One Bermuda Alliance Throne Speech Reply

November 9, 2012

One Bermuda Alliance Leader Craig Cannonier was scheduled to deliver the Opposition’s Reply to the Throne Speech in the House of Assembly today [Nov 9], however that will not take place as Parliament has been dissolved following last night’s election call.

The speech Mr Cannonier was due to deliver said: “The Throne Speech is not the answer for Bermuda. It offered no plan nor hope to the many thousands of people struggling each and every day to stay afloat.

“Instead it served up lists of Government initiatives already underway, promises lifted from its past Throne Speeches and 11th hour concessions to long-standing public demands for action.

“There is good reason to question the sincerity of the exercise. An election must be called within the next 60 days, meaning the ideas contained in the Speech will become null and void, at least until a new Throne Speech by the newly elected government.”

The OBA’s full reply follows below:

‘It’s time for change’

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members of the House of Assembly,

The people of Bermuda can have hope for a brighter future – a future in which our economy is growing jobs again, safety is restored to our neighbourhoods, and our children are getting the education they need to succeed in this ever-challenging world.

But that future depends on change; change in the way we work together as a people, change in the way we go about our business as a country and change to a government more fully committed to meeting the needs of the people.

The party I lead represents the hope and change Bermuda needs for a brighter future, and that is the context in which the One Bermuda Alliance delivers this Reply to the 2012 Speech from the Throne.

Mr. Speaker,

Bermuda today is in the grip of economic crisis.

The statistics are no fairy tale.

More than 3,300 of us are unemployed.

Nearly 7,000 more are categorized as under-employed, meaning they are taking home less pay or cannot find enough work.

A staggering 36% of our young people are out of work.

Let me repeat that Mr. Speaker: One in three young Bermudians is out of work.

People are losing their homes to foreclosure, with banks reporting a sharp rise in non-performing loans – some $74 million between July and September this year.

Business closures continue each week, with the Registrar of Companies currently listing 150 companies for dissolution.

The number of households characterized as poor is growing, now to more than 26%, while the number of households characterized as middle class is declining.

And Government’s soaring debt – now costing more than $240,000 a day in interest payments to foreign creditors – has hobbled its ability to stimulate economic activity and help people in need.

Mr. Speaker,

These statistics provide a window on the state of Bermuda today, but they do not come close to conveying the suffering and hardship felt every day in households across the Island.

The 25-year-old single mother with a college degree, moving into her mother’s home on South Shore, Warwick to help pay the rent because her mother was laid off; only to be laid off herself; struggling to pay bills.
The veteran construction worker frustrated and angry after being laid off, because he cannot support his wife and two sons, chasing work that’s not there.
The young college-educated couple in Crawl with a two-year-old boy and a mortgage; struggling to get by on her bank salary after he was laid off from his job with an exempt company.
The hardships are real and they wear down spirit and hope, spreading worry and stress, building frustrations into anger, testing identity and self-confidence.

This is the reality for thousands of Bermudians every day.

Mr. Speaker,

I draw attention to the hardships and hurt because they are the key to determining the work of government.

A government that understands what is happening to its people can fashion policies and actions to meet their needs for a positive difference in their lives.

But last week’s Speech from the Throne did not do that.

Despite observing that the only issue of matter to most Bermudians is “having a decent job,” the Speech outlined no economic recovery plan, no jobs plan, and no hope for families struggling to make ends meet.

This is Bermuda’s immediate national priority, yet the Throne Speech was silent on what to do.

The failure to address the serious economic challenges facing Bermudians is the large hole at the centre of the Government’s Throne Speech.

This is the country’s challenge. This is the fight we must fight, yet this Government is standing on the sidelines with its hands in its pockets.

So what did the Throne Speech tell Bermudians about the economy? What hope did it offer them? What change did it promise?

There was talk about a Tourism Development Plan, which may or may not include concessions for investors. There was a review of overseas meetings with Persian Gulf countries and the announcement of a task force to encourage their investment in Bermuda. And, under the banner of my Honourable colleague Bob Richards’ slogan “More red carpet, less red tape”, there was the promise of further action on his recommendations for immigration reform.

There were references to training Bermudians for the workplace, but there was nothing out-of-work, under-employed Bermudians could bank on to help them through this difficult period.

