Blog: PLP Race [Paula Cox/Derrick Burgess Win]

October 28, 2010

As many locals are aware tonight [Oct 28] a new PLP Leader, and therefore, Premier will be selected. Deputy Premier Paula Cox, and backbenchers Dale Butler and Terry Lister are all running for the position.

For background information on how the PLP delegate selections works see here, for Dale Butler’s campaign launch see here, for Paula Cox’s campaign launch here, and for Terry Lister’s campaign launch see here. For information on the election of the Deputy Leader which will also happen tonight see here.

Outgoing Premier Dr Ewart Brown will not attend as he left the island today after delivering his final speech as PLP leader at the delegates conference last night. He has now started the “detox” holiday he announced he was going on during his recent round-table meeting with the Bermuda media.

Results are expected in from anytime in the region of 9pm and onwards.

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4:30pm: People are beginning to file into Devonshire Recreation Club, where the conference will be held. The opening prayer will start the event at 5:35pm. Photos below taken at 4:20pm today, click to enlarge:

IMG00168-20101028-1613—–IMG00169-20101028-1615

4:49pm: Those who have arrived so far include Minister Derrick Burgess, Minister Zane DeSilva, MP Wayne Furbert [photo], MP Lovitta Foggo, and John Gibbons, who will be running for election in St George’s.

5:05pm: Paula Cox, who is considered the front runner, has arrived. [photo]

5:12pm: Former Attorney General and PLP candidate Phil Perinchief has arrived [photo]. Mr Perinchief had written a strongly critical article about Premier Dr Ewart Brown. Former Premier Dame Jennifer Smith has arrived [photo]

5:20pm: On a fashion note, there is a fair amount of green -the PLP’s colour – being worn by those in attendance. MP Ashfield Devent, MP Dennis Lister, Minister Walter Roban [photo] and Minister Michael Scott have arrived.

5:30pm: Candidate Dale Butler has arrived, decked out in a sporty hat [photo]

5:35pm: The third, and final, PLP Leadership candidate Terry Lister has arrived, wearing the PLP signature green shirt and tie [photo]. MP Randy Horton [photo] and MP Michael Weeks [photo] have arrived. Both are tipped to be possible Deputy Leaders, with Mr Weeks as a long shot possible nomination.

5:40pm: The proceedings just started inside. MP Wayne Perincheif, a Terry Lister supporter, has arrived [photo]

5:46pm: Roll call of delegates is now underway

6:07pm: On a related note, Premier Dr Brown, who is hours away from his retirement, has said that he has donated $250,000 to the PLP which was raised during his Gala weekend.

6:10pm: Our colleagues from the Royal Gazette and ZBM have been told off for getting “too close”, a Party Rep apparently said they were “approaching the area” where the delegates are and told to stay in the designated area (Media is barred from inside, we are huddled in a tent so to speak). The Chairman Anthony Santucci has started to give his report inside.

6:35pm: The Chairman has concluded his report, and the Treasurer has now begun. Minister David Burch has just arrived.

6:37pm: Former Premier Alex Scott has just arrived with his wife. The last leadership change was when Dr.Brown defeated Alex Scott four years ago, by a vote count of 107 to 76.

6:42pm: Treasurers report is over, they are now discussing resolutions.

6:55pm: Mr. Butler will be first to speak after resolutions then Mr Lister then Minister Cox. Mr Butler has snuck outside to grab a snack

7:05pm: Things are running about 30 mins late inside. Resolutions are finishing up. Here is a very bad photo of inside, through a window. They are now on break (outside having sandwiches, cookies and beverages – photo) and the speeches and votes will commence after the break.

7:25pm: New opinion article posted: Larry Burchall: A Restrospective on Dr Ewart Brown – link.

7:38pm: Break is over, conference has begun again, speeches are starting.

7:50pm: Roll call again.

8:07pm: Speeches continue, Minister Cox has finished, her speech was said to be well received. Dale Butler now speaking. Speeches are limited to 10 mins.

8:16pm: Mr Butler has finished, Terry Lister is now speaking. After this the vote begins – 166 people will be voting.

8:25pm: Strong rules on the press, media is being told to stay in place. Media were “outside” the media tent and security came to usher us back under the tent to restrict us from watching coverage on big screen.

