OBA: “PLP Blaming Anyone But Themselves”
The One Bermuda Alliance responded to Shadow Works Minister Michael Weeks statement that the OBA contributed to the slow sales of the Grand Atlantic Condos saying his statement is “one more example of his party blaming anyone but themselves for failures that they should simply own up to.”
The 78-unit Grand Atlantic Development is located in Warwick, with prices ranging from $495,000 for a 2 bedroom home, up to $665,000 for an ocean view 3 bedroom unit. A year ago former Mr Weeks announced that 100% financing was available, however six months after that it was confirmed only one unit had sold.
Speaking in the House of Assembly recently, Former Public Works Minister Michael Weeks said one reason the condos did not sell was due to “scaremongering” by the OBA when they were the Opposition.
In response an OBA spokesperson said, “Shadow Works Minister Michael Weeks is skating on very thin ice when he accuses the One Bermuda Alliance of being responsible for the failure of the Grand Atlantic housing development.
“His statement is just one more example of his party blaming anyone but themselves for failures that they should simply own up to.
“We challenge Mr. Weeks to provide the public with examples of OBA ‘scaremongering’. The OBA issued at least two statements on the Grand Atlantic housing project in 2012, both of which focused on the high cost of the so-called affordable housing project.
The OBA spokesperson continued, “An October 9th statement concluded that the failure of the condos to sell “tells us that people cannot afford Government’s version of affordable housing.”
“And a statement issued on March 13th expressed concern that the Government’s 100% financing scheme put it in direct competition with homeowners and landlords, and for pricing units beyond what aspiring homeowners could afford. The statement concluded: ‘affordable housing has to be affordable.’
“This is not scaremongering. The Grand Atlantic project has not worked, and the new Government’s decision to consider new uses for the site reflects that sad fact. Instead of flinging accusations, Mr. Weeks and his colleagues should simply acknowledge their plan did not work and let the Government get on with making it right,” the OBA concluded.
Got the whole place to myself…….nice!!!
Who is the OBA listening to? I read the opposition response and they did take ownership and mistakes?
Why isn’t Mr. Lopes taken to task as Mr. Corierra, could it be because Mr. Lopes and his brother’s talk show supports the OBA.
On another note, they crucify Sherri Jay, but place Gina Spence Farmer and Shirley Dill on high pedestals. Why, because they support the OBA and indulge the OBA supporters and cut down the PLP supporters.
Change, change has taken place alright, The OBA is right no matter what they do. This is the biggest budget ever, but because the 40 thieves presented it, its A-OK. I’m sick of the arrogance.
I listen to the house of assembly and their high and mighty approach is not complimentary, its nasty and rude. The nastiest ones are Mark Pettingill, Trevor Moniz, Patricia Pamplin but we won’t have to listen to them much longer because a birdie said PCC didn’t want them in cabinet, so they may be gone soon and the sooner the better.
Why would Mr. Lopes be taken to task like Correia?
Does the Grand Atlantic scheme contain numerous structural deficiencies that need to be repaired?
You are just grasping at straws now.
Yes it was according to the OBA prior to the election. But the developer, who made the most monies off the project was not never taken to task then nor now.
Mr. Lopes should be taken to task, according to the OBA minister, the board didn’t want to build Grand Atlantic; shouldn’t Mr. Lopes of listened to board instead of using it as a cash cow to develop his bank accounts?
BUT, Mr. Correia built a pier according to plans and he’s taken to the ringer. You post proves my point. The Correias were notable white people before they started contracting for the PLP. Now they are scum of the earth if you listen to the oba supporters.
btw, I’m intelligent enough that I don’t gravel nor grasped for straws.
Your revisionist history might work on some, but it does not work for people that actually pay attention.
