When one is confrontational it rarely succeeds. This has been the biggest problem with ex-premier McKeeva Bush and surprisingly he doesn’t seem to have ever owned up that confrontation is even part of his persona.

Quite the contrary. He often complains he is the victim.

And he achieved nothing with this.

However, he has become more contrite and almost (I am using my words very carefully now) diplomatic in his new role as Leader of the Opposition in the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly.

Premier Alden McLaughlin has learnt this lesson well. By compromise and diplomacy we had for the very first time for a number of years a united house when it came to the vote recently in the controversial Environmental Bill.

We seem to have it again when a joint statement was issued by the Cayman Islands Government and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) over the sale of turtle meat from Cayman’s turtle farm.

After campaigning aggressively over the last few years to ban the farming of turtles for the consumption of its meat from the farm the WSPA have now recognised turtle meat has huge cultural significance in the Cayman Islands.

The statement said:

“WSPA is concerned that there is a need to consider ways to reduce the promotion of turtle meat to international tourists. These concerns will be investigated further through research conducted by the Department of Environment and their project partners via Darwin Plus funding made available by the UK Government.”

And the WSPA is also “pleased to learn that the future release of farm-raised turtles has been suspended until the findings of the research are available”.

What a difference.

iNews Cayman was the only media house who openly opposed some of the WSPA’s almost warlike tactics regarding the Cayman Turtle Farm. The point concerning the cultural significance in the Cayman Islands of turtle meat was raised by me in a meeting I had with two of the WSPA’s representatives over a year ago.

For my pains iNews was not included in a lot of their subsequent press releases.

I don’t normally quote from US President Barack Obama but in this I must:

“A good compromise, a good piece of legislation, is like a good sentence; or a good piece of music. Everybody can recognize it. They say, ‘Huh. It works. It makes sense.’

And Pastor Joel Osteen:

“It seems like when I was growing up there was more compromise, wanting to work with each other, and I think all of them – all of the lawmakers – have hearts to do what’s right, and they all are passionate about it.”

Hedy Lamarr – Austrian actress who formed The Hedy Lamarr Foundation ‘committed to producing profound messages that promote the education and personal development of young individual’:

“Compromise and tolerance are magic words. It took me 40 years to become philosophical.”

And lastly Colin Powell – former soldier and US Secretary of State

“My own experience is use the tools that are out there. Use the digital world. But never lose sight of the need to reach out and talk to other people who don’t share your view. Listen to them and see if you can find a way to compromise.”