The Grand Old Duke of York

Oh, The grand old Duke of York,

He had ten thousand men;

He marched them up to the top of the hill,

And he marched them down again.

And when they were up, they were up,

And when they were down, they were down,

And when they were only half-way up,

They were neither up nor down.

As a child this nursery rhyme was very popular as we used to sing and act it out.  I had long forgotten it and have not even heard the rhyme for many years. However when I was analyzing the seemingly recent indecisive political posturing of our current Progressives (PPM) government the rhyme has come to the fore in my mind and won’t go away.

The PPM government started out so well and my reservations seemed unfounded. They made quick and decisive decisions, listened to opposite views and even made compromises. It was impressive and leader Alden McLaughlin was every inch a statesman.

But cracks started to appear. McLaughlin took a swipe at all the media just because the largest in Cayman seemed to be against what they were trying to do. They published editorials and stories that the PPM interpreted as being poisonous.

Even another outlet the Progressives had thought was their friend began questioning some decisions. The premier then announced the government were not going to hold any press conferences just so Cayman’s media could take “potshots” at them.

I registered a complaint about the ‘potshot’ remark to a number of his Cabinet members who dutifully nodded at me. I didn’t expect much else but hoped it would get back to the top man.

McLaughlin made a surprising announcement. He had accepted an invitation to appear on the BBC’s HARDtalk programme. He seemingly rubbed our noses in the ****, and we in turn waited for him to fall.  We gave him dire warnings. I certainly did. I am sure, though, none of Cayman’s media wanted him to crash and foul up. We were genuinely very worried. We shouldn’t have, McLaughlin came through with flying colours. He never once showed any testiness when the interviewer constantly interrupted him. He politely waited and answered the questions.

I think we all applauded him. He made me feel proud.

As a leader he had marched his men to the top of the hill and we all looked up to him applauding.

Unfortunately, his stay up to the top did not last long. He even more swiftly marched his men down again.

The complete turnaround on the One Man, One Vote left many of us stunned and shaking our heads. We had been conned. Deep down we knew McLaughlin wasn’t for One Man, One Vote, but we all thought he had learnt his lesson when his party under Kurt Tibbetts leadership had run rough shod over their own supporters. They would not listen. You do as I tell you mentality. They paid the price at the very next election. Most parties do two terms but not this time. Out.

I am not for one instance saying the public is always right. We are not. We are not privy to all the facts. However, the One Man, One Vote, had raised our passions. Over 60% of the population was for it. The One Man, One Vote was one of the major players that brought the United Democratic Party government down the hill. A hill they actually had never ever reached the top in the whole of their 4 year tenure. The PPM had at least done better in just a few months.

Next came the indecision over the Dump.  Even with two fires burning for days and still signs of the smoke lingering on the leaves of trees in our garden the PPM had no action plan. Neither quick, nor slow. Just zero.

Oh yes we have another committee formed and ministers have visited other dumps in other countries. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London have been blamed as they are holding all the purse strings and they have to be satisfied on any forthcoming plan that has to conform to budget restraints. That doesn’t wash with me. No plan has been put forward let alone a solution. George Town’s Mount Trashmore grows and grows just waiting for a real catastrophe to happen.

“We are not going to be rushed,” is the government’s cry. Rushed? How many years have we been waiting? Rome burnt down while the man in charge played his fiddle.

The only plan the Department of Environment came up with was to try and find someone to buy our old tyres and take them away. How many times has that been tried? No one was interested before and no one was interested now.

Hallo. No one is ever going to pay for old tyres they have to ship off the island. They are the ones who want to be paid to take them away – not the other way around. Old tyres are not a commodity other countries want. Cayman’s old tyres are no different to their own.

I still think the best answer is Mr Dart. He has so much money tied up in investments here and he surely knows a mounting mountain of trash is not a good thing. It is a powder keg waiting to destroy a big chunk of his cash and it is right at his back door.

McLaughlin’s men not even half way up the hill on this problem. They are camping out at the bottom holding meetings.

Now we have the long awaited Conservation Bill. With a certain amount of watering down from its original masterpiece it finally got passed in the Legislative Assembly. McLaughlin marched his men half way up the hill.

The Ironwood $360M development in Frank Sound was placed firmly on the table.

The Department of Environment gave grave warnings of its potential impact on the community because of its size. Cayman’s National Trust were concerned about the developments closeness to its Mastic Trail; the danger the development could cause to many of Cayman’s endangered endemic species including the Blue Iguana.

Ironwood cleverly was also sending little pieces of their proposed development to planning and not as a whole piece. This made it difficult to access its full impact on the community and also the need for a Planned Area Development application.

Over on Cayman Brac, in Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell’s country, the Alexander Hotel has a smelly pond. It is home to more of Cayman’s endangered species. Owner Cleveland Dilbert wants to turn the pond into a marina. It would solve his pond stench, he says. However, he doesn’t want to pay for an impact study without guarantees his marina would be approved. When told he had to complete the study with no guarantees he would get planning permission, he promptly gave notice the hotel was closing.

Suddenly, after Kirkconnell saying the Alexander Hotel was very important to the Brac’s tourism industry, Dilbert said the hotel would not now be closed. This was confirmed by Kirkconnell on Facebook of all places, who said, “The Alexander Hotel will remain open as we work in partnership to find solutions.”

In the meantime the rest of the PPM’s merry men are neither up nor down the hill whilst McLaughlin and Kirkconnell hold on to the Conservation Bill. They have to ponder on when the appropriate time will come to actually make it become law. The appropriate time might be a long time coming.

Sustainable Cayman sent us a letter telling us of their concerns about Ironwood.

“Given that the proposed northern East-West extension will impact upon some of the last surviving primary dry forest in the Caribbean, the burden of loss will weigh unfairly not only upon the Trust, but on our collective natural heritage,” they warn.

Further:

“Before any sudden and significant decisions are taken about major infrastructural projects, we think that it would be wise for us to develop an integrated national infrastructure, transportation, and development plan. This would allow us to prioritise and rationalize our infrastructural investments over the next 10 to 25 years. Rather than continuing on the current impromptu method of development based primarily upon the interests of private investors, we should be investing strategically in projects that will serve our foreseeable needs and desires as a whole.

“Greed, desperation, and anxiety cannot be the prime motivators in this matter, or any other that will impact upon our islands. Indeed, such recklessness has contributed to our current economic woes. As such, we urge that we take this opportunity to demonstrate to ourselves, and others, that we are capable of building a Cayman that sustains our wealth, identity and beauty.”

To read the whole letter go to: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/letter-to-the-editor-30/

So where are we with all this? A government headed by the Grand Duke?

I pray not.