Mr. Speaker, why is this so? Why in the midst of the worst unemployment in living memory is the government doing so little for people?

We see two reasons for the lack of action.

The first is the Government’s massive debt, rising some 700% since 2005 to $1.4 billion, and maybe beyond.

Debt interest payments this year total $85 million – all of it going to overseas creditors rather than to Bermudians here at home.

A few weeks ago, a local economist commenting on the Island’s economic decline said the Government’s ability to stimulate recovery – to help people through job-creating projects – was “almost out of firepower.”

In other words, the Government had few resources left to invest in people.

This is the price Bermudians are paying today for Government’s wasteful and excessive spending in recent years – bringing to mind the lesson not learned from the parable of saving during the fat years to prepare for the lean years.

Mr. Speaker,

The second reason for the Government’s lack of action on the economy is its denial of responsibility and reality.

For years now, the Government has refused to acknowledge the damage its policies and actions have caused, including unpredictable tax increases that broke a bond of trust with international business, tourism marketing failures, immigration red tape that made operating a Bermuda-based business problematic, and a poorly conceived term limit policy that damaged the Island’s business reputation while doing little to protect Bermudian jobs.

Instead of leveling with the people that there is a tremendous amount of work to be done here at home, the Government told Bermudians that our economic difficulties are all due to the “global economic downturn.”

The so-called global recession became the Government’s cover for the failure of its policies and it begs the question: If you can’t acknowledge a problem exists, how can you be expected to fix it?

Mr. Speaker,

The Government’s ‘global recession’ mantra is perhaps its most notable use of spin to deny responsibility and reality. Spin is central to its communications with the public, and examples can be found throughout the pages of the Throne Speech.

On page 1, for example, we read that Bermuda, in the face of global recession, “fought a good economic fight, as good as any country in the Western Hemisphere.”

But that claim does not stand up to the facts. As the accompanying graph illustrates, our major trading partners and neighbours to the south have been registering positive growth while Bermuda remains mired in recession.

Two weeks ago, the Department of Statistics reported that 2011 was our third consecutive year of recession. Economic conditions since then leave little room to conclude anything other than that 2012 will be Bermuda’s fourth straight year of recession.

Mr. Speaker,

It’s time for change.

The One Bermuda Alliance will exercise leadership that puts the people of this country first.

We believe all Bermudians should achieve social and economic equity – leaving no one behind. Our focus will be to create good-paying jobs, safe neighbourhoods and great schools.

On the economy, our mission will be to restore jobs, opportunity and confidence.

The first priority of government, as we see it, is to create and maintain an environment that grows opportunity, enabling its citizens to make a good living.

That is not happening today for thousands of us.

The situation is unacceptable and we will end it.

We will be a government that grows jobs. We will set job-creating targets and commit to deadlines you can hold us to.

Our Economic Recovery and Jobs Plan contains specific measures to grow jobs, stimulate investment, create opportunity and restore the confidence that is so essential for economic revival.

Part of our plan includes

  • Stimulating Bermudian job growth by giving employers a two-year payroll tax exemption for all new Bermudian hires.
  • Supporting small businesses by directing to them 20% of government goods and services spending – about $80 million a year.
  • Protecting Bermudian jobs by cracking down on employers who abuse Immigration rules.
  • Creating construction and tourism jobs through the redevelopment of the Hamilton and St. George’s waterfronts.
  • Reviving Bermuda tourism by creating a Tourism Authority that puts professionals, not politicians, in charge of the industry.
  • Speeding up uncomplicated and non-controversial planning projects to create construction jobs and jumpstart infrastructure spending by the private sector.
  • Growing jobs and business opportunities through expansion of the North Hamilton EEZ and developing the Marsh Folly area.

Mr. Speaker,

The next five years will require prudent and disciplined government spending and a credible plan to bring the level of indebtedness back to a sustainable and manageable level.

To better control government spending, an OBA Government would:

  • Establish an independent Contractor General to oversee government construction projects to ensure fairness, enforce rules and eliminate wasteful cost overruns.
  • Create a Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission to eliminate wasteful government spending.
  • Freeze the size of the civil service, allowing it to shrink by attrition, with no public sector employees made redundant. I repeat: no public sector employees made redundant.

