Dear Sir

Party politics is beginning to ruin this Island. The constant calls to “come together for the good of Bermuda” are not only falling on deaf ears, its an almost impossible goal to achieve. Leah Scott’s impassioned plea in the House last week was only the latest salvo in this war.

There are real benefits to party politics but in the Westminster system, it’s winner take all and it creates a “them and us” attitude. For whatever reason, everyone with any idea for the greater good aligns themselves with either the “them” or the “us” because they see Government as the only way to implement these good ideas.

There are relatively few people in Bermuda who have good ideas and the good of Bermuda in their mind, who are not seen to be on the side of Government or on the side of those who want to grab the keys to the cookie jar.

The call for the end to party politics is not new. I remember Sir John Plowman trying to make a change to a “first past the post” system. The people in positions of power today are in an impossible position when it comes to this but they could ask the voters. A programme of education on an electoral system that allows us to get away from parties and become more inclusive and then a referendum would serve us well.

POLLY