Archive for the ‘Bermuda’ Category

Into the fiscal abyss?

Posted: November 28, 2012 in Bermuda, bermuda politics
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I don’t pretend for a moment to be an economist but you certainly don’t need to be one to appreciate that Bermuda’s economy is in bad shape. Whether you blame the global recession or the Government, it’s getting worse and shows no signs of recovery into 2013.

According to Bob Stewart, writing in today’s Bermuda Sun, the Island could well be heading towards bankruptcy. Could we really become another Greece? Mr. Stewart, who used to run the Shell Company in Bermuda and knows a lot more about economics than you or I, says that the failing economy and massive debt means Government simply won’t be able to pay for things like seniors’ healthcare and Government pensions. With life expectancy increasing, medical insurance and treatment costs going through the roof, the working population decreasing, and wages fast losing pace with inflation, the math doesn’t add up. It’s simply unsustainable.

Writes Stewart: “There are two major government obligations for which adequate money has not been set aside. These are medical insurance (mainly Future Care), and government pension plans of which there are two major schemes. The first is the Social Security Fund, and the second is the Public Service Superannuation Fund. To meet their obligations, without calling on future tax revenue both of these funds should be funded at around the 100 per cent level. Both are massively underfunded – around 35 per cent for each.

“The total for such unfunded retirement liabilities is somewhere around $1.5 billion which is in addition to the government debt of around $1.5 billion. In other words, Bermuda is in debt to the tune of $3 billion or around $60,000 per Bermudian, including children.”

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Upstanding young citizens

Posted: November 23, 2012 in Bermuda
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Young Citizen Award recipients with Government Minister Glenn Blakeney. Photo by Bernews.

If you follow me on Facebook, you’ll know that my 10-year-old son Toby was honoured this week as one of 37 students awarded Young Citizen Awards by the Bermuda Government’s Child & Family Services department to mark the Universal Day of the Child.

This was something of a surprise to us, as well as Toby, as we were not aware of the awards, which have been given for the past eight years to primary, middle and high school children who demonstrate “a kind heart and a caring personality”.  Nominations are made by teachers based on their day-to-day observations without the kids being aware of it.

Anyway, we received an invitation for Toby and two family members to attend a splendid lunch at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess yesterday with Government ministers, TV – the whole nine yards. As proud as I was of Toby’s nomination, I admit part of me did think this was all a bit over the top for what seemed to be something of a “touchy-feely” award. But as the citations for each child were read out, I soon changed my mind.

One child after another was recognised for their compassion or courage – standing up to bullying, not bearing grudges, making time to help out a new class member or one with disabilities, sharing their supplies or snacks, making sure fellow classmates didn’t feel left out, and so on.

Some kids were exceptional. You may already have heard of 9-year-old Victor Scott student Malaikah Abdul-Jabbar, who has already written two books, including Stop The Shooting about the violence in her community.

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Time for PRCs to stand up and be counted

Posted: November 21, 2012 in Bermuda, bermuda politics
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The election is less than a month away but as yet, none of our local candidates have knocked on my door. Maybe they’ve done their homework and realised there is no point in canvassing someone who has lived on the Island for 30 years, owns a local business, is the father of a Bermudian child and pays taxes like everyone else but is still not permitted to vote in a democratic election.

It’s a pity they haven’t stopped by because I’d really like to hear what they think about the continued and unnecessary discrimination against long-term Residents and what their Government might do about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the few benefits that a Permanent Residency Certificate (PRC) gives me – for example, I can come and go as I please without needing a work or re-entry permit (albeit at the discretion of the Government) – but it falls woefully short of what most normal democracies would offer people in my position.

Without the right to vote and the absurd restrictions on buying property (more of which in a moment), PRCs are little more than second class citizens in the place that we and our children call home. In fact, we’re not even classed as full citizens in the same way that Bermudians and Status Bermudians (long-term residents who received citizenship up to the 1980s or obtained it through 10 years of marriage to a Bermudian) are – yet to even qualify for a PRC I had to have been on the Island before August 1, 1989, lived here for 20 years, and be over 40 years of age.

Between us, my wife (also a PRC) and I have 56 years residency in Bermuda, so our commitment to the Island is not in doubt – in fact I have lived here longer than I lived in my native UK – so why should we not have a democratic say in affairs that affect the lives of our family?

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