Premier warns of ‘new Combined Opposition’
The leader of the Progressive Labour Party gave an impassioned warning to party delegates about the “new combined Opposition” ahead of the looming deadline for the next General Election.
David Burt, the Premier, called on his party’s members to stand strong against other political groups and independent candidates, warding off what he described as a retreat to “the old system”.
Mr Burt called the PLP’s opponents — the One Bermuda Alliance, the Free Democratic Movement and a new wave of independent candidates — “three peas in the same pod”.
He added: “We have the One Bermuda Alliance, who not only represent the historical elites of Bermuda’s society, but also failed Bermudians in government.
“Today it seems we have a new Combined Opposition that has a pro-wealthy, pro-establishment agenda that looks to reverse the progressive changes that this government has made.”
Mr Burt was speaking during the party’s 59th Annual Delegates Conference last night at St Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Hamilton. The conference’s theme was “The Power of One”.
Mr Burt drew parallels between the PLP, founded in 1963, and the Progressive Group ― a separate organisation ― that orchestrated the 1959 Theatre Boycott that toppled segregation in Bermuda.
He said that, despite the danger of challenging the status quo, the Progressive Group’s “bravery and dedication” led to sweeping changes for equality.
Mr Burt added: "This movement is about building a fairer Bermuda for all of us.
“But let's be clear, the need for individuals to unite for fairness and justice did not begin in 1963 or 1959.
“No, family, it started even further back, when The Sea Venture crashed on our shores in 1609, and a system was put in place ― a system of colonialism that divided power and wealth among the few, while the many laboured in their benefit.
“That is the system that in some measures we are living with today ― a legacy of colonialism that still concentrated power and privilege in the hands of a few.
“And family, do you know how they maintained that power? Through division.”
Mr Burt warned that the OBA threatened to enact policies that would bring back hardships for everyday Bermudians.
He added that encroaches from the FDM and Independent candidates would create a “chaotic coalition of convenience”.
Mr Burt said: “It was the OBA who gave us a bad airport deal which cost us tens of millions of dollars throughout the pandemic and hundreds of millions more of lost revenue, [which is] continuing to flow in to the hands of a Canadian corporation.
“It was the OBA that put us on the hook for $200 million for Morgan’s Point, and it was the OBA who tried to push through Pathways to Status, which would have fundamentally redefined what it means to be Bermudian.”
Mr Burt also referred to the FDM as “the OBA’s would-be junior partners”.
He told members that, while “they may look like us,” if they looked deeper into the party, they would “find a group of people with some downright strange beliefs”.
He warned that an FDM-controlled government could lead to a wave of immigration, reduced public services and “reduced taxes for high earners, while workers pay more”.
Mr Burt added: “That is not an ideology that would build a fair Bermuda for us ― that is an ideology that plays right into the hands of the OBA.”
Mr Burt referred to a wave of Independent nominees, spearheaded by former premier Sir John Swan, as the “Independent party of Sir John Swan”.
He added that understanding Sir John’s political stances throughout his time in office — as United Bermuda Party premier during the Eighties — would provide “little question what they are about”.
Mr Burt joked with the audience about calling the next General Election, telling them: “I know everyone is waiting for the bell to ring.”
He admitted that the PLP was not perfect, adding that “no political party is or ever will be”.
He insisted that his party was “a team of caring people who are connected to the community”.
Mr Burt said: “This next election will not be another landslide — and yes, we may lose some seats.
“But if we are complacent, if we are divided, those who oppose our vision of fairness will take advantage.”
He added: “Every step we take is a step towards a fairer, more just Bermuda that we all believe in.
“And as we look forward to the next election — whenever that may be — it's about one thing. One thing! Who will build a better Bermuda which works for all of us, and not just those who have always had it all?”
• To read David Burt’s speech in full, see Related Media
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