In politics it seems that the more things change the more they stay the same. So what's changing? Nothing, except our MPs' pay that is. And that's the problem.

Two weeks ago, when the Premier moved a bill through Parliament creating an independent committee - no not an Independence committee, another 'impartial' one - to look into how much our MPs are paid, a glaring question arose: That's it? That's all they're looking into?

Increasing the salaries of our Cabinet Ministers, MPs and Senators should be the last step of any Parliamentary reform. It's definitely not the first, and absolutely not the first and last.

A good start would have been, oh let's say just to pick one, the tabling of that promised but yet to materialise modernisation of our anti-corruption laws. Remember those? The evidently antiquated laws that seemed to have been exploited so adeptly n the dead on arrival, "unethical but not illegal", Cabinet Minister implicating, BHC scandal.

A good next step would then have been a Parliamentary Code of Conduct.

Where are those updates and why are they less important that what our MPs make?

If Bermuda's MPs want to be paid like their peers in other jurisdictions, while operating with far less accountability and much less openness, then it's time for a reality check.

Our MPs, and Cabinet in particular, might think that their salaries reflect a time gone by, but more importantly the way Parliament operates, and some of our laws, reflect a system suffering from serious neglect.

Bermuda's Parliament is frozen in time, and until the Government shows an interest in ending the Ice Age, their salaries should suffer the same fate.

Pushing through significant pay hikes in the absence of long overdue reforms to our prehistoric legislature (and legislators in some cases) is pretty rich; notwithstanding the Premier's declaration in Parliament that he's the "one of the poorest Premiers" in one of the richest countries in the world.

The Government's priorities are telling, although it probably shouldn't be surprising that the only reforms that interest them are the ones that benefit them directly and financially.

But what about us, the public? Remember us, the folks whose interests are supposed to come before those of our elected representatives?

Any increase in pay must be contingent on an increase in accountability, notwithstanding the Cabinet battle cry of "We're full-time, and deserve to paid that way".

Have you paid a visit to Parliament lately? If you did, you'd better have made it before 3 p.m., because our MPs are rarely there much later, and often not there when it's in session.

The Alex Scott era has been notable for its lack of legislative action. Using Parliamentary activity as a measure would suggest that our MPs should be giving us a refund.

Currently, their one day work week begins at the crack of dawn - Pacific time that is, 10 a.m. here - before breaking two and a half hours later for an hour and a half lunch. Then it's back to work at 2 p.m., all to be hopefully wrapped up by shortly after.

As if that's not bad enough, that's been going on while the Opposition has been busy tabling almost as many of their own motions for debate - when they're allowed to that is - as our 'full-time Ministers' are tabling legislation.

Legislation, we'll inevitably be told, isn't everything, you can't forget the day-to-day administration of Government. That was clearly the case the Premier was struggling to make in Parliament and the press, and it carries some weight.

But if you're full-time and producing part-time results then you deserve to be paid that way. And that's the case, with a notable lack of progress on the major social issues that the Government is supposed to be addressing, coupled with some outright disasters and a series of ongoing scandals.

Where are the results on affordable housing? What's being done to tackle rising violent crime? Where's the improvement in public education? And press releases and press conferences don't count. That's procrastination, not progress.

Why is it that the only time we get a bipartisan committee to review something is when the Cabinet wants to put some distance between themselves and initiatives that are sure to go down as well as … well, Independence for one?

Where are the bipartisan committees to tackle our issues, not the ones that benefit our politicians?

If our MPs, and Cabinet in particular, want to be compensated in line other Legislatures, then it's high time to adopt the standards and procedures that are in place in those areas used to justify this money grab, to complement the Independence power grab.

When will the Government support UBP MP John Barritt's efforts to update the rules of House, which haven't been reviewed in decades, for example? Why won't the existing Parliamentary committees meet in public, as the Opposition Leader proposed for the Public Accounts Committee for example?

Why isn't Parliament televised? Where are the official transcripts of Parliamentary sessions? Where is the official Parliamentary website? Why is there no set Parliamentary question-time, as in other modern Westminster systems? The list is long and ignoble.

Bermuda's MP's might think their pay is outdated, but the manner in which they operate reflects a bygone era. Until Bermuda's Parliamentarians decide to operate like a modern democracy, they don't deserve to be paid like modern legislators.

If it's time to "Show me the money", it's also time to "Show us the accountability".

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