While you can categorize Democratic Safeguards against Political Corruption in many different ways, I believe they should always include four core principles: Rules and Procedures, Transparency, Participation, and Accountability. So let’s look at each of these democratic protections and see how we might improve upon them in Bermuda. Rules and Procedures In addition to basic [...]
READ MORE »Kevin Comeau’s Response to Public Statement made by Premier Cox
It is with sadness that I read the statement issued by Premier Cox this evening, which begins, “Shame on Mr. Kevin Comeau for his reckless and misguided statements.” Here is what she is alluding to. (Note: If you have read Kevin Comeau’s speech on the Good Governance Act, you can skip the first eight paragraphs. [...]
READ MORE »Premier Cox Statement Condemning Kevin Comeau
“Statement By: The Premier, the Hon. Paula A. Cox, JP, MP In response to recent comments by Kevin Comeau Shame on Mr. Kevin Comeau for his reckless and misguided statements. This speech is an extraordinary attack made worse by being under informed and ignoring numerous public statements on the topic. I hope that it is [...]
READ MORE »Discussion of the Good Governance Act
The following speech was presented by Kevin Comeau at the Centre for Justice “Your Right to Know” Forum on March 14, 2012 The Good Governance Act 2011 was introduced in response to the public outcry against perceived political corruption at the highest levels of Government. Over the last ten years numerous large Government contracts involving [...]
READ MORE »Building a Policy to Reduce the Number of At-Risk Children Joining Gangs
Part A Identifying the at-risk children There are numerous factors that may contribute to a young man’s decision to join a gang, and these factors often vary case by case, but four factors in particular appear to have a high correlation among gang members in Bermuda (as confirmed by a number of Bermuda social workers, [...]
READ MORE »Building a Policy to Reduce Bermuda’s Gang Violence
Part A Parameters of this Paper This paper does not discuss the various social programs needed to reduce the number of at-risk children today who will become gang members tomorrow (For such suggested programs see, “Building a Policy to Reduce the Number of At-Risk Children Joining Gangs,” http//bdagoodgov.org) nor does it discuss the various programmes [...]
READ MORE »Protecting Juries From the Threat of Gang Retaliation
Recently, there have been calls for the Bermuda government to enact legislation to eliminate a defendant’s right to trial by jury, particularly in criminal cases involving gang violence and the use of firearms. Before going too far down this road, we need to understand a few legal principles. First of all, the Bermuda legislature doesn’t [...]
READ MORE »How to Protect Prison Officers and Their Families From Threats by Gang Prisoners
How to Protect Prison Officers and their Families from Threats by Gang Prisoners Bermuda prison officers have complained that imprisoned gang members are not only threatening to harm prison officers but also threatening to harm their families. These officers have argued, with good reason, that such threats place them in an untenable position that not only [...]
READ MORE »Why a Gang Truce Negotiated Now Will Fail
In Bermuda, we have gang members shooting rival gang members for revenge, for control of the drug market, and for simple survival—”I need to shoot him before he shoots me.” Getting the gangs to stop shooting and put down their guns amid all this rage and retribution will take a great amount of persuasion. Many [...]
READ MORE »Why the “Permanent Residency for CEOs” Policy Won’t Work
There are a number of things that Government got right in its recently announced policy to grant Permanent Residency to international business executives who have a proven track record of creating jobs for Bermudians. Unfortunately, in trying to balance the needs of various parties, Government struck a compromise that makes the policy ineffective. On the [...]
READ MORE »Why the Australian Anti-Gang Legislation Won’t Work in Bermuda
This article discusses the reasons why the Australian Anti-Gang Legislation would not work well in Bermuda.
READ MORE »Parental Involvement in Children’s Education
Study after study has consistently shown that it is not income or social status, but active parental involvement in a child’s education that is the most accurate predictor of a student’s achievement in school—attending school regularly, earning higher grades, passing their classes, graduating senior school and going on to obtain a postsecondary education. I’ve yet [...]
READ MORE »Replacing Bad Teachers with Good
In the Bermuda public school system we have good teachers, mediocre teachers and bad teachers. With training, some of these mediocre teachers may become good teachers, but no amount of training can convert bad teachers into good. For the sake of Bermudian children in our public school system, the problem of bad teachers has to [...]
READ MORE »Bermuda on the Precipice
There are two clear and present dangers looming on the Bermuda horizon. One will hurt us a fair bit, the other a lot. And if they both happen, they will end the affluent lifestyle Bermudians now enjoy.
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