8:30pm: Voting has begun, approximately 166 people to vote…

8:40pm: Voting is wrapping up, with the count to come

8:45pm: Count now officially underway

8:45: Paula Cox has won

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8:55pm: Final vote was Paula Cox 124, Terry Lister 39, and Dale Butler 2

9:26pm: Voting underway for the Deputy: Randy Horton, Derrick Burgess, Terry Lister, Walter Roban and Michael Weeks. Dale Butler is not in. Minister Roban is the surprise here, Derrick Burgess appears to be getting solid votes.

9:28pm: Security is blocking doorway to delegates area with potted bush and trash can [photo]

9:35pm: Derrick Burgess is leading in the vote count for Deputy, Terry Lister is right behind him. Michael Weeks appear to be in 3rd.

9:40pm: Second round of voting is underway, as in the first round no candidate got 50% of the vote, which is required. This round will be between Mr Burgess, Mr Lister and Mr Weeks. First round was: Derrick Burgess 68, Terry Lister 59, Michael Weeks 21, Walter Roban 15 and Randy Horton 6.

9:50pm: Mr Lister and Mr Burgess and very close in the votes

9:55pm: Mr Burgess is starting to pull ahead in the votes

9:57pm: Derrick Burgess has won – he is our new Deputy Leader

10:02pm: Premier Paula Cox is now speaking, with Deputy Leader Derrick Burgess by her side [photo]

10:07pm: Premier Cox and Deputy Leader Burgess have finished speaking with the press, and have now gone back inside.

10:12pm: Dale Butler, who only received 2 votes, is speaking with the press. [photo]

10:16pm: People are leaving Devonshire Rec, cars are pouring out

10:32pm: Premier Paula Cox appears to still be inside, most other MPs have left

10:55pm: Voting for  party positions are now underway, Chairman etc

11:00pm: Profiles of both Premier Paula Cox [here] and Deputy Premier Derrick Burgess [here] posted.

2:00am: 6 videos posted here

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Comments (73)

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  1. terry says:

    Thanks Bernews for putting this up and all you do. I will take a back seat because all the pundits and no alls will be here soon.

    Image 169 above speaks volumes too me.

    Look at the state of the complex where they are having this and tell me something is not wrong.

    All the best Dale.

  2. Swan says:

    I hope to be able to present a bill for 1 billion dollars to the delegates that voted in Premier Brown to be divided up amongst them and 562 of his voting constituents from Warwick South Central that voted for him back in 2007. This way people will think hard about whom they are voting for.

  3. terry says:

    Oh please Swan…they will be singing that song for a long time. And if Paula is elected….double your money…………………….

  4. Scott says:

    lol is it true ewart flew off the island today?

    • Chris says:

      Yep he was on my parents flight to NYC this morning! I can’t believe he left before this. I feel that just shows how he feels about Bermuda.

  5. OnionGuy says:

    Is Dr. Brown attending tonight’s meeting, Bernews? Has he stuck around to see who his successor is going to be? Or did he bow out of the event after delivering his speech last night? He is the best Premier we have ever had

  6. terry says:

    One flew over the cookoos nest…or was it gumbey hows……….

  7. Graeme Outerbridge says:

    I think he has a cruise to catch^^

  8. chris says:

    as an fyi the devonshire recreation club is perhaps the incubator of the plp in its formative years..despite all of the recent swaggerism and pop and swizzle ..the party is a working mans party..to critisize the venue is to critisize the founders..should the party have rented the fairmount?i for one hope the party returns to its grass roots mentality..

  9. chris says:

    btw are delegates allowed to carry blackberries inside?

