Term Limits: Group Calls For Meeting, Apology
A group of Bermudians who say they are concerned about the future of the island are calling for Bermudians to assemble on the grounds of the House of Assembly on Friday, March 1st at 12pm.
The group is calling for 4 things: Term Limits to be reinstated, a three month extension of of the Work Permit Policy Review, a public apology from the Minister of Home Affairs Michael Fahy for his “deception and condescending attitude,” as well as requesting that OBA officials “cease and desist calling Bermudians xenophobic.”
The group also said that should an apology from Minister Fahy “not be received forthwith,” they are requesting that Minister Fahy be removed as Minister of Home Affairs.
Last month Minister Fahy said Government will eliminate the Term Limit Policy, which restricted work permit holders for working on the island for longer than 6 years without a waiver. Since that time the decision has been discussed widely, and you can view all our coverage surrounding the elimination of Term Limits here.
The full information provided by the group is below:
We are encouraging all Bermudians, who are concerned about the future of our children and grandchildren, to meet on Friday, March 1, 2013 at 12:00 noon on the grounds of the House of Assembly.
We need to let our voices be heard on issues affecting Bermudians currently in the workplace, and those Bermudians who are preparing to enter the job market.
We are requesting the following of Premier Craig Cannonier:
- 1. The Term Limits Policy, as outlined by the former Minister The Hon. Patrice K. Minors, JP in the document dated October 2012, be reinstated immediately.
- 2. An extension of three months until June 30, 2013 for the review of the Work Permit Policy dated February 13, 2013.
- 3. A public apology from the Minister of Home Affairs, Senator the Hon. Michael M. Fahy, JP for his deception and condescending attitude towards the Bermudian people for statements such as: People who were “angry about term limits” are people who are “without jobs – they are looking for someone to place the blame on.” Should this apology not be received forthwith, we are requesting that Minister Fahy be removed as Minister of Home Affairs.
- 4. We are requesting that officials and members of the One Bermuda Alliance cease and desist calling Bermudians xenophobic. Bermudians are concerned about the future of our children and grandchildren.
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- BIU Encourages Members To Join March | Bernews.com | February 28, 2013
Oh please. Let’s politic ourselves even deeper in the hole.
Agreed, what fools we make ourselves look.
Mass ignorance as to how term limits actually function and what they achieve.
Mass ignorance as to energizing the economy for Bermuda.
I thank the government for ditching idiotic term limits for my Bermudian children and my Bermudian children’s children.
What a great way to show of your credentials to a future employee. It’s going to be a flock of Bermudas best talent.
if any apology should be demanded, it should be from the colonel Burch who was arrogant and rude to the business community with his zenophobic statements back in his heyday. anybody remember the meeting he called with Bermudian Financial workers and then proceeded to exclude some White Bermudians because it was his meeting and he could invite/disinvite whoever he wanted??? yup…how quickly we forget…
Why not have the march after 5pM?
We need to be be concerned because of the loop holes in the work permit and especially now that the fox is in charge of the hen house, there is a greater need to be concerned.
This new progressive group that are forming this march needs to be supported. OBA voters were only worried about their children future as far as paying debt etc out of their trust funds earnings.
We need to be concerned about our children future jobs. They are the employers, we the employees. If we had had another 10 years of the past administration, then we would have had time to cultivate a new generation of employers. This government may just take us back 14 years as far as progress is concerned.
Everyone Blacks, Whites and all others whose last names were NOT part of the 40 thieves era, NEEDS TO COME OUT AND SAY NO TO TERM LIMITS. Needs to say:
SAY RESPECT IS DUE
STOP THE DISRESPECTFUL ATTITUDES NOW
STOP HAVING THOSE ARROGANT SNOT NOSE YOUNG WHITE BOYS SPEAK TO EDUCATED BLACKS LIKE THEY ARE STUPID.
START RESPECTING US NOW. RESPECT IS EARNED, YOU CAN’T WIN BY THE SKIN OF YOUR TEETH AND EXPECT RESPECT TO BE A GIVEN.
speak for yourself bro. nothing that a white man can say will make me feel inferior….you got issues
Good for you swing voter, but many are not as strong and self reliant. We need to build bridges and it will not happen with them against us. We are always the ones making mends, extending the olive branch.
you are snapping off the olive branch and trying to run with it… even though the olive tree was sold to a better farmer and will eventually provide a better yield of olives… better quality, more friendly olives! which the whole world will want to come and sample… your olives are rotten and sour… Hope it rains that day March called off!!!!
Do you think that marching around the house of assembly complaining about a govt (who has been in power for THREE MONTHS) trying to create jobs and tackle the mess we as Bermudians have been put in, is extending an olive branch? Respect is earned? Da*n right it is, and how anybody can respect somebody that demands respect talking about “snot nose white” kids etc is unbelievable. You must be crazy!!! I believe you are right about the need to build bridges – but attacking your work crews before they start ain’t the way to go about it. How about working together. How about a little understanding. How about realising the colour of your skin, or your last name, has nothing to do with how hard you work, how much you do for your country and your fellow man, and how much ignorant statements like you are making hurt ALL of us, and hinder future investment to this Island. I demand an apology from this group – they are hell bent on destroying any hope of a turn around just so that they can say I TOLD YOU SO during the next election… grrrrrr
I wouldn’t consider calling them ‘snot nose white boys’ much of an olive branch. More like a hand grenade.
What progress have we achieved in the last 14 years? Record unemployment and debt are not achievements that should be labeled as progress.
And YAWN at your race card rant…that is soooo 2007
Part of the problem is that we only hear your story, we have a story too and the lines are very different.
What has taken place over the last 14 years, open your eyes.
Look around at some of the top jobs which are held by educated blacks whom many like them 14 years, educated more than their white counterparts could NOT FIND A JOB. With the past government and yes the past leaders, they had to give the educated black person a job.
Look in the civil service. How many of the higher scale jobs were held by paper Bermudians that only had white skin? We mortgage our homes, took out loans, pooled our funds and depleted our savings to educate our children and before the global crash, our children were gaining on the playing field and finding good jobs.
Now the playing field is back to protecting non Bermudians and the 40 thieves families. The ones that are helping towing their ideologies that don’t have their own finances in order will be ok, but watch out if you don’t tow the line and speak up for the common man, you will be replaced, squeezed out or just plain ignored. Been there done that.
Your sentence structure is terrible.
@say it louder, we understand. What is wrong in explaining about the ones not respecting?
I wish we would get beyond worrying about and criticizing spelling and sentence structure and listen to the meat of the message.
Sometimes we forget to spell check, sometimes we use little tiny cellphone keys, sometimes we have phones that automatically mis-correct our words, sometimes we use text-speak, sometimes we have forgotten grammar that didn’t have anything to do with the way we actually talked, some of us are dyslexic, many of us don’t think spelling is as important as others of us think. Whatever!
Does it make you feel good, or better than, to correct others? People are trying to communicate!
This constant correction of minor stuff not only negates the message, and sometimes the messenger, but it also hinders the desire for collaboration and can be seen as counterproductive.
WOW!! @ Respect Due: You demand that disrespectful attitudes stop in one breath and in the next call people “arrogant” and “snot nose”… and you don’t see the irony?
Also, a win is a win. I don’t bet on the horses, but I can assure you a win by a nose is still a win and the bookies better pay out. You may not like the result, but once it is a fact, you might as well tear up your ticket. You can blame the horse and/or the jockey and/or the race course, but if they lost, they lost.
Quit with the race card you’re boring everyone.
+You need help This is the classic “All that’s wrong in my life is WHITEY” attitude that is so prevalent in Bermuda today. Where was your concern when the PLP were fleecing the public purse and running amok? They make the forty thieves look like Robin Hood.
Truth be told you resemble the comments you have made, move on brother it is clear you are stuck in that backward thinking that EBrown encouraged.
You and many others need to learn that term limits are a direct result of the unemployment that now exist. At some point you will need to accept this.
and he continues to push nad you following and he is thinking “Idiot Um In”
OMG!!!! Really why must we alway’s bring in color..
I bet not one member of this “group” voted OBA. Sorry guys, but Bermuda voted for CHANGE.
And change we got…changed decisions from platform promises!
There were pros and cons to term limits, and in some instances having them in place forced the employer to place Bermudians on a development plan and work to a specific target date…then in other instances, the talent wasn’t in Bermuda so employers were given extensions…and extensions…and extensions or the person had to be replaced. I see it, I live it, and some managers within organizations have no intentions of replacing a qualified Bdn and will do everything in their power to keep the NonBdn. The NonBdn also has a sense of entitlement, when they are well aware that they are on borrowed time…you should see how they stress over a work permit renewal and should they not be renewed, how indignant they become. I can see both sides of the coin, however Bdns should be this countries first priority!
…no intentions of replacing a NonBdn with a qualified Bdn…that is.
