Hashtag: #JeremyDeaconColumns
Column: How Will Independents Fare In Election?
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] In every election we seem to pose the same question: is this the year for a ‘rise of the independents’, the time when a decent proportion of the backbench will be made up of MPs with no party allegiances? We usually see some candidates but how many have we seen succeed? Some MPs have chosen to later become... Read more of this article
Column: COI Report, Is Future More Important?
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] The Commission of Inquiry report has received a lot of attention with much of the focus placed on what happened in the past but, in a way, is the future more important? While the Commission reported at length on a series of large infrastructure projects undertaken while the PLP was in Government, it also reported... Read more of this article
Column: ‘U-Turn’ On Inquiry Into Auditor’s Report
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] OK, so a by-election is on the horizon and it is a seat that could go either way, but nonetheless, the speed and extent of the U-turn was spectacular. On November 24 last year, Bernews broadcast a podcast interview with the Premier in which he was asked about possibly holding an investigation into Auditor General’s... Read more of this article
Column: Investigating Financial Rules Breaches
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] I think I can predict with some certainty that if we rely on resources as they currently stand in Bermuda, any investigation into breaches of financial rules within Government will still be on-going when those responsible are long dead. Such is the state of the Island’s police expertise in this matter that... Read more of this article
Column: ‘Auditor’s Report, What Will We Learn?’
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] We have now had two [more] damning reports by the Auditor General on the handling of public funds. I have deliberately highlighted the word public – and will come back to that. The two most recent reports [and those before them] paint a picture where it seems that those in authority simply did not care about... Read more of this article
Column: Men, It’s OK To ‘Come Out’ Too
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] To say I was overwhelmed by the messages I received since my ‘coming out’ would be a huge understatement. I was overwhelmed. I received countless emails, people inboxed me on Facebook and sent me private tweets, I was stopped in the street by strangers and received numerous telephone calls. Some peopled... Read more of this article
Column: Time To ‘Come Out’ About Depression
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] I often hear people say that they are depressed. Of course, what they really mean is that they are unhappy, they would not use the phrase if they were aware of what it really meant. What is depression? Here is one definition but it will vary from person to person, depending on the severity of the symptoms. Why... Read more of this article
Column: Visors? Let’s Tackle Young Jobless First
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] I touched on the issue of youth unemployment in Bermuda a few weeks ago in an article called ‘What would the 23 percent think?’ but I want to revisit it in the light of another debate that is on-going now. Predictably the recent spate of crime has prompted some knee-jerk reactions, notably the rekindling... Read more of this article
Column: “Will There Be A Tech Backlash?”
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] For almost two weeks while the builders were in, the Deacon family had no internet access during the weekends and evenings: no TV, no emails; no games, no social media. Nada. The withdrawal symptoms were startling, not quite the shakes and the cold sweats but a sense of loss and of not knowing what to do with... Read more of this article
Column: Undertaking, DUI, Crashes, Road Safety
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] We’ve all got a story to tell about the incredible stuff we’ve seen on the roads – the undertaking, the hair-raising overtaking, the drinking and driving, the crashes we’ve witnessed. There are those, though, who have other stories to tell – how only time can heal the loss of a loved one, the painful... Read more of this article
Column: “Is It Time To Change The Tune?”
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] Again and again, the headlines scream ‘Tourist Arrivals Plummet’, a national hand wringing then ensues about why, the talk shows are abuzz with everyone’s solutions and the politicians embark on the blame game. But are we too fixated with arrivals numbers and should we be more focused on how much visitors... Read more of this article
Column: “What Would The 23 Percent Think?”
[Opinion column written by Jeremy Deacon] I had hoped to get away from commenting on politics and to concentrate on something much more positive and worthwhile instead. Alas, I cannot. There are plenty of positives, but they are being drowned out by the noise from the playground on the Hill which seems to be reaching a crescendo. We have calls for... Read more of this article
