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Saturday, September 16, 2017
REPLY TO THE THRONE SPEECH Combative Gordon-Pamplin accuses PLP of cowardice
OBA attacks ‘Trump-like’ politics Simon Jones Opposition leader Patricia Gordon-Pamplin came out fighting in her reply to the Throne Speech, accusing the Progressive Labour Party’s “relentless pursuit of power” of denigrating the political process to unprecedented levels. She described the Government’s Throne Speech as “short on real solutions and long on studies” and maintained that many of the initiatives proposed by the PLP were already well under way because of the One Bermuda Alliance. Ms Gordon-Pamplin told the House
Forceful speech: Opposition leader Patricia Gordon-Pamplin arrives at the House of Assembly
Gibbons takes Burt to task over AC35 claims Jonathan Bell Assertions that the One Bermuda Alliance overspent on the America’s Cup were attacked as “political grandstanding” and “pathetic” by Grant Gibbons, the Shadow Minister of Economic Development. The claims came from David Burt, the Premier and Minister of Finance, who said the former administration had failed to budget for $13 million for this fiscal year, including $4.3 million for the regatta’s sponsorship. Branding it “misinformation”, Dr Gibbons said the remarks had denigrated the work that had gone into the America’s Cup. “It’s unfortunate and, frankly, pathetic that the Progressive Labour Party and the new PLP government continue to spin Trump-like misinformation
of Assembly that the OBA had restored much needed confidence in Bermuda before listing the party’s achievements while in office. “The tenor of the speech suggests that Government has either purposely elected to disregard the country’s tenuous economic position or has chosen to continually misrepresent the achievements of the former OBA government,” Ms Gordon-Pamplin said. The OBA leader said that the PLP had adopted a “rather Trump-like” approach to undo many of the actions initiated under the previous administration. She added: “This Throne Speech proposes many initiatives that were well
under way. In our view, a ground-zero approach to implementation is costly and time wasting. Many of the committees that have been proposed to examine topics can utilise the work already done to move to the implementation stage.” In her response to the Throne Speech, she acknowledged that the electorate had made it abundantly clear that some of the OBA’s policies were “disappointing”. She added: “We take full responsibility and apologise for those disappointments. We note the new administration has decided to approach governance differently, and has determined that people will be better served by con-
sultations and studies and rehashing of things that have already been completed.” In an at times combative response that prompted government MPs to raise to their feet in protest, the Opposition leader accused the PLP of spreading misinformation and untruths. “We saw it yet again when the OBA government was accused of pepper-spraying seniors, when it is known that constitutionally, the Government neither gives direction nor orders policing policies. “We saw the cowardice when the leader of the PLP encouraged through
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READY TO SERVE
about Bermuda’s highly successful financial management and hosting of the recent 35th America’s Cup,” he said. Mr Burt’s remarks appeared in yesterday’s newspaper, and were reiterated in the House of Assembly as part of supplemental estimates — which Mr Burt said were “prudent to table at this time” because of the change in government. But the Shadow Minister of Economic Development said the comments over the $15 million sponsorship guarantee jumping to $19.3 million were “spin at its worst”. The cash surplus left from the event would “more than cover any difference” between the initial estimate and the “now reported, reconciled amount of $19.3 million”. Overall expenses for the
Photograph by Blaire Simmons
Relief effort: members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment board their plane for Turks & Caicos to assist with the recovery and cleanup from Hurricane Irma, which left a trail of devastation across the Caribbean
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Dellwood to open on VSB blames advertising struggles for closure Monday, says Rabain Tim Smith News Editor
Simon Jones Paul Johnston Education minister Diallo Rabain told the House of Assembly last night that Dellwood Middle School would be open to students on Monday. Mr Rabain told MPs during
the debate on the Throne Speech that all classrooms had now been certified safe for human occupancy. “Dellwood will be open on Monday,” he said. “All the rooms you [the One Bermuda Alliance] ignored have been certified safe for human occupancy.”
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VSB Radio will cease broadcasting at 5pm tomorrow. The organisation, which has provided local news since 1981, pointed to its struggles in the face of competition for advertising from social media and fellow radio stations. It said in a statement: “Sadly, despite the support of listeners and advertisers and the offering of the island’s best news program-
ming, it has not been possible to achieve a viable commercial model with the ability to survive and expand. The excessive number of local radio stations has also made it difficult to attract sufficient advertising support. “Consequently, VSB Radio will cease broadcasting at 5pm on Sunday, September 17. The community should take this news as another wake-up call to the increasing difficulty that the print and broadcast media are having in remaining afloat in the face of the turn to advertising on social media.”
Veteran journalist Bryan Darby, 78, who has worked in the Bermuda media for 57 years, said the loss of VSB will be a further blow to an island in which traditional news sources are under threat from “fake news” on social media and openly biased radio talk shows. Mr Darby said he felt bitter that the retail industry had not been prepared to support the station by advertising.
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MUSTREADS Returning to a tax maze
A long, twisting path
Spithill still reeling
London bomb attack
A Bermudian returning after being based overseas faces a maze of tax issues, particularly if they have connections with the US. Columnist Martha Harris Myron explains some of the challenges.
We review American Assassin, which is now showing at Liberty Theatre. After twists and turns worthy of the very spy series it sprang from, a movie featuring the indomitable Mitch Rapp is now here.
Australian Jimmy Spithill said he wants another crack at the America’s Cup despite skippering Oracle Team USA to a drubbing he is not sure he will ever fully get over.
A homemade bomb planted in a rushhour Underground train exploded in London yesterday, injuring 29 people and prompting authorities to raise Britain’s terrorism threat level to “critical”.
MONEY 9-11
LIFESTYLE 17-18
SPORT 29-32
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