All the news that fits

March 27, 2008

Dear Sir,

Have you ever noticed how long the local news stays on in Bermuda? Thirty minutes? With the amount of news that pops up in The Royal Gazette per day you would think the ZBM and VSB news would be longer than just 30 minutes. The sports could even be longer since there's normally more than one team playing soccer. Also, the same serious commercials that get heard on the radio per day should be televised.

JUS' A THOUGHT

Pembroke

Bully tactics

March 31, 2008

Dear Sir,

I would like to write an obituary on the disgraceful demise of Mr. Butterfield's business, and to eulogise this fine gentleman, who comported himself with such dignity and class.

Is this how evil manages to take hold and overcome? Does evil think that if it shouts louder, pushes harder and bullies more, that the righteous will fold ? This action perpetrated against Mr. Butterfield is just such an example.

I have been away but on my return I sat down and read the machinations against this gentleman, and as events slowly unfolded, and were revealed, I was aghast at such chicanery.

They did not come and say: "Look Mr. Butterfield, you have been far too successful for far too long, and you are making a lot of money and we want some, excuse me, all, of this action, so we are going to close you down". At least that would have been transparent.

Well, Mr. Butterfield, you and your wonderful family, who have done so much good quietly in this community for years, have in your dignified way done us a great favour, for you have managed to expose the humiliating intent and methodology of this miserable group. A group that the whole Island knows about, for we have watched and read, and taken note, of an infamous saga that will not be forgotten in Bermuda.

It could have happened to you or me, who knows who will be the next to be squeezed out, or is it already obvious ?

DIANA WILLIAMS

Pembroke

National heroes indeed

March 13, 2008

Dear Sir,

I have been very much encouraged by the responses, pro and con, which have come my way and/or which have been published in your Letters to the Editor column following publication of my three-part series which you kindly published in full ("The Fall of the House that Jack Built"). I have been inundated by e-mails, stopped in my tracks on the streets; sometimes almost accosted. Generally most people to whom I have spoken appear to have recognised that I was trying to be historically accurate, politically objective, and positively analytical.

Yes, I maintain that one of my principal goals when writing that series was political objectivity. It was genuinely not about partisanship; but about Bermuda. Some of your readers, like for example Kathleen Bell (whose response I deeply appreciated) appear to have seen this.

But others, like UBP Member of Parliament and Shadow Finance Minister E.T. (Bob) Richards, either did not see it or chose to pretend that he didn't.

I say at once that you will have no argument from me that successive UBP Governments, particularly during the period encompassing the 1960s through to 1980 introduced significant and positive racial and social reforms without which Bermuda would have been in much more serious trouble than it is today.

They cannot, however, take full credit: power concedes nothing without a struggle and, to me, it was the struggle of the Bermuda Labour Movement which served as both the catalyst and the engine for the creation of a more just Bermudian society during that period.

In his response, Bob Richards performed the well-worn, and frankly tiresome, trick of rewriting what I had said followed by a rambling attempt to rebut his re-write. The premises which he tried to rebut were not mine and you will see that if you re-read my piece. Instead, they came entirely from Bob's imagination. It reminds me of that musical piece: "Look what they've done to my song, Ma."

That sort of sleight of hand usually plays well with those who choose not to think.

I was particularly disappointed that Bob Richards could not even bring himself to acknowledge my argument that the legacy of his father, Bermuda's actual first Premier the late Sir Edward ("E.T.") Richards, needs to be re-examined. The predominating black community view of Sir Edward's aggregate contribution to Bermuda's social development needs to be critically re-examined in his favour. I hate the phrase anyway, but E.T, despite the political rhetoric of the time, was in truth no "Uncle Tom" at all. In many ways, without E.T. there would certainly have been considerably less Mazumb ie Gordon. Without E.T, for example, the critical "White Paper" presented to the Secretary of State for the Colonies in the British Government may never have seen the light of day and the pace for social and political reform in Bermuda would have been considerably lessened. I made that point, in the hope that we could begin the process of showing our appreciation for E.T. in this the centenary year of Sir Edward's birth. In so doing, we could do well by him, by history and by ourselves as a community. A commemoration of E.T.'s in a thoughtful and well-rounded manner is clearly in order. I said this with the utmost sincerity.

Instead of picking up on that (E.T. was, after all, Bob's father) Mr Richards chose instead to extol, with considerable historical accuracy I do admit, the positive accomplishments of the UBP during the period 1960-80 in the field of race relations and integration which, as I say, are undoubted. Again, in his robust defence against an attack which was never made, Bob Richards failed to pay even lip service to the most assertive and the most effective component of that machine of change: the Labour Movement spearheaded and effectively founded by E.T.'s dear friend, Dr E.F. Gordon aka Mazumbo.

But I understand. And I feel you, Bob Richards, when you say that you are "sick and tired"; it sounds as if you are indeed both.

Before anyone questions my claim to "political objectivity" in my piece, I acknowledge that my central thesis was a call for the UBP to disband; as I said:

"Not to rename itself, or to try to institute internal constitutional change in the vain hope of presenting itself as a more "democratic" institution; but to disband; to free its elected Members of Parliament from the party whip, thereby enabling them to serve, as in theory did all members of the House of Assembly until the start of party politics in Bermuda in 1963, as "independent members". "

Never mind that the new UBP leadership has opted to not follow my advice. That's their prerogative and I expected that reaction from the new UBP leadership. It would have taken after all a lot of courage, a lot of "thinking outside the box" and, frankly, some considerable personal sacrifice. Politicians of all kinds seldom sacrifice; at least that's not what they do best. And I certainly understand why the UBP parliamentary group would choose to hang on as such and continue to subject the whole of Bermuda and in particular a large (but happily steadily diminishing) portion of "the white community" to a continued "imprisonment in a social and political cage which is not really of our (ie this generation's) making".

