In his own words

Frustrated by Tourism Minister Dr. Ewart Brown's decision to use taxpayer money to spend a night in a "seven-star" hotel, I decided to email him to get his side of the story. I wanted to see if his assessment of the benefits for Bermuda justified the cost.

Here's the email I sent him:

Dear Dr. Brown

I was concerned to read in today's Bermuda Sun that during your recent trip to Dubai you stayed at the Burj Al Arab hotel at the Bermuda taxpayers' expense.

I would be grateful if you could answer the following questions regarding your stay.

1. How many nights were you there?
2. What was your total hotel bill?
3. What did you learn about the hotel and its standards during your stay?
4. How will you use this knowledge to benefit the Bermudian taxpayer?

Kind regards,
Phil

One hour and fifteen minutes later (I can't fault the man for his responsiveness), I received the following reply:

Dear Phil:

Your "concern" is noted.

The first two questions fall into the "plantation" category.

I am sure I have sent you in the past a definition of same.

However I can refer you to the office of the Auditor General or the Accountant General for further information.

Re questions 3 and 4, I would be delighted to sit down with you after I report to the Government next week.

P.S. The Burj Al Arab is an incredible destination!

My response to him:

Many thanks for your speedy response. I would certainly appreciate the opportunity to hear what lessons you think the Burj Al Arab has for Bermuda’s hoteliers. I am sorry that you do not feel it is appropriate for the public to know the cost of your stay, however I will contact the individuals you mention to see if I can get this information.

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

If I have any luck finding out the cost of Dr. Brown's stay, or am able to meet with him to discuss what he learned, I'll post the details here.

(later) It seems I may have misinterpreted Dr. Brown's categorisation of my first two questions as "plantation questions" as a refusal to answer them. Shortly after sending my reply, I received this response back from him:

No problem.

What you might benefit from knowing is that I have been answering to the public since my election in 1993!--long before you entered the Bermudian "journalism" scene.

To assume that my refusal to answer your questions today means that I do not want to answer to the public is at best weird, but consistent.

Now, I must get back to my work--after all JetBlue flies in tomorrow!

My reply:

I apologise if I misinterpreted your categorisation of my questions as “plantation questions” as a refusal to answer them. I am not aware of government protocol for responding to such questions, and did not realise that the Auditor General and Accountant General were the appropriate people to contact.

Unfortunately, I had obviously had one too many glasses of red wine (I knew drinking in the middle of the week was a bad idea), as Dr. Brown pointed out:

You missed the point.

It was your conclusion that because I chose not to answer YOUR question that I did not want the public to have the information.

You will agree that there are numerous conduits to the public.

You are ONE.

Now I was really puzzled. If Dr. Brown didn't want to answer my questions because of who I was, that was one thing. Most Government ministers don't bother to reply to my emails, so I wouldn't have been surprised if Dr. Brown hadn't either (although his willingness to do so is one of the things I admire in him). But why then dismiss them as "plantation questions"? I decided to ask him:

I fully agree that I am only one conduit to the public, and a pretty minor one at that.

However, I assumed that a plantation question is a plantation question regardless of who is asking it, and that anyone who asked you about the cost of your stay would have received the same response. Is that not the case? Would you have answered the question if, say, the Royal Gazette or Bermuda Sun had asked it?

I hope that you do not think that I am trying to be difficult. I am simply puzzled as to why you designated the question as a “plantation question” rather than saying you did not wish to respond to me.

Dr. Brown's reply was brief:

Re-read the definition.

I've done that, but I'm still none the wiser. Can anyone help me out?

» I received the following response from Auditor General Larry Dennis earlier today:

"Dear Mr. Wells,

I am sure the cost of Dr. Brown’s Dubai trip is of interest to the taxpayer but it is not the responsibility of the Auditor General to inform the taxpayer except if the Auditor General chooses to do so through his/her periodic annual and special reports to the House of Assembly. Travel expenditures will more likely make the report if the budget voted by the Legislature for this purpose was overspent or if the costs per diem exceeded promulgated standards.

