Swan: Same Leadership That Got Us In This Mess
Leader of the Opposition Kim.Swan has extended his best wishes to our new Premier Paula Cox, and continued on to say that “I see Premier Cox as a continuation of the same leadership and the same government that got us into this mess in the first place, particularly the financial mess we find ourselves in.”
Mr Swan pointed out that “As Finance Minister Ms. Cox allowed the debt to quadruple since 2005 and was responsible for the uncontrolled spending and two deficit years in a row.”
Mr Swan’s full statement follows below:
First I’d like to extend my best wishes to the Ms. Paula Cox on her new responsibilities as Premier.
Premier Cox certainly has a difficult task ahead of her as Bermuda is clearly going in the wrong direction.
Unfortunately, I don’t see this as the real change that Bermuda desperately needs. I see Premier Cox as a continuation of the same leadership and the same government that got us into this mess in the first place, particularly the financial mess we find ourselves in.
As Finance Minister Ms. Cox allowed the debt to quadruple since 2005 and was responsible for the uncontrolled spending and two deficit years in a row.
In addition, our Finance Minister failed to exercise her constitutional power and prevent the lack of tendering and the conflicts of interest that the Auditor General has recently disclosed?
This country and our community need real change not the same people dealing with the problems that they helped to create.
Well said!
I appreciate the comments from the Opposition Leader; however, if he truly wants those who support the current government to be swayed to support his party, when these statements are made, they must include some directive/solution from his party to address the concerns listed. Without it, it just sounds like wasteful rhetoric and “whinning”. Just a thought . . .
It’s quite clear that the majority of PLP voters WILL NEVER vote for the UBP ever again, that has been stated several times over. I think he and his party have offered a VERY common sense solution on SEVERAL occasions. STOP wasting taxpayer dollars. We can’t afford it. What other solutions you need? Does anyone in their right mind think that a 78MILLION dollar building was a good idea? Think about what that kind of money could have been better put towards. The last thing Bermuda needs is more buildings, you know and so do I.
What I would like for Mr.Swan and the UBP to be honest about and express from the following economic ventures, the programmes that they would not have started.
Future Care
New Hospital
Land Tax Deductables for Seniors
Death Tax Benefits
Child Care allowances
Ferry & Bus passes for Special People
Bus Passes for School Students
Fast Ferries
Vehicle Licence deductables for seniors
Financial Allowances for Education at The Bermuda College.
Cruise Ship Terminal at Dockyard
Port Royal Golf Course Upgrade
Increase in Financial Aid and Additional Educational Scholarship Awards for Bermudians
New Court House
One man one vote of equal value
Term Limits
Construction and delivery of Bermuda’s first trans atlantic training ship.
The rise of small businesses
The above is a sample that had a price attached to it.
What would Mr. Swan and the UBP do/have done differently?
You forgot the need to increase taxes during a recession and the subsequent issuing of a $500mn bond in which we are reposnsible for nearly $30mn per annum in interest payments due to our national debt quadrupling in 4 years or so.
Other than that:
“Construction and delivery of Bermuda’s first trans atlantic training ship”
This was not a PLP venture. Maybe a small percentage was contributed by the PLP, but definitely not their idea and/or accomplishment
“Term Limits”
What good has this policy achieved?
“New Hospital”
Where? And wasn’t this in essence a private venture as well?
“Rise of small businesses”
Correia Construction is not small business
“Fast Ferries”
That only last 7 years b/c the BIU in their usual xenophobic/racist ways rejected teh opportunity for trained professionals to teach Bermudians on how to properly maintain these multi-million dollar vessels.