Mr. Speaker,

We can get our economy working again for the people, growing jobs and opportunity, leaving no one behind. But it will take change to do so, change to a government that remains focused on the people’s business; that speaks without spin and confronts the challenges truthfully for the sake of Bermuda and its people.

Mr. Speaker,

Despite the lull in shootings in 2011, events this year tell us Bermuda remains under threat. In the past two months alone, nearly a dozen shooting incidents have been reported, leaving two more young men dead.

Police are doing their part, but all of us know the gang problem is not just a Police problem. It’s a Bermuda problem, with a significant social component that is Government’s responsibility.

The Police are simply dealing with what society sends their way.

We have spoken at length on the need to coordinate and direct the work of social agencies, community groups and Police in a Bermuda-wide effort to diminish the conditions that feed and perpetuate gang life.

We are therefore encouraged by the statement in the Throne Speech that the social policy side is the key to prevention, and that Government has taken steps to coordinate efforts in this regard. However, we wonder why, in the face of such a major challenge and with so much expertise at hand, the Government is only realizing this now.

The OBA believes another key to achieving public safety is through an engaged and empowered community.

Our crime reduction strategy recognizes the connection between robust law enforcement and strong alliances with our citizens, building on sources of Bermuda’s strength – our community leaders, youth organizations and churches.

As part of our plan, we will:

  • Disrupt and dismantle gang violence by fully funding and implementing focused crime reduction strategies such as Operation Ceasefire.
  • Inform our citizens about the latest incidents of crime in their neighbourhoods by posting Police community crime maps on the internet.
  • Support our neighbourhoods harmed by crime by implementing a ‘Cash Back for Communities’ programme using monies confiscated from criminals; and
  • Provide our young Bermudians with more opportunities for recreational activities through stronger funding support for youth volunteer organizations.

Mr. Speaker,

Bermuda does not need to live in fear. We must restore safety to our neighbourhoods, but it will take a full community-government commitment to make it happen.

Mr. Speaker,

The OBA is guided by the belief that education is the key to opportunity for our children. We also believe that more must be done to support the teachers who make their education possible. We must make sure the conditions they work under, the tools they use and the numbers they need are in place to make them as effective as they can be. The whole system depends on them.

We note that the Throne Speech says “the public school system has just completed its second year of reforms….” This clearly confirms the slow progress of education reform since the Hopkins Report in May 2007, and it raises serious questions about Government’s handling of education reform in the three years between May 2007 and 2010.

Professor Hopkins expected “significant progress in the first seven” of his ten recommendations in the first school year following his report – a goal for urgent action that was subsequently promised by the Education Minister at the time – but never fulfilled by successive Government ministers.

Mr. Speaker,

Some of the initiatives that an OBA Government will pursue to ensure better opportunities for the rising generation of young Bermudians include:

  • Implementing a fully integrated technical curriculum, starting in the middle schools.
  • Expanding preschool places to make early education more accessible to all especially single parents.
  • Extending the school day to allow more time for the arts, music, sports and additional academic assistance for the students who need it.
  • Empowering our teachers by giving them the support and resources they need.
  • Expand the options for Bermudian students by transitioning Bermuda College into a four-year institution.
  • Provide additional support to GED programmes, and
  • Follow through on the Hopkins Report recommendations to ensure real education reform.

Mr. Speaker,

My colleagues and I are very aware that the high cost of living imposes a tremendous financial burden on Bermudian families. To make Bermuda more affordable, we will

  • Reduce the cost of electricity through proper regulation of the energy sector.
  • Lower energy costs through households, hotels and businesses through the promotion of combined heat and power generation (cogeneration).
  • Reduce the cost of health care through a strong focus on the Bermuda Hospitals Board, which accounts for 40% of all health care spending in Bermuda.
  • Waive stamp duties for first-time homeowners on properties valued under $1 million.
  • Open a hospital medical clinic to ensure access to medical care for the vulnerable, making sure all our people get the care they need.
  • Work with social agencies such as the Salvation Army to provide good quality transitional housing and support programmes for the most vulnerable in our society, and
  • Ensure stronger family benefits by working with employers to extend family and maternity leave for caregivers, parents and guardians. A strong start for children means a strong future for Bermuda.

Mr. Speaker,

The Throne Speech is not the answer for Bermuda.

