Premier lays down election battlelines at a rally

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19: PLP Premier Paula Cox laid down the battle lines tonight for the next general election in a keynote address to the party faithful.

Ms Cox – backed by her entire Parliamentary team – told the audience the ruling PLP was at “a defining moment” in its history.

And she signalled that jobs, economic security education, health and creating a more equitable society would be the party’s rallying calls.

Ms Cox said: “This economic downturn is more than a blip, but we can’t have a pity party as much as we might like to.”

She added: “When times change, Government priorities, policies and programmes also change – but the work of compassion continues.

“While it’s clear we can’t solve problems by throwing money at them, it’s also true the people need to feel us and know they are loved.

“We have always been the party of hope, social equity and economic justice.”

Ms Cox said that Government could not solve every problem on its own.

And she warned: “We must surrender some small pieces of our individual interests so we can build a platform we can all stand on.”

But she added: “Bermuda is not about survival of the fittest – while we know Government can’t do everything, we cannot just take care of the strong. We believe in an equal playing field.”

Ms Cox said: “The demand from our people is not for smaller Government or bigger Government, but that we continue to be the best Government.

“The commitment I seek is to old values that never wear out.”

Ms Cox said that the PLP was committed to high-quality education in schools and the Bermuda College, affordable healthcare for all and good services for seniors.

She said: "Now is the time to use the Price Commission as an effective tool to help Bermuda’s people find ways to make the cost of living more affordable.”

She added that the party was determined to boost international business and tourism, and said Transport Minister Terry Lister would soon be announcing a new airline coming to Bermuda.

Ms Cox told the party faithful: “Lets offer new hope for a stable economy, let’s resolve that the state of a family’s health never depends on the size of a family’s budget.”

She said that every Bermudian had play their part, from making businesses more efficient to taking more responsibility for children’s welfare.

And Ms Cox added that Bermuda should “never be a killing field” and praised National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief’s drive to seek out the best methods to tackle guns and gang violence.

She told a crowd of around 500 at the Elliot Primary School playing field that payroll tax breaks and hikes in duty on imports were about encouraging people to spend more money on the island and keep people in jobs.

She added: “Let’s get fired up and ready to go. That’s what the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party stands for – creating jobs and funding more work programmes to get the engines running.”