  10. Onion Seed says:

    None of the three contenders for the leadership even begin to measure up to the man they are hoping to replace. Dr. Ewart Brown is truly an irreplaceable figure in Bermudian politics. He’s a giant of a man, intellectually, morally and spiritually: the sort of one-of-a-kind figure who comes along (if you are lucky) once in a generation. What Sir John Swan was to Bermuda in the 1980s, Dr. Brown had the potential to be in the new milennium. Cox, Lister and Butler are all just hopeless wannabes. They lack the stamina, the intelligence and the far-reaching vision Dr. Brown had for Bermuda and Bermudians. None of them are fit to fill his shoes. None of them are fit to SHINE his shoes, come to that. On a personal level, I like all three of the challengers for the PLP leadership. Good people. But just not up to the task!!! Bermuda is being battered by the raging global economic storm; the ship of state is listing and taking on water — and only someone like Dr. Brown was qualified to steer us through these dangerous times. Instead of being loyal, his crew mutinied (all those damaging leaks to the “Combined Opposition”). They helped to drive him from office because of their own selfish ambitions. Bermuda needed Dr. Brown more than he needed us. I don’t blame him for deciding to leave office — all he ever received for his efforts was ignorance and ingratitude from the people he tried so hard to serve. Not long from now, we will be ruing the day Dr. Brown stepped down. Be careful what you wish for, supporters of Cox, Lister and Butler — cuz some of you ARE going to get exactly what you want. And you won’t like it. At all.

    • chris says:

      i gonna reply to this later

    • Homegrown says:

      Irreplaceable??? He and Cox are the ones who have gotten us deeper into the financial mess and did absolutely nothing to help either the people or the the country get out of it. We will be buried under THEIR debt for years to come. You better wake up and get your head out of the sand or wherever else you have it buried.

    • Call as it is says:

      Brainwashed!!

    • specialgirl says:

      Hey there Onion Seed,

      I can appreciate most of what you are saying. Yes Dr.Brown was under appreciated! A brilliant man! However, I must disagree with you in regards to your comments about Paula Cox. Maybe you do not know much about her,or had a conversation with her! She is the brilliant black women, although appears quite and soft spoken, don’t let that fool you, as she can put the fire on when required to do so. But! we black people do not apppreciate one another as we should anyway, particular those of us that are brilliant and have achieved!! We need to work on how we treat and act towards one another. Dr Eva, always talks about the relationship of “Blacks vs Blacks” !! so true she is !!

      • Onion Seed says:

        I have had plenty of exposure to Ms Cox and it is certainly not my intention to diss a sister: I am a man who was raised to respect women (of all races). But the stakes are too high right now! She might well have the academic know-how but I don’t think she has either the street-smarts or the strength of character to lead Bermuda. I just don’t. I also didn’t appreciate her public comments trying to distance herself from Dr. Brown after the Uighurs came to Bermuda. If she felt “politically neutered” by his bold decision, then resign from his Cabinet! Don’t publicly criticise the man and then stay on. What sort of double-game was she playing?

  11. terry says:

    Steer us through these dangerous times……..bawahaaaaa…. Thats why he got on a plane and freeking left?

    Whats in your wallet Onion Seed………….hell we can’t even grow Lillies and were all sitting on the Doc of the Bay……………..the ship has sailed.

  12. Onion Seed says:

    Dr. Brown isn’t St. Jude, Terry. He had no wish to become the Patron Saint of the Lost Cause that is Bermuda. He had a vision for this island and its people — you might not have liked that vision but what have Cox, Lister and Butler offered us? Nothing but tired platitudes! Nothing but words we’ve heard a thousand times before! Dr. Brown is a man of conviction and a man of action — he tried to jump-start Bermuda and the Bermudian economy. He tried to revitalise a tourism industry that had started to contract in the 1970s and ’80s, to give it new impetus and to attract new hotels. He flew around the world tirelessly finding new markets for Bermuda’s off-shore business community in China, India, the Middle East, etc. At the other end of the social spectrum, he translated his concern for seniors into Future Care. He did something positive for poor families by introducing free day care. The man rolled up his sleeves and set to work for everyone on this island. And we repaid him with serial rudeness and unsubstantiated allegations of “corruption” (whatever that means in today’s Bermuda!) and envy.

    • Scott says:

      lol there’s that funny word “free” again.. seems to crop up in all his supporter’s statements.

      fyi.. you and I are paying for it. it is not free, its just that the people who receive the service don’t have to pay the whole price… everyone else on the island has to contribute.

  13. Call as it is says:

    Predators on tv tonight

  14. Kathy says:

    Onion Seed – Are you sure you are not Dr. Brown on a blackberry? You sound like Dr. Brown tooting your own horn.

    Politics in Bermuda is pitiful! Big fish – VERY small pond. Get on with it – get someone new in and start winning back the trust of the Bermudian people.

    PLP – get me a leader I can trust, get me a leader that is humble. Everyone is watching this tonight (and I mean everyone) to see if it will be more of the same old same old or something fresh, new and exciting that all blacks, whites and international businesses can be happy about!