It offered no plan nor hope to the many thousands of people struggling each and every day to stay afloat.

Instead it served up lists of Government initiatives already underway, promises lifted from its past Throne Speeches and 11th hour concessions to long-standing public demands for action.

Mr. Speaker,

There is good reason to question the sincerity of the exercise. An election must be called within the next 60 days, meaning the ideas contained in the Speech will become null and void, at least until a new Throne Speech by the newly elected government.

So for this Speech, it’s okay to promise opening the St. George’s golf course, even though the property is part of a lease agreement with the hotel. And it’s okay to finally promise the long-sought expansion of human rights, against years of this Government’s indifference and resistance to it.

Mr. Speaker,

There is weariness at the core of the Throne Speech; weariness of a government going through the motions – out of ideas, out of energy, unfocused. Somewhere along the way, it lost touch with needs and concerns of the people. The Throne Speech bears witness to that by its failure to address their number one need today, which is an economy generating jobs and security for all.

Mr. Speaker,

The people deserve better.

The One Bermuda Alliance is prepared to get Bermuda’s economy working again for the people. We have outlined plans to grow and protect jobs, support small business development, improve conditions for international business and ease the cost of living.

We have outlined plans to provide our children with the education they need to succeed, return safety to our neighbourhoods, and provide Bermuda with a government that is open, transparent and accountable in conducting the people’s business.

The OBA is ready to get the job done – to make our Island work better for our families, our students, our seniors, our entrepreneurs and businesses.

Bermudians will soon be given the opportunity to decide whether they can afford five more years of unemployment, soaring debt and violence or whether they believe it’s time for change, with new leadership, new ideas and a vision to get us moving forward in a new and better direction.

Mr. Speaker,

The One Bermuda Alliance is the change. We are committed to building a Bermuda based on social and economic equity for all, leaving no one behind.

That’s the brighter future we can all believe in.

-

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Comments (36)

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  1. me says:

    I really hope the OBA get into power. We really need a major change.

    • OBA is just like romney says:

      You can’t be serious. All he does is talk about what is wrong with Bermuda. How about for once focussing on what is good about Bermuda.

      I’m tired of the OBA talking down my country!

      • Soooo says:

        Better than the PLP taking down my country!!

      • Huh? says:

        OBA are doing their job as opposition. If only the PLP could manage t0 do theirs as the elected government.

      • Sandgrownan says:

        Better than bringing down the country eh? He’s not talking down Bermuda, he’s describing what the PLP have done to it.

  2. swing voter says:

    If you care about your country…..vote OBA

  3. Tired of the bull says:

    if you really care about you country listen to the rhetoric than evaluate the person than vote.

    • swing voter says:

      Anyone with half a brain won’t deny the social, economic, and political ethics facts. Put party loyalty aside and put your country and your future first….Vote OBA

  4. Really? says:

    Wheres the Legalize weed policy??? Are politicians crazy? they would get the whole vote of age bracket 18- 35 if they went forward with this or even looked into decriminalisation. I dont need to to go in to all the positive economic effects this legislation would bring to Bermuda…

    1.4 Billion gone in 1 year FACT!

    • Come Correct says:

      Totally agree! I’d vote for a greener Bermuda, but either party would probably just make steps towards it, nothing concrete, plus people would start to wonder what else they’ve been lied to about for over a century.

  5. The reply to the throne speech from the O.B.A starts off drastically wrong as Mr Cannonier would have stated that our economy will be growing jobs again but yet rumors are flying around this country that his three establishments have their restaurant division being taking over by a company that has mostly foreign workers,so what does that say for job delivery and not to mention the present staff that are working have no job security to be kept on under the new companies contracts.

    Safety restored to our neighborhoods is that a new drink from Goslings,I think they better get a serious reality check when it comes to the safety of this Island as we all have to play a part and that is to only slow down the problem and not stop it,we have far to many suit and ties benefitting off of the illegal drug trade in this country and finally the guns that have always been a part of the trade has surfaced in public but have been here and coing in for years and now we are just experiencing them in the hands of undesirables.