Can you please advise to all us readers/posters who exactly `disregarded not only BHC’s advice while also issuing an SDO (due to planning objections) to build these units? It wasn’t any contractor and/or private citizen. It was the PLP Government, period. Everyone that understood our economy and real estate market said that this was a neither smart nor viable idea. But of course elected politicians with minimal to no experience and/or knowledge of such things overruled the experts, and not for the first or last time I might add.
And not all of us have forgotten the emails unveiled during the construction of the Dockyard Pier in which it was revealed that Correia told a foreign sub-contractor that he was undercharging for certain equipment and that “they will sit under a palm tree collecting the cheques” (or something similar along those lines). What about the fact that within one year and small Category 1 hurricane destroyed the multi-million dollar thruster wall which a PLP representative noted wasn’t needed in the first place? Or how about the fact that the PLP, recently admitted, to be in receipt of a report which highlighted the structural deficiencies of the pier and the need to bury this report prior to the election. This was just made known as early as last week by Shadow Minister Weeks. Even the aforementioned Opposition member noted that making Correia fix his screw-ups was not politically feasible. Don’t believe me, look at the article in the daily that was published late last week. So now due to all these issues the Government is now required to spend another $22 million to repair these screw-ups on top of the original cost that went millions and millions over budget. I have to ask what is your opinion on the fact that the PLP did not make public this damning report? Do you feel that the withholding of a document, paid for by the taxpayers, is a Government that is open and transparent?
So you can bring race into it all you want, but the facts remain and no one’s skin color can changed that whether you like it or not.
Mr. Correia was taken to task because the pier ended up being utter s**t, while with Lopes there wasn’t any sense in building them in the first place.
Your argument is worthless and your grammar and spelling is worse!
You want Lopes taken top task? For what? He was asked to build homes, he built them according to the specs and government approved plans and in accordance with all laws. The homes are not failing to sell because they are built poorly? In fact Mr. Lopes was responsible for building the Loughlands project and they all sold! Would you hail him as a hero because they all sold -of couse not! So why you you want him taken to task because the Grand Atlantic project failed to sell. The PLP failed to listed to anyone including those with their own party about the negatives of this project. And now you want Lopes held to task be real!
Since you are wondering, the reason the public view these two situations differently is that one of the two projects that you are refering to didn’t go 20+ million OVERBUDGET. Guess which one.
One of these two projects was identified as being poorly built. in fact a $3M section ofthe breakwall was removed. Guess which one?
One of these two project is already being repaired at our expense! Guess which one!
Mr. Lopes is not a real estate agent. However, every condo project that he personally built over the years has sold, and sold quickly.
You think this PLP GRAND project might have failed because
a)there are already literally 100s of Condos for sale and not many buyers.
b) even with 100% finacing the banks wont give you a loan if you don’t have a job, which your PLP pushed away by biting the hand that FED MY FAMILY and many others.
c)Who wants to buy a house built on top of one of the tallest, and sandiest cliffs. I wouldn’t!
This same project built on a smaller scale in another location (pre Brown/ Burch era) would probably have done fine.
lol you really are a sad and paranoid person
“The nastiest ones are Mark Pettingill, Trevor Moniz, Patricia Pamplin”
Haven’t heard any of these individuals make derogatory remarks about an Opposition member (i.e. rednecks, house n#*%&r, Uncle Bob, Aunt Louise, racist dog, et al) as is the case for several PLP MPs and their own leader.
Just because you have been taught that it is acceptable to throw around derogatory terms doesn’t make it right. The hate within the PLP ranks, towards any and all opposition, will be the downfall, not just of their Party, but Bermuda as a whole.
@ Bermuda Male
If you want to know why there is so much hate within the PLP ranks; go out and buy the book “Justice Denied” and you’ll find out the real reason for the hate.
I’m failing to see what that has to do with this debate. Leave your chip on your shoulder.
It’s simple, the PLP fd it up, they built houses nobody wanted, and what’s left is a big steaming pile of turd. 3 months in, long after they lay stagnant is that the OBAs fault? Of course not. Anyone sane can see that.
