As it has been just over a year since the entrance of the Bermuda Democratic Alliance to the Bermuda political scene I think it fair to look over their work of the last year and see what they have accomplished.

One of the things they promised when they first arrived was to not be combative for the sake of being combative. I would say they have done this well. They’ve agreed with and applauded the PLP government when they felt they had done well and criticised them when they felt they had not done enough. When it comes to language and tone I believe the BDA have recognised that the Bermudian public have had enough of childish and petty political squabbling in the attempt to score points. Good on them because truth be told I don’t have much patience for such behaviour either.

Now I’m no expert, in any of the above subjects. I do work in IB however and that hopefully may allow me to put forward my opinions in a way that has some relevance. Just had to get that out of the way first…

The Throne Speech is never the most exciting read and as a “blueprint”, it always is less informative than I would like, on a personal level. That’s no real criticism as it’s not really meant to detail exactly what the government plans to do but it would be nice to have something a bit more juicy. This year I think that the speech spends more time explaining which of the newly named ministries oversees what existing Governmental duties than actually saying what new the Government intends to do. Having said that, let me get right down to what I’ve been tasked to do.

Overall, I must say I am quite happy with the maiden Throne Speech of our present Premier. I found it relevant to today’s concerns tempered with forethought of the future. It’s the kind of throne speech that Bermudians should have always. Ever the social animal, my comments are on the Ministries of Education, Health, and Youth, Families, Sports and Community Development while also touching on Justice and National Security.

In general I am quite impressed with the 2010 Throne Speech, especially as regards its comments relating to the environment and energy. About four paragraphs of the speech spoke directly on these issues, and the ideas touched upon in these seem generally quite progressive. My objective here is to look at what these ideas are and what else could be done, as well as cover areas which seem to have been neglected in this speech (such as Transport, which did not get a single mention).

So the election is over and Bermuda has a new premier. I would like to extend my congratulations to Premier The Honorable Paula Cox, JP MP and Deputy Premeir Derrick Burgess JP MP. May you lead our country well.

I’m happy to see a woman in the top spot I must admit but feminism aside, I want to know what people want from the new leader. What are you hoping to see? This is not a bash the government post fyi; this is about identifying what Bermuda needs and what Bermudian people do not want. Now that the elections are over lets get down to business.

I feel for Marc Bean. Not only do I sympathise, I can truly say I empathise. It’s not easy to sit in those not so cushy red chairs and support a government who in your eyes is not doing enough, to say nothing when they do something completely wrong or hold your tongue when they have dropped the ball. Been there, done that. Not fun. At the end of the day a senate position is chosen at the whim of the Premier, he can put you in and take you out whenever he feels like it. It’s hard to be in a position of supposed power and not be able to truly do anything about things that you see are completely wrong. The problem is that once you taste power for real it becomes an intoxicating elixir that many feel they cannot let go of. Politicians become more interested in maintaining power than the needs of the people who elected them. It happens all over the world. Bermuda is no different, Bermuda is not another world.

“The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Casual Observer

As a young child who used to read fables, getting to the end of the fairytale to find out the “moral of the story” was just as exciting a the tale itself. Needless to say that for a young child reading “The Emperor’s New Clothes” for the first time, I felt hugely let down as I certainly didn’t need Hans Christian Anderson admonishing against walking down Cedar Avenue during the 24th of May parade stark naked! I mean, what kind of fool leaves the house NAKED, thinking that he has clothes on!?

It is only in my adult life, and more specifically perhaps when set against the current backdrop of Bermuda’s social and political climate that the moral of the story is now glaringly obvious. And, it is perhaps this classic fable, warning against banal extravagance, opulence and grandstanding, arrogance and a collective refusal by the people to accept what is clearly in front of us that speaks most directly to Bermuda’s current reality.

Despite recent events, I am going to start my first post of the new year on something that has made me truly happy.

I never supported the UBP Government’s decision to change the educational system, I thought it was a mistake from its very inception. I have always spoke in favor of returning the educational system to primary secondary, a position I have never wavered on. So I am delightened, in fact thrilled to read that the PLP Government are finally, seriously considering changing the system back to a primary/secondary system with the possibility of specialised schools. As my dear friend Jon would say: Sweet!

Since beginning school this year my time has not been my own. I am inundated with work that leaves me little time for lifes little pleasures, like reading the paper online. When I do click over however and read about another spate of shootings I sometimes wish I hadn’t bothered. I absolutely hate the way violence is eating away my mental construct of home and even more so it hurts my heart to not be in a position to do anything about it. I then look at those who are in positions to do something and I continue to be disappointed.

I can’t say I was particularly impressed with the replies to the Throne Speech by either Opposition Party (see here for the UBP and here for the BDA). Came across largely as whining and political point-scoring than any constructive criticism or alternate positions, at least for the most part. My own thoughts on the Governments Throne Speech are largely positive, although I think they could be more progressive and ambitious, and there were some truly bizarre aspects to it as well. I didn’t see the point in copying the entire speech here and commenting on each indivudual section, but my thoughts on it follow their order in the speech itself.