    Education I would have to agree needs a vast improvement that no student is left behind and frankly I still dont think it was a good idea when we got rid of the British curriculum years ago.there are those in the O.B.A I believe that bring alot of substance to the table but the overall pulling of the strings still exist and i dont like the likes of people who have wrong motives for why they are trying to do what they are doing,especially the economy and how they help to create such lies in where we are and how we got there but would not expose what part they had to play in it all,if these same folk are so concerned about Bermuda and Bermudians they would not have pulled their resources and wealth out of society and now ready to put it back in to rebuild us to becoming a robust economy.

    It is also sad to think that we can look across the board and see the snakes in the grass that have more for foreigners in this country then their very own Bermudians and you carefully look at who is in the O.B.A and you can clearly pick out who they are,overall O.B.A will retain the safe seats of the former U.B.P. and may get a few more but the majority will remain with the P.L.P because we will rise from this present state and Bermuda will prosper only if they put God first and stand on our firm foundation of a good heritage and legacy we have and we can and will see a Bermuda that suceeds under a Progressive Labor Party Government.

    The U.B.P had 30 years and we have seen the P.L.P in for almost half of that time and they have brought much to the table and as long as they are willing to make changes in house and get the house in order they can move forward and I think one of the greatest things that has happen for them is that Mr Rodney Smith joined the O.B.A so now that he is gone they dont have to worry about Judas.

    • really... says:

      “stand on our firm foundation of a good heritage and legacy we have..” and by that you mean 1.4 BILLION dollars of debt?
      Yes there are more foreigners in the country; your party has sold it to them!
      wake up.

    • Come Correct says:

      Who gave the work permits to Buzz Duane? Plp have given out more work permits than ever before and clearly not for IB. That’s what foot tastes like. Still don’t know where all these work permits went? Go stand outside of western union on Friday.

    • Liars says:

      your a low life loser duane santucci

  6. Oh Well!! says:

    Evaluate the current in Bermuda and decide whether it is the way forward. If not than vote OBA all the way.

  7. Oh Well!! says:

    should be current economic situation

  8. Petra says:

    Just the tone of this response is inspiring.

    The Throne Speech WAS weary! Bereft of ideas, failing to help the people – god knows Mr Hill deserves to be recognised, but a $100k statue! How many families will not get assistance because of this waste?

    We need change, people, and this man just got my vote!

    • Come Correct says:

      How many families could benefit from a well needed boxing gym? I boxed with many people who had the potential to rise to the top, but where was their government to help? That’s ubp and plp.

  9. navin johnson says:

    Since the announcement of the election dissolves Parliament and deprives the OBA of the opportunity to respond to the throne speech…This message needs to be repeated over and over and hopefully enough right thinking people will see that the current Government has done everything but stand strong for Bermudians…..PLP Standing Wrong for Bermudians…..

  10. heybye says:

    There needs to be a change. Trickle down economics has been denied to Bermuda for 14 years.
    Lets get Bermuda back on track and business as usual.
    Bermudians have always been privateers and made a decent living.
    Lets have a Gov in place that truly understands economics so that all of Bermuda has money in their pockets.

  11. Mature says:

    Well i just hope you all pay attention, people need time to change things nothing happens overnight. The only thing i can remember about the UBP is they had a complaint about everything the PLP did whether they were in party or not and i see the OBA doing the same thing. They find every little thing to have a negative comment about. It took them 30yrs to mess it up, so give the PLP timeto fix their mess. VOTE PLP

    • Oh Well!! says:

      That’s what an opposition party does. Do you remember when the PLP were opposition? If not then hopefully you will be reminded after Dec. 17th

    • frank says:

      power to the people,just think for 30 years the ubp cut your a==ss now they do a name change to oba and offer you a lollipop and somemilk and you all are ready to take it.you can drink with them at a cocktail party but they will not take you home to meet moma or daddy.they are just thirsty for power .they don’t give a damm about bermuda .guess what bank of bermuda gone,hne smiths gone, trimminghams gone,and are fear of the old blue eyed boogy gone and i say to ,my people who are darker than blue on election day vote for the party that has done the best for you vote early ,vote strong, vote solid PLP PLP ALL THE WAY OBA NEVER NEVER EVER

      • The nitty gritty says:

        Hi Frank, it was good of you to remind us how many once STABLE businesses have gone, along with Bermudians who loved working there. The ones you cite however are far from the only ones. I won’t embarrass you with the longer list, along with numbers of unemployed since then, under the stewardship of your beloved PLP.
        Who exactly are “my people”??
        If I were white and born Bermudian, would I not be YOUR PEOPLE?
        So it seems that you have decided only dark skinned people are your people.
        Sounds like Ewart when he first became Overlord. “they can take care of themselves”
        We sure dont want to see them Whites just taking care of themselves like Israelis do!! God forbid!
        They might stop spending and hiring and draw in like snails for safety!

