2 Hour Video: People’s Campaign Public Meeting
[Updated] Continuing their series of public meetings, the People’s Campaign hosted another public meeting this evening [Jan 21] at St. Paul’s Centennial Hall in Hamilton.
The speakers were the three leaders of the People’s Campaign; BPSU President Jason Hayward, BIU President Chris Furbert and Reverend Nicholas Tweed, and following remarks from the panel, the floor was opened and audience members addressed the meeting.
The flyer promoting the meetings said, “As a group we are concerned with the growing frustration and mistrust of the political process in view of the continued rise in unemployment, growing gap between the haves and have nots, and the unequal burden of sacrifice being placed on the lowest and least.”
The 2 hour 20 minute live video replay is below:
Update: Two videos, which have been extracted from the live stream are below, showing the comments from former Minister Wayne Perinchief and former Premier Dr Ewart Brown.
Dr Ewart Brown
Wayne Perinchief:
The right of expression is of fundamental importance to democracy… but more than that, is the importance of well researched expression. So when after a teachers gets up to address/redress to issue of our students education, by stating that they are in fact taught social studies and Bermuda history from grade five on in the curriculum, Mr. Furbert then decides to highlight his expertise in educational development by angerly demanding that it should be taught first and foremost at an earlier grade… this failure to acknowledge their own short comings is why the PC leadership shows they are unfit to truly help Bermudians, no matter who they are. Now I am not an educator, but I do understand that in order for us to fully understand our short, and full, history and how it fits in the world, then we should first understand the history around and before us that lead us here. This is why policies that are ‘Bermudians first’ are inevitable to fail Bermudians the worst, because those policies and the people that would fall for or employ them lack the larger sight of the bigger picture, doing more damage than what they intend.
Do we still have a ways to go as a society, yes, but the PC and by extension the PLP are demonstrating themselves woefully underequiped to understand how to get us there.
Bermuda history – a mere blip in the history of the world – is taught from grade 5 and Furbert in his wisdom(?) is saying we need to start teaching this first and foremost at an earlier age??? Political gerrymandering does not belong in our education system – Government really need to be at arm’s length from our education system and let educators concentrate on giving Bermudians first and foremost a sound education foundation to place all our peoples on an even footing at their start of life’s journey.
I do appreciate most of what You have said
Would You explain “…the larger sight of the bigger picture…”?
As a country, we cannot work without the world. We produce no exportable product; have no physical manufacturing base from which to produce exportable product from importable product; and our native work force is disproportionately geared to the trades industry as relates to our local economic industry needs. So we need foreign and foreigners, in particular in the IB industry, to import currency to off set the huge amount of currency we have to send out just to sustain our basic needs. These foreigners bring with them use of local utilities, use of local services and a visiting friend and family tourism industry. They also use the local real estate rental market, that in turn drives locals to construct and renovate their properties, employing the trades. The businesses come here and occupy office spaces that in turn employs the trades in renovations and continuous utilization. The higher level execs may even ultimately buy property they can, furthering use of our trades as they either renovate or build new those properties to match their tastes. But the simple fact is that without them, there is not enough local generation to support our trades heavy workforce.
The PC socialist notion that we should start taxing the billions of revenues that run through our shores, but in general is not actually generated from any local activity, is a short sighted thought process. It sounds great in that there is billions we can tax, but those billions pass through because we aren’t having those businesses have to continually calculate slices off of it to pay taxes on it. We tax on easily calculatable business factors like payroll. Consistent accountable figures. So if we implemented the PC’s notion of income taxing, it is going to raise the cost of business here for both the local business and the IB companies, that will in turn cause the IB sector to simply redirect their revenues to other more hospitable jurisdictions and employment and their companies too. So in reality, there is no real government gain in taxing what won’t be there. Then PC socialist model cannot work on an economy like ours. But that doesn’t mean we can’t find creative socialised taxing structures, I have previously suggested things like adjusted taxation on luxury items over standard like products (ie. BMW vs Suzuki), or adjusting property taxation for residential versus rental property ownership adjusting for ownership quantities (ie. residence with single attached rental vs residence with multiple rental accommodations, attached or otherwise)
“to sustain our basic needs” and also our massive public debt!
You lay it all out in a simple logical way. Easy to understand. The problem is, how many take the time to read let alone understand it?
Do You feel there is a way to balance it all?
