Dear Sir,

I write a little tongue in cheek about our political system. If it was scripted as a soap opera, it wouldn’t complete the first season before being booed off. But it is not supposed to be comedy. It governs the lives of about 60,000 Bermudians and, frankly, we are not getting value for money.

For example, we know we have an ageing population and that we need to increase our working population to improve our tax base and get the country back into the black financially. Last night (October 2, 2024), I watched Walter Roban denigrating the One Bermuda Alliance for its attempts to increase our workforce. And yet, within the past couple of years, the Progressive Labour Party has come out and stated clearly, “We need to enlarge our working population … By many thousands over the next five years.”

We have a Cabinet minister boasting of job growth of more than 800 positions, almost all filled from overseas, and Mr Roban complaining that the OBA would also do the same thing. The bottom line is, we either increase our workforce or we go broke.

At present we have two workforce requirements: highly skilled or semi-skilled. We would all like to see Bermudians filling the first option, but that requires a high level of education, but we are not producing those persons in sufficient numbers. The type of job for the second option are not appealing to to our born workforce because they are perceived to be inferior. That they are not only not inferior but also very important has somehow slipped through the cracks.

We desperately need good-quality tradesmen and women, but they are not forthcoming. And these jobs pay well, as any homeowner who needs things fixed can attest.

Worldwide, as a workforce, Bermuda would rate as a mid-sized company. Companies succeed because the directors get it right. Our very well-paid politicians are our “company directors” — and, collectively, they have got it wrong.

It is easy to criticise, I know, but it is time for a rethink. Time for professionals at the top.

With regard to the pension deficits, raising the retirement age and raising the compulsory contribution would surely help. Most people would add another 5 per cent if they know it was going to be reliably invested, and that their pension monies are ring-fenced.

Adding a proper trade school staffed by City and Guilds instructors would do no harm, either.

Have a nice day, everyone.

JEFF PAYNE

Southampton