It feels more like a football match between small-town rivals than a General Election, as far as Denis Pitcher is concerned.

But the real losers on July 18 will be neither the One Bermuda Alliance nor the Progressive Labour Party — it is the voters stranded on the sidelines he feels sorry for.

Mr Pitcher, an independent political commentator, believes the heavy political rhetoric and party branding favoured by both sides forces the public into blindly supporting a team and discourages them from examining the issues that matter.

This, he says, gives the politicians a free rein to avoid making promises, which in turn absolves them of any accountability.

“Each campaign has been heavy on rhetoric and slogans but short on substance,” Mr Pitcher told The Royal Gazette.

The OBA issued its platform yesterday, on the eve of nomination day, while the Opposition promised to unveil theirs later this week.

As the island faces the final stretch to the polls, Mr Pitcher said: “Neither has proposed tangible solutions to our predicament and are more focused on trying to discredit the other.

“The OBA is touting its slow and steady track record but it lacks discussion of new plans and new ideas.

“Its slogan of ‘Forward together, not back’ rings hollow as it has not lived up to being the inclusive party it campaigned it would be in the last election.

“The PLP is touting its Vision 2025 which is big on ideas but short on plans on how to actually achieve them.

“It claims they are ‘standing strong, putting Bermudians first’, but we have witnessed the PLP putting political expediency over what will truly put Bermudians first.

“Sadly, thus far, both campaigns have been wholly disappointing in their finger pointing and rhetoric compared to their lack of focus on solutions to the issues.

“You would think we are gearing up for a football match between small-town rivals rather than deciding our future.”

On the shortage of concrete promises so far, Mr Pitcher, the author of the blog, 21Square.com, said: “Voters seem to be given as little information as possible to allow politicians to avoid accountability on complex issues.

“Politicians avoid admitting when they failed, they just spin it, making feel-good party statements, touting quick fixes and focusing attention on the failures of their opponent.

“We need real reform but the people don’t want to hear that. So the politicians tell us what we want to hear or avoid telling us as much as they can.”

Party branding and loyalty emphasises “the divide between supporters of each party”, he said.

“It makes people take sides where they view it more important whether you’re with or against. If you try to stand in the middle and focus on the issues you’re the enemy because you are not with the party.

“It encourages blindness to the issues and no accountability. People focus more on voting against the other party than holding their own party accountable. That lack of accountability gives politicians a free mandate to do as they please knowing that next election they can just rinse and repeat with the same opponent.

“The trend of each election seems to progress more towards party identity and further from the issues. The internet has made governance hard and public opinion can be ruthless and unforgiving.

“Politicians are not allowed to be people and make mistakes. Thus politicians don’t want to admit they were wrong even if they were well meaning because it is often just a Google search away.

“It creates a fear of being held accountable for pledging something that seems like a good idea but turns out not to be but now are expected to see it through. Thus it is easier to make no pledges, no promises and instead focus on being cheerleaders.”

Asked how he would like to see the final few weeks of the election campaigns unfold, Mr Pitcher said: “I would like to see a genuine admission of what failures each party has made, why things didn’t work, what could be done differently and how they will adjust in the future.

“Alongside that I would also like to see well thought out platforms outlining each party’s solutions for the issues.

“What would they do, how will they do it, why do they think it will work, what are the expected outcomes and how will they identify if it isn’t working and adjust?”

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