In The Mid Ocean News this week, UBP MP John Barritt points out that, while the Premier may be able to dominate his disgruntled backbenchers within internal PLP meetings, he may not be able to do so in the House of Assembly. Most Bermudians assume that the party leader of the party that dominates the [...]
Entries from May 29th, 2009
Bermuda First
May 28th, 2009 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
News of the Bermuda First initiative -largely funded by the private sector and bringing together more than 60 leaders from across the community to brainstorm strategies for Bermuda’s future – was a breath of fresh air in our stagnant political sector. Amazingly there has been little news of the project since its launch, apart from [...]
Tags:Bermuda First
Governor General?
May 28th, 2009 · Comments Off · Independence
Many have noticed that the propagandists at the PLP have started referring to Bermuda’s Governor as the “Governor General”. Are they just being silly twats? Or is this one of the crude sub-plots they like to throw in every now and then to liven up the circus? You see, a Governor General is the Queen’s [...]
Tags:Governor
Mailbag
May 27th, 2009 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
From a reader: VSB news is speculating that a snap election could be in the cards as Dr. Brown wants to replace his backbenchers with loyalists now that he can’t get a damn thing through Parliament. That. Would. Be. Interesting. It would really be trench warfare and an island wide referendum on him. Wow. Interesting [...]
Tags:
Backbench Power
May 27th, 2009 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics, Transport
Bermuda’s Parliament is pretty out-dated and obscure. There is little forward visibility into the legislative agenda for the year, and it is hard for the public to get advance notice of the schedule even for specific meetings of the House. What’s the big secret? It is difficult for the public to get advance copies of [...]
Tags:
The Shift
May 27th, 2009 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics, Business
On May 15, Parliament debated a report commissioned by the Bermuda Employers Council entitled The Shift: An Examination of Employment Trends in Bermuda. The debate was desultory and weak. But you should read the report yourself. It points out that should Bermuda’s economy expand even moderately in future years, our need for expatriate workers will [...]
Tags:race·Workforce Equity Act
Mayhem & Murder
May 26th, 2009 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
I find the gang violence and drive-by shootings this weekend too depressing to write about. WTF Bermuda? As Government indicates, the solution will require a combination of “hard” and “soft” approaches applied over time. By hard, we need kick ass policing and prosecution. And by soft, we need community conciliation efforts, we need better education, [...]
Tags:
Cayman Opposition Wins Election
May 21st, 2009 · 1 Comment · Islands
The Cayman Islands had an election yesterday, viewed as a judgement on the performance of the People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) which won in a landslide in the 2005 elections there. The public was obviously unimpressed as the Opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) took a commanding position in the polls (with more than 80% turnout), while [...]
Tags:Cayman Islands
Intellectually Bereft
May 21st, 2009 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics, Media
David Burt wrote a contorted opinion for the Bermuda Sun last week comparing the Royal Gazette to Fox News saying: “if you repeat a lie long enough, it becomes truth” I am not sure if that’s his accusation or his colleagues’ philosophy. Take a read of the comments posted by readers. Here’s a taste: I [...]
Tags:Spin Doctor
Strategy
May 20th, 2009 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
Here’s an article about girls basketball from the New Yorker. But it’s about so much more. It also says a lot about the strategy of politics in Bermuda. Team A would score and then immediately retreat to its own end of the court. Team B would inbound the ball and dribble it into Team A’s [...]
Tags:Cheap Advice