House Sitting Adjourned Until February 2017
The House of Assembly will be adjourned until February 2017, and the Speaker of the House has requested a “full independent inquiry into the sequential events surrounding the recent protest.”
The announcement from Government said, “The Speaker of the House, The Hon. K.H. Randolph Horton, JP, MP this morning issued the following statement, “Last night I met with the Premier, The Hon. M.H. Dunkley, JP, MP and the Opposition Leader, The Hon. E. David Burt, JP, MP to discuss my concerns relating to the protests which occurred last Friday, December 2 outside the precincts of Sessions House.
“As a result of that meeting, both the Premier and Opposition Leader have agreed for the House to be adjourned until Friday, February 3, 2017.
“I look forward to working with both of them as we resolve this important national issue. I am also requesting a full public independent inquiry into the sequential events surrounding the recent protest.”
Yes Jah!
Bermuda: where democracy is accomplished by a few hundred people with pitchforks and torches, rather than a few tens of thousands with ballots
Cowards. You allowed an unruly mob to disrupt the people’s business, something you were all elected to carry out. You allowed Burt to disrupt the democratic process. Shame on you and shame on Burt.
Merry Christmas.
I remember when we lived in a democracy.
We now live in a creche where the infants throw their toys out of the pram when they don’t get their way.
This is why countries don’t pay ransoms to free hostages. Do it once….
At least the Speaker is making the call. Still to be seen whether the OBA completes the payment or tables their bill.
Yup, we shall see…. I noted the meeting that took place did not involve Furbert and was not moderated by Tweed…. does that mean the results are not binding….After all Burt carries no weight without the backing of the “combined opposition”…. hope he was allowed a phone call…. What they say about “when you make a deal with”…. and so on, and so on…..
SMH
Should friendly protest at the opposition leaders office…sure the bar across the street would be happy to arrange seating and drink specials.
Dont start no S!@# wont be no S!@#.
Government have a duty to serve the people in GOOD FAITH, not by Dictatorship tactics.
The government is serving the people. Just as they were elected to do.
There will be an election to determine how the people feel about that service.
How much they pay you Onion.
Really.
What amazes me is that people continue to comment that its a small minority of people out of a population of 65k people who are not in favor of the airport deal BUT how do we know that when the same 50 people comment on bernews in favor of the airport deal.
If the majority of the population are in favor, why aren’t they out there publicly supporting the governments decision??
If the majority are in favor, they should make their presence known therefore quashing any questions whether the majority are in support!!
BUT NO, people like cowardly cockroaches would rather hide behind a keyboard and fake screen name and spew out disgusting remarks bout Bermudians,who atleast,whether right or wrong, stand up for what they believe in!
My guess is that majority don’t support this deal…..WHAT PROOF IS THERE OTHERWISE???
Greaaat more delays! Building should have been started!
Come Correct!! Build Bermuda for Bermudians!!
Well done, PLP/BIU/PC – you have shut down the democratic process your forefathers fought so hard to have a voice in. A sad day for Bermuda. No winners.
Said it before, the PLP / BIU / CURB / BPSU etc aka “the combined opposition” is absolutely terrified of any sort of economic progress in Bermuda or worse, any success that could be attributed to the OBA.
PLP back in power is the only goal, and every single Bermudian should be terrified of that.
No our forefathers are proud we stood up against a Dictatorship mentality.
SO why didn’t you stand up against the PLP when they were in power passing bills ?
Ya OJ, because your clairvoyant among your many other talents….
Actually, I suspect your forefathers would have little to do with such an ignorant person as yourself!
The democratic process is a guise and always has been in Bermuda whether it was UBP, PLP or OBA. Bermuda was started under corporate colonialism and still is part of that system.
Exactly
Who will be the independent team Mr. Speaker? Don’t let the OBA chose their friends and family. Thanks!
You don’t know what you are talking about.
Mob rule by a small minority: 1
Rule of law & wishes of the majority: 0
Such a sad day…
There is absolutely no indication that the majority of Bermudians approve of this airport deal (and no, online bloggers and biased polls do not count).
There is absolutely no indication that the majority of Bermudians disapprove of this airport deal (and no, online bloggers and biased polls do not count).
@ Portia
Agreed. Equally, there is no indication that 100 people that protested speak for the majority, so let the Gov do their job.
Democracy on this island is a sham
There is absolutely no indication that the majority of Bermudians don’t approve of this airport deal either other than the fact that the number of protestors were so small.
Boo hoo hoo
LMFAO
Buffoon!
A national referendum would be the most accurate way to determine the actual will of the majority. I take nothing from the numbers during the protests or polls to say one way or the other.
“A national referendum would be the most accurate way to determine the actual will of the majority.”
you’re assuming people will go out and vote…you know that won’t happen
Some people don’t go out and vote in general elections either. If one chooses not to, that’s on them, like any other election.
We had one. It was called a general election.
OH ok, so basically a general election dictates that the ruling party has free reign to implement whatever they choose? That’s not how it works.
A national referendum would be pointless given the PLP/BIU have already publicly and unequivocally stated post-protest that they agree the airport needs to be built. It is so sad that the democratic process has been and is being sullied, disrupted and contaminated just because of a disagreement in some technical term/s which have no meaningful bearing on the project at large. Disagreement and debate is healthy; discord and disharmony is not. It should be clear which is being sown and which side it’s coming from.
Ya like de gay bill.
Actually the last poll, that was back at the beginning of the summer I believe, showed just above a 50% in support. A new poll is definitely needed, but since virtually all details are abailable now that show what we are getting, what AECON are getting in return and how this is exactly going to run, I would almost expect that support to rise. This is primarily because, when everything is read in whole, it doesn’t support the Burt/PLP
narrative, in fact it refutes many of his main claims. The only way he is supporting his narrative now is by feeding selected slices to his supporters that are willing to ignore the truth in whole. He is reinforcing this deliberate means of circumventing reason, by playing this narrative with an argumentative and emotional state that would discourage people from listening to anyone who would employ reason.
We have seen this at all the OBA’s attempts to hold open information meetings on this; we have seen this as the PLP use their surrogate agencies, the PC, BIU, CURB and so on, to repeat these misrepresentations and emotive argumentative stances. So it come as no surprise that, when they once again riled up their supporters emotions to override their reason and had them take to the grounds on Friday to deliberately block reasoned and democratic debate, that crowd was less than the ‘peaceful and non-violent’ protestors that the PLP & Co are trying to portray them as.
The unified narrative from PLP & Co is a clear example of this; all of these groups are using the same narrative with words to describe the protestors as ‘peaceful’, ‘lawful’, ‘democratic’, ‘non-violent’… while describing the police as ‘violent’, ‘aggressive’, ‘indiscriminate’, ‘excessive’… All of these are design to specifically narrate a deliberate and emotive response and make this an entirely one sided argument, and deflect any blame from Burt & Co for creating the unnecessary situation to begin with. And they are deliberately escalating this to dangerous levels, knowing full well that their supporters will allow the to, so that they can shut down any debate on this.
You only need to listen to the PLP refusal to say whether they would support the deal, when they were directly asked if they would even if the AG supported it. They do onto want the OBA to succeed in bringing Bermuda back from their disastrous administration, and they will block anything that might do that for the simple sake of selfish politricks.
The polls are only taken from 401 people. That’s it. Sometimes they are wrong.
Sorry but you are forgetting the Pathways bill – so its really
Mob rule: 2
Majority: 0
Anyway the Governor should recall Parliament immediately and send us back to the polls. Frankly if I was Dunkley and crew I wouldn’t bother to run for reelection.
In 5 years time it will be really interesting to see who mob blames for their lot in like when the job makers are gone and the PLP can’t borrow any more money to pay for the bloated civil service…
No. The governor should just open parliament and let the M.P. ‘s debate the airport bill. You have the police, and the army .can’t they protect our parliamentarians.?
you don’t even have the majority of likes on here, how can you think you are the majority? This isn’t Trump’s America.
Premier Furb
Wonderful. Now we can expect a protest on February 3rd. WHAT ARE WE PAYING THESE POLITICIANS FOR???
As if we ever got our monies worth out of politicians in Bermuda. All they’ve ever been is mouth pieces for the elite use to get their way. We could have paid parrots in birds seeds and got the same results for a lot less.
What a joke.
Here’s to hoping the behavior of Burt, Furbert, Hayward and Burgess are within the scope of the inquiry.
The whole blockade is a wrong message that must be addressed with swiftly and strongly, regardless of political affiliations, race, background or diet preference. What happens if (when) a senior union person has to appear in court on charges, but the union doesn’t agree…are they going to block the police station and court now?? This is a very slippery slope that has been created.
Hopefully also cover off how the BTUC and BIU have now become political action groups, rather than being a union looking out for their members. They just pushing the limits so they know what can happen next wildcat strike.
Premier Furbert wins again. Dunkley is weak! We need to start voting for our Premier and not just party. We should have the best person be our Premier not just because he’s the leader of the party. Go back to selling milk. Smh
This is not a labour issue (well it sort of is but no one wants to hear reason). Notice how Burt has been a lot more quiet and Furbert has been running his mouth all week?
You better believe something is afoot.
I don’t think he’s being weak. I think he is making a smart decision to wait. He has to put the safety of Bermudians first (both the police and protestors). Trying to strong-arm this situation when tensions are still high could have potentially lead to dire consequences on Friday, and no one needs that.
The statement reads that Burt and Dunkley AGREED to adjournment that leads me to think it was suggested by the speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker.
Dunkley is weak and bad at the job of Premier, not saying he’s a bad person, but the OBA need to replace him pronto, although there isn’t alot of talent to choose from.
Weakness lies on the side of the opposition who have a base of 100 people who are weak minded enough to follow blindly (pardon the pun).
Bermuda’s Donald Trump his party party, take a bow Burt and PLP. Successfully raising all the deep emotions for political gains, rather than working towards a solution.
The solution was stopping these fools from making a F!@#ed up deal.
What’s your alternative? Remember, Bermuda has no money thanks to PLP incompetence.
Well, outline the deal as you know it then, since you appear to have expertise in this field. What are the suitable alternatives and the cost/benefit assessment of each. Yes revenue from the airport goes to the developer, however, so does the majority of the expenses to. Customs duties remain with BDA government. No fuss with the Hosptial PPP when it was initiated previously, and was hailed as a landmark for how future projects can be funded.
So right now the numbers of sitting MPs in the HoP is (assuming the results will be the same for the upcoming bi-election for the vacant “safe” PLP seat in Constituency 26):
OBA = 18 MPs (19 minus Crockwell)
PLP = 16 MPs (17 minus Horton)
But if Horton steps down as Speaker, then the seats in the HoP change to this right?:
OBA = 17 (18 minus new OBA Speaker)
PLP = 17 (16 plus Horton? Unless he resigned altogether…)
Interesting numbers, no? The Speaker gets to vote if there is a tie, however let’s not forget that not all OBA MPs will necessarily vote the same way, neither will all PLP MPs, eg. Same-Sex Marriage.
You lot put some licks on um! They gonna let y’all get liquored-up, spend all your money in their shops for the holiday and then ram the airport thru. OBA is happy to lose a battle and win the war.
Happy Holidays
Push it to Feb and then have all of these issues fresh in everybody’s mind come May/June for AC. They won’t just magically disappear OBA… You are mug af
No, hopefully the OBA will discuss with the public more details about this deal. Let’s hope they really become transparent, as they claim to be. No more secrets with this untendered project. The people already don’t trust the OBA.
Let’s see them change our minds respectfully (no pepper spray please).
Disappointing. Machinery should have been onsite, people employed, long ago.
Talk, talk, talk. Delay, delay, delay. Two things Bermuda excells at.
The majority are overuled by a very small noisy lawless minority.
Appears to me that the Speaker of the House made the decision and the others went along.
So the PLP still rule.
He’s PLP if you have forgotten .
Next few months go slows, Bus withdrawals
Merry Christmas.
The speaker is not the PLP. Just FYI.
Unrelated topic but can we now focus on deporting Tweed
Contrary to many posts, the adjournment of the House until February represents the ultimate expression of democracy. In its purest form, Government should represent the will of the people as expressed by the individual people.
Whilst the OBA were elected in 2012, they were not given a mandate to govern as they please. Their decisions around both immigration and the proposed airport redevelopment are clear examples of how their decisions do not reflect public sentiment.
Whether you support OBA or PLP, you have to admit that the number of seniors at the protest on Friday was unprecedented. They clearly outnumbered all other age groups.
If we are honest, very few people know the details of the proposed airport contract. Premier Dunkley recently admitted that even he has relied on Minister Richards to provide an overview. Given the significance of the contract to the Country, you might expect him to be independently aware of all relevant details.
Notwithstanding, based on what has been published, as written the contract commits Bermuda to a 30 agreement, with no possibility of withdrawal. Therefore even if the PLP win the next election and discover something completely contrary to Bermuda’s interest, they will not be able to cancel the contract.
Getting into a contract on a ‘blind’ basis cannot be seen as good business sense by anyone! Realistically, who would get a lawyer to sign a 30 year binding contract on their behalf without having the full benefit of knowing the details of the agreement?
To Speaker Horton, you may have been loved by the OBA when you accepted the position and loathed by the PLP. On the decision to adjourn the House until February, you may be loved by the PLP and loathed by the OBA.
But take heart – maybe, just maybe, you were in the right place at the right time to give Bermuda its best Christmas present… a more peaceful Christmas. Thank you for the early present. Perhaps your enduring legacy will be that you acted on behalf of the people when it counted most!
Will someone please tell Alaska Hall that refreshing your browser and hitting the dislike button hundreds of times will not sway public opinion
EXACTLY WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!!!! Just because they are not in agreement with your comments it has to be someone pressing the dislike button over and over…wow that’s unbelievable!
I saw a few hundred people protesting the deal last Friday! WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE SUPPORTING THE GOVERNMENT DECISION?? Hiding behind a keyboard and a screen name like cowardly cockroaches!
I would trust anyone who has the b allz to show their face and stand up for what they believe in then to trust people like you who are the definition of a cowardly cockroach!
Just like you are accusing people of pushing the dislike button more than once,Im almost certain you push the like button just as much!
Uhhh it’s not quite as simple as that. Let’s look at it through a cleaner lens, shall we? Most of the protestors present were either
1) BIU members who were given permission to down tools without repercussion
2) PLP supporters of semi/retirement age
3) Unemployed citizens, most of which I think we can all agree are PLP supporters
Most all of those who support the airport redevelopment plan are not elitist, but hold steady jobs which they can’t abandon to proclaim their party loyalties and/or favor or disapproval of government projects.
We were at work .abiding by the law and EARNING OUR LIVINGS!
FYI, Bernews doesn’t let you vote more than once for the same comment. Yay! for you to learn something new today, grasshopper.
This is nothing but an orchestrated break to plan another attack on peaceful democracy!
The Speaker is working alongside the BIU and the PLP who will take this time to ramp up and recruit people to do the same thing in Feb albeit with the lessons learned from the first. They will now plan to put children and elderly on the front lines backed by the vocal cowards! They will arrange for transport and for video coverage etc. They will have ample time to take it to the churches and to the schools while the Government’s position erodes.
Get on with it now – delaying it will only result in another (but more pronounced) clash with the Police. But this time the Police will need to bring shields, rubber bullets, etc.
Recipe for a disaster!
God.
Someone at Alaska Hall is working overtime on hitting the dislike button. Wonder if they get paid per click? Or perhaps it’s this sinister PR group they have hired running their algorithms from zombie computers…?
You have to ask yourself why the PLP do not want to debate this. They love posting propaganda videos and editorials twisting the details and outright lying on the blogosphere so you would think they would have a ton to say!
Maybe they know that lying in Hill on the public record is not a good idea. They would rather do it on the internet where they are safe and they can have groups twist the truth all day long and confuse and anger the public. That’s a much safer bet than actually debating. What is the PLP afraid of? Are all their stories not what they are actually Trumped up to be?
This is appalling.
OBA you need to change your ways or the PLP will be the next government. Listen to the moderates like Cannoniare, Crockwell, Pettingale and the other BDA-ers ….and fire Greirson (or whatever his name is) he doesn’t have a clue what he’s up against. C’mon Dunkerly you can get people to buy your milk but can’t get them to buy into the crap Richards created…..no way that airport deal is a partnership
Its too late swing voter!! I like you, am a swing voter as well as many members of my family. In Dec four years ago I was very confident in giving the OBA a chance knowing that I had enough of the questionable practices of the PLP as I felt in 1998 of the UBP.
I have since lost all confidence in the OBA and realize they have nothing and don’t understand the concerns of my people…and rightfully so don’t expect them too when the faces of the OBA are not representative of me nor would they understand our struggles when they have never had to endure them a day in their lives.
The OBA are not in touch with the average Bermudian and don’t realize it….that’s a shame but it will be their downfall come election day!!
The PLP were “in touch” with us on the face of things (no pun intended), but they were a far cry from being in touch with reality which is why they behaved so irresponsibly while in power. The way that looked could only carry them so far. As for the OBA, if you didn’t elect them based on their faces, why are you so quick to un-elect them based on their faces???
*the way that the PLP’s faces looked could only carry them so far
PLP will be in no matter what the OBA do
Not so sure about that, the majority of right thinking people are largely appalled with how opposition conducted themselves and manipulated others.
Hope you are right. Bad moves on every front last Friday. You don’t let the peoples business be blocked by a couple hundred noisy people.
Most, if asked, would not be able to give a coherent answer on why they are there.
The police should have had the gate cleared long before 10:00.
The Speaker should have not adjourned the HOA & demanded that the police clear the gates.
There goes any business confidence left in Bermuda. Not even a case of “tyrrany of the majority”, rather mob rule by a mere 100 or so. Why wouldn’t the investor walk away. Shame on our leaders.
Remember 100 more than we have seen in support of the governments decision!How do we know the majority are not in favor when we haven’t seen 10 people publicly supporting the decision…..you cant even get 100 people hiding behind a keyboard and screen name that are in support so I say MAJORITY WINS
Why are these MPs getting paid if they are not sitting? Maybe a Tax Strike should be next.
Don’t none of you forkers come to my house beggin’ for my vote…both parties. You’re both pathetic.
This is just awful on so many levels. What is the point of having elected officials and a police force if a mob of 100 or so protesters can get away with this? This will happen every single time from now on. BTW, you DO NOT REPRESENT ME so PLEASE stop saying you do. You only represent yourselves i.e. 100 or so sheeple.
This is A smart Decision by Dunkley .The big picture is COI !!
What a JOKE! PLP knows exactly what they doing. Let’s shut down the government, win next election, and then do the airport deal and say that they are the ones that got it done.
Don’t matter if its the UBP, PLP, or OBA everyone is going to complain complain complain.
seem to recall it founded a nation.
What value are we getting from our tax dollars if the Gvt is unwilling or unable to govern?
Not sure the views of those paying taxes and are supportive of the airport develoment are getting a fair turn here…yet we pay our taxes, wait and hope….
hope springs eternal.
Bermuda is another world—
Push it to Feb and then have all of these issues fresh in everybody’s mind come May/June for AC. They won’t just magically disappear OBA… Good job
Tweed must be laughing his robes off.
He won.
Permit or no permit still has his allotted time in Bermuda.
Valentines Day should be a dinger……………………..
PLP played a blinder here. Burt understands the game and could care less about the ramifications.
He’ll win, only to realize what winning means. Repeating the exact steps of the OBA with regards to the airport, realizing an alternative funding model is required, seeking one and then getting started 2/3 years down the line, having sunk $100m into keeping the current one dry.
And his supporters will claim it a success.
To those asking for a referendum: has 2016 taught you nothing? We live in a world where truth and facts come second to who shouts loudest about the thing the majority want to hear. A referendum on a complex legal and technical project? You honestly believe that the average citizen should be qualified to make those decisions? If you do, see Brexit 2016. A populace tricked by lying politicians only interested in their own games, and lo and behold when they won they had no interest in actually delivering their false promises. Can’t imagine a similar situation here…
So, will THIS be enough time for Mr Burt to actually get his speech ready?
we cant have those rioters ruining our Christmas now can we?
Pretty canny move actually. This whole “protest” is no more than a cover to detract from the Commission of Enquiry. By putting back this Bill, the ABA can shift attention back to where it belongs – on the outcome of the COI.
I wonder what Mr Burgess thinks about the decision now. His actions of last week appear to have backfired on him.
Perhaps we shouldn’t pay them for shirking responsibility and taking extra vacation time.
THE GREATEST NEED IN THE WORLD IS THE NEED OF LEADERSHIP, BUT THE GREATEST NEED IN LEADERSHIP IS CHARACTER .
DEEEEEP! Is that original or did you read that on a bus shelter?
Contrary to many posts, the adjournment of the House until February represents the ultimate expression of democracy. In its purest form, Government should represent the will of the people as expressed by the individual people.
Whilst the OBA were elected in 2012, they were not given a mandate to govern as they please. Their decisions around both immigration and the proposed airport redevelopment are clear examples of how their decisions do not reflect public sentiment.
Whether you support OBA or PLP, you have to admit that the number of seniors at the protest on Friday was unprecedented. They clearly outnumbered all other age groups.
If we are honest, very few people know the details of the proposed airport contract. Premier Dunkley recently admitted that even he has relied on Minister Richards to provide an overview. Given the significance of the contract to the Country, you might expect him to be independently aware of all relevant details.
Notwithstanding, based on what has been published, as written the contract commits Bermuda to a 30 agreement, with no possibility of withdrawal. Therefore even if the PLP win the next election and discover something completely contrary to Bermuda’s interest, they will not be able to cancel the contract.
Getting into a contract on a ‘blind’ basis cannot be seen as good business sense by anyone! Realistically, who would get a lawyer to sign a 30 year binding contract on their behalf without having the full benefit of knowing the details of the agreement?
To Speaker Horton, you may have been loved by the OBA when you accepted the position and loathed by the PLP. On the decision to adjourn the House until February, you may be loved by the PLP and loathed by the OBA.
But take heart – maybe, just maybe, you were in the right place at the right time to give Bermuda its best Christmas present… a more peaceful Christmas. Thank you for the early present. Perhaps your enduring legacy will be that you acted on behalf of the people when it counted most!
The agreement is available online. Look it up.
As for 30 year agreements, I guess you won’t be getting a mortgage or getting married?
WOW OBA you have lost my vote for 2017!! I can’t believe you would allow them to scare you into doing that. GROW SOME BALLS. I voted along with the other 15,900 voters voted you in to do a job. Your failing us tremendously! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!
Protest off for this week?
This is weak leadership . The country is being run out of the BIU. Mr. Speaker , You have the rule of Law on your side. USE IT. Come February 3 , 2017, the affairs of parliament will be stopped again, if the airport bill is to be debated. WHAT THEN!! Who can get the members of parliament in the House? The word is INSIPID . We have dull leadership, that is unable to make a decision during hard times, which in the end, just adds to our problems . I would rather a man make a wrong decision, than to vacillate, throwing everything up in the air. This is a chess game. We have just played into the hands of our opponents. Game Over.