“Jeremy Corbyn hits back at Rishi Sunak’s comments about him in Prime Minister’s Questions and says if he is ‘going to live rent-free’ in the Prime Minister’s head, the PM could at least ‘accurately reflect’ his views.”

“Mr Sunak has pledged to use Sir Keir Starmer’s support for Mr Corbyn’s leadership, before he stepped down and took over, as a line of attack in PMQs.”

Sky News (November 3, 2022)

Whenever the Tories cannot answer a question from their Labour Party counterparts, they attempt to bring up Jeremy Corbyn as a way to deflect from their own shortcomings.

Free apartments

Locally, it seems that the Progressive Labour Party is also “going to live rent-free” in the heads of a few people. You know, those individuals who cannot write an op-ed, and/or make a statement online without attempting to cast negative aspersions on the PLP.

Let us take a look at Tenant No 1, Vic Ball, who wrote the following:

“However, recent reports suggest that Mr Burt has tried to amend the PLP’s constitution to prevent a leadership challenge from within the party, which is expected to take place in October”

August 18, 2022

“... infiltrate the labour movement and turn its leadership against the working class to the PLP’s benefit.”

October 6, 2022

“The vote clearly reveals that the collective of the PLP inner circle overwhelmingly does not care about honest leadership and integrity which Dickinson ran on. What it says to me, and presumably you as well, is that the PLP as a party does not care what happens to the country at large.”

October 28, 2022

One has only to google Vic Ball’s name and you will see that the only thing he constantly writes/ opines on is the PLP.

Clearly, we are living rent-free in his mind.

Now on to Tenant No 2. One Khalid Wasi, who has spent the past few years attempting to claim that the PLP does not practise democracy in regards to its internal elections.

“It seems that in spite of the opposite appearance, we are witnessing what could be the last days of the Progressive Labour Party. The PLP has labelled itself as a ‘private party’ where its privacy is held sacrosanct over and above the electorate”

October 8

Again, one need only google his name and almost every piece will be some negative spin on the PLP.

Zero solutions

Not unlike the Tories, neither of these gentlemen ever spends any given time or writing effort to actually articulate a form of solution to the problems that the island and the rest of the world are facing. Can anyone say they have heard them speak on how to build more affordable housing? Have they put forth solutions for young males involved in negative behaviour? Between them, they cannot even show how the One Bermuda Alliance is relevant.

Why is that?

Simply because their agendas have never been actually about doing anything in the community. One does not have to be an elected official to get things done; nor does one have to use every single column espousing sour grapes.

I will leave it here.

The more they write these attack columns, the less credibility they have in the eyes of the electorate. In the meantime, we will continue to do for the people of Bermuda in the areas of affordable housing, education reform, climate mitigation and gender equality.

Their next few columns will show if we continue to “live rent-free” in their minds.

• Christopher Famous is the government MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11). You can reach him on WhatsApp at 599-0901 or e-mail at carib_pro@yahoo.com