May 8, 2012.Dear Sir,As 18 months of this administration approaches, it is time for truth. Since Paula Cox was appointed Premier, many of us firm supporters of the PLP have watched with disappointment the realignment of the Government’s priorities. At home, in church on the street and in the club, I have defended the Premier and her administration while in my heart I have agreed with many of the critics; inside and outside of the Party.It seems to me that it is inescapable now; this Premier has no political acumen and worse still, little or no connection with the people and her supposed ideological roots. From a purely political perspective, I do not understand how she could deliberately breathe life into the OBA by delaying an election until they reformed and rebranded. Even John Swan knew how to deal with a Party in the throes of disunity. Through an election in December 2010 she would have gained her own mandate and had a freer hand to work on this economy and the issues of the day. Instead she stumbles along in what Philip Butterfield rightly termed “a period of ambiguity”.Then there are the priorities. Everything with which she is associated is designed to answer her critics. Every piece of legislation, every statement is designed to demonstrate that we are trustworthy. It’s as if she believes what her opponents say about her and her colleagues and that belief guides her every move. There is no vision except proving “them” wrong; when what she should doing is pursuing her own programmes and fulfilling the Party’s mandate of being a Party of and for the people. She appears hell-bent on atoning for sins not even committed just because loud (but few) voices say we must. That is not leadership.I question her move to cast aside the institutional knowledge of her predecessor and his team politically and in the public service but figured she wanted her own people. That has been a failure too. How could she engage Renee Webb in some consultancy but preside over the closure of the Sunshine League? That is evidence of a loss of bearings; assuming she had them in the first place. The question I am most asked is: “Who is advising her?” I truly don’t know, but for the number of them running about, the results should be far better.I believe the PLP will win the next election. I believe the people of Bermuda know that ideologically the OBA has no grounding other than to “do it” like the UBP did. But make no mistake; this is the last election where the scales will be in the PLP’s favour “just because”. A child born in 1998 will be eligible to vote in 2016 when we do this again and the PLP will be the status quo to them. That means that a powerful argument must be made for continuing in government. This leader, this Premier cannot make it because she doesn’t believe it. She is an apologist who cannot inspire to public service the talent we need to run this country. Irrespective of results in the election to come, for the good of the country, the people and the Party, Paula Cox must go.A S SIMONSPaget