“Who is the OBA listening to? I read the opposition response and they did take ownership and mistakes?”
sounds like you are a little unsure
and furthermore you sound like a disgruntled PLP member who is unhappy that they are not in power any more. if the PLP won on 17/Dec, do you think their budget would have been any better? they would have just kept going on how they were in the past, living in one year blocks. the OBA has a vision and a plan to get us out of this debt, albeit bleak, at least it is a plan! all the PLP did was spend spend spend without a plan
how about you go back to your civil service job and show that you are actually doing some work before your work week gets cut down to 4 days, and your job may be gone
Who cares if it was under the PLP. The condos exist and pointing fingers will not solve or fix anything.
Look at the bright side… I’m glad the price of those condos are coming down and nobody bought them. Prices in this island have been overly inflated for years and we have endured a lower quality of life as a result.
Cost of living needs to decrease. And this is a start. Hopefully the cost of everything including groceries can come down with it. This will make the island a much more attractive destination for business along with tourist.
this island is finished, has been for a while …you all dont see it because your blind in one eye and cant see out of the other…you all keep puzzy footing around, getting on here grunting and gurgling a whole heap of random garbage…worrying about gramar and spellin, instead of the matter at hand…Just worry about how you are gonna change your 2.5 billion dollar debt…9/10ths of you cant even comprehend how vast this amount is …roun here talkin like its a hunned dollars. NEVER will we recover…ANYONE want to prove me WRONG..?
YOU ARE NOT THE REAL KEEPIN IT REAL…4REAL!, I AM!!!!
Moderator, can you please tell this person to stop using my handle and misrepresenting my words (this is not the first time it’s happened).
Sir, you are NOT keepin it real!!! You’re keepin it fake!!!! GRRRR
Sorry, have added a note to his/her’s handle…
14 years after the most arrogant ,condescending and xenophobic government we’ve ever had (and we won’t even touch on the financial finangalings) you’re suddenly an expert on recognising these traits in the OBA ?
A message to all PLP diehards … As long as the PLP is not the government it could be Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or even the Smurfs as the government , but you’d still brand them as arrogant and condescending.
Don’t worry , we understand your bitterness .
Curious to what mistakes the PLP have taken ownership of. Their only statement is that they made mistakes, and it was said in such a way as to make it sound like they were just a few small ones. Until the publish a list of their mistakes, they have taken ownership of anything about the mess Bermuda is in now. And they primarily responsible for the mess, as they lead us hear. There is an old saying, ‘lifetime to build, moments to destroy’. The PLP’s arrogance could still teach those ‘nasty ones’ over in the OBA a lesson or 2, and is what put us in this mess, now the OBA has to fix the foundations and rebuild.
“I listen to the house of assembly and their high and mighty approach is not complimentary, its nasty and rude.”
Let’s think now, Change. Who was that person who used the phrase “racist dog” in the House?
My, you certainly have a short memory
Next they’ll blame the public for being too broke to afford these things.
You can’t be serious.
The OBA really paid someone to write this release. Everyone knows they criticised this development, now, they have it to deal with.
Between sending their supporters out on boats to take pictures of the site from the waters, and their candidates and supporters blasting it on facebook, and urging people not to buy them.
Reap what you sow!
So why don’t you go and purchase an overpriced apartment at 100% financing which will cost you nearly $6k a month in mortgage payments? Do you think that buying above market prices is a smart idea?
Not too many lower and/or middle class people can afford such payments (and that doesn’t include monthly maintenance costs).
But I understand blaming others is much more acceptable than actually taking personal responsibility, which appears to be an oxymoron for the previous Government and their supporters.
Your are right, but I think you math is a little off. More like 4-5k a month for 100% financing.
For the price tag of how much they cost, I would want something much better. If you look at the pictures. The counters and cabinets look very cheap along with the tile. The bathroom is as basic as you can make it. There is virtually no appeal. Its 2013, they should have opted for a more contemporary/modern finish.
