It is interesting, yet unsurprising to see that the Progressive Labour Party is getting away without paying its bills. You know: “getting something for nothing”.

Surely by now, some entity should have caught up with the party and taken it before the courts, charging it with being a bad tenant. You see, it is clear that the PLP is still living rent-free in the heads of Khalid Wasi and Vic Ball.

Between the pair of them, and others, they have been waging a negative propaganda campaign for a number of years. Whether it be baseless claims of corruption, non-starter ideas with regard to internal party affairs or attempting to persuade the very same delegates that they often denigrate, they have become quite the Siamese twins.

They are never short of criticism or rewriting history.

The irony is that if you read their contributions, you will be hard-pressed to see them actually articulate any tangible solutions to everyday challenges. Mr Wasi has the privilege of living in the past, romanticising about a political career that he could have had.

Whether what he writes is fully accurate is subjective, as many elders do not corroborate most of his claims. Nevertheless, it is clear that he would like to be considered an elder statesman.

Losing propositions

On the other hand, Mr Ball does not have the luxury of rewriting history. Being able to repeat the same talking points — written by a media consultant every month — does not actually make people gravitate towards you.

The ability to debate economic, political and social history is kind of a prerequisite in the PLP. Quite frankly, if someone does not know the answers to multiple questions, that is a red flag that they have not done their homework.

Furthermore, if one is attempting to run in a seat they should, at a bare minimum, understand that you cannot represent ideologies that are both devoid of historical realities and are anti-labour. Well, at least not if you are the approved candidate for a seat with a strong working/middle-class demographic.

It is mind-boggling to read Mr Ball constantly attacking the very same policies that help the people he will be courting for votes. Exactly how can he tell the residents of areas such as Hermitage Road, Verdmont Valley, Verdmont Road, Peet’s Point Lane and Kilderry Estate that they must vote for a party that has never supported the policies that assist them?

Case in point: you cannot say the PLP “can’t get anything right” to seniors in Bermuda who no longer have to pay land tax on their primary homes. Nor can you tell hundreds of education professionals that the system that they helped to shape and operate on a daily basis is a failure.

What exactly is Mr Ball saying about the thousands of Bermudian voters who attend or have come through the public school system?

For many, it comes across as if he and, by extension, the One Bermuda Alliance are labelling graduates of the public school system as failures. Perhaps, they did not proofread that comment before hitting “send”. Nevertheless, their classism is once again evident through Mr Ball’s writings.

The OBA hierarchy knows very well that if it is truly desirous of him ever getting elected, it will have to persuade one of those former United Bermuda Party MPs — Michael Dunkley or Cole Simons — to retire and essentially gift him a seat.

As it stands, as long as the PLP lives rent-free in his head, Vic Ball is not electable in any marginal seat in Bermuda.

• 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