Leah Scott wrote an appealing op-ed about the threat of civil protest undermining the integrity of Parliament and its ability to be seen to effectively govern. Her words were meant as a deterrent for protesters to take seriously what their act of blocking Parliament does to the reputation of stability and national security that underpins the foreign investment on which the island depends.

Her arguments are juxtaposed with the notion that Parliament is sacrosanct and legitimate. Therefore, any breach in its authority is illegal and those who commit such are acting unlawfully against the state. Speaking from the perspective of a state, or even the issue facing confidence in Bermuda, she is correct. However, when viewed in the light of truths and the complexity of entwining the indomitable spirit of humanity and its inalienable right to pursue equality and freedoms, other premises begin to speak to the argument of lawfulness.

All civil governments are by consent and are not absolute or divine authorities. There is the expectation of respect for law and order, but in reality such respect for law is again by consent of the citizenry. Every government on Earth has force as its origin, which later transformed into a legitimacy of some kind and an expectation for upholding its sovereignty. However, at the core is the individual, a mass of individuals who each possess an inalienable freedom, which makes all society in truth an aberration — hence its law an aberration but held together by individual consent.

In political philosophy, the right to revolt is considered not just a right, but a duty of the people of a nation to overthrow a government that acts against their common interests in threatening the security and prosperity of the people without a perceived or justified cause. This idea is written in the preamble to the American Constitution and throughout history in various nations going into antiquity such as “The Mandate of Heaven” in a Chinese dynasty where the mantle of authority from Heaven is transformed from the leaders to the revolutionaries who fought for a just cause.

The American and French revolutions each hold the same positions in history and its moral right, which belongs for ever to the people, is philosophically upheld.

Our government, just like our economy, exists on the back of confidence. We have society with its own unique history and development; we are not strangers to each other. The art of politics is to keep in touch, and nowadays it probably means being as inclusive and engaging as possible.

Any breakdown between the Government or state and the populace is a joint affair with mutual rights and not a simple matter of civil disorder. The Government ought to be respected but also respectable — law cannot decide alone what needs to be upheld.