    Don’t blow it!

  15. Jim Bean says:

    any bets on whether a certain person kept his us citizenship afterall?

    • Interesting Facts says:

      Funny – i thought you have to relinquish dual status to be in government. I guess that doesn’t apply for all

      • Sam says:

        You’re right that he had to give up his US citizenship to sit in the House. He gave it up in 1998 (well after he joined Parliament so up until then he was in violation of the law) but since his wife is American he can easily get it back.

  16. Dee says:

    ’6:07pm: On a related note, Premier Dr Brown, who is hours away from his retirement, has said that he has donated $250,000 to the PLP which was raised during his Gala weekend.’

    The Gala Weekend was billed as a PLP fundraiser so he is not ‘donating’ the $250,000. Those attending already thought they were donating to the PLP not Ewart Brown!!!!!

  17. Jim Bean says:

    Onion Seed is delusion and demonstrates exactly what is so dangerous about PLP propaganda. A platinum period in tourism!! A strong economy!! Tackling crime!! My lord!!

  18. Onion Seed says:

    Dr. Brown has walked with kings (and the Queen of England!) and never lost the common touch. He has kept his head while all around him have been losing theirs. He has dedicated the last 17 years of his life to improving the lives of ALL Bermudians — black and white, rich and poor. He has worked non-stop to try and not only rebuild the local tourism-based economy within the City of Hamilton but to expand it (Dockyard Cruise Terminal, etc.) Remember, tourism began to stagnate on the UBP’s watch when they abandoned the hospitality industry — and local entrepreneurs — to focus on off-shore business almost exclusively. He is the first Tourism Minister since Jim Woolridge’s day to take his Cabinet responsibilities seriously (sorry all you David Allen fans out there — he had enthusiasm and sincerity but not the necessary know-how). All of us have benefitted from Dr. Brown’s years not only as Premier but his years in Parliament. Just how much we benefitted, we will only realise after the man is gone! Isn’t that always the case. “A prophet is without honour in his own land …”

    • Bermie says:

      Premier Brown was a failure at both Tourism and Transport. More deaths on the roads and a tourism industry which has all but vanished. He may have walked with kings and queens and left his countrymen the crumbs of his table and people like Onion Seed want us to say, “Thank You”…. NOT. Nothing is free in this world, he didn’t give us nothing. We are paying for it and our great grandkids will be paying for legacy

    • Call as it is says:

      The Queen did NOT walk with Doctor Who!!!

      • Call as it is says:

        but many queens did in fact walk with the doctor….

        you figure it out

  19. Dee says:

    I swear Onion Seed is either Ewart Brown or Furbert no one else could be that delusional!

  20. BermyGurl says:

    I’m sure EB is taking a well deserved rest after all he has done for our wonderful Country! Enjoy that vacation home in Martha’s Vinyard, you deserve it!

  21. fred says:

    Onion Seed….If Brown worked so hard as premiere, devoting all his time and stuff, how did he manage to get so rich?…whats the premiers salary?

  22. Onion Seed says:

    I certainly do not worship the water Dr. Brown walks on … ;) I know he can be brusque. Sometimes arrogant. Occasionally very rude. Just like the rest of us. But please do not answer the facts I am presenting with accusations that I am delusional (or Dr. Brown under another name). I’m just a concerned Bermudian, concerned about the island my children and grandchildren are going to inherit. And I have no confidence that Ms Cox or Terry Lister or Dale Butler (please!!!) are capable of doing the same kind of job as our outgoing Premier. When you filter away all of the distracting scatter-action between Dr. Brown and the media and Dr. Brown and his political opponents (in the UBP as well as the PLP), he actually has an impressive record. A flawless record? No, of course not! But you people are saying he achieved nothing as Premier. That his only interest was lining his own pockets. That he was motivated by greed rather than any interest in his fellow man. That he conducted Government business as an extension of his own private business interests. The facts speak for themselves! History will be kinder to Dr. Brown than we ungrateful Bermudians have been!

    • Call as it is says:

      He openly said he had scores to settle when he came back and I bet he got a special pass to live in the USA from Obeonecanobe for taking in those 4 guys for him plus a whole heap of other stuff.