  12. CHEEKUMS BIE says:

    When President Obama spoke about change he showed a plan on how to tackle the problem, before he even became President, OBA just points out issues but offer no solutions except to say we need change.

    When it comes to education lets not forget what party started the mega schools and adopted a system of education that prevented many more young Bermudians from graduating ..(UBP/OBA DONE THIS)

    Who set the country into an economic down spiral by letting in Coldwell banker and shooting up the rent and cost of housing….the UBP/OBA did

    Who gave out favors to their friends and ensured that their friends got the quicker loans, were able to establish business better, was able to acquire land faster, was able to send their children to better schools and educate them better…the UBP/OBA did.

    Who for 30 long years had party members that fought AGAINST segregation laws and supported white rule..the UBP/OBA

    Who for 30 years and further back fought for equal rights and an opportunity for leadership to be shared..the PLP

    Who fought hard to make sure that these blacks would never get into political power…the UBP/OBA

    Who after 30 years was voted in after centuries of fighting for change and freedom…the PLP

    Who fought hard with smear campaigns to discredit any black leadership the UBP/OBA

    Who kept it together as a party and stayed as a party and has made many mistakes but is still growing and evolving as a party…the PLP

    Who could not accept that Bermuda was moving forward and decided to dismantle their party, only to come together as the same party but under a different name…the UBP/OBA

    Who has been in leadership for only 14 years compared to another leadership that was in power for 30 years plus centuries of rule not to mention slavery…the PLP

    How can we compare 14 years to 30 years and truly say that that is a fair judgment and a equal share of power, while the government is still developing and evolving. The PLP is like a party that has formed in the womb of Bermuda and is still growing and learning, making its mistakes and making progress and the negative supports wish for people to abort the evolution, to abort our birth, to have an abortion and stop the growth,
    but at the same time turn around and want us to adopt a party that has already had a history of raising hell.
    Sorry but I’ll choose to keep this party and help it to grow and we have enough history to make sure that it doesn’t turn out like the party that raised hell…and 14 years is not enough TIME for a party to reach its full potential
    I have faith…do you

  13. Concerned says:

    When it comes to education lets not forget what party started the mega schools and adopted a system of education that prevented many more young Bermudians from graduating ..- How many Consultants have the PLP had for our Dept. of Education, how many MOED Ministers have the PLP had, how many times has the Curriculum been changed, how many students have left school to get their GED, how many students signed up for free education at Bda College and that changed, how many students have graduated, gone overseas to return home to get employment and returned to the US or UK and found employment. Immigration under Mr. Burch (EB Appointed and Premier Cox kept) held Bermudian homeowners hostage because they married expats, caused companies to close, school teachers to lose jobs due to permit laws, causing families to leave, Bermudians to lose jobs, lose houses, children’s education threatened because of lack of teachers, landlords losing tenants, restaurants, etc losing clientele, Seniors struggling with low pension, high insurance, high medication, taxi drivers struggling due to GPS charges (I am sure by now they know where Dockyard is), losing jobs due to the many many mini-buses, public transportation (buses/ferries)broken, missing parts, falling apart, personnel of both departments going on strike, children having no buses to take them home from school, interim doctors at the hospital, lack of staff, friends of friends being hired in many Gov’t departments and the list goes on…. Do I or others have to point out more of Dr. Brown’s behnid the scene planning and those in the PLP appointed by him (Still) carrying out his orders and blaming everybody but themselves.

    Vote OBA!!

  14. CHEEKUMS BIE says:

    Concerned says:
    (Immigration under Mr. Burch (EB Appointed and Premier Cox kept) held Bermudian homeowners hostage because they married expats)

    This is a lie

    Concerned says:

    (caused companies to close)

    companies close when they are going into debt not because of immigration
    school teachers to lose jobs due to permit laws, causing families to leave
    ???? ummm you do understand the word permit right?