There is always a way to balance, it just takes time and discipline to achieve it. It is also important to also realize that social justice can never be truly achieved, in part as it is an ideology, and in part because as a society we should always be striving to better ourselves, so it is not a destination, but a never ending evolution.
SOCIALISM DOES NOT WORK ANYWHERE MUCH LESS HERE….
Was this a public or private meeting? I ask because I was once dis invited at one of their meetings at the BIU . My family and I were stopped at the door, and told that we could not come in. In fact, they called it a private meeting for the public , just not for me. Fair is fair .Can I now ask government or any other group to dis invite them at any other public meeting ?
Unfortunately, some people just can’t be trusted. Just like a dog can bring a bone, he can take a bone. Traitor in the midst
Another example would be a Rev… that you preach to the people about lying being a sin, and then do the same when it benefits himself. Some Revs cant be trusted.
Hasn’t January 19 past…. SMH
This group intentionally misled the public regarding the particulars of Mr Tweeds application and immigration status. Why would anyone trust what they say ever again? No thanks.
Social and economical empowerment? Why is Rev. Tweed going back and quoting from Marin Luther King. Why doesn’t Rev. Tweed and the People’s Campaign look within, and look back just a few years ago and study the PLP, a black government that was empowered for 14 years. Maybe these 3 individuals need to take up the mantle and enter politics.
Corr. Martin.
Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
The camera sure stayed in tight on the 3 speakers. Apparently Chris Furbert’s idea to surround himself with members was not deemed appropriate for the PC events.
How many people were there?
Do a count on the picture. I make it less than 80. Subtract the media & professional meeting goers from the BIU & PC & you can count on maybe half that number from the general public with an interest.
how dare you reference Martin Luther King in your speech…there are no similarities……you need to go now…
if this is the true Navin Johnson, I will say that i oten disagreed with some of your viewpoints in the past but it appears to me that i was too quick of a judge as you are definitely more open minded than my close minded judgements of the past – i agree – this guy is like Trump and he honestly believes what filth spews out of his mouth – Tweed must go
So why was a professor married to a CEO working on the island not allowed to give free lectures at Bermuda college a few years ago due to the fact she didn’t have work permit….But Mr Tweed can still be a speaker?????
To all of you discreditors Of The Peoples Campaign Movement,,,,,,,,,,the movement is based on truth ,reconciliation,justice for all ,and honesty.It will continue to remain ,,,,,neutral,,,,,,in its Political Position and will be a monitor of all Political Parties or groups ,,,,,as watch dogs whether the P.L.P. Government is in Power or the O.B.A.Peace.
Evidence shows otherwise.
The People’s Campaign’s activities are rooted from the desire of *a segment* of our population to gain social and economic opportunity thus the Campaign will not stop its activities falling for the false notion that cooperation will lead to *our desired* end.
This was taken from a paragraph in the recent “manifesto” announcement.
Note the bits between the *.
The PC assumed that everyone else is just fine but that their segment of the population are being treated badly by an oppressive government. Therefore their definition of what needs to happen now is that their demands must be adhered to, without any cooperation, so that everyone can then be equal and benefit socially and economically.
It is a funny play on how this campaign is for *everybody*.
#ull#hit find our #ucking money we could have built our own airport
The People’s Campaign is nothing to do with honesty. The things they say in this video are not honest. The things they concealed and said about Tweed were not honest. They can’t be trusted at all. Their words mean nothing. They are not interested in the people’s opinions, and they bully anyone that gets in their way.
Those are praiseworthy goals.
The reality of their statements and actions show just the reverse.
we know this to be a LIE. when the PLP was the Govt. there was no organized movement AGAINST them
#ull#hit they are a religious hate group and political extension of the plp as well as the union s as for truth genivive lied about being a tweed he needs to step or like Chris Furburt likes to say outta here on the next plane smoking.
It would be of interest to know how many in the audience and their demographics for a number of reasons:
Are Millenials interested or even bothered?
More women interested or men?
Rough racial breakdown?
Interesting so that the general public can gauge if there is serious traction or just hot air.