    • Critical Thinker says:

      You are obviously someone who is capable of being objective and capable of forming your opinion based on facts and not rhetoric. Most of the these individuals are driven by hatred for the Premiere so they are incapable of being objective. Then they are those that form their opinions on him based on hearsay, just to lazy to research for themselves.

      I am not saying that I agree with everything the Premiere does, but to say he is worst than any other premiere is just not factual. The first time he came to power, I told my colleagues, that Bermuda is not ready for such a forward thinking individual. Most Bermudians have the the small Island syndrome, they are not keen on change, they don’t like to rock the boat, they want the benifits of a strong leader, they just don’t want a strong leader.

      I totally agree with you that put all three of the candidates together, cant make on of Dr. Brown. Dale Butler is an appeaser and would make for a very weak leader. That’s what some would like, because they are more comfortable with a weak black leader. Terry Lister is way too conservative, he would put the Island back to the Middle Ages. Paula Cox, I gather she has won, while not as weak as the other two, I think she will not go far enough to move the country forward because in my opinion, I don’t think she is willing to step on anyone’s toe if needed to move the country forward.

      Take Education for example, the nuts and bolts of improving that, is you have to get rid of the people in that department in addition to getting rid of the under performing teaches and principals. But they find it hard to fire friends and family so the system suffers. Now they are trying the Cambridge System, that will only work if they regulate the Pre-School system so it is preparing the kids for such an advance system. You cant build a hous on shaky foundation and expects it to withstand the tests of nature, the foundation needs to be solid. So if this is true throughout nature, what makes us think that the education system should not be built on a solid foundation. So this band aid fix will only fail, angin, because they dont want to go all the way.

      We need a leader with vision and the spinal fortitude that is going to make the tough decisions that is required to move the country forward. But he or she, will also need to have a team of people that will support the cause. This will not happen, because the level of political maturity, is just not here. People are too caught up with personalities. Like I heard one lady on the TV said, “I want Dale butler to win because I like him”. What otter nonsense, a politically mature people understands that you don’t have to like Your leaders to appreciate the job they need to do. You don’t have to like your leaders, to know that they are doing the job.

      This Island is just one big rumor mill, driven by ignorance, and in some case, hatred.

      • Tired of nonsense says:

        “. Like I heard one lady on the TV said, “I want Dale butler to win because I like him”. What otter nonsense, a politically mature people understands that you don’t have to like Your leaders to appreciate the job they need to do.”

        Gotta agree with everything that you noted above.

        It kinda reminds me how Laverne Furbert was vexed at Lister, Butler et al who spoke out against Dr. Brown’s one man decision over the Uighurs. She went on and on (as she usually does) and attacked them for standing up for our democratic principles and stated that she believed these individuals “were true friends of Dr. Brown.”

        Some people down here just don’t get it and treat approach political allegiances like how they support a football team. I am with you no matter how good or bad you are and will support you to the end. That is not politics it is fanatical and requires no rational thought on their part. So its easy in other words.

        Liek you, and despite what you think, I also am not a member of the BDA, PLP, UBP, BIU, CIA, FBI or any other acronym you can imagine. I actually spoiled my vote last election and intend to do the same in the next election unless a miracle happens with the prospects.

        I just call bad governance when I see it.

  23. leslie says:

    what will the media cover when dr. brown is gone?

    • Confused... says:

      Derrick Burgess. Our very own Sarah Palin. You betcha!

  24. leslie says:

    “Onion Seed….If Brown worked so hard as premiere, devoting all his time and stuff, how did he manage to get so rich?…whats the premiers salary?”

    Healthcare.

    • Onion Seed says:

      Who says he’s rich? You have access to his bank records? I certainly don’t. We know he runs a successful medical practice, so I doubt he’s on his way to the Salvation Army shelter any time soon. And, yes, he has diversified into other business areas (like all Bermudians, he’s something of a hustler). But he’s probably lost as much money as he’s made on various ventures. His wife is successful in her own right, don’t forget, having run some profitable firms in the US. So they probably have a few dollars tucked away. Good for them! What’s the problem? Is there some law I’m unaware of that says a PLP Premier can’t be financially successful? When was that law enacted? Only after Sir John Swan left office?