In the last part of your comment you struck on exactly why the term limit hurt businesses over the last couple of years and saw an exodus of guest workers…imagine, if you will, that you have moved your whole life overseas, you’re nearing the end of your work permit term; now, do you wait to find out whether, when the time comes, if Government will grace you with a further term / extension or do you start planning and putting irons in the fire in the event this does not happen? The majority start applying for positions in other jurisdictions because of this uncertainty, many will find alternatives before the permit decision comes close – now, yourself in this position, do you still wait on the whim of Government decision and perhaps find yourself in a position where you’re forced to settle your affairs and get the @#!$ out within the fortnight or do you take the alternative and move out in your own good time prior to the permit / extension decision ever being a factor? Companies lost many, many staff for this exact reason and it is exactly this kind of volatility that they can do without (that’s without even mentioning the costs involved with this type of scenario – think not only permits but repatriation of the departing foreign nationals). Indignant? Possibly.
No educated bermudian would be threatened by term limits. Stop trying to organize meetings and gain education from first class/ rates universities devry does not count! Also you need to learn basic economics to understand the value term limits bring to bermuda.
The US has term limits to protect their citizens, but tiny Bermuda thinks they don’t need them. Fullishness
Really? What class of work permit/visa in the US has term limits??
Most people move to the US on a work permit, then get a green card after a certain amount of time (usually about 5 years) and then possibly citizenship as an end result.
This is the kind of horse s$!t people actually believe. Straight up lies, but those that want to believe that term limits were somehow a good thing will take it as gospel.
Col Burch said himself that the term limit policy had nothing to protecting Bermudian jobs.
And nobody said all Bermudians are xenophobic. Some are, some are not.
“There are only two things I can’t stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people’s cultures… and the Dutch.” – Nigel Powers.
Yeah baby!!!
Quid pro quo Mr Powers
Yes Squid pro row
In the US the “skilled worker” H-1B visas are limited-term. No-one really notices because most H-1B visa holders transition to permanent resident (i.e. Green Card) status before their work authorization ends. If someone doesn’t actually apply for a Green Card then they will have to leave the US after 6 years.
So there are term limited work visas, but the relative ease of getting a Green Card means the limit isn’t that meaningful.
…and there u have it, exactly where the eradication of term limits is taking us…change to the PRC policy! Save your march for what’s to come!!!
The US doesn’t have term limits.
But don’t let facts confuse the situation.
The US has a lot more land than we do. As does Britain, canada and so on…This is what this boils down to. Bermudians over the next generation will be sqeezed off of our country – this is so blatently obvious looking at the OBA’s actions.
So we allow all Guest workers to stay here indefinately, now ideas of “selling citizenship” are being bandied about – and you do not see how this will eventually squeeze Bermudians, white and black into ever small pockets of land. So… we have to accept living on top of one another on Town Hill, Crawl Hill or Parsons Road – wherever the “Bermudian” pockets are – while someone that pushes phony financial insruments around while evading taxation gets to enjoy the best of what our land has – do not get me wrong..the road back from this disater (under the PLP) will be long and hard but that is not what the OBA is willing to do – find the core of this rot – no they want an easy swift solution – but by doing this – or attemping to they have sealed Bermudians into service industry jobs – Construction Service, Trucking Service, House Painting/Maintenance…we are to be happy with that?
Are we sons and daughters of slaves supposed to just accept that we are a lesser race and concede to your “supremacy”? Is it because your mothers and fathers worked harder than mine? Or is it because your mothers and fathers worked harder to keep my peoples uneducated – keep them from owning land – you used your baseless money to build your economic house of cards and keep us in your economic stranglehold. If you truly are superior let us level the playing fields and see how this pans out. No head start – no house and land handed down in trust…no loan denials on base of color – ready for that challenge Zombie? Judging by how much you are oin this site with your “comments” I am sure you are quite weak and ill equipt to pull a load so to speak.
The ideas about “selling citizenship” were suggested by the PLP, while they were in power. They suggested 10-year permits and automatic rights of abode here. So if that’s what you’re upset about, you should have been asking the PLP for an apology, about a year ago.
The thing that we don’t have now is a growing economy. It’s shrinking every year. The pie is getting smaller. We’re all getting worse off every year. Term limits create the perception we don’t want businesses here.
If you wanted to create poverty, you should have voted PLP (which I assume you did). But if you want to get out of this mess, that’s great, because that’s what the government is trying to do.
By the way, when the economy was booming, and the PLP was spending our hard-earned tax money like drunken sailors, there were more work permits granted than at any time in our history. So maybe the apology for that should come from the PLP.
Jonathan Starling, the leader of this march, is a communist. What he wants is poverty for everyone equally. he doesn;t think anyone should do well in life. He thinks anyone that does well has stolen from someone else. He’s a class one jerk.
I was wondering who was behind this. Thanks for clearing that up – explains a great deal.
Jonny where are YOUR parents from???
he has been talking with EB – watch out – this was his plan from the beginning
Interesting how you say we’re all getting worse off each year. It’s all relative, isn’t it? I may have to scale down from two bags of groceries to one…
In your case you may have to scale down from three vacations per year to two.
And while I tried to offer reasonably sensible examples. The reality is a lot of people are “truly struggling” in Bermuda and there lifestyle is “genuinely” becoming worse off each year.
Not to mention – Stark income disparities (inequalities) still exist in Bermuda and that gap continues to widen..
BUT HEY!! That’s CAPITALISM, right??
Oh, pul-ease!!
Your statement was relatively acceptable to read until you decided to bring race into it. Now it’s just ignorant.
I would do my best to be respectful but just were in earth do you get off insulting Bermudians in the area of them being educated or not,this is not just about us now but Bermudians in the future,so the next time you speak can you please pull your foot our of your ass.
And my comment is directed @ educated bermudian,who I consider an uneducated fool in this matter.
Agreed!!
Duane, I usually have some time for your comments, but to ask Bermudians to show a little respect for each other and then call someone an educated fool and tell them to pull their foot out of their ass really doesn’t show any respect. Please lead by example…..
I am leading by example,Bermuda for to long has been a great whore that takes evrything in and spits nothing out and it is high time we put a darn stop to this madness,we need our foreign counter part but not at the expense of selling our souls.
To many Bermudians are to damn passive and let themselves be walked all over,my parents did not born a fool or a slave.
So granting work permits is “letting yourself be walked over”?
You might be a xenophobe.
Ditto.
We all, us out here in the REAL WORLD, know exactly what you are trying to do with your ‘march’. Laverne, I’ve got a bird I’d like to flippin’ show you.
Oddly, many years ago, Concerned Bermudians was the name of a group within the UBP – their views tended towards the extreme conservative, perhaps even what might be called reactionary. For these guys to have chosen the same name to betrays a real lack of awareness of our past on their part…In the meantime, they seem hell bent on destroying any hope we might have of recovery, economic and otherwise.
No one accused these guys of having an ounce of brains between the lot of them. This is sheer ignorance and lack of intelligence. Go ahead and meet so we can all see what a group of uneducated people looks like.
you said it Brad. I’m going to see who these ignorant people are also.
Honestly I believe eliminating term limits was a political blunder (perhaps inexperience). All the Minister needed to do was suspend terms limits for 2 years as promised. At the end of the 2 year period eliminate term limits and be done with it. No broken promises and in effect the same end result without giving the opposition and naysayers ammunition…..I’m just sayin.
Your solution, though well reasoned, doesn’t take into account how many businesses that will not set up shop in Bermuda for that 2 year period because of the uncertainty around term limits. That’s a lot of potential jobs for Bermudians that will go somewhere else for a policy that was ill conceived and executed poorly.
I think the Minister made the right call. People need to understand that job creators are what’s needed in Bermuda AND it needs Bermudians that are willing to do the less popular jobs.
I agree. We would get to the same result but it would be 2 more years of uncertainty for businesses.
Then why do international businesses set up shop in Switzerland when they have term limits? If this was ALL about IB then why not do away with term limits just for IB not all together. Switzerland has different term limits for different professions & this works fine. We already have over 2000 non IB workers here on permit while we have just as many Bermudians either unemployed or can only find part time employment. This unemployment problem was created by plp not enforcing their own laws but just because they didn’t hold to their promise should not mean that we turn a blind eye to a new regime with empty words. Broken promises are broken promises no matter who they come from.
Agree!
Tommy, the Swiss will do just about anything as long as they are handsomely paid for it – it is ONLY and ALWAYS simply an issue of price with them. Anybody, including a lot of God Awful Russian mobsters, is free to set up there – all they have to do is pay an annual flat tax (100,000 francs ) and not break any Swiss laws. The Swiss are perhaps the most duplicitous lot on the Planet (far more so than the old UBP elite) – we should be studying and emulating them with a view to achieving their levels of education, prosperity, independence, etc…
As regards the workforce needed to keep the hotels, restaurants, brothels, etc running smoothly, the Swiss trade in labour (i.e import and re-export it as needed) – in the 70s it was Italians and Spaniards, then Turks, now Poles, Romanians, etc – these proletarian sorts are only allowed to set up roots with extreme obstacles.
