“Absolute power does not corrupt absolutely, absolute power attracts the corruptible.” – Frank Herbert

Over the last year the OBA has continually pointed to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as justification for granting status to non-Bermudians:

“In order to conform to human rights obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, the Government will move forward with amendments to the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 to provide pathways to Bermuda status for persons born in Bermuda or persons who have been adopted by Bermudian parents.” OBA November 2014 Throne Speech

“In keeping with interpretations of the rights of long-term residents under the European Convention of Human Rights.” Senator Fahy July 23, 2014

The OBA claims that violation of the ECHR puts Bermuda at risk for legal action in the ECHR. What OBA fails to mention is that the provisions of the ECHR have not been incorporated into our local laws.

They have also conveniently chosen to overlook that in July 2014 Prime Minister David Cameron threatened to take Britain out of the ECHR.

In fact for the past year, Cameron along with UK’s Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, Home Secretary Theresa May, and some senior judges have all voiced their opposition to the judicial supremacy of the ECHR.

The UK has been battling with ECHR on a number of cases including: Prisoners’ right to vote; Deporting terrorist suspects; Deporting foreign criminals.

The UK government believes that unelected judges at ECHR should not have the power to override the judicial sovereignty of individual European nation states.

Cameron has vowed to curtail the power of the ECHR to ensure that British courts are “supreme”. Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, has stated that the European Court of Human Rights has “gone badly wrong” and should have less influence in the UK.

Is the OBA opting to ignore the current battles raging between the UK and the ECHR in an effort to rush through legislation that will enable many non-Bermudians access to status?

As it stands now a growing proportion of Britons are seeking to find pathways to get the UK out of the European Union altogether. Politicians from all sides are tripping over themselves to say they wish to give Brits the option for a referendum on the basis of leaving the European Union.

The main bone of contention is that Britain has an immigration problem with far too many Eastern Europeans moving to England, taking jobs and housing meant for British subjects.

How ironic that the English are now seeing the ill effects of immigration policies. Even more ironic is that the OBA is opening up Bermuda’s immigrations policies when our mother country seeks to tighten her own immigration pathways.

Now that the OBA has given thousands of PRCs the green light to apply for status, Premier Michael Dunkley and Minister Michael Fahy will probably seek to announce the OBA version of “Comprehensive Immigration reform.”

The OBA has held no bipartisan discussions with the PLP or any form of open town hall meetings with the people of Bermuda to discuss the details of any comprehensive immigration reform.

Bermudians must be justifiably concerned with what this one-sided reform will entail. It seems once again they are making rules in the dark that will soon come to light while the debt continues to grow. Actually, how does giving PRCs the right to vote help pay down the debt?

It doesn’t.

“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.” – Napoleon