Whereas the size of the travel budget has been the topic of debate in the House, I am not aware that the approved budgeted amount has been exceeded. As for the per diem costs exceeding standards, I draw your attention to information already available to the public on this matter. On page 49 of my 2000 Annual Report issued February 2001, the following statements appear:

• “The Accountant-General was told to assume that all charges to Minister’s credit cards are for Government business and are reasonable.”

• “Government obviously has the authority to determine policy for Government credit cards usage. It should be noted, however, that a cardholder policy that provides no auditable restrictions on what Ministers can charge to their credit cards and requires no supporting documentary evidence, effectively eliminates my ability to provide the House of Assembly with assurances that these expenditures are being made properly or with probity.”

I am not aware that the policy on Ministers’ travel costs has changed. If there are no restrictions placed on Ministers’ travel expenses, the Accountant-General or the Auditor General can hardly be expected to comment on them since any perceived problem is neither an accounting nor an auditing issue. If the Bermuda taxpaying public was interested in having restrictions placed on travel costs incurred by their public officials, I am sure restrictions would be placed thereon.

Larry T. Dennis, CA
Auditor General"

I have not yet had a response from the Accountant General.

Comments

[WyrdSister on 03.05.06 at 20:51]

I always thought a plantation question went something like "how do you pick that cotton?" "How big does the tobbacco plant grow?" or "Are the sugar cane heavy to carry?"

[Rev. Goat on 03.05.06 at 21:07]

Limey, you got some balls mate!

[Zoom on 03.05.06 at 21:10]

Dr Brown, unlike most of his Cabinet colleagues, and to his credit, does not shy away from the media or public enquiry.

But who the fork does he think he's fooling with the Plantation line? I will say that I wish I had balls as big as Dr Brown.

There was dialogue here some months ago on Government's exploding travel budget over recent years. Now you know why.

[WyrdSister on 03.05.06 at 21:22]

another good plantation question "what fertilise do you use?" anyone know the answer?

[Bill Cook on 03.05.06 at 22:27]

What about "do you have any of those free credit cards you byes get for us seniors who are in dire straits ? "

[Enigma on 03.05.06 at 22:34]

Phil,

You are a credit to Bermuda. You ask the questions that the rest of us have sadly grown far too complacement to ask. The excess is so bad that we as a country have actually become immune to it and we simply shake our heads and keep our heads bowed.

If a child misbehaves and you do nothing then by default you condone their behaviour. A classic example is the utter silence of our government on the racist outbursts of our most powerful unelected politician the very unsavoury and totally predjudiced David Burch who carries more personal baggage than an airport porter and yet is able to launch his disgusting personal attacks without even a whimper of public recrimination from anyone in his party including the eunuch premiere who seems to fall in line with any and all excesses that are presented to him.

We as Bermudians are 100% guilty of condoning the total outrages and excesses of the current government for the simple reason that we passively accept it without any complaint.

I commend you Phil, for doing a far more effective job than the opposition who also seem 'afraid' to make a very loud noise about what is happening in Bermuda.

Ewart Brown is milking the cow for all she is worth and he is spending my hard earned money on his egotistical escapades. Not only is he spending my money but he is so absurdly arrogant that he sees no irony in accusing someone who questions how he is spending my money as being based in a racist mindset! To be honest, I don't completely blame E.B. after all children will always push the limits to see how far they can go. I blame the parents or in this case the sad excuse for a leader that we have in this country who will, I guarantee, have absolutely nothing of any value to say about the Ewart ego trip and thus set us up for more of the same, or worse, in the very near future!

I believe all of the media in Bermuda should look at you as an example of someone who truly has the balls to ask the real questions instead of pandering to ego's and I guarantee that in in 8.5 years time (my guess) when you are finally inducted into the Bermuda political hall of fame, I for one will give you my vote. Assuming of course that the current parasites have left anything worth voting for, which I truly doubt.

[Rev. Goat on 03.05.06 at 23:10]

Limey himself IS the plantation question.

