“I did consider running for Parliament. Very briefly. Once I understood the political process, the responsibilities of Cabinet and the issues that confront us, I would never have become a politician. Never. Because you have to toe the line; there is collective responsibility, and I have always been a very independent thinker.”

These words, spoken by the recently retired Shernette Wolffe, Clerk to the Legislature, during her interview with The Royal Gazette, would resonate with those who tend to be guided by their own thoughts based on their own personal values. It is unfortunate that Bermuda’s political parties discourage their members from conveying their true ideology and voicing their own beliefs on important matters.

Toeing the line and collective responsibility, as Ms Wolffe termed it, does come with its advantages. It portrays a sense of unity and discipline within the party, and it ensures there is consistency in messaging to the public. Bermuda is not alone when it comes to the political parties demanding loyalty from their representatives and for them to stick to the agreed talking points. This is common within politics in many countries. However, a lack of challenging one’s own party publicly, which would add to the conversation, limits the flow of new ideas and quite possibly a better policy solution overall.

Adding to this, a country that has two parties that are dominant, which is generally what we have had historically on the island, further reduces diverse thinking, as it is difficult for others to challenge. When you have members from political parties that tend to toe the line and add that there are only two political parties with real influence to choose from, the electorate loses out with the choice of alternative ideas.

Many countries have two dominant parties with opposite political ideologies, such as the United States and Canada. However, unlike Bermuda and perhaps many other small-island nations, these countries’ political systems are vast and are seen to be more ideologically diverse. The US, for instance, has political factions within each party that have a divergence of interests and priorities. There are progressives and moderates within the Democrats, and there are the right-wing freedom caucus and moderates within the Republicans.

Constituents in these large countries generally know where their politicians are placed on the political spectrum and what their values are. Can we truly say whether we know the same for our politicians? For sure, we do know where some of them sit on specific issues. However, owing to collective responsibility, it is a mystery for many.

Breaking down the typical political spectrum, a Centre-Left ideology — with which the Progressive Labour Party aligns — promotes social justice, equality and workers’ rights. The Left tends to have liberal views and believes a society is best served by an expanded government, such as universal healthcare and public transportation. It does not like austerity, believe in higher taxes on the wealthy, higher spending on social programmes, strong regulation, or support of LGBTQ+ rights — but they favour immigration, the environment and are largely pro-choice.

A Centre-Right ideology — with which I presume today’s One Bermuda Alliance aligns — operates on a platform of individualism, traditionalism and free markets.

The Right tends to have conservative views and believes the power of government should be limited and scaled down. It favours market-based (private sector) solutions such as the island’s existing healthcare system. The Right also believes in balanced budgets, lower taxes, less regulation with a laissez-faire approach, is generally opposed to same-sex marriage, less regulation and immigration, and is largely pro-life.

Looking at the traditional viewpoints of Left and Right politics, it shows that Bermuda’s political parties do not always fit neatly on their side of the spectrum. When it comes to ideology, it can be complicated. Beliefs and ideas can be influenced by the island’s history and culture, and one’s age and race. Political ideology can also be swayed by internal members, pressure groups and stakeholders who are deemed important.

What is the true ideology of our politicians? It would be great if we knew which values and principles they truly supported. What we have today is masking by collective responsibility. I suspect there are moderates from both parties that have similar views on certain issues, but they would find some way to either disagree or to not let on that they do agree because they are supposed to be on opposite sides.

Why is ideology so important and why does it matter in Bermuda? No doubt, there are people that would support their political party regardless of the policy at hand, even if it does go against their own personal values. However, there is a growing number of people, particularly from the younger generations, who are more issue-driven based on what they believe in. Just like political parties that do not always stay on their side of the spectrum, neither does the electorate. Healthy communication on issues from people that have different life experiences would help to build, connect and improve relationships on the island.

Younger voters are far more likely to be in the centre of the political spectrum and less partisan than their elders. They are the ones who most likely would believe in, as an example, a small government that is fiscally prudent and one that is socially conscious, believes in climate change and strives for equality. These are both conservative and liberal viewpoints.

A 2019 Pew Research survey of Republicans in the US showed the differences of ideology by age group. The survey revealed 37 per cent of Gen Z-ers and millennials — from voting age up to 42 years old — believe that African-Americans are not treated fairly, in contrast to baby boomers at 20 per cent. Another contrast shows 62 per cent see increased diversity as being good for the country, compared with boomers at 48 per cent. The survey also highlighted that 67 per cent of Gen Z-ers and millennials think the government should do more to solve problems, in contrast to 49 per cent of baby boomers.

Although these statistics are US-based, it gives a sense of how differently Gen Z-ers and millennials could view issues when compared with older generations in Bermuda. The younger the generation, the less monolithic they are. Our young people from Gen Z particularly, born between 1997 and 2012, have grown up in a more interconnected and global world. They travel more frequently and are exposed to diverse cultures and perspectives. Their education is geared towards critical thinking that empowers students to engage with the world in a more thoughtful and analytical manner, which leads to better problem-solving and decision-making.

Some countries have multiparty systems and their political parties have less of a big tent of only Left and Right of the political spectrum from which to choose. Sometimes in countries that have multiparty systems, no single party has a parliamentary majority by itself. This results in multiple political parties having to form a coalition government. In Germany, for instance, there are three political parties that make up the Government. The Chancellor is from one party, the Vice-Chancellor is from another, and the rest of the Cabinet has representatives from all three parties.

Imagine if Bermuda had a multiparty system that resulted in a coalition government forming. The Premier, Deputy Premier and Cabinet ministers being represented by PLP, OBA, and possibly another party. In this way, at least more of the electorate would not automatically shoot the messenger once a new policy is revealed, and issues would be discussed more in public because there would be more engagement.

This is not going to happen anytime soon as Bermuda “conservatively” does not like change. Therefore, the only way issues will be discussed more in public is for the electorate to not toe the line themselves or have a collective responsibility to the party they support. Bermuda needs to get away from just engaging and supporting an initiative that is driven by the political party they support. There needs to be less focus on the party, and more attention to the actual issue at hand. Surely, values and principles are more important.

Most would agree, like other countries, Bermuda has a political divide. This gap could be bridged closer if there was more communication across the political spectrum on common issues, at the very least. This would increase transparency and create a higher level of trust within the community. Who knows, it might even encourage politicians who are not seen as a public enemy of their own party to speak out on their truths.

• Malcolm Raynor has worked in the telecommunications industry in Bermuda for more than 30 years. Benefiting from Cable & Wireless’s internal training and education programmes held in Bermuda, Barbados, St Lucia (The University of the West Indies) and Britain, he rose to the level as senior vice-president. An independent thinker possessing a moderate ideology, his opinions are influenced by principle, data and trends