It seems to me, the PLP were on to something but and their’s was a failure of implementation not design.
“It seems to me, the PLP were on to something but and their’s was a failure of implementation not design.”
I agree with a failure of implementation but I also feel it was a failure of design & should have been more sectioned to certain job types. This would have made it seem more fair to those who blame term limits on the loss of IB. That is if they made it more lenient for IB & less so for local employers especially the ones with non specialist positions.
Its funny you mention the swiss turning a blind eye to the means in which their investors get their funds. PLP has done the exact opposite by allowing the American feds to look into foreign account holders investments in Bermuda. I wonder how many realize what affect it will have on future investments here? In the meantime I have no doubts there are a handful of local investors who would be looked into as suspect but because they are not on the fed’s list are allowed to keep doing what they do.
Hate to burst anyone’s bubble but the ones who need to apologize are the ones who put this in place in the first place. The international companies that left Bermuda because of this, and consequently put alot of Bermudians out of work, left because of the term limit policy. Bermuda, if it is not careful will price itself out of the International Business Market, just like we have out of the touris market. Companies will not stay where they are not welcome.
This is false.. they left because they failed as an entity. If I am wrong name one public company that operated here that left because of term limits. I want to see in writing where the CEO of said company issues a staement saying “we are leaving because we are not sure if I can renew my Mid-Ocean Membership – sorry work permit- next yaer”
The PLP (not a fan of them BTW) re-issed or extended these limits 70% of the time and the other 30% were to be given review.
So produce the aforementioned statement where the head of a company says this and I will be satisfied.
@Yeah but. You are dead wrong. More than one IB CEO told me they were leaving and taking jobs with them because of the PLP’s antics and in particular Term Limits. These people come here and CREATE JOBS for Bermudians. They uproot their family. Their children change schools. Would you do that to move to another country to build your career and provide a future for your family? My guess is no cuz as a Bermudian you’re too damn lazy. (I am a born Bermudian too before you get all xenophobe on me) So just take a moment and THINK. IB can go to ANY country and run their businesses. They come to Bermuda because of the quality of life, our unique geographical position between the USA and the EU and a whole bunch of other positives.
Seaboard Overseas Limited
You “want to see it in writing”? Is that what you need, a sworn statement in writing before you believe anything?
Ask Jonathan to get you a written statemen from a CEO that term limits make no difference to them. Get him to ask some CEO’s to state they will hire more Bermudians if term limits were reinstated.
All the insurance/reinsurance companies that left continue to operate successfully but now they operate from somewhere else. Somewhere their foreign employees were made to feel welcome and appreciated. Somewhere they were not treated poorly. Somewhere they didn’t have to worry about having their home burgled or hear about the ever increasing gang violence happening here. Somewhere the rule of law still exists and is applied and enforced strictly and fairly for all. Somewhere they weren’t constantly being asked for a hand out one day and then having to listen to and read racist commentary about them the next day. Somewhere they could employ people who did not come to the job with a tremendous sense of entitlement and union mentality.
There is no doubt that the Island has reaped what the PLP Government has sown. Some are still blinded by the racist rhetoric that the PLP used to divide the people of Bermuda for 14 years and to scare away IB. The animosity was growing for years – how could it not – but the sense of entitlement that the PLP itself instilled in its supporters didn’t enable them to see what was really happening all around them. And then it was too late. Now some of my fellow Bermudians are crying about there being no jobs. Well, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. After the appalling actions, IB reacted and took their jobs, and their companies, elsewhere. Somewhere they were wanted. And that is where they operate from. Switzerland was the jurisdiction of choice for our departing insurers and reinsurers. They wouldn’t have gone if the PLP didn’t give them the ammunition to load the gun.
The sense of entitlement, lack of respect for law and order (eg, gun violence, traffic deaths due to there being no enforcement of traffic laws, etc.) and resulting social issues that started under Dr. Ewart Brown is generational. It will take a good 20 years of hard work and dedication focussing on the resulting problems in order for us to effect any real change and turn this Island and its youth around. And I pray the OBA remains clear in their focus to address these ills, and fast. Time is of the essence.
For all of those who are out of work I wish you success in finding a job. When you do find one, try to remember that a job is not a right. Remember that on the days when you just don’t feel like going to work, or you can’t be bothered to get to work on time, or you want to take a longer lunch break than you are permitted to, or you don’t feel you owe your employer respect and a pleasant working experience with a friendly, hard working employee. Just remember.
Whoa check out the tone of this one. This is rich!!!! First of all, BERMUDA’S social ills STARTED under Dr. Brown. Then….and this is the kicker. “All of those who are out of work” are void of any form of good work ethic because(Think About It ) has graciously supplied them all with some TIPS on remaining employed. How condescending !!!! We truly do have bigger problems than we think.
That is tremendously condescending!!! WOW… You are using stereotypes and they went someone where they don’t have to worry about having their home burgled?? How can I follow these companies to some Paradise in the sky??
Your words are futile you are preaching to the dumb, deaf & blind. Many who comment here as I have learned are non Bermudians or PRC holders who have a chip on their shoulders towards Bermudians. They will tell you they are true Bermudians but it is apparent many are not but use the guise of anonymity to mislead. I know what you typed is true because all the companies that have left have moved to countries that also have term limits of some sort. There are not many places in this world that don’t. The difference is not in who has term limits but who uses them wisely & upholds them firmly. Those countries that have term limits but let them be abuse are easily spotted because they are the ones with growing poverty levels & crime rates ours included.
That poster invite should be coloured green, not blue. March 1st it will rain, and no-one will turn up (with any luck).
Seriously?!
I’d like an apology from the PLP for fv#k!ng up this island, but I’m not holding my breath!
Bermudians are xenophobic though. That’s a fact. They’re also homophobic. And cainophobic.
Cainophobic?
I had to look it up too! I think it’s actually applicable here.
Main Entry: cainophobia
Part of Speech: n
Definition: a fear of new things; also called cainotophobia
Etymology: Greek kainos ‘new’
You must not get out much or you would have known that Bermudians have our own national cross dresser & embrace his yearly trany halloween show. Heck he even stood at the corner with Johnny Barnes in full drag to advertise last year. Aside from that there are many Bermudians who are extremely camp & you don’t see anyone bothering them. The majority who think like that are the old time church goers who protested Rosie O’ donnells ship but hey those are the ones who our new security minister thought were so forward thinking they would solve the BDA wanksters hate for each other. Many Bermudians have at least one family member who is gay but they don’t ostracize them for their preference.
As for a fear of new thats just a side splitter. LMAO a thousand times!!!! Bermudians are known to be the first to have the latest everything from clothes to cars to gadgets to whatever else is the latest.
You & your comment has made me coulrophobic.
And you’re prejudiced, how does that make you any better?
Don’t we see that term limits have discouraged businesses from doing business in Bermuda, which in turn has reduced the number of Bermudians being hired and have encouraged more outsourcing?
When are we going to GET it fellow Bermudians???
CAN SOMEONE DIRECT ME TO ANY ARTCLE WHERE THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY COMMENTS ON TERM LIMITS….not a local organization, BUT a REAL CEO or CFO or HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER in IB. I would like to settle something with a few people I know…
Exactly they cannot do it – companies failed as an entity or left for more favorable conditions…read profit margins – NO EVIDENCE OF TERM LIMITS AS THE CAUSE
So explain how term limits heps protect Bermudian jobs. The legislation is quite clearly entitled To Prevent Long Term Residency, while Col. Burch, in 2008, acknowledged that term limits are not designed to protect Bermudian jobs.
No evidence of term limits saving a single job.
That’s because it was never enforced by plp. The plp had too many strings attached to non IB employers who wouldn’t be happy with them if they sent their permit holders away. This is why they went open season on IB it was all bait & switch.
But term limits do not save jobs. They lose jobs.
Where is this a concrete fact? This is only an assumption. Didn’t you read what I typed. PLP never enforced the law they just put it in place to make it look like they were doing good for Bermudians. Because of their lack of enforcement many NON IB WORKERS LOST JOBS. Let me repeat that since some have problems reading NON IB WORKERS LOST JOBS. They lost these jobs to foreign workers who have been working here past the term limit date but still get permits renewed. Instead of minister fahy looking into where the term limits would work & where they would hinder i.e. International Business he just scrapped them all together. This proves minister fayh isn’t worth his salt as a minister because any intelligent minister would have looked at the choice from all angles he is just a lackey for employers especially those who are his buddies. Haven’t we had enough of political parties making decisions on their friends behalf?
Nonsense!
http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20080720/ISSUE01/100025448
ACE announced its plan to relocate in March, saying, “Switzerland affords us the security of a network of tax treaties,” and a change of jurisdiction may “help reduce reputational, political, regulatory and financial risks” to the company.
Yea they went from Cayman to Switzerland, so whais your point exactly?
I think they have missed their point as I’ve read the comments on the other post that support term limits since Switzerland has some of the strictest term limits out of all other countries.