Enigma has a good point, complacency certainly has crept in. Look at the Premiere, 1.5mil renovations on his mansion and 200K a year to boot. This Dubai fiasco is one we know about, how many more horror stories of these guys feathering their own nests have we missed.

I believe the Premiere is the worst, he loves cricket and he has ties to Trinidad. So what does he do, he hires a Trinidadian coach and provides $11m for the Bermuda team to train in Trinidad. Wow, he's like those yankee CEO's that buy their own baseball teams.

[Amin Swan on 04.05.06 at 01:37]

I have been an employee of Marriott Intl. for over 10 years in Management. The CEO of my company Mr. JW Marriott travels extensively throughout the world, although he can stay in the top suites at any Marriott/Ritz/Renaissance/Bulgari (All Marriott branded properties), he chooses to stay at high end Boutique hotels and Big name brands in Asia like Intercontinental, Sofitel, Mandarin Oriental at regular costs. He does this to "understand" the competition, to "understand" what they are doing differently. I ,personaly, have done the same in my position. I've slept at the Hiltons, Sheratons etc. (at the expense of Marriott) and bought back and implemented great ideas. We are talking about the leader of the Second Biggest money maker on this Island. This Minister has streamlined operations in the USA,(Saving the Taxpayer 10's of thousands) Secured over 19,000 airline seats per week to this Island and has energized Tourism more than all previous Minister combined and all we can do is bitch that he stayed in a luxury hotel! If this Island wants to Market itself as the "Premier" Island destination I would hope that the Minister know what "Premier" looks and feels like.

Enigma,

You brand Phil as a "Credit to Bermuda" and in the same breathe brand the Minister Ewart Brown as milking the cow for all she is worth and he is spending my hard earned money on his egotistical escapades. Stop and give the credit where its due!

[kristen sousa on 04.05.06 at 05:14]

Well said Amin. Well said.

[Slowhand on 04.05.06 at 07:03]

Amin

I believe that this 'issue' taken in conjunction with all other perceived over spending and seemingly opulant travelling jaunts made by members of this Government over several years, has caused these questions to come to the fore. Do we have a right to ask questions? Hell Yes!! Do we have the right to expect a suitable answer? Hell Yes!!
Without getting into whether the Minister deserves all the credit you give him for his "acomplishments" they would not absolve him from answering any questions.

[Bill Cook on 04.05.06 at 07:05]

Bill Marriot said something like " I have been very successful with the hotel industry and have I think only made one truly bad mistake, that was getting involved with Bermuda "

Of course he took over the troubled Castle Harbour hotel here and lost his shirt after spending a fortune on upgrading and reconstruction etc. so whatever lessons he learned throughout his career did not assist him in Bermuda.

Back in 1984 the membership of the Bda Hotel Assoc. was about 50 plus strong now 20 yrs or so later it is what ?

We have lost almost all of them and of those remaining even the Fairmont Princess's claim not to be able to make money.

At a cost of app $400 to 500 000 per hotel room and some of the highest operating costs but with poorly rated service in my opinion the hotel industry will never succed in any meaningful way which is why any developer avoids putting up hotel rooms and goes for luxury condos townhouses instead just look around and face reality.

We have sacrificed much of our most precious resource to outside developers and allowed huge banks to take over property tax free.

I too have travelled the world over for 3 months of the year for past 20 yrs and spent 20 yrs as a major hotel supplier right here.

I stay in the best hotels its my biggest indulgence, from the Beau Rivage in Lausanne the Mandarin Orientals in far east the Dorchester London and recently 2 weeks in the Beverly Wilshire in Bev Hills.

I would be happy to give the reasons those hotels are successful but success means a bottom line that is in the black not a spanked rosy red and that can be found by an auditors report to shareholders.

I know why we failed in the hotel industry and will in my opinion continue to fail and so does everyone who has been involved in the industry here and dont go looking for solutions in all the wrong places.

Why Amin would you be away from Bermuda if you could do the job you love so much right here if the opportunity presented itself ?

