament in the New Year. You’ve got to be kidding me! Surveys show that Bermudians currently have a pretty low opinion of our Parliamentary group – on both sides of the aisle – and it sends the wrong message for [...]
Tags:
Trucks
October 22nd, 2008 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics, Transport
Well, that was interesting. Anyone coming into town this morning is probably a little frazzled by the massive traffic backlogs, exacerbated by large numbers of trucks moving in convoy. Apparently they are staging a protest over Government’s allowing several construction firms to use large quarry dumpster trailers. You see the law states that these huge [...]
Tags:
Investing in Sports
October 22nd, 2008 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
Government has announced that it plans to dramatically upgrade the sports facilities at White Hill Field (although those plans are still unfunded). When that funding happens, that’s great news! When that funding happens. Bermuda needs more facilities to serve the big array of activities in the community. You want to tackle obesity and youthful boredom? [...]
Tags:
Cement
October 21st, 2008 · Comments Off · Development
Coming into town this morning I realised the size of the new HSBC headquarters building looming over Front Street. It’s only half built yet it dwarfs the city block. It has changed the face of Hamilton. What were they thinking? An annual music festival doesn’t add lasting Pop & Sizzle to our town – a [...]
Tags:
Attention Deficit
October 20th, 2008 · Comments Off · Tourism
One of the biggest problems with Bermuda’s tourism marketing is that we seem to market to ourselves instead of to tourists. The Department of Tourism is entirely politicised, which leads to equally poor decision making and execution. The shifting themes catch the heart of the Minister instead off resonating with Bermuda’s core group of tourists. [...]
Tags:
Graduation Rates
October 14th, 2008 · Comments Off · Education, Transparency
The Ministry of Education today announced that graduation rates rose by five percent this year to reach 96 percent. This is up from a dismal 53 percent just four years ago. The 96 percent rate is based on the number of students entering S4. The rate is 71 percent when based on number of students [...]
Tags:
Heroes Day
October 14th, 2008 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
The risk of selecting a party insider as the honoree of Bermuda’s first National Heroes Day is that the event could become politicised, divisive rather than unifying. And, cue Dr. Brown: “Many of the dreams of Dame Lois were fulfilled in her lifetime,” said Dr. Brown. “But the dream of self-determination for Bermuda was not [...]
Tags:
Combined Opposition
October 10th, 2008 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics, Media
It’s funny how the PLP has started using the term “The Combined Opposition” to infer that the UBP has some murky secret cabal with the local media. It is so paranoid and propagandizing. It’s a revival of the overheated language used by Dr. Brown in the leadup to the last election, in attempt to unite [...]
Tags: