45 Minute Video: Interview With Premier Burt
[Updated] Premier and Minister of Finance David Burt is speaking with Bernews this afternoon [Dec 15], sitting down for a live interview with journalist Jeremy Deacon.
Update #1: The interview has concluded and the 45-minute video replay is below. We will try and transcribe some of the main points, but to give a brief summary for now, some of the topics covered include the island’s finances, the Government’s plans for economic growth, Brexit, the recent EU list, the U.S. tax plan, the Paradise Papers, the Domestic Partnerships legislation and more.
Update #2: The first excerpt/transcript is posted here on the Domestic Partnerships Act, with the Premier saying the Bill was a compromise, and it gives same-sex couples more legal benefits than they previously had.
Premier Burt said, “I think that it’s important to understand, though the judge said that same-sex couples were entitled to marry, the judge cannot give same-sex couples legal benefits. That is something that has to be done by Parliament.
“I think it should be clear, from what we saw in Parliament, is that there is no appetite in Parliament for that. So what we have to do, is that we have to figure out what it is that we can get a consensus to pass into law, and to move forward on that.”
Asked about the speculation on the Governor giving assent, Premier Burt said, “I expect that the Governor will ratify the Bill of the Parliament.” His comments on the Domestic Partnerships Act can be read here.
The 45-minute live video replay is below:
Update #3: The second excerpt/transcript is posted here on Bermuda’s relationship with the EU, with the Premier saying Bermuda is one of the leading countries in adopting country by country reporting for multi-national enterprises, and we will continue to cooperate with the European Union who is an “important partner for Bermuda,” His comments on the European Union can be read here.
If you want to listen ‘on the go’, you can also access the audio only version of this interview, and all our past interviews, in the podcast section of the Bernews app.
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Well done Mr. Deacon on probing on the roadside sobriety testing question. Appreciate the Premier’s committment to following through on it, and hopefully other road safety measures will be soon forthcoming.
And de random testing of de mps?
Mr Burt spoke very well. His party does him a disservice.
Premier Burt does speak very well, and afforded.
Words are cheap. I hope he can keep up with the promises he has made, without crippling our economy. Time shall tell.
#thetimewedonthave
He speaks well. Shame you can’t trust anything he says.
Thanks one smart cookie he is like a one man army. hopefully he dose not kill himself by doing the two role by himself. he is doing good sofar.
keep up the good work love the tie
This interview has changed my thinking on Premier Burt. I have to acknowledge his hard work for Bermuda and his calm grasp of the issues. As I look around at the political landscape I think he is the best advocate we have and the person most likely to bat well for us.
Well done Jeremy for your widely referenced questions.
Burt states that the the Godwin decision gave same sex couples the right to marry, but did not confer on them the ordinary rights of married couples. He goes on to say that, under the domestic partnership act, they will have more rights than before.
Is that true? I have not heard the attorney general give that opinion. Surely any law that afforded rights to opposite sex spouses and not same sex spouses would be disapplied to that extent following Godwin. Clearly it would have been better for this all to be on a statutory footing, but I’m not persuaded that same sex couples are gaining anything that they did not have during Bermudas brief spell of marriage equality.
Mr Burt is going to grow the economy by cutting out the middle man,, really!! That is a good formula for Bermudians being put out of work Mr.Burt so have at it Burt math ..
you say this because you dont know who the middle man is for Bermuda and the rest of the world. and since you dont know i wont tell you so just sit tight and enjoy the ride and leave to thinking to the people that do the research before posting online.
Any bloody fool can give away other people’s money.
Premier Burt is of course well spoken, that goes without saying, But he is also Smart, Well Mannered, Educated, Intelligent, Well Versed on the issues that concern Bermuda, Sensible, Articulate, and I believe he Sincerely cares about all of us Bermudians even though some (not all) of those who don’t look like him may think otherwise.
Bermuda you have a very Good Man as your leader right now, give the man a chance and over the next few years you may just like what he has accomplished.
Yes I know some of you will not like or admit anything Good about a PLP premier, but that is simply because you lack the maturity to give credit when credit is due.
No he is not perfect and will make mistakes as he is A MAN. I think he will go down as one of the Best Premiers Bermuda has had. And no I am not a party person, I am not for either party, I am for right and wrong.
Last time I was all for the OBA, becoming Government as it was time for change. This time around it was different I was for the party that I felt was going to draw Bermuda as a country closer to God. So this time PLP got my vote. And with this man at the helm i think it was a smart choice.
LOL @ Eugene….dude, pull your head out of his a$$…we get it, you’re in love!
Burt is no good Bermuda, the OBA was well on there way to creating a better Bermuda for all. Bob Richards is a better finance minister and because of the decision he made its making Burts job easier and DUnkley is a better Premier and represents Bermuda much better. Jeremy should have asked him about the America’s Cup. Since the facts have came back he has been very quiet about it.
He is one smooth talker. He is a whole lot better than almost all of his associates. He would make a great used car salesman.
Premier Burt is a politician and says what people want to hear. That makes him a popular Premier but whether he is a good Minister of Finance is yet to be seen. With the aspirations of certain fellow Ministers and the pressures from behind the scenes, it is unlikely he will survive much longer than a year. Just check back to what Marc Bean had to say. The PLP loves itself as a party, but can it do what is needed to bring Bermuda’s finances back on track? The budget is running a surplus so increased taxation should not be the issue. Crippling debt and cost of Government are the issues and the PLP still won’t accept how and what their role was in increasing both so it is unlikely they will solve the problem.
Our Premiere could find could find quite a bit of money if he got rid of all the permanent secretaries, because surely a good head of departments is quite capable of meeting and discussing the matters of the day with his/her minister. That would really be cutting out the middle man and putting those exorbitant salaries to better use.