Yesterday presented yet another sign that Bermuda is hurtling uncontrollably towards a status that is not of the First World variety that we often claim to possess. It did not require a high-priced sleuth to figure out that Chris Furbert and the Reverend Nicholas Tweed would lead a band of protesters to the House of Assembly first thing in the morning and that their remit would be to prevent immigration reform from being tabled — by any means possible.

The dress rehearsal had taken place three days earlier, after all.

Jason Hayward knew the deal. The Bermuda Public Services Union president and People’s Campaign frontman came dressed for a fight, clad as he was in combat fatigues.

So how is it that Bermuda’s protectors were not prepared?

How is it that when the MPs that make up Parliament should have been planning their trips to the Hill, there was barely an officer in sight?

And how is it that there were no plans to allow for safe passage of MPs and other dignitaries, when they did eventually arrive, by way of barricading them away from the hordes who had congregated by the scheduled 10am starting time?

The motto “Serve and protect” had become “Serve and stand back” for all the good that the police were in the face of a crowd that admittedly were far better behaved than the mob of last Friday.

There were none of the stories of elderly women scuffling with officers, not much word of people of the “wrong pigmentation” or “funny accents” being spat at or having offensive hand and verbal gestures thrust in their direction. Yesterday was far more orderly, save for the curiously odd detour to a certain law office — almost like the morning after at Glastonbury.

But you would hope that there was something in place should a substantial gathering become far more emotional and reactionary.

We got nothing of the sort, thankfully in the latter case, and meanwhile “the people’s business” has been left undone when there is much to do and little time to do it in.

That is worrying. Not because the politicians have been denied the opportunity to resume the pastime of spewing bile across the political divide — that was one blessing to come out of yesterday because some of the discourse has been nothing short of hateful and embarrassing — but rather security appeared to be an afterthought.

Bermuda’s Minister of National Security is also its Premier and you would think some contingency plan would be afoot should the pleas of Furbert and the good reverend to behave peacefully fall on deaf ears. Has there been given any consideration to embody the Royal Bermuda Regiment? Again, the closest we got to seeing anyone of that ilk was Messr Hayward.

How long does Michael Dunkley, in his ministerial capacity, allow this to go on?

Yesterday set a precedent and empowered the likes of Furbert and Hayward — the jury is still out on the People’s Campaign as an entity that government should be negotiating with — for the inevitable labour disputes of the future that would involve the Bermuda Industrial Union and BPSU respectively.

This one, though, was wholly avoidable — and for that the fault lies squarely at the feet of the One Bermuda Alliance for public relations incompetence of the highest order.

It is rare that such a well-intentioned group could inflict this amount of self-harm over a proposed Bill that in many ways is absolutely the right thing to do. But the decision to drop this on the public just after a crushing defeat at a by-election, without the level of consultation that would otherwise be appropriate, was not the most tactically astute. Cart before the horse by half.

What the OBA had no control over, however, is the bearer of such bad news, depending on your viewpoint. Michael Fahy is arguably the most disliked politician on the island, definitely within the government ranks — red flag to a bull. But he is the minister responsible for immigration, so there was no getting away from him delivering this 14lb baby.

After 48 hours of labour, with another 48 promised by the end of Wednesday’s next scheduled session of the House, it may just have to be delivered by emergency C-section if it wants to see the light of day.

But even before the controversial proposed Bermuda Immigration and Protection Amendment Act 2016 is brought up for discussion by the 35 MPs, with its pathways that are wonderful and infuriating in equal measure — hence the stand-off — the Budget debate must first reach its conclusion.

Does anyone remember Bob Richards? You know, the Minister of Finance, who has arguably the most difficult job of the lot?

Bermuda is still billions in debt, lest we forget, and the events of the past 72 hours will not have done the coffers any favours.

There will come a time when enough will be enough and night has to turn to day. This is a very dark period for Bermuda; some say this is the day Bermuda changed.

We must pray that it is for the better because more of the same would only carry us farther on the slippery slope of insignificance in the worldview. We cannot afford that.