ADVICE from the shores of Florida — if you are going to get Mr Julian Hall to write a two-day advertorial in your defence then for God’s sake get him to write some of your speeches also, Dr. Brown. I read the verbatim text of Dr. Ewart Brown’s speech at the recent “Main Event” (or non-event) rally and decided the writer should be shot (figuratively speaking, of course, but it’s a wonder our Premier can walk at all with all of the self-inflicted bullet holes in his own feet ). Speeches referring to the Opposition leader’s family business and alluding to “sour” milk, nay “lactose-intolerant” voters make any self-respecting Bermudian cringe in sheer embarrassment. I know I just started to feel sorry for the orator after only two paragraphs —It seems the bodyguards, the motorcades and the “Presidential “ entourage have done little to protect our leader from his own worst enemies, namely himself and his “inner circle”.

The Premier continues to bob and weave around all of the unanswered questions stemming from the Bermuda Housing Corporation affair, And his campaign manager Andre Curtis has moved on from wanting to lash visiting gay tourists to the Ducking Stool to soaking the taxpayer, it seems, with his peculiar “Pay To Pray” scheme.

I still maintain that the Progressive Labour Party’s internal election of Dr. Brown over Alex Scott last year was a step up. But nearly anyone would have been a step up from rock bottom.

After all it’s easy to appear to soar like an eagle when you’re surrounded by turkeys. And maybe that’s exactly why Dr. Brown made so many dubious choices to boards and Cabinet after his elevation.

For instance, never mind Mr.<\p>Curtis’ reactionary views regarding gays. His somewhat dubious track record in the private sector should have instantly precluded him from having access to hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funds for his “Faith Based Tourism” initiative. No amount of strained rationalisations on the Premier’s part can alter that fact.

And as is the case with every other recent (and past) instance of inappropriate conduct on<\p>Dr. Brown’s watch, we are likely to never know any more than we know now about the inner workings of what’s being called the “Pay To<\p>Pray” scandal.

And a reference to the PLP’s race-baiting electioneering should be made here.

My view is that white people used racism to their advantage and should not really be surprised if some black people are doing the same, irrespective of the actual facts of any given situation.

I simply bemoan the fact these politically astute black people are using the same blunt weapon for self-advancement and self-aggrandisement as their white abusers did. After all that’s the way of the paedophile—a child is molested and in some untreated situations, becomes the molester of children in his or her adulthood. It’s the sickest possible coping method used by only the most emotionally disturbed individuals.

Likewise with racism — it’s the coping method or tool used by the most emotionally disturbed blacks in instances where they play a race card when there’s no need for it to be dealt ( i.e. to obfuscate actual wrong doing, incompetence and shy away from accountability).

Then when actual instances of racism do occur, the real victims lose much credibility in the public eye because the issue has been so consistenly exploited and trivialised by our “leaders”.

I will venture to say that the only transparency — the hallmark of any democracy — this Government has provided to Bermuda is ironically unintentional.

We can see clearly through all of the bull and the desperate reactions that amount to little more than the re-arranging of deckchairs on the Titanic of this doomed leadership,

It takes a lot of work to build up a good reputation and Dr Brown did more than his fair share in this regard, It takes very little to demolish one —and we’ve seen more than a little self-destructive behaviour on his part recently.

The statement in the “Main<\p>Event” speech in which Dr Brown declared that he wishes to be judged on his “conscious actions” alone really amounts to a tree of low-hanging fruit for those with the ability and insight to think and ask lateral questions.

Who, pray tell, is the determinant of his conscious versus unconscious actions? The laurel tree of Tourism success has been plucked to bare branches and is one of the valid reasons why Dr Brown is leading his party, nay the island today. The conscious action I need to see from anyone who wants to earn my vote to lead is the one that enacts controls in the form of Anti-Corruption Legislation and an audited Members’ Register of Interests. Proper controls would simply eliminate the actual possibility of any elected official using political power for personal gain and favour. It is simple human nature that people will continue to take the path of least resistance until the consequences of doing so are dealt with. Or until that path is closed by a roadblock. I am demanding that roadblock — the one that will ensure that the “unethical” but seemingly not illegal behaviours that make up the BHC scandal can never happen again under any Government. This will also ensure that any unethical behaviours widely considered to have occurred during the United Bermuda Party’s long reign can never be repeated should they be returned to office.

As far as I’m concerned, Dr. Brown should vigorously pursue his vague libel suits against the media if the accusations against him stemming from the BHC police investigation are indeed as “embarrassing, demeaning and insulting” as he maintains.

Actual court hearings would bestow a formal obligation upon Dr Brown to answer questions the public has a right to know and not evade them.<\p>

As things stand, he is just manufacturing distraction after distraction and accusing his questioners of acting from racist motives when faced with questions he would rather not answer.

It seems likely the Second Coming will occur sooner than Dr. Brown taking the media to court.

In the meantime, folks, we are watching a group of political insiders continue to shoot from the lip. Given the internal strains and disagreements that are developing inside the Brown camp, this scenario is likely to deteriorate into a game of group Russian roulette — the Premier and his posse pointing six-shot revolvers at each other’s heads with five chambers full. Let the game begin!