“capital projects et al”
Shall we talk about the blatant so called “mis-appropriation” of tax payers money related to the Dockyard Pier, TCD, Berkeley, Coco Reef lease, BHC
Well that was dumb. Term limits that have helped to create an exodus of highly skilled people and their intellectual capital, a new hospital plan to be built under PFI/PPP which our grandchildren will be paying for, ballooning debt, fast ferries that are constantly out of service due to poor planning and lack of funds, cruise ship terminal at dockyard _ don’t make me laugh, vastly over budget, and a cruise ship policy which has been to the detriment of business in Hamilton, a new court house but no money for the Salvation Army shelter, Port Royal upgrade…for what exactly? TCD overrun by 10 million dollars! 10 Million FFS. Don’t get me started on the rest.
Oh, and the Spirit of Bermuda…nothing to do with the idiots in the PLP.
Tired of nonsense and Sandgrownan are really funny. I like the LOL abreviation (Suckers) smile.
Gone fishing
Cheers
Ahhh…the old Brownite tactic of running far away when posed with questions that are indefensible…
Must be “plantation question” season…
Bwwwhahahaha…the truth has an anti-plp bias.
Run away, deflect, misconstrue, be disingenuous, but on no account answer any questions….
Cog has a great opportunity here, but she will blow it, just like Jennifer Smith, Alex Scott and Ewart Brown.
For the record I am not either Tired or Sand. Thanks for the call out though Draggin I am the one the only ………. wait for it ………..
LOL
I do agree with YBM that these comments from Mr Swan are a bit old, are very predictable, and offer no counter, but unfortunately, i tihnk the time for a solution/offer was before the election..
if it was there and ignored, well then yeah i think we’re doomed.. if it wasn’t offered then he can’t really complain now.
Useless Mombo-Jumbo coming from a poor excuse for a leader of a defunct Party. We need a viable opposition and we need one fast.
Agreed.
But don’t you think we also deserve a better Governing party, rather than the morally bankrupt administration currently in place?
Can’t help but think that the opposition does not matter. Any opposition would have been branded the same no matter who outside of the party it was. I think we should get rid of it altogether that way we will really see how apt the government is at its job! Better yet the PLP should become its own opposition seeing as I do not believe they would listen to anyone else. As proof I offer up that Bob Richards did predict the economy going bust in 2003 as documented in the RG. Right message wrong political affiliation I guess. Oh well still…….
LOL
ps no one to date has shown me a sustainable way to keep all the semi free bees that were supposed to be free but even plp voters knew that was just vote grabbing politics
LOL,
Let me take this opportunity to apologise for suggesting my words was infering that you are Tired or Sand. That would never be suggested by me. I just became aware of Laughing OUT Loud (LOL). Not The person.
With reference to your recent comments regarding the opposition and sustainability, I have to say this. My initial discussion was based on what or if the UBP would have carried out the social programmes and infrastructure projects carried out by the PLP Government over the last 12 years. I intentionally left out overruns and financial management controls for a particuliar reason. As far as I’m concerned I have achieved my intentions. There has not been any feedback on my questions except a lot of noise regarding overruns and name calling. We have a long way to go toward resolving problems, too much static from a certain segment of the population.
Have A Great Weekend
Gone fishing until Monday
Why did you leave out the multi-millions of tax payers that are currently unaccounted for (circa $800mn) as well as avoiding about talking about the millions of dollars wasted in so called “overruns?” Why do you avoid addressing all these FACTS and instead revert to the old tactic of attacking teh messenger (i.e. their white so don’t pay attention?
No problem with the name thingy and I glad you have discovered the meaning “I just became aware of Laughing OUT Loud (LOL).” and now that you have I’ll answer that I don’t know I’m not in the UBP to say what they would do like everyone else I have to go by the platforms each party stand on at election time. As I stated else where I remember the UBP have means testing as a part of their approach. Then the PLP came out and said basically they’ll one-up it with the exception of long term residency issue they were essentially the same just depended on which party was more your style really. Have a good week end your earned your pay.
While you use a lure I fish with a net and GPS………..
LOL
No, I think we need a system that forces whichever government in power to do the right thing. But for now, this is what we have, and without a strong opposition, the country will only get weaker.