It is relatively easy to set up and work in Switzerland. For IB companies there are effectively no term limits at all. In fact, Switzerland encourages businesses to move there, and guarantees no issues with work permits. There is no term limit policy, and once resident in Switzerland people have the same rights as Swiss nationals, including the right to live and retire there, and the right to buy property.
The term limits in Bermuda didn’t only apply to IB they applied to all foreign workers. This is the one sided problem with everyone who agrees with term limits being thrown out. Switzerland does have term limits they just call them a permit type instead of term limits but they still have a year on them before the permit holder has to reapply. That’s right a year, go to the Swiss immigration site & check it for yourself. The difference with their permits is they are specific to what type of job the person is applying for & some blue collar jobs aren’t even allowed a permit. Most permits are given to university graduate jobs & this is why its easy for IB to bring workers there but all have to reapply yearly.
There are no term limits in Switzerland. You’re wrong about that. Switzerland encourages businesses to set up there, for obvious reasons. It’s good for them, like it would be good for us.
Term limits are laws that state how long a foreigner can work in a country they are not a national of. Switzerland has these laws they are called permit types & the type of permit depends on what the job is, what the nationality of the person is & wether or not the job can be filled by a swiss national. Many countries have these laws & if the swiss didn’t the whole world would move there. Just because they don’t call them term limits doesn’t mean they don’t have another name for them. I say potato, the swiss say apple of the earth & you say the thing between your ears. Its all relative.
So, since every Bermuda Work Permit has an expiration date, that in effect is a term limit, making the term limits everyone is fussing about completely redundant and unnecessary, serving only to create uncertainty in the IB world and either scare jobs away from the island or stop them from being created in the first place. Got it.
The CEOs, CFO’s or HR people commented by scaling down or movng business away from Bermuda to other jurisdictions! Read the many, many articles in the last year alone.
This is laughably pathetic! And Bermudians ARE xenophobic. Carry on OBA – you’re doing the right thing.
@ Clare,
I am not a person who agrees with march on March 1st, nor do I agree with people generalizing that Bermudians are xenophobic. I have worked in the Hospitality Industry for 16 years, and I can tell you that most people who work in this industry have no problem with foreign workers in general. It frustrates people like myself when I keep reading statements like this.
Let me throw some generalizing examples out there :
Many have heard “white girls are w#$res” Or ” all black women are b*tchy”. If I take the attitude of the bloggers, then I am to believe this is tru. But real people (logical thinking) know this is far from the truth. So please, stop generaling!
Sigh. Ok, Independent, if we’re splitting hairs/being pedantic: obviously, not every single Bermudian is a xenophobe (hell, I am Bermudian, and I’m very much pro the OBA’s term limits policy, and would welcome with open arms any foreign workers who can lift our economy out of PLP-induced doldrums)! As a group, many Bermudians have a tendency to blame foreigners for their ills and look upon some with disdain. There, how’s that?
Good for you Clare!
@Clare,
You missed the point. Your still sitting there saying many like it’s the masses, and you are wrong. Say a select few, because you do not speak for the masses.
The original statement re: “Bermudians are xenophobic” was in fact only aimed at some Bermudians as per the original quote that has been blown out of context via the PLP pr machines out there. The original statement was aimed at staunch PLP supporters if my memory serves correctly. Hardly “all as the PLP would have you and others to believe it is this type of mind set that keeps this country divided and has its roots in the past 14 years of “real Bermudians” that the PLP talked of some many times and believe me this term did not include Bermudians that did not look like me.
LOL
@ LOL; The original “xenophobic” statement was directed at those Bermudians who would like all foreigners to go home. Hardly “all”. Not even all “staunch PLP supporters.” Some of the xenophobes don’t support, much less vote for, any political party.
Thanks for the LAUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You want to march on Parliament about THIS!!!!!!!!!??? “Concerned Bermudians”… where was your CONCERN during the last 8-10 YEARS!???
Get a damn life…
This should be an easy fix. As recent as the budget speech the Minister of finance said that there was “statistical and anecdotal evidence” that the policy caused great harm to the country. Now is the time to release the proof.
They Can’t…its conjecture…
Was Cox working on conjecture when she instituted 10-year work permits and automatic PRC’s for senior IB employees? Was she using common sense, or did she have statistical evidence?
Ah well….freedom of speech is alive and well. Common sense appears to be dead however.
Best comment yet…
Agree!
And where were these people when the previous Goverment insulted everyone else!
Where were the protests against unemployment,corruption,corruption ectect!
It will make TV worthwhile Friday.
It would be helpful if Col Burch and the Cog (term limits was her idea) turned up for moral support and guidance – they might also be able to give a practical demonstration of xenophobia so that the audience genuinely grasps what it is really. In the meantime, lets hope no potential investors are nearby.
Where is the Cog these days? Seriously, has anyone seen her?
She is enjoying her nice big former Premiers’ pension, ask your MP how much that is.
She clung to power until the maximum pension was vested, while going to collect vanity women’s awards.
The Cog go on a walk???
Now that’s something I’d come out to see for myself.
I’ll be there. Alongside the Furbert’s with a bucket of chicken for everyone to share!
@ Truth is killin’ me,
That’s a real racist statement a$%#le! Does it make you feel better about yourself making statements like that?
thats not racist hes referring to the disagreements the BIU had with KFC
Exactly Tim…thank you for the clarity. I’m glad someone’s been watching the local news.
@ Tim & Truth is killin me,
You must take me for an a#s. lol, Believe what you want. Two Jokers!
@ Independent: He who smells and mentions the fart first…is almost always the farter!
I think they were referring to the Furbert/BIU /KFC strike deal.
Alektorophobic
@Truth is killing’me…says…I certainly have no issue with the Minister’s decision to scrapped term limits, as I expect work permit policies to protect qualified Bermudians against unscrupulous employers…I certainly have an issue with your racist “chicken” remark…it is not needed to reflect your point…one would expect better from one self…unless of course one is a Racist..
*singing*…get a bucket of chicken…finger licking good…
“The Colonel” at Kentucky Fried Chicken. And what is your point?
last i checked, the “Colonel” at KFC was white.
And another person misses the mark, the ateatement was directed at CF’s attempt to shut down KFC to protect their employees jobs and in no way was inferring racism. The statement was satirical and not racist, you should be looking in the mirror and asking yourself why you are so keen to see racism where it is not.
Now that is uncalled for sir/madam.. People can make racists comments like that, but when someone calls it out, that person is being racist for stating what they feel for bringing up the matter of race relations??
Whether you agree with what these people are trying to do or not, it is their right to protest legislation that they feel is not in their best interest.
I can believe the hatred I read on here at times,, smh
Anyone interested in bringing your lunch and sitting on Parliament hill in SUPPORT of scrapping term limits???
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR SCRAPPING TERM LIMITS.
BRING YOUR LUNCH AND SIT ON THE HILL- 11:45AM MARCH 1ST HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
yup
i will bring my 6 pack as well just cause it will be friday
Such a good idea!
I totally appreciate freedom and speech and expression, but I wonder if this exercise isn’t a bit misguided–
Simple reality check—-our beloved country is in a protracted recession, a change in approach and fiscal prudence is the only way for us (ALL OF US) to work through this.
Our trading partners and competitors are beginning economic recovery and we are not. We are being left behind. The policies that have existed during Bermuda’s economic slide are not working, they need to be changed.
Folks, we need to do something different to help rebuild this country
For the love of Bermuda–let’s give change a chance, stoking the embers only detract us from getting on with the work that is needed to get this country moving.
I for one want a more modern Bermuda where there is opportunity available for ALL Bermudians–
Do you????
HE DID NOT SAY ALL BERMUDIANS….SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST STUCK ON F**KIN STUPID.
Wow, just peoved how manny srupid prople are on this island. but someone please correct me, the high influx of guest workers happned when who was in power taking jobs away from bermudains????? Even with the term limits guest workers was still comming in by the dozens. just proved that the term limit was pointless. the work permit policy protect jobs not term limit. if anything the term limit policy did three things. A Bermudain may replace the guest worker, the guest worker was replaced with another guest worker or the position was gotten red of complety. this is showing how pointless it was and driving what money we had coming in to this island out to other places there for this policy hurt bermuda more then it helped bermuda jobs.
Why was Immigration under whose direction allowing so many guest workers to come in during those years and up to 2012 – as you say Bull ‘senseless”.
So what happened to this being a march to voice concerns over the increasing violence in the community, apparently someone decided to hijack a march for a legitimate concern, for one that by all accounts is a useless policy. Here’s my opinion on each point
1 – why should they reinstate a policy that by all accounts (and by that I mean the OBA, department of Immigration reports, PLP, lawyers, business community, etc.) has been admitted to being a useless policy.