I personally think they should lower the prices so that payments would be around 3k monthly for 100% financing. Actually I believe they have no choice. Consumers DEMAND lower prices…
i agree. who could possibly afford those payments even with 100% financing. almost half a million dollars for a 2 bed? wow! and this is affordable housing? affordable for whom? those who could afford that could just purchase a small cottage and not have to live in a condo like environment.
lol, you make me laugh.
so what you thought that when the OBA got in power, somehow everyone and their granny would be flocking to pick up one of these units??
No, but it proves there are some very sensible sensible Bermudians who didn’t buy into the PLP’s offering of 100% financing. We all have to own up to our mistakes and some will do so more quickly than others and the sensible Bermudians are not going to hold our breath for the others that refuse to do but choose to sit back, point their fingers and give that evil smirk. May the Lord watch between us and him for the rest his days, AMEN.
You really are living in another world. Who initiated the development, who took the tax payers money to pay Mr. Lopes to build them and who put them on the market for a price the average Bermudian cannot afford. At 100% financing (which all sounds good) you would be paying over three thousand a month in rent and the average Bermudian cannot afford that. Then there is the location, yes lovely but anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that building that close to the shore line is dangerous, just look at all the news in the US of houses falling into the water, and if you care to do a little more research you will see this is world wide. So to blame the OBA once again is really pitifull and at some point the PLP has to take responsibility for what they did. It takes a real man to acknowledge he is wrong.
Well said!
You’re adorable
I am not sure you are correct in saying that people were being urged not to buy them. If you have evidence, however, I will be glad to retract that comment.
So if this is “all so true” why didn’t anti OBA and therefore pro PLP supporters prove them wrong and run out and buy them. Why didn’t ONE SINGLE plp minister buy one, if for no other reason but to make a point!
“Everyone knows they criticised this development”.
Clearly, this development deserved criticism. It wasn’t just the OBA that criticised it – the worries were broadly expressed across the community.
But the PLP were deaf to it – they shoved it through.
The failure is not just in the Grand Atlantic itself, but the fact that there are close to 80 unsold units has lowered the price of condos and townhouses across the island. That’s money/equity out of pocket for every one of those homeowners.
They are simply overpriced, especially for the type of accommodation.
$645 thousand to live in an apartment does not reflect the current market prices of FREEHOLD condominiums. Just look at any real estate site today and compare the prices of what is available to these shoebox style apartments and you will see why no one is interested.
The BHC, apparently, warned the Government of the day not too build due to the decreasing home values at the time, but unfortunately for the taxpayer the Government (once again) disregarded the opinions of the experts and built them anyway.
Just another expensive, failed, taxpayer funded initiative which the previous administration refuses to accept responsibility for (or any other screw up for that matter).
Just goes to show – no matter if the PLP’s overpaid consultants or their own Bermudians marched to protest, wrote letters, sent e-mails, held banners on the side of the road – whatever, the PLP Government was going to do exactly what they wanted to do – they had a plan. Hold on, E Brown had a plan and I am so very proud of all of those that shoved it in his face on Dec 17th.
The biggest eyesore on the South Shore, empty or full makes no difference.
The reality is that we are making a political mockery of the situation.
2 questions – is the problem with the unit’s safety or pricing?
If safety is the problem and they cannot be made safe, knock them down – better safe than sorry.
If pricing is the issue, lower the prices to a leval that people purchase them since there are people that are looking to buy a first home.
If the prices are not lowered to a level that they are bought by individuals, government (we the people) are going to effectively subsidise a private commercial enterprise. I amke this comment because whoever buy s or leases the units will be lookig to do so at a market price.
To one of the previous posters, you are correct that the market price for the units is not $695k. One observation is that if the units are sold to the public and other house prices are reduced, it would be a good thing since the cost of housing is one of the most expensive monthly items for everyone in Bermuda.
here here!!!!
or hear hear!!
the Grand Atlantic is all the OBA’s fault. its so obvious. lets move forward now.