    Concerned says:
    (Bermudians to lose jobs,)

    Immigration caused Bermudians to lose jobs by causing permit holders to lose jobs which creates space for a Bermudian to fill…your not making any sense..

    Concerned says:
    (lose houses, children’s education threatened because of lack of teachers, landlords losing tenants, restaurants, etc losing clientele,)

    your just running off a list that has nothing to do with immigration, if you have a permit you have an allotted time businesses know this.

    Concerned says:
    (Seniors struggling with low pension, high insurance, high medication,)

    Dr Brown did a lot for this look into it and see if that’s not so, again your rambling on and that’s not true, no facts at all.

    Concerned says:
    (taxi drivers struggling due to GPS charges (I am sure by now they know where Dockyard is)

    ?????many taxi drivers didn’t even get a gps and further more they have not been fined for not having one either did you read todays paper?????

    Concerned says:
    (losing jobs due to the many many mini-buses, public transportation)

    taxi and mini bus and public trans is all available options what are you talking about

    Concerned says:
    (buses/ferries)broken, missing parts, falling apart, personnel of both departments going on strike, children having no buses to take them home from school, interim doctors at the hospital, lack of staff, friends of friends being hired in many Gov’t departments and the list goes on)

    And you blame all this on immigration???? Broken parts on a bus..the have mechanics and so do the ferries, ..how is immigration responsible for a strike????

    Concerned says:
    (Do I or others have to point out more of Dr. Brown’s behnid the scene planning and those in the PLP appointed by him (Still) carrying out his orders and blaming everybody but themselves.)

    Yes please point it out so far all you have done is ramble on about nothing and untruths with no proof and placed the blame on the immigration and Dr Brown..who is behind the scene with puppets doing his bidding??? How many of these so called puppets knew about the wigaur situation…none ..why ..because it didn’t evolve their portfolio,

    Concerned says
    (Vote OBA!!)

    That is your choice, and your God given right, democracy is a beautiful thing

  15. Liars says:

    we are all mostly here because we dont have jobs,,,,vote OBA

  16. street wise says:

    If this is how you plp fans feel about your fellow Bermudians I feel sorry for you. Carrying around that much hate is not good for your health. Resentments cloud the mind from rational thought. While the people whom you have resentments against are not aware of it and could care less. So who suffers…? SMH

    So much hate based on misinformation, resentment based on racism, and generational disease out there in plpland. It’s really quite sad how y’all love to re-write our history. Yet are blind to reality of what scoundrels the plp elites really are…. SMH

  17. The nitty gritty says:

    With all the condemnation of the UBP who never saw a day of unemployment,- billion dollar debt- mass shootings-,hundreds of apartments sitting empty, or a hundred affordable(choke) new houses sitting empty looking like a concrete canyon scarring South Shore, you guys have got some cajones trumpeting the great deeds of this government!
    People need purpose in life. Certain jobs give people just that, purpose. When you lose your job or it is under threat of going, it is an horrendous stress and emotional trial. There are business owners who take risks and invest in companies. They need you. They are no longer able to hire you because they have been unbalanced by the present government’s actions and words. They are not willing to throw good money after bad. They cannot afford the extras (payroll, social, pension, insurance) without raising their rates and prices in an already out of control cost environment.
    People cannot be expected to simply be charged more in order to cover the costs of more staff. Breaking even at best is the order of the day for small businesses, Small businesses are the best chance of a job for those without major skill sets or extensive qualifications.
    Sorry but past premiers and past immigration ministers have made those who would have hired step away and go to ground, perhaps for decades. If you value your purpose and job aspirations think about changing something on election day. Your choice entirely. Your future your responsibility for where you ultimately end up.

  18. cheekumsbi says:

    How can you glorify the fact that UBP/OBA never had a day of unemployment(which is not true by the way) and fail to mention that the world has been affected by the recession, 2001 is when Bush and his rein which lasted for 8 years and led the WORLD into a recession, and during this recession Bermuda has stayed afloat pretty damn good, and you cannot fault the PLP or immigration for that

  19. Pilot001 says:

    History will not allow me to vote for OBA who are UPB in disguise. You OBA supporters have so much hatred in you it’s scary.