[wig n gown on 04.05.06 at 07:32]

Seriously Phil, are those communications between yourself and Dr Brown real? Please God tell me you made it up as satire. Sadly I am afraid you will only confirm their veracity and draw me ever closer to the crippling conclusion that we exist only in the nightmares of Kafka and Sartre.

[sandgrownan on 04.05.06 at 08:23]

I'm stunned by the sheer arrogance of the man. He plays the race card at the drop of a hat. Simply breathtaking arrogance. What a prick.

[Raptor on 04.05.06 at 08:34]

This is satire, right?

[ken on 04.05.06 at 08:48]

I agree with Amin.
I find nothing wrong with Dr Brown's staying at this place, and in the Bermuda Sun article is states that he spent 1 night there. In your posting yesterday Limey, didn't you say that you wouldn't mind if he stayed 1 night there. I am so sick and tired of some of you overly criticizing every single thing that this government does. You are being so petty in so many cases. The topics Limey chooses are so blatantly biased, and I took time off from posting because it bothered me so much. Why is there no topic about Wayne Furbert alleging that the UBP was invited and then uninvited and there is no record on the transcripts of this ever happening? Is it because he looks like a liar in this instance?
Dr. Brown is the head of the Tourism Ministry and for that reason does need to travel and examine the products. I think most of the opposition to things that this government does is because the opposition and their supporters are jealous and envious that they don't have access to the same things. Let the man do his work. And bugging him with emails all day Limey is not what I mean. Would these questions be asked of David Dodwell when he was Min of Tourism - I highly doubt it. Thats because certain behaviors and actions are ok when acted out by a certain group of people, but how dare the PLP think they can enjoy any higher standard of living?
Get a grip, please.
Why is there no topic on how succesful the cricket was from a national perspective?
Why was there no specific topic on the Loughlands estate?
Anything remotely positive that the government initiates or is involved with is totally ignored, yet the moment you find something to sink your teeth in you are like a dog with a piece of meat and won't let go. As a Bermudian I am offended that you see so much wrong with our govermment and our country, yet you remain here. You have options. I would rather Dr Brown as my Min of Tourism, who is actually into encouraging visitors to visit here, then past UBP Min of Tourism - i.e. David Dodwell. We cannot be sure if he is encouraging visitors to Bermuda, or to Nevis where his other hotel is. You guys think everything with this government is so sinister and underhanded, I am sure you would be surprised at the many conflicts and underhanded deals done in the past by both current and past members of the godly UBP.

[ken on 04.05.06 at 08:52]

Slowhand,

No one is saying Dr Brown shouldn't be accountable, but with all due respect, he doesn't have to be accountable to Limey. His accountability is to Cabinet, his Ministry, and the people of Bermuda.

[Trebliso on 04.05.06 at 08:55]

Amin

I hate to break it to you but it's the airlines that fly here not Ewart Brown Inc. They run real time EVA models incorporating average load factors to determine their routes - the impact that Brown has is signing off on landing fees and setting the subsidy cushion. As Bill so rightly points out its a matter of cost of acquisition - this is a tax on low income Bermudians, a tax that would not be needed if Brown had a vague knowledge of the invisible hand of the market.

The economic model of the Burj cannot be replicated here (as I think Bill is saying) without a fundamental retstructuring of the hotel sector to realign costs - this would be so much more efficient use of capital than the short term multiplier of subsidizing innefficient hotel operations to keep Bermudian service sector wage artificilally high.

As to Browns conduct - accountability and transparency are alien concepts to a man who treats his ministry as his own toy to do as he will. Ken - Brown does not need to travel examine the product - the product is the creation of the hotel industry. His role should be hosting our tourist partners here on the island. If you believe that tourism can succeed as a result of some state sponsored initiative you are as deluded as the brown.

[sandgrownan on 04.05.06 at 09:05]

Ah Ken, the famous "they did it, so we can too" argument. Well done. As for accountability, are you for real? He has to be accountable to all who pay taxes here, and that my friend, includes Limey.

