When you assume government, you inherit all the problems and issues along with it. “It’s your baby now.” You may get a few days of grace and a glimmer of recognition of the problems created by your predecessor, but the sentiment is short-lived and the question of where do you go from here becomes the new now, the sole responsibility resting on the team that governs.

Look at the nasty gas bombing this week in Syria that drew a comment from US President Donald Trump, who promptly blamed the failings on Barack Obama and the infamous “red line in the sand”. The quick nod of acknowledgement was given, but followed as quickly by a “Well, what are you going to do about it, Mr President?”

Such is the price of winning government: you inherit the good, the bad, the praise and, eventually, the criticism. No doubt some horrible things transpired during the previous administration right here in Bermuda, but those matters now are all under the watch of the One Bermuda Alliance and it will in some cases be carrying on with not just the legacy of former ills, but the relics that are hanging from their necks like ornaments as well.

The statement that “the other guy left me with too big of a hole” is of no help to a team trying to prove itself worthy of another term at government. You can almost hear a crowd say: “Well, what’s the alternative, you got to give them some more time and another chance. What you going to do? Put us back in the hole?” The answer for many is yes.

There is a huge group ready to throw a grenade and then run to the hills for cover. It must be so when you do not hear an alternative voice with a solution that sounds like something good and beneficial is on the way.

I remember a gentleman from the neighbourhood back in the day, strolling home after a hard day’s work to his “poor” children and wife, with what looked like a bag of groceries because we could see the carrot and celery tops protruding from the top of the brown grocery bag.

What we did not see was the big bottle of Black Seal Rum and Heinekens taking up a lot of space in the bag.

All the singing, arguments and noise that followed later on that night revealed the true grocery list. Such is life, we have a community in need and it will be best if someone brought some real groceries home. Otherwise, it’s going to be a lot of noise around the kitchen.

Folks, I am going to do an Alfred Hitchcock and let you finish this story.

This article was written before the US missile strikes on a Syrian airbase