2 – why drag out a review that was already done
3 – I think Minister Fahy should appologize, he is not being as sympathetic as he should to the plight of those who are legitimately suffering from the lack of jobs in this economic climate, however, I can see where his frustration stems as he has repeatedly been bad mouthed by those who still suffer from the illusion that the term limits policy did anything. He is after all only human, and one person can only repeat something so many times to people who don’t want to hear it, before losing patience
4 – the OBA has not been calling Bermudians xenophobic, just those loud few who have been posting and saying disgusting, sometimes racist, and derogatory things about our foreign guests and residents. These are the people who are a threat to the betterment of our children and future, these attitude do nothing but rot our community and if allowed to take root in our children, will destroy their future.
Those organizing this march seem intent on flogging the dead horse behind the cart, so I’m sure it will go ahead, but it will be interesting to see who and how many will actually be there, it would also be interesting to know of those who do show, how many would have done this had this been under the PLP.
Best post yet!!
Absolutely agree
Agreed. Good post.
I will not be going! OBA keep up the good work,and get rid of those ill thought out PLP policies.We need work!
I had initially refused to believe that anyone would be so stuck on stupid as to make these demands – until I saw the flyer and read this article. I am embarassed that ANY fellow Bermudians could seriously support such a flawed policy.
I’m praying for rain because I do not want to risk indigestion if I eat my lunch on the hill looking upon these crazies.
I don’t get it the plp never apologized for the mess they did & never apologized for not making our streets safer, oba please stand strong and ignore this.
As a young bda male in his thirties I will not be there i find this insulting and people will think all Bermudians think like this. Why doesn’t everyone March against the violence and demand for stronger no nonsense policing and a task force? March outside of the police station and ask for someonelse to be in charge demand something new there term limits is a waste of time ,we insulted the expats and many will probably not return after what plp has done find your self lucky if people still want to come here and spend billions and millions of dollars
Obviously yet another PLP splinter group still raw and smarting at their unexpected loss of government last December 17th that they will continue to do their best to further the destabilisation of Bermuda.
Stop being so ‘fake’ sensitive ! The PLP was the most in your face arrogant and racist government this island has ever seen but it was all fine with you , eh ?
Furthermore ‘certain’ Bermudians ARE supremely xenophobic . Any chance they get to denigrate/hate on a foreigner they will. And loudly.
The only thing inappropriate about describing Bermudians as xenophobic is that it’s a generalisation. Luckily not all Bermudians are so.
Otherwise , what’s so arrogant and condescending about that ? It’s the f****ng truth . Just like , today the sun is out …what’s insulting about that ?
As for ‘Concerned Bermudians ‘ … if you really were so very concerned you’d leave the OBA to get on with fixing the mess that your PLP put us in , so you , your children and your grandchildren stand a chance at having a future .
Stop being so ‘fake’ sensitive ! The PLP was the most in your face arrogant and racist government this island has ever seen but it was all fine with you , eh ?
Ummm,, slow your roll on that one,, Where you here under UBP rule during the 60′s and 70′s???
“The PLP has out UBPed the UBP” – the late Julian Hall
Yep , I was here , even long before that. You’re talking about them 38 horrible years when the prosperous black middle class was created and more black millionaires per capita emerged than anywhere else on the planet ?
But heavens forbid , it wasn’t a ‘white government’ so all them newly prosperous blacks were still ‘opressed’ and held back.
BTW , how are all of those social programmes instituted under the ‘peoples government’ of the PLP working out for you ?
We still have massively dysfunctional single parent households . We still have people livng in caves and cars. We still have seniors who have to choose between paying for meds and overpriced rent and groceries. And we still have more crime per capita for a speck on the face of the earth than probably anywhere else .
Yeah , I really want to go back to a PLP government . NOT !
I completely agree with the comments Mae by Educated Bermudian. It would appear that many Bermudias are
confusing term limits with work et is. Bermuda needs educated non Bermudians to work in the offices of large
companies which were set up in Bermuda a long time ago.
If a couple arrive in Bermuda with two young children, there is a strong chance Bermudians will benefit from
their stay. These people rent houses from Bermudians, many of these houses are empty at the moment,
Therefore the Bermudian is not receiving rent which may be used to pay their mortgage. That non Bermudian
family may also use cleaning people, babysitters, taxis when they have visitors from overseas, dinners with
these friends at Bermuda restaurants, visits to the Aquarium and other Bermuda sights. They also buy
groceries, liquor from local stores purchased from local wholesalers. Bermudians benefit a great deal from
the non Bermudian employees. Even the blood bank at KEMH will suffer if nonBermudians do not give
Blood along with Bermudians.
Many of these exempt companies offer educational scholarships to young Bermudians so that they can get a good
education so that when they return home from an overseas college or university they can get a good job.
So think twice about cutting the life line for many Bermudians who gain from the cancellation of long term limits.
As for criticizing Michael Fahy – he has the future of Bermuda at heart – he has a young family that he
and his wife would like to bring up in a stable society for all. He is NOT selfish, he has Bermuda and
Bermudians at heart and thinks many people do that. To end term limits is the start of a better Bermuda
for ALL Bermudians.
Give OBA a chance – remember they inherited some serious problems from the PLP.
Concerned Smiths Parish Resident.
Can the organizers ask the PLP, to apologize to all of Bermuda ,for the way they governed Bermuda?
Good idea – after all, they’ll be the same people protesting so it shouldn’t be hard for them to do double duty and talk out of both sides of their mouth. They’ve had 14 years of practice already so are quite adept at misleading voters so this should be a cake walk.
Who are the organizers? If we have questions to ‘axe’ them, what is the best way to contact them?
You FOOLS will be marching against a better chance for economic recovery and MORE JOBS FOR BER-MU-DIANS!! You will be marching against that! You still dont get the big picture. Stop being ignorant.
You are showing just how xenophobic you really are.
You should change your name from “Concerned Bermudians” to “Selfish Bermudians who dont want Bermuda to Succeed” F*&%ing idiots.
SMDH,
Why you shaking your head. This is in effect what people will be marching for if they do not understand basic economics.
I am really really really interested to see how many people get off their collective bums and go there. Bring it on LV CF and the rest of you. Wonder if you’ll get enough for it to be called ‘another lynch mob’ or ‘another few frustrated people’. I would bet my last dollar that this will be the most pathetic turn out ever. The reason is quite obvious to anyone with half a brain. Unfortunately it is people with half a brain who you are hoping will show. Who else would?
The RIPplp (Regressive Ignorance Party) lost on Dec 17th due to extreme incompetence and overuse of the race card.
Live with it.
Hoping to be there on Friday for a good laugh – and to confirm who are the truly ignorant in Bermuda.
RIPplp
I think this group should go take a cold shower.
A lot of people are xenophobic. Definition of xenophobic is: A person unduly fearful or contemptuous of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or foreign peoples.
Term limits did not help businesses in Bermuda – companies left and therefore unemployment increased.
Minister Fahy is doing the right thing for Bermuda and therefore for the next generation of Bermudians. If he is working too quickly for your likely – get with the real world! Island time is one thing but not when a country is in danger of sinking. Actions need to be taken now or there will be no Bermuda for the next generation. I feel that no apology is required – let the OBA and this government get on with getting this country back up and running.
Any feelings of deception or condescending attitude – look in the mirror, or start reading and understanding the situation before jumping up and down and getting into a “hot mess”!
People need to focus on the real issues facing Bermuda – if you can’t see the direction this Island is heading then more fool you. What will this place be without IB and foreigners? Nothing!
I’m fine with peaceful demonstrations at Parliament. That’s the beauty of a free democracy. If you don’t agree with term limits, that is entirely your right, and our country is fortunate enough to allow you to express that in such a manner.
But I am a bit baffled as to the tone of this ‘protest’. It might as well read:
We, the ‘concerned citizens’ do not agree with the democratically elected majority party, and therefore demand that that democratically elected party change the policies that we don’t like.
Hate to point out the blindingly obvious, but shouting loudest may get you the most minutes on radio talk shows, but amounts to nothing more than a sore throat in our political system.
It’s even more amusing given the election was barely a couple months ago. The majority of Bermudians have spoken, and chosen their representatives to govern. You can disagree, but please remember that you’re in the minority now, and the government should best represent the majority that voted them in.
What a complete joke. I agree with the majority of the comments on here. Why dont we ask the people who put us in this predicament to begin with for an apology? You’re concerned now, what about the last decade? And someone put it best above, “no educated Bermudian would be threatened by term limits.”
This really frustrates me! How can you be so brainwashed? This raises GREAT concern about the social fabric of our culture. Where has your common sense gone?
I think we should also form a group of supporters and meet at the same time on Parliament!
What people are not getting is that Bermuda when in power by UBP or PLP and now OBA are still getting controlled by a group of set people. Wake up and realize that all parties have the same PUPPET MASTERS. Foolish of you to believe otherwise.
Jackpot,, you are the grand prize winner..
Ya the Queen
With all due respect where the hell were all of you concerned Bermudians during the 14 years the PLP was taking from the people of Bermuda through their mismanagement of the government purse!
If term limits were so beneficial for Bermudians, then why did unemployment rise when they actually started to be enforced?
