An awful recordNovember 9, 2011Dear Sir,There was a letter in today’s Royal Gazette which resonated with me. It was written by Leslie Smith and its subject was the strike of 1981. That strike, and the reason for the strike, was why I joined the Progressive Labour Party. My membership in the PLP was relatively short-lived due to the nastiness surrounding the expulsion of four PLP MPs and two members. I did not want to be a member of an organisation capable of such subterfuge and deceit. That was nearly 30 years ago. Since then, I have watched and waited for political change in Bermuda. I had some optimism when the PLP won in 1998, but that too was short-lived. The PLP started reasonably well. We had the late Eugene Cox as Finance Minister unfortunately, not for long.The PLP trademarks nastiness, intrigue and deception once more raised their ugly heads and Bermuda started to fail. Today, in the same Royal Gazette as Leslie Smith’s letter, on Page 7, there are two stories. One telling us about One Bermuda Alliance candidates Anthony Francis and Whitney Wilson and the other is a candid account from Craig Cannonier, the OBA’s new leader. The OBA an alliance, as Mr Cannonier pointed out represents the way forward for Bermuda. Clearly, the people who are joining and supporting the OBA are not cynical, hard-bitten citizens with personal axes to grind. They are educated and sincere. They genuinely believe we can come together as a people and work for a decent future for us all.No one is perfect but some people have clearer vision than others and so far, it looks as though those people are supporting the OBA. The PLP has proved itself to be a disaster. As Craig Cannonier pointed out the PLP is nothing without the United Bermuda Party. The UBP remained in power because the voters were nervous about the PLP’s ability to govern and manage the economy (it would seem they were right to be nervous). The PLP has remained in power because it used, overused and continues to use, the racecard. But, the UBP is gone now the PLP has no one to blame but itself. The PLP cannot campaign on its record as government because its record is awful. I guess we are in for another PLP campaign of nastiness, subterfuge and deceit. At the risk of sounding like a campaigner myself the OBA is the way to go. And I say to all those younger Bermudians those not involved in politics but anxious and concerned for Bermuda’s future join the OBA and start working.KATH BELLPaget