Dear Sir,

Defending himself against my criticism of his column about the proposed new airport, Mr John Barritt said that I had taken a cheap shot at him. He said I lacked courage because I had not signed my name.

The dictionary (Merriam-Webster) defines a cheap shot as an act of deliberate roughness against a defenceless opponent, or a critical statement that takes unfair advantage of a known weakness of the target.

If either one of those definitions fits, Mr Barritt shouldn’t be writing political columns.

As to my lack of courage, I am permitted to use a pseudonym. If I do, anyone who reads cowardice into it is guessing, trying to benefit from the most prejudicial interpretation without the slightest fact to back it up. I might add that if pseudonyms were forbidden, debate in Bermuda would lose its vigour overnight.

I don’t agree with Mr Barritt’s stance on the airport. I made an entirely constructive criticism of it. I make no apology for that.

As he himself said: “Criticism is good. Criticism is healthy. Personally, I welcome it. If it is constructive, so much the better. Critical thinking is, well, critical to informed national debate on the issues of the day. Like on the airport, yes.”

REALIST