[ken on 04.05.06 at 09:11]

Sandgrownan,

I am not saying 'they did it, we can too'. I am saying that I know you all would not be as critical if they did. Because they did do it - for decades. And don't say that they you all voted them out. Because we know that is not true.

Limey might pay taxes - but he doesn't have to. He could go back to England and not have to worry about Bermuda ever again if he so chose. His intentions might be honourable, but these intentions get lost in translation as his obvious and blatant bias comes through.

[Zoom on 04.05.06 at 09:17]

He's just playing with you.

The Bermuda Gov travel budget has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2004, it was $4.6 million. In 2005, it was $5.15 million. In 2006, it is budgetted for $11.8 million. That's a 131% increase in one year!

That says it all.

This irresponsible growth is driven by a total lack of fiscal control combined with a sense of entitlement amongst our civil servants.

[Zoom on 04.05.06 at 09:22]

To give a point of comparison, that sum is more than Bermuda collected in hotel occupancy taxes last year.

[sandgrownan on 04.05.06 at 09:25]

Ah - go back to where you came from? Is that the answer when a legal resident of the country asks a question of a politician, and to be accused of racism? What utter nonesense. If we take Limey, he's a Spouse of Bermudian, presumably his children will be Bermudian. Bermuda is his home. He has a stake in what happens here and he cares about its future and his childrens future. I think it's a very laudable thing to constantly question those who supposedly lead us.

I suspect you are also wrong in your first comment too. I know I would be equally scathing of pomposity, arrogance and general crap performance of any politician of any political party, as I think Limey would .

[lost in flatts on 04.05.06 at 09:27]

For me the answer seems to lie somewhere between the posts on here. Ken - I think everyone agrees the UBP did some bad things in the past, I'm not sure that's the arguement being made. Your comments such as 'Why can't the PLP enjoy a higher standard of living' is summed up quite clearly by their job description - to serve the public. I don't think you'll find anyone on here arguing they don't deserve a fair salary and benefits. The problem lies in the many examples of when they've spent tax payers money that just doesn't seem reasonable. Did the UBP do that too? Probably, though possibly not quite as flamboyantly.

But I do think it's fair for Dr. Brown to stay for one night at that hotel. I mean really, as the head of tourism here, he should have an idea of what good service is like.

That said, how can you defend the nature of his responses? He serves the tax payers, they are his employers in a sense. I work for a very large corporation, if I were to charge in a perfect legitimate business expense that was not typical, they would ask why and have every right to ask why. And if it's justified, I just have to to tell them straight. I think that's the problem we all have with Dr. Brown. You can try to argue his results speak for themselves, but that's a dangerous precedent with government employees. In the end he works for us, and if we're interested in knowing what he's up to, he should have to tell us, just like any other employee.

[lost in flatts on 04.05.06 at 09:31]

Zoom - 11.8m! Good lord, breaking it down, that's almost $33,000 PER DAY. Someone please tell me how it's possible to spend that much exercising some fiscal control on your travels? And how much do they damn well travel?

[Trebliso on 04.05.06 at 09:34]

I'm still curious as to why so many people think Brown should be an arbiter of what luxurious hotels have to offer?

It. Is. Not. His. Job.

His job is to encourage a sustainable tourist industry - the best hotel operators know how high marhin luxury resorts are run, they know how mass appeal 3 star resorts are run and they know budget hotels are run. I see very little evidence that Brown does.

[VB on 04.05.06 at 09:37]

Zoom, $11,800,000 per year for travel???? That is $32,328 the PLP Gov is spending PER DAY that they are spending on travel. I was wondering who is filling all these new airline seats? It is the PLP & their cronies on all their junkets. These seats don't appear to be kept warm by tourist, as opposed to business, visitors.

[SmokingGun on 04.05.06 at 09:45]

Ken - with all due respect the unfortunate thing that this current government faces is this thing called the internet. It was not here when the UBP were in power. Limey may be "one" conduit to the public but his "public" is instantaneous and world-wide and the one thing that a Minister of Dr. Brown's calibre should be fully aware of is how he interacts if he chooses to do so in this medium.

