Premier, Ministers To Host Town Hall [Postponed]
[Updated - event postponed] The Premier and Minister of Finance Paula Cox will host a Town Hall meeting on Monday November 14th,at the Number 6 Shed on Front Street from 6:30pm until 8:30pm.
The public forum, entitled, “Let Us Build One Another Together”, will also feature several Government Ministers, including the Minister of Economy, Trade & Industry Patrice Minors, Minister of Business Development & Tourism Wayne Furbert, Minister of Education Dame Jennifer Smith, Minister of Health Zane DeSilva , and Minister of Environment, Planning & Infrastructure Strategy Marc Bean.
Premier Cox said, “Bermuda today is facing historic challenges, the Government is strongly convinced that the time has come for all who love Bermuda to recognize the obligation to work to build one another, together.
“On Monday evening, I want to encourage as many residents as possible to come and hear about the tangible solutions that each of their Ministers is enacting, which are aimed at strengthening not only our economy, but the social fabric of our community.”
“Each person’s opinion is valuable and I’m hoping people will attend the meeting to hear about how they can be a part of the solution.”
Update 7.50am, Nov 10th: A Government spokesperson said, “The Post Throne Speech Town Hall meeting Scheduled for Monday November 14th has been postponed as a result of a conflicting national event.”
“The Department of Communication and Information will alert you as to when the new date and time has been chosen. We apologize for any inconvenience the rescheduling may have caused.”
Bernews unofficially understands the “conflicting national event” to be the Bermuda vs Barbados game — the last game of the 2014 FIFA World Qualifiers – which will take place on Monday November 14th at the National Stadium.
More meetings to show that this is a PLP election ploy by accepting that they have run out of excuses as to why we are in the financial mess we’re in (references to semantics and how long is a piece of string being proof) and no ideas or plans to go forward. This is a Government totally out of its depth and floundering. How much more money is being borrowed “off balance sheet”?
The following is satire:
Premier Paula Cox and the PLP-controlled Parliament are considering sweeping legislation that will provide new benefits for many Bermudians. The “Bermudians With No Abilities Act” is being hailed as a major legislative goal by advocates of the thousands of Bermudians who lack any real skills or ambition.
“Roughly 70 percent of Bermudians do not possess the competence and drive necessary to carve out a meaningful role for themselves in society,” said BIU President Chris Furbert. “We can no longer stand by and allow People of Inability (POI) to be ridiculed and passed over. With this legislation, employers will no longer be able to grant special favors to a small group of workers, simply because they have some idea of what they are doing.”
In an Alaska Hall press conference, Minister of Tourism Wayne Furbert and former Senator LaVerne Furbert pointed to the success of the Bermuda Post Office, which has a long-standing policy of providing opportunity without regard to performance. Approximately 74 percent of postal employees lack any job skills, making this agency the single largest Bermudian employer of Persons With No Ability.
Private-sector industries with good records of non-discrimination against the inept include retail sales (92 percent), the airline industry (68 percent), and home-improvement warehouse stores (65 percent). At the civil service level, the Transport Control Department also has an excellent record of hiring Persons with No Ability (103 percent).
Under the Bermudians With No Abilities Act, thousands of mid-level positions will be created, with important-sounding titles but little real responsibility, thus providing an illusory sense of purpose and performance.
Mandatory non-performance-based raises and promotions will be given so as to guarantee upward mobility for even the most unremarkable employees. The legislation provides substantial tax breaks to corporations that promote a significant number of Persons of Inability (POI) into middle-management positions, and give a tax credit to small and medium-sized businesses that agree to hire one clueless worker for every two talented hires.
Finally, the Bermudians With No Abilities Act contains tough new measures to make it more difficult to discriminate against the non-abled, banning, for example, discriminatory interview questions such as, “Do you have any skills or experience that relate to this job?”
“As a non-abled person, I can’t be expected to keep up with people who have something going for them,” said one anonymous Bermudian, who lost her position as a lug-nut twister, due to their inability to remember righty tighty, lefty loosey. “This new law should be real good for people like me.” With the passage of this bill, thousands of other untalented citizens will finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Said Premier and Minister of Finance Cox: “As a Minister with no abilities, I believe the same privileges that elected officials enjoy ought to be extended to every Bermudian with no abilities. It is our duty as lawmakers to provide each and every Bermudian, regardless of his or her inadequacy, with some sort of space to take up in this Island and a good salary for doing so.”
Must say old chappie , excellent piece of work . Now rewrite it and send it off to Prime Minister Cameron and President Obama who both seem to have the same vexing problem , only they Must pay through the Dole and unemployment benefits respectfully .
Wish I could take credit for it but it was taken from an American piece aimed at that Administration – only the names were changed. I agree with your sentiment though!
Dat building you lot knocked down so dat de new bank could have water views woulda been a betta place for a meetin like dis . Anyways you lot like to have meetin’s like dis when um gotta go to a P.T.A meetin .
So here is the NEW BP – IT IS THE PLP:
Senator Ingham – known fundraiser and UBP supporter for over 30 years
Candidate Todd – known BDa supporter who attended a number of BDA caucus meetings and I am told flirted with leadership but said he wanted to fulfill his chamber obligations
Ex-Leader Wayne furbert – nuff said – he is still elected UBP!!! Never stood in a bi-election!!
Maxwell Burgess – nuff said
Jonathan Smith – was part of the crime writing platform for UBP 2007 – three strikes and you’re out! Mmmmm….
Larry Scott – was UBP now PLP
WHO ELSE IS OUT THERE???? Premier – YOU ARE THE NEWBP – I hear Laverne thinks so too!!
question?
why did senator ingham leave belco?