The next Question is how many paychecks will Ms Cox and Mr Burgess be receiving….will she be giving up her “day” job and how many portfolios will
she have and does she get a paycheck for each one….actually how many did Mr Brown
get for Premier, Tourism, Transport etc
It has been stated numerous times that the Premier only received ONE paycheck for ALL of the positions thats he occupied!
You have to understand that for some people, the truth is not what they want. So yes, no matter how many times it is stated, if you hate the Doc, then you will only hear that which makes him looks bad.
To LOL,
Can’t afford a net or GPS, strictly Dragging A Lure on a rod or hand from the “The Rock”
Good Fishing
So you admit that the PLP is taking advantage of you and your obvious PR talents as you can not afford a GPS, you jest. LOL. Another Bermudain if you are being robbed by the “Labour” Government………..
LOL
For years we have been tormented and tortured, used and abused. We were shipped all over the world to help build your peoples fortunes, that you inherited and still benefit from today, from the events that occured about a century ago ( I dont know?). You ran this country for years without no one on the outside, really knowing what was going on in government. We never criticized and belittled your government, because who are we to criticize?, we are nobodies. Remember we had no choice in our decisions, your people did, they never asked us how we felt. But its funny how life can change hehe lol. Now we have choices, and oh yeah thats right, a brain of our own. We know have the right equal and fair votes( we almost, once we clear up that mess in the city and corporation, where who knows how the voting works, besides your people), and so does SHE. So we voted in our governtment, the peoples government, the government who knows how it feels to be second best. Now its so hard for you to stand on the side and watch regular, everyday working class people, run a country to the best of their abililty( I really hope so, we all make mistakes), and now the PERFECT people cant bare to watch, sissys. So they sit at their comfy desks in office buildings, blogging and posting stuff that is so digusting and rude that you would cry foul, if the shoe were on the other foot. Not us, we are strong people, the color of hard work and lots of labour, we fight for what is ours, and you dont like that. We were never given fortunes, buildings in Hamilton, and business assets that your people left behind for you.So as a young black male(21yrs) in Bermuda, am I just a statistic for you to blog about, or will I someday reach perfection like you and your people. I for one would want to be neither, because a statistic is just a number, and perfection got crucified on the cross to give us all equality. We are all equal whether Black or Red, yellow or right(i mean white). I would like to see what you post about me or us, because my people can handle any obstacle, dont hesitate………..and remember im only 21, or am I young and Black in Bermuda, and JUST a STATISTIC.
You do realize that not every white Bermudian has inherited property much less a building in town. I am a prime example for instance.
You do realize that not every white Bermudian’s family was present in Bermuda during the times of slavery and not all were participants in that disgusting and immorral trade.
You do realize that using your hatred towards white people isn’t a justifiable justififcaton for not addressing bad governance and/or alleged corruption which affects all of us and not just one segment of our society. Not all criticisms of a PLP government are rooted in racism. And to ignore any and all criticisms based on that belief will inevitably be a detriment to Bermuda a sa whole.
You do realize that the stereotypes that you used against a whole population of people (i.e. all whites hate blacks and are inherently racist) is the same tactic that black Bermudians rightfully fought and still fight against the indviduals who seek to label a whole race based on the actions of a few. Two wrongs do not make a right in any scenario.
You do realize that not every white person thinks black people are dumb, ignorant and useless and when you say things that infer that all whites do is highly offensive for the ones that don’t.
This is not an attack on you mate. It is just tiring to hear that I am nothing but a racist solely based on the color of my skin without these commentators ever meeting me or talking with me. It is akin to a white person saying that all black people are drug dealers or gun slingers. Yes they are some but they do not constitute the majority of the black population and that premise goes for the white population as well.
So please do not forget about the past and lets actually learn from that hatred instead of resurrecting it today and lets get this island moving in the right direction together.
Co-singed
LOL