And apologize for calling some Bermudians xenophobic? Where was you lots outrage when the previous administration labelled a whole section of Bermudians the following:
- Lynch mobs
- House ni%%ers
- Secret racist cabals
- Neo-fascists that want to lock us all up
- Plantation owners
- Etc.
Puhlease.
And it is telling that this group of so called “concerned citizens” (aka PLP supporters)stayed ominously silent when, under the PLP, more work permits were given out than under any other Government. Where was your outrage when the unemployment increased drastically? You all just sat around and said, “hey, I would rather my family be unemployed then have these damned furreners in my island” (and yes I have heard that first hand).
Y’all stayed silent when the former PLP Government sanctioned the sales of 3 out of 4 Bermudian banks to be sold off to furreners as well. For instance the Bank of Bermuda employed 1,200 people, locally, before being sold to HSBC in 2004. Since their acquisition, which was sanctioned by the PLP Government, they have cut down their full time employee figure down to less than 700. Where was your outrage then?
This march has nothing to do with freedom of speech and everything to do with the organizers disdain for the current Government and their arrogant belief that the PLP had a destiny to be in power forever. I mean, if it isn’t then where was this so called group of concerned citizens before now, as the problems being faced started long before December 18 2012.
But I digress. March against your own wellbeing. Chase out some more of the industry that supplies 85 cents of every dollar taken in by the Government to pay for all your pretty capital projects and social programs.
OBA have to make good on there promises. Pay back for all of those campaign contributions perhaps
What most people fail to understand is the many conversations that take place behind the scenes. That is ultimately what is guiding this country forward. And when things come out into the light as is currently taking place, all we’re seeing is the tip of the ice-berg. This group of people are reacting to just that. It’s more of an emotional response…but i wouldn’t down it. Frustration is brewing more everyday and rightfully so.
Meanwhile in our “rich” island community many still remain unemployed. We’re struggling to survive in an economy heavily concentrated on international business. And while that is great for the economy when observed from a particular view – The fact is IB mostly caters to a specific demographic…and so to address this issue more/alternative job creation is needed to curb our growing unemployment. Lets hope after the OBA is done making there new friends happy they’ll do something about this.
Yes or we could build a factory instead!?. Money trickles down and education is key. Tourism needs to grow, but how do we do that and what did the PLP do about it for over a decade at the Helm? We need to take care of the hand that feeds us at present before we can look to new hands for the future. Unless you want to live somewhere that will have extreme poverty within 10 years.
I get your point, but the problem is that this has not been a “rich” Island for several years. It has been rapidly failing. Job creation won’t come about without new capital. That means foreign money.
i guess more IB will have to make more reduncies now to show us you cannot f####@k with the hand that feeds u, thats how you grow an economy. The bible does say the lord love a cherful giver.
Yes I agree that education (above all) is key. But so is Job creation for the many Bermudians with and/or without a college degree. This needs to be addressed immediately and the OBA have been elected to take on these challenges/priorities. Lets hope they are qualified to do so. Otherwise we’ll continue to witness an increase in crime and violence stats. The correlation is quite evident.
Perhaps social entrepreneurship is the answer.
“Social entrepreneurs identify resources where people only see problems. They view the villagers as the solution, not the passive beneficiary. They begin with the assumption of competence and unleash resources in the communities they’re serving.”
David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas
Where are you going to get the resources to “unleash”? Businesses that are locally owned are closing. Job “creation” doesn’t exist. Jobs are not created, they are developed, cultivated. That requires someone with the money to plant the seeds.
“Jobs are not created, they are developed, cultivated. That requires someone with the money to plant the seeds.”
Ok, well said. And so based on that logic…
Perhaps some of our fellow bermudian citizens whom are holding on to copious amounts of cash, acreage, power and influence can donate some money to the unemployment cause.
I’m certain they can unleash some resources in the community. Although I’m sure they would much prefer to embark on self-serving projects and business ventures instead…which is perfectly fine.
Whosoever decides to invest these resources would obviously have to be self-motivated and require a deep compassion and service to the improvement and betterment of one’s community on a whole. Most of all – have financial resources to invest and hopefully restore our community to a better place.
Or they could simply turn a blind eye and sip scotch on there veranda overlooking what used to be a slave plantation many moons ago
“Perhaps some of our fellow bermudian citizens whom are holding on to copious amounts of cash, acreage, power and influence can donate some money to the unemployment cause.” Donating is what a lot of business people have been doing. Many of the ones that are still in business. Earning is what they need to be doing, and passing that on to their (hopefully) Bermudian employees and managers. The “self-serving projects and business ventures” are what provide jobs for people. Look at the Greens. They invested money in the Island. That money goes to employing people. I want the best for Bermudians of all types. That means jobs, and that only comes about with investment. Donations don’t help for very long. Investment helps over the long haul. “Give a man a fish, etc.”
I said donate but I actually meant invest…but we need to find solutions and fast.
And while I honestly feel it’s great for a bermudian to have ownership of this age-old hotel; frankly, I don’t see how that will provide the kind of social, economic and cultural shift needed to re-educate our youth and provide the educational and consciously motivated programs (privately funded and community driven) that are pivotal in order to eliminate crime, violence and curb unemployment sometime in the foreseeable future. Yes the Greens/Fairmont will provide more jobs at some point (upon completion of it’s expansion plans). However, more is needed. Btw I couldn’t help but notice there are many foreigners working for fairmont. Have you?
Currently we see a Bermuda where there is a real powerlessness due to the lack of equal opportunity for all. The statistics are quite revealing. Take a look.
Again I think it’s great that the Green family has invested in the local tourism product. And I happen to be a huge advocate of tourism as a means to improve our economy and provide new opportunities of old. I can only hope more rich bermudians and business moguls will step forward and do something for our community – whether intentional or not. And by saying “do something”, I mean provide resources (investment) to ignite change and foster our most valuable resource, the bermudian people (I’m sure some may disagree;)
The Group should be named: ‘Concerned Idiots who do not understand how Term limits affect them or the Economy?’
If you are out of a job and you are part of this group, then you sure as hell are making sure you never see one in future. The PLP and their supporters just don’t get it, they want jobs, they want handouts they want to all have $$$ but they do not understand where the $$$ come from. Well they come from outside of Bermuda and the people who decide on bringing those $$$ to this Island are affected by Term limits. So guess what they stopped bringing those $$$ here because of term limits and they will continue to do so unless that changes. On top of that we have a huge amount of debt to pay off which our Grandchildren will be bankrupted by unless foreign $$$ come into our economy and allow us to pay off our debts. We currently have to borrow more than we earn. If we do not change this by making it a hospitable place for IB, then we will be bankrupt country and everyone who owns a piece of this rock will what their investment and property be worth 0. Our currency will collapse.
But I am sure the concerned citizens and their kill wh#tey Fay lynch mob are failing to understand what Term limits actually do. They want jobs and they don’t know how to get them and he don’t understand the simple economics of where the Jobs come from so they complain for the sake of complaining. The whole reason why we are in this mess is the policies of the PLP, we cannot continue those policies because they DID NOT WORK!
Before any of the OBA apologize to these concerned citizens, I’d like to see RIPplp apologize for 14 years of incompetence, of racial tyranny, and falling down on their promise to run this country other than into the ground.
You people make me laugh. I’ll be laughing on Friday when your march is pretty well called off for lack of support. Even if you had support, they wouldn’t show up – and you know exactly why.
Some people are not really understanding term limits. But let them march on cabinet like real idiots. I hope their foreign bosses take note and fire every last one of them for being stupid.
Here you think the jobs of the masses are going to foreigners. These are people that have a one-sided mind confusin term with work permits.
The term limits will not apply to foreign pot washers and landscapers. But if you want to blames the masses of immigrants that come into the island you blame the process of immigration stamping the “OK” on the visa.
Then you blame your bosses for hiring above the Bermudian. And then you blame the Bermudian, Not all but Some, who didnt push or strive or make the effort to get their qualification, or the paperwork needed becuase they are too old, have children, or don’t want to study.
I have heard it all before. Im in a class now where half of them don’t want to he there. Oh well, accept what you are given. Low pay, dead end growht in job opportunity.
Im a black Bermudian, and i’ve had seen it all and im tried of all the lame excuses.
I think the OBA would have had an easier time scrapping term limits if they beefed up Immigration Enforcement and came down hard on those who run afoul of work permit policies, instead of letting persons or companies whos ad’s that read like this get away with it: “Wanted Nanny, for 3 households, duties to include taking and picking all children from school, 2 days a week at each home, all cooking-cleaning-laundry-yard work-some light construction-servicing cars,boats and jetskis-holiday and overtime expected-travel at short notice with any or all of the families-must be cpr-aed-FBI-NCIS-CIS trained and vetted”
They have said that’s exactly what they going to do.
Ok I think this is a misguided march. If it was to get the work permit policy reviewed and updated due to practices in the work force by employers I would be there but the other reasons to march kill that reason to be there. It is the out dated work permit policy that needs the update. This is the policy that protects Bermudians. Term Limits had nothing to do with the protection of Bermudians at all and all to do with PRC that could be eligible for citizenship in the case of Independence nothing else. I feel this march is an encouraged PLP/biu march nothing more.
