Full Text: Bob Richards’ Election Speech

This past weekend, Shadow Minister of Finance Bob Richards narrowly lost the OBA Leadership race, losing by a mere 14 votes to Senator Craig Cannonier.

There were 680 votes cast in the leadership race; 6 spoiled [0.88%], Senator Cannonier received 344 votes [50.44%], while Bob Richards got 330 votes [48.52%]. Mr Richards is pictured below on the right with Sen. Cannonier:

You can read the full speech below, and watch it on the video replay here. It starts at approximately 1 hour and 42 minutes into the video, drag the bottom bar to fast forward.

The full text of Mr Richards speech follows below:

I feel the winds of change blowing across this room, across this hotel and across all Bermuda & that wind is the One Bermuda Alliance. A change that turns away from the politics of division by race and class and toward politics based on a set of sound principles, fundamental principles that serve as something that brings all Bermudians together.

So I’m talking to you tonight as family, as the OBA family.

This gathering tonight is about leadership of our party. Let me tell you why I am contesting for this position and asking for your support.

I care very deeply for this island home of ours. I care about its people, not just some of us, I care about all of us and our future. It is, after all, One Bermuda.

Where is the Bermuda that was the mouse that roared?

Where is that national optimism and pride?

Where is that confidence that enabled us to be players on a world stage in spite of being just a dot on the map?

The fact is that under this PLP leadership Bermuda has lost its self-belief as being winners.

Folks the sad fact is we’re losing our mojo (that intangible winning spirit)

So I’ve asked myself, what can I do to help turn this thing around, to help us rediscover our mojo. That self confidence and intangible winning spirit.

That’s why I’m seeking your support tonight to lead this party.

There are many life lessons in sports. In Bermuda cricket, it doesn’t matter if you are a dashing young batsman with the handsomest of strokes, and have made plenty of runs for St. Davids or Baileys Bay or Willow Cuts; in Cup Match, if you are a Colt, you’re never going to be captain.

That’s because, as a colt, you have no experience on the big stage.

As a colt you have to prove to your team mates, and your fans, that you can handle the pressures of the big game before they will entrust you with the leadership of team. Once the dashing young colt has proved himself on the big stage, the captaincy may well be his to claim.

On this big stage, the national political stage, every colt, even the most talented ones, must prove himself. I’ve been talking to Bermuda about our economy for the last seven years now, but I’m not going to say much about it tonight, except for a couple of things.

Premier Paula Cox, is minister of Finance, therefore the issues of leadership and the economy are bolted together for both political parties.

The poor economy, which threatens everybody, is the Achilles heel of this premier and the PLP government.
If we want to win the next election, the leader of the OBA had better be able to speak, with authority, on the economy, without having to constantly defer to any of his colleagues.

PLP vulnerability must be our strength. When I talk about the economy some folks think I am only addressing the problems of rich folk or business people. That’s not true.

The Bermuda economy is like a great ship with people of many income levels, like decks on that ship. If the ship starts taking on water, guess who are the first to drown? Those on the lowest decks.

My friends, the ship IS taking on water and those on the lowest decks ARE in peril and are most in need of help.
The PLP government have been more focused on moving their friends from the lower decks up to the sun deck instead of trying to mend the holes in the hull.

When the ship is in perilous waters you want to have an experienced skipper at the helm to guide it to a safe habour.

So when I talk about the economy, it’s not just an abstract thing, it is about your livelihoods, with your families and your aspirations.

The major problems are: Your jobs, Your safety, Your children’s education.

Our political adversaries will try to distract us and other Bermudians from the major issues:

They will talk about race, explicitly and in code. They will talk about who did what to whom 20, 40, 400 years ago.

They will try to divert the attention of the public to anything, other than their poor record as a government.

We will not be distracted, diverted or misdirected. Not under my watch. This next election must be a referendum on the PLP record as the government of Bermuda.

We must focus Bermudians on the question, “Are we better off now than we were 12 years ago.”

You know what the answer is …….NO

And we will be focused, like a laser, on their record, and what we will do to correct the error of their ways.

Let the PLP be about the past. The OBA is about the future.

In spite of their poor record as government you can be sure that the PLP will fight to the last man to retain the government. In a way, because of their poor record, they will be like a wounded beast, and be doubly dangerous.

My friend Craig said the other day that he did not want to fight. Lots of luck finding an election that’s not a fight. And friends we are going to have the mother of all battles on our hands in the next election.

And I intend to lead in that battle.

I can tell you I haven’t lost my mojo!

I WILL FIGHT TO TURN THIS COUNTRY AROUND!!! I WILL FIGHT FAIRLY, BUT I WILL FIGHT. I WILL FIGHT FOR THE PEOPLE OF BERMUDA!!!! I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU!!!!

Some people call me an elitist, a privileged snob. They don’t know me. Don’t let my father’s title fool you.

He arrived here a West Indian immigrant with little more than the clothes on his back + a good education. He was a self made man. He never forgot it and never let his children forget it.

My mother was born and grew up on a farm in South Shore Warwick. She topped the graduating class at Berkeley but could not study abroad because there was no money. Both my parents came from single parent families.

I was privileged though, because I grew up in a loving home where education, honesty and respect were paramount.
Those old time family values have served me well in my life and I have tried to pass them on to my family who are here tonight. I believe these values will serve me well as your leader and leader of this country.

Government denial and bungling has fueled this pervasive sense of hopelessness as though there is nothing to do except wait for the global recession to end.

I completely reject this passive and defeatist attitude.

I don’t believe in helplessness.

I don’t believe in hopelessness.

I believe in rolling up our sleeves, buckling down, grasping the tools that are available to us, and start the work to rebuild.

I believe in the people of Bermuda and our tenacity to turn this thing around. That’s what I believe in.
What the mind can conceive, we can achieve, if we only believe.

DO YOU BELIEVE?? DO YOU BELIEVE IN BERMUDA??

This country needs a new proactive OBA government, one with backbone, grit, optimism and a good plan,

Folks, we are all in this together and we can only do this, if we do it together.

We, the OBA team, the A-Team, will get us on the road to recovery.

We believe in this country. We know her people’s aspirations. We understand this country’s needs. We can fix it, and we will.

#BermudaPolitics #BobRichards #OBA #OneBermudaAlliance

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