Comments on: Column: The Switzerland Of The Atlantic

By: saud

saud — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 14:24:20 +0000

Do you expect anything informed, non racist, or non homophobic from them?

I don’t.

By: Helvetia

Helvetia — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 21:46:18 +0000

If we had not been governed by crooks, degenerates and morons for the last 24 years, this article would be wholly redundant. These are the folks responsible for the fact the country is broke and people are suffering as a result. It never ceases to amaze me how well educated academics, who got their academic receipts literally with a silver spoon afforded them every step of the way, so easily fall into this flavour of the moment rhetoric. This is of course intellectual laziness that results ultimately in cliched pseudo intellectual dribble. Of course, when I’m doubt, blame the rain makers, great national treasures like Sir. Henry.

By: Joe Bloggs

Joe Bloggs — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 16:32:27 +0000

I am with Tarry on that one. The “home” of the Forty Thieves was the RBYC.

By: Toodle-oo

Toodle-oo — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 14:09:05 +0000

Terry Brannon once said that the club name was tongue in cheek as either a fun poke at them or due to some of their patronage.

By: Joe Bloggs

Joe Bloggs — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 09:58:44 +0000

The article is a PLP puff piece, so it is both advocating independence and punitive taxation of a certain segment of society (powerful white merchants).

And for those who would say that this article says nothing about independence, it was published the first business day after 18 of the PLP’s 30 MPs voted in favour of opening cannabis shops in Bermuda (https://bernews.com/2022/03/mps-pass-cannabis-licensing-act-legislation/), an Act of Parliament the PLP Government knows full well will cause conflict with London and will be used as a pre-text for independence. But make no mistake, David Burt learned from Sir John Swan. There will be no referendum this time.

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 08:39:59 +0000

I do agree that Sir Henry did not create the Forty Thieves Club. As a banker he had clout, but the ‘thieves’ were the long standing Bermudian Front Street merchants, well known. I think the reference stems from its manifestation on the walls of new 40 Thieves Club, and hence joined the local vernacular. Dating from early sixties. Real wealth and opportunity did not appear until the 1950s in my view.

As for the article, I think it stands as very valid despite comments. Interestingly, it doves nicely with Dickinson’s piece and his call for broader input towards solving Bermuda’s current challenges.

By: khalid A Wasi

khalid A Wasi — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 22:24:20 +0000

The concepts advanced can be appreciated. I for many years talked about other more democratic forms of Government that were more participatory. That has never certainly not in the last 50 years been on anyone’s agenda more particularly of late. You peeked my curiosity when you said Jack Tucker created the 40 thieves. That was a borrowed term and now need to know when it was first adopted. Because if the idea was that he headed up the oligarchy Bermuda had an oligarchy long before Jack was born. He worked for the Bank of Bermuda which when it started did so because the BNTB was considered the elites bank, things obviously changed but I need to know about that term. The 40 thieves Club on front street started I believe 1962 or thereabouts and don’t know if he was an investor there.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 21:36:55 +0000

Im am totally confused with this article. Is it a pro independance article? Or is it we are looking at different ways to tax people more article? Or is it we need help serious help from other people article?

By: Toodle-oo

Toodle-oo — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 21:31:07 +0000

LOL , and coming from a person born 40 years after they no longer existed.
This is one of the HUGE stumbling blocks we have here when it comes to social and political advancement , and there’s thousands of examples.
Children are getting their heads filled with re-written history crap from people with no true recollection of their own and passing it on as facts.
There is actually young people out there who truly believe that the ’40 Thieves’ rode around on horses at night raiding Black people’s houses !

By: Andrew W Outerbridge

Andrew W Outerbridge — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 21:02:45 +0000

Pretty biased and might I add ill-informed analysis.

By: puzzled

puzzled — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 17:56:24 +0000

Imports everything.
Dah!!!
Switzerland is land locked.
We are 600 miles at sea.

By: Triangle Drifter

Triangle Drifter — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 15:55:32 +0000

“founding member of the Forty Thieves club comprising of powerful white merchants and Bermuda’s ruling elite”

Lost interest & stopped reading right there.

By: trufth

trufth — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 15:14:13 +0000

I quit reading after the “founding member of the Forty Thieves” comment which makes him ineffective as a writer.

To be an effective writer, or speaker for that matter, you can’t risk taking a dump on your readers or listeners in your first sentence. You want people to read your whole article right??

Writing 101.

By: Joe Bloggs

Joe Bloggs — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 14:01:29 +0000

Phrases such as “founding member of the Forty Thieves club comprising of powerful white merchants and Bermuda’s ruling elite” and “local oligarchs” show your bias.

But fear not, the PLP Government is doing its best to strip with wealth from all of us.

By: Julian Griffiths

Julian Griffiths — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 13:25:46 +0000

Switzerland imports goods and labor at far lower cost than Bermuda can They come across the borders every day. The federal income tax rate for the highest earners is 11.5% which is less than Bermuda’s payroll tax rate.

Federal corporation tax is very low but this tax is usually negotiated at the canton level. Given Bermuda’s competitors, commitments to international companies and location, I don’t know how Bermuda could compete with any meaningful corporation tax unless our competitor locations were forced to do the same.