  25. realtalk says:

    Onion Seed – next time Furbert offers you some kool-aid, just say no thanks…

  26. Onion Seed says:

    One thing I know for certain, Dr. Brown’s brave initiative to improve race relations will end with his tenure as Premier. This is an island with no racial memory, no sense of racial guilt. Blacks are as guilty as whites of forgetting about the past, forgetting what shaped us — and then we get frustrated because we are unable to cope with all of the cultural and economic realities of the present. So we complain. And moan. And phone the radio talk shows. But we don’t look at the underlying root causes let alone attempt to remedy them. Dr. Brown encouraged us to do just that — he got blacks and whites together to discuss not only what divides us but what UNITES us! The Big Conversation was about healing the racial wounds in this community, not making them worse. It was the best prescription the good doctor could have ordered up for Bermudians.

    • Call as it is says:

      onion sees,
      now we all KNOW who you are!!

      • Onion Seed says:

        I assume you are suggesting I’m Rolfe Commissiong. No, I’m not a hired political gunslinger (take that any way you want). Like I said, I am just a concerned Bermudian — probably someone much like you! Might surprise you to know I don’t care for Commissiong’s style very much: too aggressive, too unwilling to listen, too un-Bermudian. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to reject the entire religion because of one reckless preacher! A lot of good people, black and white, took part in the Big Conversation. A lot of us left it having learned things we never knew about one another before. Dr. Brown launched this initiative not because it would be easy — in fact, he knew it would be hard! But he pursued it anyway. And Bermuda and Bermudians are better off as a result.

  27. specialgirl says:

    Congratulations to Hon.Paula COx, I expected this victory tonight ! If your not feeling it, get over it. Support and respect to Hon.Cox !!!

  28. specialgirl says:

    CONGRATULATIONS TO HON.DERRICK BURGESS !! THE STEAM BEHIND THE ENGINE !!! GET READY FOR HE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS !!!

  29. Critical Thinker says:

    Dale Butler 2 votes. I guess only him and Rodney smith thinks he was fit to lead, assuming Rodney was a delegate. Too weak to lead Dale, A moth piece, doesn’t a great leader make. Congrats Paula, although I have my reservations as to how effective you will be. The level of attacks later on will determine if you are an effective leader, the more the better. If you are liked by all, then you are not even trying.

    • Scott says:

      I think youre assessment of “I guess only him and Rodney smith thinks he was fit to lead” is a bit inaccurate.

      he’s one of the more popular with the island. Not with the PLP. all it means is that a) he may have been too weak a leader for the PLP, or b) the PLP are taking hteir opinions above those of teh island.

      It means nothing about how he would lead the country. A leader that caters to everyone isnt the best, but one who shuns part of the community to secure votes from the other is worse.

      • Tired of nonsense says:

        It means that Dale Butler fraternizes with too many whiteys and that is the biggest no no for the PLPers.

        Tell ‘em Critical Thinker that the only way to gauge a successful black leader is not based on the unity they bring about, the prosperity their administration brings about or the ability to appeal to every facet of our society. The true measure of a black person’s leadership, as noted by Critical Thinker a few days back, is the contemptous and condescending manner in which they deal with others that do not look like them. Butler was destined to fail with this being the past and current mindset of the PLP.

        But whites are racist…so it’s ok to be racist too

        Divide and conquer…

  30. Critical Thinker says:

    The set of folks that cant come to grips with a PLP Government put so much effort in trying destroying Dr. Brown, are so impaired with hatred that they don’t realize that they have just driven the last nail in their beloved UBP’s coffin. you see by putting so much effort in discrediting Dr. Brown, who I most admit is very easy to hate because of his personality, they have just sealed the fate of the UBP, because you just cant sell that kind of hate about Paula Cox. Tomorrow, they will awaking to the reality and said, what have we done. Well you just have to be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it, and in this case, you really got it. UBP is no in Never-Never Land. And just FYI, I am not of any party. But I most admit, it gives me joy, to see hateful people gets what’s coming to them.

  31. specialgirl says:

    Onion Seed,

    You make some value comments with real thought behind your words. Just keep in mind that some people are so focus on how not to like a person, that they often do not see the real picture or message. Some people allow their dislike of certain indidiviuals drive thier every thought, and this does not allow for good discourse and debate on any subject matter. Often, some persons always react in such a unconventional fashion. You keep hanging in there !!! Feel the Love !!!

