Vexed Bermoothes

Premier Ewart Brown stated in the House of Assembly on Friday that Police Commissioner Jackson had done a thorough security check on the Uighurs.

Well, maybe not.  As it turns out – like everyone else in Bermuda, the Police only learned about the uighurs on the radio news on Thursday morning.

“So far the Commissioner and his experts in the Bermuda Police Service have not had from the Bermuda Government, who brought the Uighurs here and without any advance notice to the Police, the information they need to make a proper assessment.”

“Their provisional assessment, to a handful of Ministers and Government House, made clear that the Bermuda Police Service have been given neither the political background nor any available criminal background on the four men; nor have the Police been given any detailed psychological assessments. Without a good deal more information the Police cannot make a professional assessment of the likely future intentions of the four Uighurs.”

Is it not a crime to “bend the truth” in a statement to the House of Assembly?

The crowds at Parliament at lunch today – which spilled onto the surrounding streets – were noisy and fed up particularly compared to the meagre team of Brown supporters that gathered in his stage-managed appearance.  It will be untenable for the PLP to retain support for the Premier in the face of such public displeasure.  The constant circus surrounding him has become a debilitating distraction for Bermuda.

Don’t expect much from Dr. Brown.  His comment on the protest:  “As some of you might know, I grew up in the protest era. This is nothing new to me. I have seen them larger and longer.”   Be careful what you ask for Dr. Brown.

Know we know why the Sally Bassett statue was placed in front of the Cabinet building:  so the Premier can stand in front of it whenever he is in hot water to try and shift the dialogue to one of racial martyrdom.  Nice try.