If he had answered to Limey with an explanation similar to Amin Swan's then I think his decisions and actions would be seen in a far more acceprable light. But he didn't. He said "refer to the definition of a plantation question" which clearly states "It is often a question which is not asked of White politicians." His words. This is not how a Minister of Dr. Brown's calibre should be acting or responding to this broad a medium. In the best of light it just shows he isn't as savvy as he might think he is and in the worst light it is a horrendous attitude showing total arrogance and contempt for the people of Bermuda.

He know's who reads Limey. He's a Minister of two portfolio's - he often has his people demand everyone stands up when he enters a room, well he should rise to the occasion with a positive and proper response when communicating to the public in this manner and not use race as a sheild for his semi-hidden agendas. I don't blame him if he feels he's being prodded all the time but it's part of the job. It's also a matter of trust and he's not proving worthy of it by acting in this way.

[silencedogood on 04.05.06 at 09:49]

Limey, I agree with Zoom. He's playing games. By arguing over whether your question of "how many nights, and how much" is a "plantation question" he's using your good intentions against you to reframe the argument and put you on shaky footing by playing the race card. Dr. Brown has no scruples, but he's no dummy.

Keep your eye on the ball: If he had nothing to hide he would answer the question.

It's quite simple--he's a public servant and should be accountable, but he knows that if he plays the race card that his base will back him up.

We'll have Guilden comparing a theoretical visit to a similarly situated island where something might actually be learned and which is a few hundred miles away to a jaunt half-way 'round de world to the arabian desert to a hotel which would and could never locate in Bermuda that serves a clientele completely, totally different from Bermuda's market where little to nothing could be learned that is directly applicable at home.

We'll also have some hilariously frightening comments from Jamaica about security--as if you can only get that at a $1K per night hotel and as if anyone would have a motive to kidnap Dr. Brown. Perhaps to influence our foriegn policy?

Seriously, Bend over Bermuda.

[Bill Cook on 04.05.06 at 09:51]

A million bucks per month on travel ?

Who gets the frequent flyer miles ?

What about giving them to the seniors to assist in visiting their relatives ?

[silencedogood on 04.05.06 at 09:52]

P.S. I don't think it's a safe assumption he was only there one night. That can be spun, he would have answered and the Sun was vague on this.

[Trebliso on 04.05.06 at 09:58]

Ewart loves to travel in style as some emissary of Bermuda. It becomes a virtuous circle of "important people travel in style therefore if I travel enough I become important". Stick it to the man, Ewart.

[SmokingGun on 04.05.06 at 10:01]

"A million bucks per month on travel "

Bill - that is the key reason for why people should question everything that is being done by our government. Or not being done seeing as this technically means they are off the island.....

[Mickey on 04.05.06 at 10:59]

FYI, you do not get out of the Burj Al Arab for much under US$4,000 a night and that is when you are being "fiscally responsible". That figure of BD$32,328 per day may well have been used up by Dr. Bown all by himself on the one evening, perhaps more.

[Onion on 04.05.06 at 10:59]

Hey Ken,

I am going to send an email to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK with a list of questions I have about the British economy. I wonder if I will be afforded the courtesy of a response ( a prompt response at that) as was afforded to Limey by the Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism of MY country.

The pettiness on this blog has reached an all-time high. When I first started tuning into this blog I mistakened Limey for a true thinker with a fresh perspective. I am not sure if what we see now is a manifestation of his true colours, that always were, or just the actions of a person caught up in the new-found status of being Bermuda's great white hope for "journalism". At best Limey provides a forum for the politically marginalised and disenchanted white Bermudian to vent. Limey's topics for discussion often serve as scraps of meat thrown at starving, marauding lions to devour. Hence the comments, "Oh Limey you have balls"...."great post Limey"....etc etc. The fact is, to a great many bloggers on this site, it would not matter if persons like Dr. Brown brought manna from heaven. They will find some fault with the manna, just like the Jews did in the desert in the Old Testamnet. Now I'm not talking about all the bloggers on this site because I know some of you are open-minded and can see things from a multitude of perspectives. Unfortunately it would appear that the moderator is not one of them and he constantly preaches a sermon to a converted bunch.