  32. your joking says:

    “You never thought that you would have to come to slaves’ children for an answer”to Trever Moniz

    During the Motion to Adjourn in the House of Assembly last week Friday, Minister of Labour and Immigration Derrick Burgess stated that guest workers should not get involved in local politics; and that those who do should expect to have their permission to work revoked.

    So this is what we have…someone who tells foreigners and white people to shut up
    Ah yes I feel the country coming together…

    • Tired of nonsense says:

      Comments like that are considered to be “progressive” by the current powers that be…

  33. your joking says:

    PS…..I for one would like a General Election…anyone else???

  34. whole adult life in Bermuda says:

    I guess my feeling is one of sadness – that a brilliant and hard working man should have seen the need to have so many glitter-and-rouge bauble trappings and be so polarizing that his exceptional abilities were almost overshadowed.
    For many of us expats (i have been here so long i am semi-detached, so i say we when i refer to expats but also when i refer to Bermuda, though the latter with some diffidence), the move of companies to Switzerland and Ireland (and what do we have to replace them?)is a direct result of our discomfort with a society that breeds fear.
    Doubt that? Look at the guns, look at the explosion in materialism like huge cars, the horrible racism. {maybe this is a mad segway, but i remember the mad daring idiotic colorful exploits of pack racers. at the time i hated them but now i miss their devil may care, “life is for living” exhibitionism – where is that zeal and courage now?)
    I really hope that Dr B was lancing a boil – putting us through a belated adolescent rage regarding racism where we all went crackers for a while and will go back to being adults – and that with him gone we can get (or get back) to a society based on content of character not colour of skin.

  35. Curious says:

    Onion Seed you are right on point tonight! To all of the others, who would you choose to be the next Premier and why?

    • Hellina Handbasket says:

      Certinately not the fool who signed off on all of EB’s overspending and theft! My poor children will be paying for these people when they have kids! This is sad…how bad will we be in debt before she actually runs this country into the ground! Of couse she did have help via the Good Dr giving her a billion dollar head start!

      • BLAH BLAH BLAH says:

        All i am reading is the same old back and forth garbage. The question is a plain and simple one, Who would you have run this country??? If we as a people stop spending sooooooo much time bashing each other behind the scenes on chat rooms and actually stand up and support the party that you wish to run the counrty then all of you should just go back into your corners or maybe your own countries and shut up!!! it is amazing to see people just HATE with no solutions. If there were a viable, alternative solution for sure by now it would have been exercised. Stand up for what you believe in and support the issues that you believe in. If there were a good, strong arguement other than “i dont like him” then the fool would have been gone a long time ago. If the other parites were strong enough then they would be in power today……. Please if it is right, it is right. He is gone now lets move forward as a country for the country. Not to next on the “i hate that person” list

        • Tired of nonsense says:

          Ummmm…actually plenty of evidence of wrong doing on the part of Dr. Brown was evidenced through his whole tenure, you guys just stuck your fingers in your ears and said “lalalalalal…if I can’t hear you it can’t be true…lalalalala” or “Facts are racists…so i don’t like/listen to facts…spin is much better…you racists.”

          Damn white people…

          • BLAH BLAH BLAH says:

            blah blah blah again, you cant answer the question can you guys? There are enough articulate, right thinking Bermudians here why is there only complaining? He is gone now. i am intertested to know what are the avaiable, viable options that you (the complainers) would chose for the leadership of this country? Options people what are they?

        • Tired of nonsense says:

          “blah blah blah again, you cant answer the question can you guys?”

          Ditto

          • Tired of nonsense says:

            I don’t mind Paula at all being leader. I sincerely believe that her true leadership qualities were overshadowed by Dr. Brown. I do believe her, somewhat, that she was hamstrung in preventing so much money flyng out the door during Dr. Brown’s tenure. But she does have to accept some responsibility for the state of the finances and ensure that a different approach is taken.

            As for the Deputy Leader, I believe that Mr. Lister would have made a fine second hand man. I also like the prospect of Mr. Weeks coming into the fold as he is a younger Bermudian that is much more in touch with my generation. But unfortunately Mr. Weeks is still somewhat of a neophyte and thus I believe his time will come in the future to show what he can really do.

            And your view would be (on your leadership and my corruption questions)?