Vexed Bermoothes

The PLP was founded upon a grievance:  the inequity of power in Bermuda’s racial balance.

Much of the party’s personality was derived from these activist roots.

That’s a strength, but it’s also a challenge.  The party has cultivated a “predestined to rule” myth that hampers its drive to become a balanced, accountable, and transparent government even after 12 years in power.  Indeed, 12 years of unchallenged power.

If the heart of a group’s identity is some grievance, it fosters the elevation of whomever can express the most anger or swagger.  Perhaps good for politics, but really bad for Government.

Whenever someone challenges the PLP, we quickly fall back into the “us versus them” insinuations.  We can’t afford those deflections of responsibility any more.

Today there are an array of new grievances … mainly economic … in our community with different activist and political groups coalescing around them.  It will be fine balance to transform that widespread discontent into political action without allowing the negative energy to take over, further increasing the island’s instability.