Do you think few black people engage this site because they all love the PLP? Do you think they all agree with everything the Premier, Dr. Brown or the like do? Of course not. But what irritates black people (and a lot of white people) more is when some Limey comes to Bermuda descending down from upon high from a country that was the author of a lot of the problems we experience today and seeks to lecture to the local politicians about how they should run their country, at the same time having total amnesia about the lack of transparency, efficiency and inapproachibility of successive UK governments.

The US Consul General made a good statement on the news this morning. He said, "Politics ends at the shoreline." I would say your shoreline was Gatwick or Heathrow. That is not to say you should not engage in political debate in another country especially your wife's country. However, at the very least, to earn some credibilty and to avoid being disrespectful and insulting to the people learn the lay of the land from ALL sides of the political spectrum. Based upon opinions you have expressed over the months that i have participated on this blog, you have a long way to go.

(Of course now I'm sure you'll have people blogging how rude I have been to Limey and how ungrateful i am that he expresses his "open-minded" opinions, blah blah blah. Save it!)

[loki on 04.05.06 at 11:08]

Well said, Onion. As I mentioned in the other thread, even though I am a staunch UBP supporter, the presumption that everything that a PLP Minister does is some form of wrongdoing is getting tiresome and is very unfair. I agree that the questions that Phil asked, however well-intentioned, seem to presume wrongdoing. Ministers should be able to go about their business without having to be bothered with intrusive questions about every minute aspect of their actions and expenses. There is no way that a Minister in the UK would be expected to answer such questions.

[Trebliso on 04.05.06 at 11:17]

Loki

Have you read the Daily Mail in the last decade? I worked for HMT at No.11 for 2 years (we disclosed room service bills on G7 summits).

I agree that scrutinty can sometimes appear as pettifogging but excesssive and pointless largesse by someone who bristles at accountability might grate the Bermudian in the street. I couldn't give a monkeys about party politics here - just best practice.

[Ex Limey on 04.05.06 at 11:18]

Loki, I can agree with what you are saying to a point. But why should Brown infer racism? Its just getting too old and is no longer an excuse. The public deserves, and should demand a more reasonable explanation.

"Mind youe own business" what have been better than bringing "Plantation" into it.

Brown obviously has a sack of potatoes on his shoulder that just won't quit. Pathetic.

[Bill Cook on 04.05.06 at 11:20]

Treb,

Me too and just for the record Tony Blair et al are being investigated by the police for accepting political donationd in return for government contracts stay tuned !!

Gotta run

[loki on 04.05.06 at 11:22]

Trebliso,

My point is, I I hope I'm right, that A UK Minister wouldn't be expected to immediately answer every bloody question regarding each and every expense incurred as a result of his job. It just seems that every little thing that PLP Ministers do is an excuse for the wolves to come out of the woods and try and catch out Ministers. I highly doubt that a UK Minister would be criticized for not personally answering each and every request for multiple details regarding his hotel stays and, for instance, taxi receipts. There comes a point when Ministers should be free to not worry about every minute detail of their expenses.

[Ali on 04.05.06 at 11:26]

I do not agree that we have all become complacent. The problem is that short of marching in the streets we have little recourse to get any truth out of this Government. The Auditor General is ignored by them so what chance do we have? They are arrogant because they know there is not much we can do until the next election when hopefully these wasteful thieves will get chucked out. Sorry Ken, it's the truth. Next question for Limey to ask Dr. Brown. What are his foreign real estate holdings?

[loki on 04.05.06 at 11:27]

Ex-Limey,

I hear you but, at the same time, ask yourself whether David Dodwell would be asked the same questions if he were Minister of Tourism. I don't for a second think that Phil is racist. On the contrary, as someone who has spent most of his life living in the UK, he has avoided the racial baggage that many Bermudians carry. I think that there is a general distrust of anything that the PLP do, but whilst I think that Minister Brown is wrong to think that "Plantation Questions" are being asked of him, I don't blame him for being a little paranoid in this regard. Again, would David Dodwell be asked these questions? I'm a white UBP supporter and frequent critic of the PLP, but enough is enough.