They should have never cut down those trees. Complete waste of natural resources and time.
Lets start a new political party!!! Who’s with me??
I think I remember all this political party cross bickering & finger pointing from the last party, I thought there was going to be a new government of change???? You’ve inherited the situation, you saind you could fix the world in your pre-election promises so stop withthe childish finger pointing & get the job done that you said you was more then capable of doing pre-election.
HOld on – fix the World – whose, yours and the rest of the irritable and selfish moaners and groaners.. Rome wasn’t built in a day, God took 7 days to create THIS world we know He could have done it quicker but see, rushing things through even for God he wanted it to be Correct and in His eye Perfect but He took his time, it took 9 months for you to develop and be birthed – everything takes time and patience and sacrifice…. Made by Design we are.
Reminds me of this Seinfeld episode
http://youtu.be/r_sojwiRQaA?t=7s
One new OBA minister (if pressed I’ll tell you who but it should be easy enough to figure out) inherited 38 active consultants from her PLP predecessor – seriously. I have no doubts whatsoever that the MILLIONS spent of these consultant would have been better spent on front line services (i.e more Bermudian jobs and not expat consultant jobs where we never see that money again), including promoting home ownership by the seriously dispossessed in our society.
However, as I remarked once before and as the relatively more straight forward OBA hierarchy generally fail to understand (actually more likely they do understand but pretend not to), the most active and vocal PLP members believe they have a Divine right to run the show and do whatever they please as incompetently as they please all the time – all in the name of those same dispossessed whom they have so completely betrayed these past fourteen years.
@ time Shall Tell: You said, “stop with the childish finger pointing” Please! Who was it pointed the finger? Did you miss what Minister Weeks said?
So when people tell lies about you, do you just ignore it and let those who hear it believe that the lie is the truth? Or do you try to set the story straight?
100% financing was a stupid idea to begin with.
Any buyers who took them up on the offer would never had accrued any equity.
It is the same as throwing your money away.
They would be better off renting for less than the mortgage amount and saving the balance.
Save tax payers money and just demolish the eye sore before it becomes a stripped out ghetto or squatters start to take it over.
Turn it into a green park.
Building low income housing on prime realestate is a stupid idea by a even more stupid then, PLP Government.
The problem is that the PLP think any- and every-body who disagrees with what they did is The OBA.
They need to understand that many ordinary citizens who are not aligned with any political party and even some PLP members didn’t always agree with what the previous government chose to do.
Most of the PLP’s “mistakes” have two things in common. They cost the
taxpyers millions of dollars, and they made the favoured PLP few very wealthy.
I know its hard people, but civil servants and quango employees provided ADDVICE; ministers decide. That’s the deal. Governing means making decisions. And as fas as the Bermuda Housing Corporation is concerned, the law (passed in 1980 by the UBP so i know its just fine for you all) is as follows:
THE BERMUDA HOUSING CORPORATION
Bermuda Housing Corporation
There shall continue to be an authority called the Bermuda Housing
Corporation which with effect from 30 July 1980 shall have the constitution, powers and
duties provided for in this Act.
The Corporation shall continue to have perpetual succession and shall
continue to use its common seal and may continue to sue and be sued in its corporate
name.
Corporation subject to directions of Minister
The Corporation in the exercise of its functions shall be subject to any general
or particular directions given to it by the Minister.
Without prejudice to any provision of law relating to the delegation of any power
or duty of a Minister to a public officer, the Minister may delegate his power under
subsection (1) to the Permanent Secretary responsible for housing.
[Section 5 subsection (2) amended by 2008:45 s.2 effective 23 December 2008]
SUBJECT TO THE DIRECTION OF THE MINISTER. Like or lump it, UBP, PLP and OBA Ministers are in charge and get elected and paid to make decisions; even wrong ones. So drop this BS about “they were warned” and the PLP “pushed it through”. No, they decided and did it. That’s the system, compliments of the UBP.