Incidentally, I caught Mr. Hayward’s bit about Bermudians not getting jobs either at the very top or very bottom. Well, as regards the former, be realistic: if somebody is going to invest big money here, say a new hotel or a large reinsurer, of course they are going to want their own people at the top – and if not, there are plenty of other places that will gladly accept them. As regards the bottom rung, the very bottom rung like cutting broccoli, pulling carrots and spreading soda nitrate in the fields at 7 am or cleaning the Market Place, Shelly Bay at 11 pm, Bermudians, including the most disadvantaged ones, have no real desire or interest in these jobs other than for a brief hustle to something better comes along – and rightly so. At least that is my experience with thirty plus years experience managing various businesses in Bermuda.
One thing the People’s Campaign seems to have failed to address is honesty in our society. The largest grocer has a loss percentage to theft around 10% of stock. That is stuff disappearing on the way to the shelves and on the shelves. All levels of employee have been caught at it as have all levels of the community including politicians and a reverend,rather infamously (bread loaves, apparently for a church lunch). I am presently dealing with a very tragic home help case in which a couple hundred thousand dollars have been “shared” over the last few years, something not so unusual it turns out. The fact that many in the political class see getting elected as a sinecure for life is another cause for grave concern, query term limits? I really feel that if the People’s Campaign ( and CURE too) are serious about being a credible organizations representing the less well off, the discriminated against and in general honest people fallen on hard times rather than merely a bunch of jealous, ne’re do well begrudgers with a nasty, destabilizing agenda, honesty both in Bermuda and in general as a way of life is an issue the good Reverend and his Union apostles should embrace – the good and great Martin Luther King who Reverend Tweed rightly invokes was no hustler.
There were so many baseless assumptions, errors and falsehoods put forward at this event. What a slanted picture painted by this triumvirate. As always, with zero evidence, the default explanation why some Bermudians are not doing so well is because of some secret, racially motivated, prejudicial, old money group is responsible. It is sad because a few decent idea were mentioned – none of which were that innovative but decent nonetheless. The outrageous propaganda spouted by this group is what turns many right thinking people away.
Perinchief. Brown. Tweed. Hayward. Furbert. Is this what we have come to?
was going to comment but why waste the time the salted numbers speak for me ( maybe 125 seated ) guess the crowd was outside. GO AWAY you lot you are NOT I REPEAT NOT the peoples representatives by any stretch of any twisted imagination or delusions of the 3 at head table
The People’s Campaign may have served a purpose in the beginning, protecting the employment rights of Bermudians, but do these gentlemen realize that no one is listening anymore. They have lost their credibility as they use this platform to further personal agendas. What about the Bermudian Pastor that may see Rev. Tweed’s church as a position that they want? A Bermudian Pastor should be denied an employment opportunity because a Non-Bermudian is the friend of a Union boss? Ironic. I am currently a Union member but maybe not for long because I am feeling like my dues are funding the People’s Campaign.
I was very pleased to hear Mr perinchiefs speech on point and makes sense please take his suggestions and use them
Mr.Perinchief has peculiarities, particularly in agenda. reactionary really.
The Doc is back and he is pissed. The local numpties totally ruined the plan by screwing up Tweed’s work permit application. I have no doubt there has been a bunch of meetings in which certain PLP MPs (and Union leaders) had their bottoms spanked by the boss. Now he is back to help you fix the mess you created. Thus the whole “Good Governance” concept. If you are going to tell a lie make it a big one and keep repeating it so that it becomes *truth*.
When meetings or brain washing goes on and on for more than a hour people get to a point where some cant remember what was said with in the first 15 minutes , what minutes ?
Hey you on the back row !
Wake up !
Remember the pit of despair you dig could be your own……….
I fully realize that we do not live in a perfect world.
How many of you have gone through the horrors of WW11
“Mummy, will the bombs drop tonight” ‘ No “go to sleep !
If you lived through that and have your health you are one of the lucky ones.
Here are a few things that you can not take a pill for.
We all want for a better life but that is not going to happen by sitting at home wining about every thing, do something positive because, you have better things to do than minding other people business, their situation affects us but is not our problem to solve.
He is coming down with the hammer to fix their past failures and injustices,fair trade being one of them.
It never ceases to amaze me at the amount to negativity that exist in this island ,it comes from all walks of life as many complain moan and groan about any thing and every thing.
Can’t you see that planting the seeds of discontent gets us no where.
May be the USA a has cone to the end of its political rope and a tough business man could be their only ” Amazing Grace”.
People did not go marching when ” BREXIT ” which affects every one of us here got on the table.