LOL
And I agree with LMFAO, no bermudian with all their qualifications and papers in order wiil be threaten.
Guess what. Education (checked) further education (checked)
Qualification (check) further course and certificates (checked Experience at the same employer for years (checked)
The chance of being FIRED or Made Redundant (will cost them more to do that, then to keep me)
Job Security in Place.
There’s no cure for dumba$$.
Public apology??? For what??? I think we have a mental illness which has Bermudians (for the most part) acting highly offended by the slightest of things… or is it just convenient to justify the hautiness so many are afflicted with?
oops… should have been haughtiness…
Im sorry. This is THE MOST ridiculous thing I have come across.
Before wasting my breathe even arguing with these people I suggest that someone really does start a support group and go and march on Parliament at the same time.
PLEASE I AM BEGGING ALL SUPPORTERS TO GO…It would just be a total mockery of the whole thing. I may not be able to attend due to personal reasons but I am sure as heck going to try!
Someone start posting posters around to gain momentum and I am sure the supporters will outweigh the ‘concerned Bermudians’ .
LOL you guys sure do give me a good chuckle….
I heard this march is being financed by a consortium from Cayman, Zurich and Dublin.
This very same consortium is also responsible for the sit-in that happened in Singapore last month !
Singapore, a Nation that waves in business and has a growing GDP, as Bermuda falters and flat lines.
Term limited IB expats exports people very often with their jobs.
Its a citrix solution:)
And don’t forget to add , a citizenry crushed under the weight of expats displacing them . Bermuda can learn from Singapore and will have the best of both worlds if we tailor our immigration policies that allows businesses to flourish , while at the same time reminds foreign workers that Bermuda land space is very finite and cannot support unbridled rights to domicile for foreign born families . Yes we need foreign capital , but we also maintain our rights and dignity not to sell our birth right for two pieces of silver .
When the population of Bermuda has dropped to 40,000 in the non too distant future and IB has outsourced all but a few underwriters due to hostile policies, lets revisit this subject and see if your anti immigration views still hold true.
It is clear that the issue of the removal of term limits has not been adequately handled by the government which is why it has become so divisive. It is amazing how the people on this blog that think that it was the correct thing to do are so condesending to those who do not agree. The truth is there has not been Any statistical evidence to support the repeated statements that they have cause harm, and the minister saying so does not make it factual. Yes it is a fact they they were not designed to protect jobs, that is a fact. But in order to bring this issue to an amicable close the government must release this evidence that they say they have. The Premier has said that he believed that the legal opinion that was given to the former government was evidence enough for him but lawyers often give differing opinions on an issue and that in itself is not factual proof, just someone’s opinion.
Well one thing is for sure the implementation (2001) and actual enforcement (circa 2007) of this policy corresponds with unprecedented levels of unemployment in the island.
So I would I bet it is safe to say that they played a part in the demise of the private sector and Bermudian jobs.
Unless you believe in massive conincedences.
And before anyone yammers on about the global recession (which is a lie in and of itself) why has Bermuda recorded a fourth consecutive GDP contraction (four years and counting), while none of our trading partners or similar jurisdictions have expereinced the same economic downfall?
Things that make you go hmmmmm…
But hey, it is obvious that some people just do not understand the definition of insanity (doing the same things over and expecting a different result) as exemplified by these marchers and people that support the march’s premise.
To the organizers of this event.
I support freedom of expression and speech and also I respect the wishes of voters that put our elected officials in power.
I do believe that your attention is way off base here and I would encourage you to spend your time organizing events that will help our people that are in need at this difficult time.
Help kids that are misguided and ending up in harms way. Help Bermuda attract more business so much needed money flows into our economy and creates jobs for our people.
Its time for us to work together to build a better Island. I sure hope you want this–though I must admit–I am fearful that you do not.
Sadly your actions will not result in what you think they will, rather they very well may have a negative impact on job creation and economic recovery as these actions really make it seem that we are not interested in growing and diversifying business and our economy.
Please let’s fix Bermuda’s problems.
Term limits is not a critical issue, our youth killing one another is, a deficit that is way too large for a country our size is–
Give new policies a chance—if they don’t work–then take to the streets…
Sadly–you are on the wrong side of what most Bermudians are thinking and want….
Wow , if term limits are eliminated then who will eat the lionfish ?
Min. Fahy said that all WP holders will have to sign papers that they will have no rights to permanent residency in Bermuda. Case closed for me. This looks like some PLP supporters who can’t accept that their team lost on Dec. 17th…
That same piece of paper will be worth about the same as a paper Bermuda $1 note .
Laughable………bermuda voted for change and we need it badly, not the standing still, the real ting
wow – tired of uneduacated bermudians thinking that this term policy is a threat to them!!!!
i voted OBA OBA OBA!!!
screw the PLP who have run this country into debt.
In the words of our famous Lt Col Klink-Burch!!GET OVER IT..
What I find most amusing of this whole situation, is how once again the PLPers are demonstrating their Republic/Tea Party like traits.
When the Republican/Tea Party railed against illegal immigration and President Obama’s proposed immigration reforms they were labeled as xenophobic, racists and the lot. In turn, they responded to these labels, with the rebuttal that their views were simply those of Americans who wanted the best for their future American generations. Sound familiar?
Of the parallels between the PLPers and the Tea Partiers becomes a little more blurred everyday. How ironic.
Friday suppose to rain, so they won’t be marching! They melt!
Yep you are one of them – Miss Dame, may you not turn out to be Miss Damm
To all those who have negative predictions for what this march will look like, please stop posting them. You just add fuel to the fire and encourage folks who probably wouldn’t have participated to make an appearance. People are frustrated, angry, and some of them are hungry…as Bob Marley says, “A hungry man is an angry man.”
PLP supporters have been told over and over they must “stand strong.” This translates into: any criticism of PLP is “traitorous” or worse, “being a white man’s pawn” (I am not being racist, I have just heard it all before).
Yet, they ARE hurting, with no other acceptable target except the OBA. Put-downs, name-calling and insults just make it more ‘clear’ to them that they are despised by OBA supporters, even though that may not be the whole truth. However, just as there are xenophobes among us, there are anti-Bermudians, anti-PLPs and racists among us too. I believe they are in the minority though, and I refuse to provide ‘puff’ to any of it.
Each of us who has a stake in the well-being of this island has two options: contribute to the tension or contribute to the healing. We must ask ourselves every time before we speak and/or write – “which option am I contributing to?”
Just so there is no misunderstanding: I think ending term limits was the right thing to do. I think Minister Fahy missed a step that would have made his life easier, but I think he has tried to redress it by making the Work Permit Reform draft public – and ended up still being blasted for it (damned if you do, damned if you don’t).
I think Work Permit reform is LOOOOOONG overdue and that, if properly policed and adhered to, will do more for protecting Bermudian jobs than term limits ever did, especially since term limits were not designed to protect Bermudian jobs anyway – if you don’t want to listen to any OBA spokesperson, listen to Colonel Burch. He said it first.
As someone has already mentioned, the people who have been given the jobs which Bermudians could fill were not subject to term limits.
Having said all that, this march is putting the cart before the horse, IMO. Marches should be the last resort, not the first. They lose their impact otherwise. However, I believe it is every citizen’s right to engage in peaceful protest, so…
Well said Pastor Syl!
Some day, Pastor Syl, I just want to come over and hug you.
Well said.
Pastor, I think your views are sound but that you are way too generous to those who do not share them – perhaps that makes you a better person than most but mark my words, in the end you will be bitterly disappointed – that is the nature of this sectarian country we all call home and think of as “ours.”
I have a list of the OBA people can “the group” publish their names please so we know the degree of credibility the request should get.
I really truly wish I was going to be on the island for this “protest”…it’s going to be the most hilarious spectacle of faux righteous indignation that anyone has ever seen.
These “Concerned Bermudians” who are presumably disgruntled PLP supporters are basically trying to make the OBA fail. They had better be careful what they wish for as if the OBA fail, then Bermuda will fail. They would do well to think about the welfare of the Island,and not just try to make the job of the OBA harder for political motives. The PLP has left the Island with massive problems and are obviously totally incapable of turning things around; so we are left with the OBA as the best and only chance. We should all work for Bermuda and not try to sabotage them for political gain.
Thank you Pastor Syl Hayward. Excellent post. Take note people. More respect needed all round. The OBA won. Allow them to govern. Vote again in 5 years. Disagree respectfully. Stop sterotyping.
Just heard more details about this march on Friday. Concern Bermudians is what they call themselves. In reality it will be a ‘few frustrated and ignorant Bermudians’. Perhaps a ‘Grinch mob’. Either way, best of luck to people like LV and CF in getting the masses out because we all know THEY SIMPLY WON’T SHOW UP. You know exactly what I’m talking about and I will be there to laugh at your pathetic march. This will be PLP at their most pathetic.