With you, right up until the last sentence. Ministers do decide, but decide based on advice from a plethora and make an informed decision. In this case, they knew what they wanted, even if all the advice was to the contrary.
The PLP were, and continue to be, a bunch of self serving idiots.
Frankly Hmmmmm, it is twisted, warped, and convoluted rationals such as yours defending incompetence and at best chicanery (thought most people call it fraud)that go a long way to explaining why Bermuda tolerated a bunch of self important jerks who destroyed the economy and bankrupted the public purse these past fourteen years – just remember PRIDE is the first deadly sin.
So you’re blaming the UBP now for the ugly condos? Well, I guess that continues the “blaming anyone but themselves” theme.
But the PLP were going to do things differently. And like it or lump it, they had 14 years to change it – if they didn’t agree with it!
The PLP honestly think they haven’t done wrong to Bermuda in the last 13 years or so and everything they did was the best, What a bunch of IDIOT FOOLS
If plp didn’t send 8000 guest workers home, we wouldn’t have places empty! All the African bermudians thought the island can run without them! Now look, there unemployed!
Can you provide concrete evidence of this? or are you just spitting off your mouth?? The PLP Sent 8000 guest workers home?? In your attempt to be sarcastic, you have just proved to be cynical and divisive. I don’t agree with everything the PLP did, nor do I agree with everything the OBA are currently doing,, but for god’s sake, talk some sense
ALL!!!!! Who you speaking for??????
@Wow, agree, agree, agree, the term limits took away Bermuda`s ability to generate its own cash flow. To this day the PLP cannot fathom what that means !!
The plp are FINISHED…ignore the lot of them!
i remember when Bda was what ..? 3rd Wealthiest Country per Capita, in the world …can anyone tell me where we stand now ..?
Ya and bermudianss still didn’t have any money back then either. The same people who had money then are the same ones who have it now.
balogne – my plumber and electrician both made twice the money i did after two college degrees and they were hard to get by to get work done they were so busy – not they stop by to see if i need anything done and are struggling
Just a note on the first photo showing the fence two inches from the crumbling cliff. Are you sure that is not a stock image of Guantanamo Bay?
I can see the inmates of this south shore disgrace peering over the classy chain link fence to the world class view, somewhat mournfully, wishing they were free to stroll down to the beach. But why am I imagining more than one family there!Silly me.
So PLP spent 14 years blaming the UBP legacy for the issues they had while in power, and now they are blaming the OBA for their legacy. Typical nationalist/socialist, extreme wing mentality, it is never their fault.
FYI – when I used the phrasing ‘nationalist/socialist, extreme wing mentality’ I was talking about how the PLP is composed of the nationalist right wing and the opposing socialist left wing, and I was not calling them national socialists. To have said that they were national socialists would have meant that they shared a singular view, when in reality they are divided by the fundamental political poles and their only reason for being together as one party is to combine their voter base to try and win elections. That was the only reason why the NLP rejoined/allowed back in the PLP.
So long as they try to maintain the facade of a united party, the illusion that they are united in purpose and not just power, they will never be as effective as a government or opposition that Bermuda needs. For too long the PLP have beaten into their followers the notion of party first, loyalty to the party no matter what it does, and it showed in their governing as it was always party before country.
I will bet anyone a $1000, twenty years from now the fence will still be standing?!
One more hurricane Fabian and you lose that bet. You sure you want to do that?
Minister Wayne Scott is right! My hubby and I visited the project at the invite of a concerned friend!. John I sincerely hope that you have a place situated nearest to the main road! This gives you time to enjoy. My suggestion is that all PLP supporters, Parliamentarians past and present and their 100 plus delegates should be made to purchase every vacant unit and live there.