Hashtag: #JonathanStarlingColumns
Column: Tips On Reducing Plastic Consumption
[Opinion column written by Greenrock’s Executive Director Jonathan Starling] Greenrock would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy World Environment Day! World Environment Day has been marked by the United Nations on June 5th since 1974, with the aim to promote worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. Every... Read more of this article
Column: 5 Amendments, Municipal Obsession?
[Opinion column written by Jonathan Starling] Municipal Obsessions? Since the OBA came to power in December 2012, they’ve displayed something bordering on an obsession concerning our municipal governments. Our municipalities have been subject to more legislative reforms than any other issue, which has led to instability and controversy. In their... Read more of this article
Starling: Shouldn’t Every Child Be Born Equal?
[Opinion column written by Jonathan Starling] Shouldn’t every child be born equal? The birth of a child to Mr Wales Windsor-Mountbatten and his wife Kate Middleton recently highlighted that within Britain [which includes Bermuda], not every child is born equal. The birth of any child is a wonderful thing and certainly something for the family to celebrate. However,... Read more of this article
Jonathan Starling: Thoughts On Airport Emails
[Opinion column written by Jonathan Starling] Whether one agrees with the questions being raised by the People’s Campaign or not, I think we can all agree that their initiative in obtaining these documents – through the Canadian Freedom of Information laws – has greatly contributed to our understanding of how this particular deal has progressed... Read more of this article
Opinion: Time To End Breed-Specific Legislation
[Opinion column written by Jonathan Starling] I would like to commend the group that has launched a petition calling for an end to breed-specific legislation in Bermuda. They quite rightly point out many of the flaws inherent to breed-specific legislation, and stress that no one breed is inherently more violent than another – the key is in the training... Read more of this article
Gender Representation In Decision-Making
[Opinion column written by Jonathan Starling] Today, March 8th, 2015, marks the 104th International Women’s Day, and is celebrated as an official holiday in around 27 countries, while observed in other ways elsewhere – including Bermuda. Each year a different theme is adopted for the day, either by local organisations or by international organisations.... Read more of this article
Closing Recycling Centre Is “Step Backwards”
[Opinion column written by Jonathan Starling] It is extremely distressing to hear that the Government has decided to close the recycling centre for at least a year. While it is understandable that we continue to be looking at ways to improve efficiencies, closing the recycling centre is absolutely the wrong way to do this. It sends a very worrying message... Read more of this article
Opinion: Allowing Prisoners To Vote In Elections
[Opinion column written by Jonathan Starling] As the UK gears up for its first general election under their new fixed-terms election system [which raises another question of where the OBA’s promised political reforms on this are…], the issue of voting rights for prisoners has flared back into the news. This, too, was an issue that was raised in... Read more of this article
Opinion: Jonathan Starling On Cabinet Shuffle
[Opinion column written by Jonathan Starling] “Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.” – Karl Marx, The Eighteenths Brumaire of Louis Napoleon. So reads one of Marx’s most famous quotes. And it is a quote that... Read more of this article
Opinion: Starling On USA & Cuba Relationship
[Opinion column written by Jonathan Starling] I cautiously welcome the normalisation of relations between the USA and Cuba. While this does not include the lifting of the criminal embargo regime against Cuba – which requires congressional approval – this is a welcome step forward and will make it easier for Cubans living overseas to visit... Read more of this article
Opinion: Starling On Ending The PitBull Ban
[Opinion column written by Jonathan Starling] The pit-bull ban, or to be exact the prohibition on certain breeds of dogs [there are actually ten prohibited breeds, twelve if you include ‘wolf’ and ‘wolf hybrid’] is one of those pieces of legislation in Bermuda that I think can properly be called examples of ‘panic policies’. These are laws... Read more of this article
Opinion Column: Starling On Casino Gaming Act
[Opinion column written by Jonathan Starling] The Government tabled the Casino Gambling Act 2014 last Friday, November 28th. It is a 117 page act, and has been tabled with the explicit purpose of being passed by parliament before Christmas. The OBA was not elected to introduce casino gambling. Rather, they were explicitly elected – as regards casino... Read more of this article
