Are petty remarks about the Opposition Leader characteristic of what we want in the leader of our country?

“I’ll tell you this, when Patrice is finished with Mr. Dunkley in the election, not all the King’s horses and all the King’s men will be able to put Humpty Dunkley together again,” said Premier Brown.

Is this a world leading country or pre-school?  It’s not even funny.  Premier Brown should have taken the hint that he’s not much of a comedian the first time he was boo’d off stage. 

Stick to solving the real issues of Bermuda, Mr. Premier, and start by paying attention to who is really sitting on the wall ready to fall to pieces:  our youth. 

Dr. Ewart Brown: “When you see what we have planned for healthcare it will bring tears to your eyes. No longer will you have to worry about what will happen to you after you retire at 65. This Government will take care of it.”

Why not actually just announce the plan?  We don’t need to cry further over the pathetic state of our senior care and some are anxious to read through a well thought out plan that clearly addresses a great many issues.

“Visitor satisfaction is up to 95 per cent.”

Last time I checked, 3.5 out of 5 is not 95%. Is it not important to gauge satisfaction by a variety of sources to ensure we get the fullest picture of the state of our tourism industry?

“This is performance, this is not a Government sleeping at the wheel.”

Perhaps not, but it seems allot like trying to navigate without a map.  Where do I go to read up on the long term vision for our future?  How do the many projects and initiatives planned fit into a larger development plan and how do we know we’re on the right path?  Where are the plans for how we address the approximately 3000 people to be added to our population over the next 3 years? 

“It continues to be a puzzle as to why our opponents continue to object to Jumeirah. It is the most coveted hotel brand in the world.”

Who’s objecting to Jumeirah?  By last check, people are objecting to the destruction of some of last real examples of what Bermuda was like before it was trashed by humanity and turned into a concrete jungle, not Jumeriah. 

“These are premium brands and they all want a piece of the action. This means Bermuda has won the respect of the premium brands in tourism,” he said. “Bermuda is earning rave reviews in Wall Street, major players are bullish. That would not happen if they did not think the Bermuda Government was a blue chip Government.

“Strong as our reputation is around the world, I will continue to build the brand.”

Google “Bermuda reputation” for a sobering look at what’s out there.  4 of the top 5 are about the corruption scandal with the 3rd being the Crockwell murder.  The 6th states “Bermuda’s reputation as a safe place for tourists is being eroded by a small number of criminals stealing from visitors on the beach, snatching bags from the baskets on the back of tourist mopeds or actually …”  Is this a reputation to be raved out? 

He added that although Bermuda was enjoying a “boom time” in tourism and construction, crime was casting a shadow on the Island’s success.

Many booms end in busts.  Again, what plans are in place for where all of these people are going to live and come from?  Is all of this construction only going to bring in more foreigners and further stretch our already horribly stretched infrastructure?

“The darkest cloud is crime. The Governor has apologized for this and this was encouraging to hear this coming from the source of control over the Police,” said the Premier, but he made no further comment.

Is it fair to place the blame squarely on the governor?  Is this simply a cheap diversion of responsibility tactic?  Does government not control the purse strings that have been pulled so tight that the police force is vastly under resourced?

Hmm…