Vexed Bermoothes

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 with the admonition that criticism of Ewart is bad for the party.

I do have a few particular guffaws from the speech:

In our Party – indeed in our nation – it is time for us to continue to move Bermuda forward. What does that mean for us within the PLP? It means that the organization and cohesiveness of the PLP must take precedence over any individual.

Sorry chief, wrong, wrong wrong.  Moving Bermuda forward must be based on the will of the broader people, not the desires of party insiders.

Although protest and dissent are the hallmarks of a democratic society, you do not have to use the same manner of protest with a PLP government that you used 30 years ago with a UBP government. Why? Because back then, you did not have the Premier’s home phone number. You did not have his cell number or his e-mail address. You could not drive by the Minister’s home, or see her in church on Sunday morning. It used to be that the only absolute way to get a Minister or Premier’s personal attention was to cause inconvenience to your cousin or your sister or that valuable tourist by disrupting bus, taxi or school service. You could not sit at the same table with Government. You had no ear and you had no voice, so you had to lay down tools.

This one has me cracking up.  He infers that he will restrict Labour action because they don’t need it under a PLP Government?  Hmm.  There have been quite a few Labour protests recently based precisely on the premise that the PLP administration is not listening.

Moreover, it is a perfect display of Ewartspeak to hear the Good Doctor tout his accessibility from behind his security entourage, limousine convoy, Cabinet Office bagholders, and gated estate.

And finally, the Premier implies that the only way to get things done in the Bermuda Government is via personal contact or via the party.  That’s a problem.  Sounds like a recipe for the New Forty Thieves.  Party is party, but Government has official channels that should be open, transparent, and accountable to all.

Catch a Star also has an interesting take on the speech.