The RIPplp (Regressive Ignorance Party) is finished. HAHAHAHAHA
You people only voted for the OBA because of the bad job the plp was doing but how does that mean that the OBA is any good? All i have seen is them going back on there election promises. Just because the plp did bad doesnt mean the oba will do any better. Im sure that 95 percent of the people that voted oba only voted for them because they wanted change not because they thought the oba would b the better party
Personally, I disagree, strongly, with the four points that this group is calling for, but I commend them on their effort to stand up and be heard.
I only wish that these same people could have found their voice when the PLP was in power and better behaviour from them as well, at the very least.
And yes, I will openly refer to some members of the PLP as being both racist and xenophobic. Not solely based upon general public comments that they made, but because of specific comments that were made to, and about me, to my face.
Let this group do what they do best sit on a wall and want to be paid! Thank God for the OBA.
Listening to economist Craig Simmons,Bermuda is in deep shi….. Thanks PLP!
Be careful what you ask for you might just get it. calling Bermudians xenophobic ignores the fact that for years Bermuda has had a foriegn migrant work force that appoachs 30% . even though for years these people were given benifits over Bermudians and that has long been bitter
issure with Bermudians; especially when great sacrifice was made to sent our children overseas to earn higher education so that they can enter Bermuda’s economy; only to be told that there is no room for them in thier own country. Just imagine such a situation existing in the United States in Canada or even England. One thing is for sure no political leader would dare pull down thier own people to the exstent that we hear taking place in this country. Nor would they take the side of the foriegner against thier own countrymen. Xenophobic feelings on the rise? well you call it you create it. Any people feeling that they are been push up against will resist. And I don’t see my Bermudian countrymen being any diffrent.
You never said any if this over the past 14 years, when the PLP issued more work permits than at any time in our history. I can remember when certain classes, like shop assistants, were protected. The PLP did away with that. They thought Bermudians were ‘too important’ to do those jobs. And now, years later, you complain that school leavers found “no room in their own country”. Blame the PLP, who focused on useless term limits while ignoring work permits.
Mr. Williams-
I’m confused.
Are you saying that Bermudians are xenophobic? If so, then why should the OBA cease and desist from using the term?
Are you saying that term limits prevent Bermudians from holding jobs in Bermuda? Or are you confusing work permits and term limits? If term limits were such an important tool, why were so many exceptions granted?
Finally, if the OBA promised to suspend term limits, why should they be reinstated? The OBA election promise made clear that term limits would not be in place if they won. The call to reinstate them is revisionist and, frankly, disingenuous.
Your indignation and warning would be more credible, and would seem less manufactured, if you had been as vocal in prior years. Since you haven’t, and since only now do you appear to feel that this is a critical matter for the Island, your comments seem more like a thin veneer covering party politics, and less driven by genuine concern for the well-being of Bermuda.
EW
Did these people rally when PLP members threw out obviously racist statements to white and to blacks to support OBA or to even blacks married to whites. Fact of matter is many Bermudians are xenophobic hence constantly blaming foreigners!!!! Like burch making foul statements about Filipinos. The list goes on. Face it. If this was PLP they wouldn’t be doing this.
Term Limits was an election ploy by the PLP that did nothing but hurt Bermuda.
Mr Fahy should apologise for what? Starting early to fix Bermuda after the PLP spent 14 years screwing it over.
Xenophobic – Lots of Bermudians are xenophobic, thanks to the foreigner bashing former PLP Government.
Perhaps somebody can reassure me (Mrs. Furbert maybe?) that “Fahy’s deception and condescending attitude” is not simply code for “Get rid of the white guy.” I just have this very queasy feeling and need reassurance.
No man is an island…
let us all work together.
nothing can protect an individual aside from himself.
if you want job, arm yourself with positive attitude, humility, acceptance, and most of all education.
if you have all of the above, with or without term limits, your safe.
if this goes through that is it… Bemrudians are at a whole xenophobic they are selfish, racist and spoilt… honestly push as hard as you want i am bermudian but have UK background as do most of the original settlers in bermuda… so keep fighting we will revoke your british passport and leave u all alone on your 21miles. YOU PEOPLE HONESTLY ARE THE SCUM OF THE EARTH!!!
Did the OBA leadership call Bermudians xenophobic? I don’t remember that happening. I think that the mention of xenophobia was spun, by the opposition, into a blanket statement that Bermudians are xenophobic. Can someone give me the evidence that the OBA leadership has called Bermudians xenophobic?
Of course not, because it didn’t happen
It will be interesting to see how many of these “marchers” (i have to laugh!) will return to work on Friday afternoon! I hope employers, including Civil Service, will dock pay for anyone who doesn’t return to work or returns to work late.
The best way for a Bermudian government to make sure that Bermudians get jobs is by providing better education, not through restricting migrant workers.
If businesses could get the skills they need in Bermuda, they would have no need to employ migrant workers. The only reason businesses have to go overseas for their employees is due to a lack of Bermudians with the required skills.
And this too shall pass,,,next.
I would be embarrassed to show up on Friday. You won’t see me within 100 yards of the place.
But the PLP were allowed to state:
“Those of us in leadership have a common understanding of the need to make tough decisions and to sometimes make them in spite of their unpopularity, simply because it is the right thing to do,” DrE.Brown said.
I wish ppl would look past ‘black’ and ‘white’. Its obvious that the ppl calling for this march are PLP and they weren’t concerned about the state of Bermuda as long as a ‘black’ person was doing it to Bermudians? Now they are? Let’s give the OBA a chance.
…..another Friday afternoon off!
Sure they’ll demand to be paid.
Busses and ferries will stop running, no doubt.
This obviously is the PLP/BIU at work. If we couldn’t win on Dec 17th. let’s sabotage the Government process.
Let’s see how many and, especially, who turns out.
after everthing we’ve been through over the last 14 years….even 4 accused terrorists got jobs ahead of Bermudians….you lot have some nerve. no concept of how our economy works
The labeling of Bermudians as xenophobic arose months ago when the PLP attempted to limit the number of people who could become permanent residents and has been parroted by many bloggers. When people use this term to apply to Bermudians, which Bermudians are they referring to? Bermudians, regardless of race or level of society have not historically been xenophobic. It is a common thing for detractors to use diversionary tactics (such as labeling people as xenophobia) to detract from the real issue which is that many Bermudians are genuinely concerned about their future on their island. They should be. I recall the anxiety among the residents of Vancouver who were also labeled xenophobic when wealthy Kong Kong residents began to buy up property there when there was an exodus from that populous island to Vancouver.Their concern was genuine as well as it affected property values in particular. Term limits do indeed have an effect on jobs where Bermudians are skilled unless the OBA exclude these areas. We are neither xenophobic nor ignorant, we are simply looking after our well being as other countrymen do.
“It is a common thing for detractors to use diversionary tactics (such as labeling people as xenophobia) to detract from the real issue which is that many Bermudians are genuinely concerned about their future on their island.”
You mean like calling people house ni%%@^s and others neo-fascists and plantation owners?
“And this too shall pass”
people are so ignorant you just don’t see the light so much damage has been done with the last government keep it up and we will become a THIRD WORLD COUNTRY.
The new Government is are only hope you better leave them alone…
Would someone please explain “THIRD WORLD COUNTRY?” I hate it when folks use phrases they do not even understand in order to make themselves feel superior. What is Bermuda at present First or Second?
Technically a third world country is a country that is not allied with either the US and NATO (the 1st world) or the USSR and China (the 2nd world)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World
I encourage all of you white folks to take your time reading the contents of this link so that you may get a good look at the state of your hearts. It was written by one of your own. Another of your own has stated in his works that the problem with the world is YOU.
Bermuda needs a good purging!
http://www.nathanielturner.com/biglittlewhitelies.htm
so this term limits issue is related to this book?
actually it was written by an Arab American..not “one of our own”
It relates to white people’s abuse of Blacks in all areas of, and every single day of, their lives. Like Mary Prince said, and I paraphrase: “No matta har harz Iz triz ta pleeze my massa I karz.”
Read the article and form your own conclusions.
So white people shouldn’t try to live in harmony with blacks? I lived in another country for a few years and had to blend my own Bermudian-ness with that of my host country. If I tried to be all Bermudian (like I am in Bermuda) I wouldn’t have gotten very far as very few there understand it. In fact, I think most people adjust themselves slightly depending on who they are dealing with in an effort to better communicate. I understand that the consequences
of slavery/segregation have followed us into the modern world in the form of economic disparity between the races etc and feel that these issues must be addressed..although I do not understand why you feel the need to emulate white people in order to blend in…not in todays Bermuda, anyway. Please give me a few examples in a modern Bermuda context that I can think about.
p.s. this is not about me trying to win my white point of view..I would like to understand you better and the only way to do that is to ask.
Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum
The Honorable Premier Cannonier has shut down his restaurant because he could not create a menu, so he passed on his responsibilities on to foreigners. This is how he runs his business, so what chance do we have of him running the business of Bermuda?