Videos: Town Hall Q&A With Premier & Ministers
Over 200 people packed Warwick Workmans yesterday [July 17] evening, as Premier Paula Cox hosted a town hall meeting to discuss Bermuda’s economy.
Entitled, “Pulling Together to Make it Better For Bermuda”, the panel also included Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Kim Wilson, Minister of Business Development and Tourism Patrice Minors, Minister of Youth, Families & Sports Glenn Blakeney, and the Minister of Community Development Michael Weeks. Videos of the Q&A portion are below:
Premier Cox answers a question about Bermuda’s debt, and what Government intends to do to reduce it.
Minister Minors answers a question about the National Tourism Plan:
Minister Wilson answers a question about youth apprenticeship programmes, and as to why they would be limited by age and industry:
Minister Wilson replies to an audience members who ask what Government intends to do to assist people in gaining employment:
A man asked a question about real estate development, saying that the construction occurring near his home is blocking views. The Premier replied, talking about achieving a balance between a need for progress and jobs, and environmental concerns.
An audience member asked about term limits:
Below is a replay of the first hour of the Town Hall:
I attended this town Hall and i thought it was a great effort on behalf of the Government team. Premier Cox is getting a lot of backlash, but in my opinion it is not all deserved. We have a lot on our plate as a country and every issue cannot be fixed with the flick of a switch,.
It felt good to hear our Ministers explain to us what is in the pipeline.
We have to stop expecting Government to be a cure all and fix all for everything, and start doing for ourselves as well.
There wouldn’t be so much that needs to be fixed if it weren’t for the current government.
The responses in these video clips are quite a load of…
There will never be a fundamental shift in govt policy if the same persons are voted back in power. The PLP are control freaks that place the PLP first. And because they do not place Bermuda first they have made, and will continue to make terrible decisions. The PLP leadership is saying “sorry, but please believe us when we say that we will make right again”. I’m sorry…the superficial change talked about the PLP is just that. I’ll vote for the PLP when I see them make quantum leaps in policy.
Kudos – I agree that it was a great effort…and that some of the backlash is not deserved. But there is an awfiul lot that is deserved. The priorities and hard choices that the Premier speaks are the very reason we are in this mess…cutting the sunshine league, mirrors and the hustle truck are choices made while ministers and civil servants still go to conferences, shuttle launch etc. And of course we pay for advice $250,000 on getting advice on such things as the Mincy study and visa matters when we have civil servants who are already paid to do this stuff. The government’s spending habits and priorities are the problem. We have to put much more money towards preventive social problems and less towards low value government travel and paying consultants to do the work of the civil service. It’s a problem that started to get out of controll in 2004 – and it’s getting worse and worse.
I totally agree with SamD. There is an awful lot of backlash that is deserved.
They have wasted our money, on stupidity and now we are told to be good children and pull together to help one another, while they continue with their same old ways of spending, spending and more spending on themselves and family and friends.
I’m sorry, but Paula has some nerve, she needs to trim back her own department. Her and Ewart got us into this big mess.
I’m sorry, this is nonsense.
The Sinking Fund will be able to pay $200,000.000 in 2014 towards our National Debt. Well that’s reassuring.
Very reassuring – except by that time Bermuda’s debt will be about $1.6bn, or $400 million more than today so it is not a reduction. Typical smoke and mirrors.
As a non Bermudian I feel sorry for all the hard working people of this country.You have had the mat pulled from under you by the government.I do business with several government agencies and I am shocked at how little care and due diligence is taken when spending your money.I saw a catered lunch delivered to a meeting up on the hill that had to cost $300.00-400.00 dollars.Even worse most of it went to waste.I’m glad I only pay 4.5 % payroll tax.
Your lucky your getting out soon.
these guys shouldn’t be having catered lunches – they should be bringing their own in a brown paper bag, just like Eweing use to.
Here she is telling us to trim back etc and all of us to work together and meanwhile they get catered lunches. WOW I guess that’s called pulling together for your country.