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...And the budget beat goes on! That is until it is ratified by the House of Assembly at the end of the month. I won't bore you with the details but this little tit bit caught my eye regarding a certain 'Hustle Truck.' The locals are up in arms about it and the fact there is no $$$ for it in the budget, so it sparked my interest.
Well, after some googling it appears that it is indeed a real shame that this is being cut, along with many other charities' budgets. Introduced by the previous Labour Minister in 2007, the Hustle Truck was billed as the answer to "one of Bermuda's most enduring social problems of wall-sitting." H.U.S.T.L.E stands for Helping Unemployed Sustain Themselves Limited Employment. The truck picks people up willing to work but unable to get jobs for various reasons, e.g. criminal records, illiteracy or age discrimination etc., in the morning and takes them to work sites to perform casual landscaping, cleaning and general manual labour. Some days as many as 100 people hustled onto the two tonne trucks for a chance to earn up to $550 a week. Tasks completed over the years include a Boaz Island Youth Centre, removing rubbish at Gulf Stream in Soutside and removing graffiti from school grounds. Seems like a win-win to me and sad that it's losing out.
Also, wasn't I only saying in the last post how rising gun crime was one of the island's biggest issues? Well, someone give me a parliamentary seat as sadly last week saw the second shooing fatality of 2011. A 26 year old guy, who's girlfriend was expecting their baby - a true tragedy. A 29 year man was also fatally shot on February 4. A court case running at the moment on a murder that took place last year has heard that the gun in that shooting has been linked to February murder, along with others. This confirms Police suspicions of a small number of guns being recycled within gangs as the tit-for-tat killings go on. It will be interesting to see if the huge Police budget cuts are still passed at the end of the month.
Continuing this stormy waters theme, we move onto art. It is expected that the "Tempest" exhibition from Bermudian artist, Rebecca Hanson, will create "a storm of interest" (nice pun www.bernews.com!). Inspired by the three most destructive recent hurricanes, the show is named after the Shakespeare play that it is claimed is based on the real-life ship wreck of the Sea Venture in 1609 leading to the settling of Bermuda. Yep, you heard it right fact finders, another claim to fame for this little island.
So that's earth (landscaping), wind (hurricane art) and now fire! Bernews is reporting a large-scale fire at Riddell's Bay Golf Course this evening. The extent of the damage is at this stage is unknown but I doubt it risks Bermuda's reputation as home to more golf courses per square mile than anywhere in the entire world. And another claim to fame... they just keep on coming!!
Now typically I find February to be the dullest month of the year but not so this year as controversy has come a callin' to shake things up a little. Oh goody!
Firstly there was the Budget 2011 announcement - the first from Premier Cox. Some interesting decisions. Having lived here for nearly two years now, I would say that Bermuda's biggest challenges would appear to be dramatically rising gun crime and the education system. So how does the budget aim to do battle against these foes? Hmmm, let's cut the police budget by $7.5 million and the education pot by $15 million. Makes perfect sense.
I don't need to wax lyrical about da guns and da bladed articles as I've done that enough in previous posts, not sure I've covered education though. It has been widely debated the the education system in it's current state is not training Bermudians up with the skills called for by the local economy hence all us darn expats running around the place. This wouldn't be a major issue if it wasn't for the strict work permit regulations leading to a regular turnover of overseas workers every two or three years, which has implications from a cultural and heritage perspective. You have a high percentage of the population unable to really ever put down roots and limited to how much they want to help build and contribute to a community, when it is only ever going to be a temporary home.
Sports and charities also had their budgets cut. Even the national sport of cricket took a hit with a 50% budget cut and cricket is BIG here. That's just not cricket hey! And there may be more charities here per capita then anywhere else in the world so the funding has to be spread pretty thin as it is but significant causes suffered severe cuts, including the Government youth mentoring programme, Mirrors, which has always been sold as a huge success story. Maybe they feel it's a case of job done! A little early for that methinks.
Then over my time here, tourism has been sold as the way to save the day for the economy. Budget cut here too - a $7.9 million chop.
There was however a few welcome moves, payroll tax cut was by 2% so I get a little more pocket money each month again and no sin taxes on cigarettes and alcohol so my Dark N Stormies cost the same. Yipee. Weird move though. I know in the UK the booze and cigs are always the first to get the tax hikes but maybe they figure with the general mood getting gradually more morose, that may just tip a few people over the edge.
Then there were two controversial visitors making their way through Arrivals at Bermuda International Airport this week...
The first was British MP Andrew Rosindell, chairman of the British Overseas Territories All Party Parliamentary Group.
He was as disappointed as I was to see that the Union Jack no longer flies on Front Street. Rosindell's visit would have come as a blow to anyone that supports the independence agenda. He advised the Bermuda Sun that a “total change in attitude to Overseas Territories” had occurred since his coalition government succeeded Labour in the UK. The territories are “places we cherish and value,” he said, and are “no longer remnants of a colonial past we don’t want to bother with” he told reporter, Amanda Dale. He did seem however to want to make friends here, he spoke highly of Bermuda as a ‘model’ Overseas Territory, saying it “doesn’t rely on handouts." Well no one like a free loader do they now!
Then the other visitor arriving in a cloud of controversy was a white tiger. This beauty has come to Bermuda to perform with Las Vegas illusionist, Rick Thomas, in a magic show.
Obviously this has had animal welfare charities and activists up in arms but then it's raising money for charities. Which as we've just heard, really need all the help they can get right now. Also, the organisers have a pretty strong education argument. Given that the only wildlife Bermuda's children will see here is the odd Ferrel cat, maybe a rat and a ton of frogs and toads, then the show does present a rare opportunity for them to see something a little more interesting. And the tiger does get to stay at the lovely The Fairmont Southampton hotel, which I can only afford to do when the occasional $99 deal comes up! So the jury is out for me on this one really...
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