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Part I of II.

"Black people need to learn how to take criticism from White people..."

- Shawn Crockwell

Chairman, The United Bermuda Party

"I say it was the nasty attitudes and surly service by Black Bermudians, egged on by the BIU."

Tony Brannon; addressing the demise of tourism two decades ago.

Frankly, I do not know which statement was worse or more troubling. Tony Brannon's statement, for many black Bermudians, only confirmed in their minds their long established view; that behind the proverbial closed door, many whites still hold and revel in the type of views expressed by him.

Of course, that in no way softens the impact that was conveyed by his baseless, racist characterization, that it was "surly", black Bermudians, egged on by the Bermuda Industrial Union, that had in effect killed tourism over two decades ago.

Shawn Crockwell's comment, although related, is another animal altogether, in that his statement, while seemingly uttered in response to the challenge thrown down by M.P. Maxwell Burgess earlier this week, surely had one eye fixated on the Brannon affair as well.

What most of us on this side of the racial divide were most perplexed by, was that Crockwell's comment was uttered by someone who is derived from the same community that Mr. Brannon showed such contempt for.

Noticeably absent of course, was any condemnation of Brannon's comments, by the new United Bermuda Party Chairman. Rather, he chose to condescendingly add insult to injury, by lecturing black Bermudians on the need for them to be more tolerant of racist remarks directed toward them. How bizarre!

All of this, despite the fact, that Brannon's comments, as a paid up member of the UBP - who is white - can only further erode black support for the party in question.

Crockwell's comment, besides being abhorrent, will only further alienate a critical constituency i.e. black Bermudians, without whom the UBP can not hope to win the next election.

It also further emboldens those elements of the white community who have been resistant to progressive change with respect to the issue of race relations.

The latest poll tends to make my case. In my last column, I restated the fact that as of a poll taken about four months ago, approximately eight per cent of black Bermudians would have likely voted for the UBP, if the election were held at that time. I stated then, that figure likely represented an historic low for that political organization.

Last week's poll offered us another glimpse of the current lay of the land, by revealing that even the above cited figure did not represent rock bottom for the UBP.

The latest poll now posits that if an election were held today, that only five per cent of black Bermudians would vote for the political opposition - a decline of three additional percentage points.

No doubt, this is occurring against the backdrop of the resignations of prominent black Bermudians, who have, to a man and woman, cited racism as the core reality that marginalized them within the UBP.

With the additional revelations of MP Maxwell Burgess and the likely actions of MP Jamahl Simmons in the House of Assembly, which has now resumed sitting, it may not be too rash to assume that the UBP may find it a difficult proposition to achieve more than two to three per cent of the black Bermudian vote, at the next general election.

This would have the effect of totally emasculating and breaking apart the historically cohesive white vote and the threat it has always posed to the racial de-polarization of Bermudian politics and provide a mandate to the PLP that may exceed that which it earned in 1998.

In part two, on Wednesday, Rolfe Commissiong will explore the implications of another intriguing trend highlighted by the latest poll and offer some concluding observations on the Brannon, Crockwell affair.

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