[lost in flatts on 04.05.06 at 11:32]

Onion - you're spot on about things become a bit trivial in here, I have similar concerns over the recent entries and their rather slanted view against Dr. Brown in particular. However, I honestly believe that Limey would be just as critical of any leader. Whether it's Tony Blair, Dubbya or Alex Scott, or I hasten to add, Wayne Furbert, I think he is trying to keep the government honest, regardless of what government that is. At least I hope so. Who knows, maybe we'll get the opportunity to find out soon ;)

[Tiger Bay on 04.05.06 at 11:34]

I am pissed off that a Government employee is spending our money staying in luxury resorts.

Race and party affiliation have nothing to do with it.

35 grand a day on travel. The definition of profligate.

[Ex Limey on 04.05.06 at 11:35]

Loki,

I never said Phil was a racist - quite the opposite. I was questioning why Ewart brought 'Plantations' into it - thus inferring racism. This of course is a typical - but tiresome PLP method of dealing with a difficult situation.

If Dodwell was Tourism Minister I would hope that he would be asked the same questions. He of course would have to give a proper answer as he wouldn't be able to hide behind race.

[silencedogood on 04.05.06 at 11:38]

Analogies to the UK are not appropriate. The size and responsibilities of that government and other world governments are far beyond what we have on this tiny island.

A more appropriate question is whether a municipal official in a small town of 60,000 would be expected to answer questions from a local opinion columnist with a small, but influential audience.

I did not expect Dr. Brown to reply, but he did, which opened the door for criticisms about his reply.

Wait--What's that? I'm sorry, you weren't born here were you Phil? No. Ok, that means nothing you have to say counts for anything until the end of time. Glad we sorted that out.¡

What a dream world we live in. What hubris.

[sandgrownan on 04.05.06 at 11:41]

To those who think this thread is trivial. You are right, taken on its own, it is trivial. But the problem is that it's the latest example of a pattern of bahaviour that seems to have no limits.

It's no wonder they feel immune to criticism, Hell, the regular press and opposition are all but useless in keeping the government on it's toes. So it's up to Limey and others to keep the pressure on. Beyond the behaviour, more worryingly, as others have said, is continued playing of the race card.

[Two Cents on 04.05.06 at 11:54]

"There is no way that a Minister in the UK would be expected to answer such questions". - Loki

You can bet your bottom dollar that although the Minister may not answer this question himself, that you would get an answer from his secretary, assistant, or some lakey on your question. In any other country politians would be afraid of 'hiding' something if they didn't answer such a question.

To hide behind the 'plantation' sheild is absurd, and proves to me that either;
1. Dr. Brown doesn't know the answer
2. He is afraid of the public knowing the answer and realising that we're all getting screwed as they travel around the world spending $32,000/day of the monies that we ALL work so hard for regardless of race, party affliation, etc.

[lost in flatts on 04.05.06 at 12:07]

Or 3. He just doesn't like Phil and could care less if he offends him. Which is a great attitude for a government member to have... :(

[SmokingGun on 04.05.06 at 12:15]

Actually picked up a few copies of the Daily Mail whilst over in Europe the last few days. Sounds like Alex looking a lot like Blair. What with Clarke playing the role of Randy, his health minister getting slammed for being out of touch much like ours and good old two shags Prescott living the high life getting stuck in places when he might better had been at home taking care of business, much like our good doc.

Any who how I'm sure the Doctor's glad he doesn't have Bryan Darby following him around the globe hiding behind flower pots snapping pics....

[WyrdSister on 04.05.06 at 12:42]

has anyone thought to work out how much each tax payer in Bda pays for our government's budgeted travel bill? Did government stay within their budget the last few years? Are they likely to stick to that budget?