Hello, Bermuda. Are you angry yet?

On July 22, the Government announced that the Premier was going to make a special statement to the public. I expected a press conference of some kind. Perhaps something interactive where the Premier would speak to the media and then they could ask questions about his statement. Instead, what we got was a slick, pre-recorded video of the Premier giving a monologue called Address to Bermuda.

I must admit that my eyes were rolling two minutes after the Premier began to speak. The reason for my revulsion was his manufactured emotions and choreographed gestures that were likely scripted by a media-training consultant. To me it looked like he had been coached on how to position his hands, when to move his arms, and what tone of voice to use when making particular statements. It also looked like he had been coached to harden his facial expression at the precise moment that he is about to say something “serious”. Despite such training, his presentation was so robotic that you might mistake it for a deepfake video generated using artificial intelligence computer software.

Media training does have its place, especially in our image-obsessed society. But what I absolutely resent is performative politics that amount to little more than a parlour trick, a method of deception. Frankly, I found it offensive and insulting to see such shallow tactics being used to manipulate the public. These scripted monologues aren’t genuine engagement with voters. The public were not allowed to ask questions about the failure of the 2024 Budget. We were being spoon-fed excuses to keep us voting green.

Consider the substance of the Premier’s message. He started by claiming that the Government has spent the past seven years trying to build up the community, but owing to recent tragedies, much more needs to be done. Consequently, the Government will conduct a midyear budget review so that more community support can be provided. Translation: more money needs to be spent.

Bermuda certainly has seen major tragedies in close succession over the past couple of months, but the cracks in our society have been allowed to widen for far longer than seven years. For David Burt’s part, antisocial behaviour and the extremely high cost of living are issues that should have been prioritised from July 18, 2017. Public education reform should not be so contentious and confusing. The cost of healthcare remains out of reach for far too many.

Remember all the pre-election campaigning about racial injustice and economic inequality back in 2017? Remember all the campaigning about the haves and the have-nots? Remember the living wage? Those issues have been swept under the rug, put on the back burner, or redefined under Mr Burt’s leadership.

Ask yourself: exactly what have we gained from seven years of empty fintech speeches, conferences and absurd consultancy contracts? What have we gained from all those trips to Dubai? What about all the memorandums of understanding the Premier signed? And how about Mr Burt’s flirtation with full Caricom membership? Despite his repeated, nauseating proclamations about great progress since 2017, there really is not a lot of substance behind his razzle-dazzle.

This is the party that campaigned in 2017 on Bermudians being forced to flee the country for Britain, but to date has not implemented any measures to track or study emigration patterns. This is the same party that now claims to have done so much to improve affordable housing but has done a great deal to make affordable housing far worse. It is also the same party that called for increased transparency but has spent taxpayer dollars to keep government matters hidden from taxpayers!

After seven years, we have a closet full of flip-flops, and the national address was intended to distract us from the Progressive Labour Party’s failure to address pressing social issues. Specifically, it was at the eighth minute that the Premier stated, while using the most serious face and tone of voice he could muster, that unlike the former government, the PLP will provide additional community support without making cuts to anything. Ah, the other shoe finally dropped. By making that statement, the Address to Bermuda became a taxpayer-funded PLP campaign video.

Here’s my hunch: during the first five months of the year, all signs were pointing towards a General Election being called during the summer. From January through February there was a dramatic increase in the number of PLP op-eds being published. In early February, the Fairmont Southampton special development order controversy was extinguished with the announcement and photos of construction moving ahead. In the middle of February, we were told that Bermuda’s economy had been managed so well that we will have the first balanced budget in 21 years. At the end of February, the Government announced the Financial Assistance Short-Term Relief Programme. Then in May, the Government inexplicably reversed its decisions to close West End and St David’s primary schools.

All of those actions pointed towards a General Election being called sooner rather than later. Most likely, those plans began to fall apart when Michael Dunkley stepped down in March. Despite all the propaganda that was published, and all the heartstrings that were pulled, it was not enough to get Lindsay Simmons elected. The by-election result, along with the feedback on the doorsteps in Constituency 10, would have served as a warning about calling an election.

It is now past the middle of summer. Very little progress is visible at the Fairmont Southampton; fintech is still far more hype/delusion than reality; retail sales are still struggling; redundancies are continuing; our tourism efforts are still grossly inadequate; more Bermudians are being vocal about being forced to leave their island home; there are increasing calls for independent representatives. And, to top it off, there are increasing signs of significant party infighting.

Clearly, whatever early-election window the PLP saw in January has now been closed.

Well, it will take a lot more than media-trained robotic hand gestures to bamboozle the people. More cheques will need to be written to convince the public that the PLP actually is looking out for the community’s best interest. We’ll see a raft of social initiatives proposed in a very short time. More government money will therefore be needed to fund the campaign.

No, you can’t make up for six years of neglect and mismanagement by stringing together a few shallow initiatives the year before a General Election. But, politically, such tactics have worked in the past. Fixing the problems isn’t the point — it’s about looking the part. The midyear budget review won’t be about getting to the root of Bermuda’s problems. It will be about winning enough votes to maintain political dominance.

• Bryant Trew can be contacted via e-mail at bryanttrew@mac.com