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Dear Sir,

I have always believed that your three regular columnists, Stuart Hayward, Larry Burchall and Tom Vesey were out of touch with reality and all three columns in today's Bermuda Sun (December 19, 2007) confirmed my belief. While I believe that both Stuart Hayward and Larry Burchall are two men cut from the same cloth, born in the same era, and living in their own dream worlds, Tom Vesey is the most dangerous of the three.

As intellectually capable and politically astute as both Hayward and Burchall pretend to be, neither could predict the outcome of the election. By their more recent columns, it became patently clear to me - and others in Bermuda - that both Hayward and Burchall were hoping that this election would be the demise of the PLP, and hence its leader, Dr. Ewart Brown. Sorry guys, as much as you tried, you could not convince us that Dr. Brown was in the wrong place at the wrong time. In fact, it was the likes of you and your fellow columnist Tom Vesey and others of your ilk that did more to convince Bermudians that Dr. Brown was in the right place at the right time.

[I will] respond to Tom Vesey's column entitled PLP: Victorious, but deeply wounded. Anyone with an ounce of a brain would have thought that a political commentator worth his salt would have entitled his column that was published the day after the PLP's victory at the polls "UBP: Defeated and deeply wounded". However, Tom Vesey and the rest of the UBP supporters including its erstwhile leader, Michael Dunkley, former candidate Austin Warner (who said the people voted for insanity) and leader twice removed, Wayne Furbert, just don't get it. The PLP was victorious at the polls for several reasons:

1. The majority of Bermudians are happy with the leadership provided by Premier Brown. One only needed to be at the several rallies and public meetings held by the PLP to see and feel how the crowd responded to him each time he took to the stage. If Tom Vesey, Stuart Hayward, Larry Burchall and others were on Court Street on Tuesday night and heard the roar of the crowd when it was announced that Dr. Brown had resoundingly beat his opponent, they, and others would know the love and respect that the majority of the people of Bermuda have for our leader;

2. The PLP had a well-oiled election machine that was run by a team of dedicated, intelligent, astute party members. While most of the people who were proud to be members of "Team UBP" were shocked at the results, our election machine predicted the outcome of the election long before the UBP launched their election platform and long before the alarm was sounded regarding the UBP's announced plans of putting long term residents on the electoral register. Contrary to the popular belief of UBP supporters,the PLP was never at risk of losing the government.

The only real disappointment I have with the results is that Neville Tyrrell did not send Bob Richards to the same pasture that Patrice Minors sent Michael Dunkley to. However, Mr. Tyrrell did send Bob Richards a message by turning a UBP stronghold into a marginal seat;

3. Another reason the UBP is suffering with "debilitating injuries" is because Wayne Furbert and Dr. Grant Gibbons, and others believed that by appointing a "Farmer" woman to the senate, she would sow seeds of mistrust amongst the very people who made her what she was until that fateful day that she pledged allegiance to a party that showed only disdain for poor, uneducated black Bermudians. Was Gina Spence-Farmer used by the United Bermuda Party? The answer to that question is yes. What her fate will be in the coming years is anyone's guess...

But let me get back to Mr. Vesey. Mr. Vesey suggests that the PLP must "first of all ... replace Ewart Brown". Thank you very much Mr. Vesey, but the PLP and the majority of the people of Bermuda are quite satisfied with our Premier and the Leader of the PLP. It is you, and the members of [the UBP] who must find a leader to replace Michael Dunkley. Our leader, Dr. Brown, took us to the polls on December 18, 2007 and by the end of the day, our leader and our party recorded a resounding victory.

In case you forgot Mr. Vesey...Dr. Ewart Brown was also elected to the leadership of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party in October 2006 by a huge majority. Additionally, Dr. Brown has held the Party together, with the support of hundreds of members, both young and old.

In his penultimate paragraph on the day after the election Mr. Vesey wrote "It (the PLP) has survived an election. But it has strengthened the opposition - not just from the UBP opposition but within its own ranks..."

Mr. Vesey, the Opposition UBP cannot even find someone to lead them. How can this show strength?

There will be no exodus of support to the UBP by members of the Progressive Labour Party. In fact, I think Bermuda will see just the opposite. As I hear it, there are some people who were "Proud members of Team UBP" who were successful at the polls but have no interest in serving the people of Bermuda on the Opposition benches.

LaVerne Furbert

Hamilton

This column was edited slightly for length.[[In-content Ad]]

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