Vexed Bermoothes

Education boss Henry Johnson hit the nail on the head when he recently said “everything in Bermuda is personal”.

I suppose its a feature of tiny communities like Bermuda – where we live in close proximity with each other and back channels are a way of life.

But it leads to a destructive habit of meddling and inappropriate interference.

The news this week highlights the claims of Harold Darrell who says that a local bank – the subject of a long-running business dispute – keeps leaning on local lawyers to drop him, thus frustrating his pursuit of justice.

Another tempest in a teacup arose when Cabinet apparently overrode the recommendations of a Committee to name “Sportsman of the Year”.  Apparently, that athlete’s agitation for more funding for his sport had rubbed them the wrong way.  Petty; one would have thought they had better things to do with their time.

If true, both are abuses of power. When a narrow conflict is turned into total war, it adds to the disconnection of our community and sense that Bermuda is controlled by a self-interested elite.