And, yes, I did acknowledge, without shame or apology, that I am a strong supporter of Premier Dr. the Hon. Ewart Brown and an equally strong admirer of the style and substance of his leadership.

So, by all means do view my claim to a lack of partisanship in that light.

I have never ever before now responded to an anonymous Letter to the Editor; not even those which have included personal attack on, or criticism of, me.

But I do find myself driven to say at least a few words about the letter which appeared in today's Letters by someone calling him(her)self "Well Informed" which you chose to publish under the headline "The real Henry Tucker".

"Well Informed" says that "Sir Henry was – without question- the man who made the island what it was today".

I don't have a lot of respect for anonymous letter writers who attack people. But I must respectfully disagree; or at least I "question" Well Informed's argument, again based on his own re-write of my articles.

For the avoidance of doubt, I acknowledge wholeheartedly that Sir Henry Tucker was a major force in Bermuda's development, a true visionary, one who clearly loved this island and her people, and a man who being ahead of his time was absolutely vital to Bermuda's social and economic survival and growth and who, in creating the UBP succeeding in avoiding serious social and economic catastrophe for Bermuda. Dare I say it, he was indeed a National Hero.

And that is essentially what I said of Sir Henry in my piece.

At the same time, Well Informed needs to acknowledge that, contrary to his hyperbole, there was no "one man" who made Bermuda what it is today. There were many men, and women. There was a Labour Movement, there was Dr Gordon, my uncle the former BIU President Joe Mills, the Hon. Wesley Leroy Tucker, Dr the Hon. Eustace A. Cann, Wilfred "Mose" Allen, the late lamented Dr Pauluu Kamarakafego aka Roosevelt Brown, Dame the Hon. Lois Browne Evans, the Hon. Sir John Swan, L. Frederick Wade, Dr Eva Hodgson, Dr Clarence Terceira, E.T., Lord Martonmere, Sir Julian Gascoigne, Mr Arnold Francis, the late Walter Robinson, Dr John Stubbs, Ottiwell Simmons, Dr Barbara Ball, Mrs Dorothy Thompson, and many many others whose names would fill this page.

"Well Informed" provided us with a litany of Sir Henry Tucker's more positive accomplishments. And, to my way of thinking, he was accurate as regards each and every item he considered praiseworthy of Jack Tucker. So yes, we are talking about the same Sir Henry Tucker.

The further point that I made about Sir Henry was that, in cobbling together that shaky bi-racial coalition which he named the United Bermuda Party, he displayed a degree of pragmatism and bravado which was both exemplary and in the interests of effecting a smooth, as opposed to bloody and chaotic, transition into Bermuda's future. So why, Well Informed, would you choose to pretend that I had not said that very clearly?

The only argument I make at this time is the fact that Sir Henry's creation, the "House that Jack Built" the UBP, is now an idea whose time has come and gone.

So, "Well Informed", while we welcome you to "the Big Conversation", it was very very naughty indeed of you to, like Bob Richards, re-write my articles and then move on to rebut the re-write.

But do come again. And next time, come correct.

JULIAN HALL

City of Hamilton

Safety mirrors

March 26, 2008

Dear Sir,

Earlier on this year there was discussion about interactive journalism; presumably that the public should have greater input into the news as reported by the local media. To this end might I suggest public input via The Royal Gazette into some of the problems on our roads. I am looking at a forum with constructive criticism and comment.

I do not think that any Government department can be expected to have all of the answers, never mind how experienced their employees. Perhaps some input for those of us who use particular sections of road might help with future planning.

As an example, the section of road that I trudge on a daily basis would, in my opinion, be safer with the use of convex mirrors at relevant places. I am thinking especially of junctions where the road cuts back and it becomes very difficult to see if a vehicle is coming, especially if a bike rider is hugging the inside of the road.

Places where this might be of assistance are:

¦ Where Tee Street meets Middle Road (a sign indicating that this is an accident area seems to be attracting accidents rather than preventing them).

¦ Where Barkers Hill meets Middle Road

¦ Coming out of the Tyne's Bay Trash drop-off where the road from Ariel Sands meets South Road

¦ Where the road from the lighthouse meets St Anne's Rd (ok, so that's not my regualr route but it scared me enough today after a trip there).

The outlay would be fairly minimal, and if one accident is prevented and one life saved then it's worthwhile.

I'm sure that other road warriors have even better suggestions.

On a totally different note, I was stunned to be travelling from Somerset on South Shore to see a massive garish sign on a local favourite restaurant advertising a sushi bar. In my humble opinion the sign is dreadfully tacky, and not in keeping with the reputation of the restaurant – one fit for a king – or for the island.

ROAD WARRIOR

Smith's

Clamping the solution

March 27, 2008

Dear Sir,

I read with interest the Senate debate and suggestion by Sen. Dwayne Caines that unlicensed cars or individuals and uninsured cars should be towed to an impound lot.

I think this is a total waste of good Bermudian land. The solution is a lot more simple.

Once the driver has been stopped and it is clear that either one of the three above requirements has not been fulfilled, the car can be impounded and towed to the owners address where is immediately clamped with one of many wheel clamps that TCD will acquire. The clamp is on the vehicle until such time as the licensing regulations have been met.

The rental of the clamp will also be billed to the offender as will the towing charge and TCD inspectors will monitor all clamped cars to ensure no tampering occurs.

Should the charges not be paid, the car can be sold to defer costs.

PETER JOVETIC

St. George's