Minister admits past mistakes
(CNS): Cline Glidden, the tourism minister in the minority government, has admitted that mistakes were made during the previous UDP administration and offered an apology for the failure of government to hold weekly press briefings. He spoke of the minority government’s commitment to openness, transparency and cooperation and indicated that the interim team wanted to be accessible to the media. The weekly press briefings were introduced by the former PPM administration and acted as a forum for government to communicate its work and allow the press an opportunity to ask specific questions in a public forum. Although the UDP continued the briefings at first, it was not long before the former premier put a stop to them.
McKeeva Bush began taking aim at the media in early 2010 and soon after stopped the regular briefings and called them on an ad hoc basis. But before long he was speaking to the people via statements broadcast on television and radio and stopped speaking directly to the media in collective public forums. While he would sometimes speak to certain journalists or respond to direct questions, he abandoned the open public forum.
Bush also began to seek other ways to have better control over the message he was trying to deliver on behalf of his government. He explored the idea of a UDP sponsored newspaper and website but in the end settled on a government television channel, which now broadcasts the Legislative Assembly proceedings as well as carrying other government programming and news broadcasts. Ironically, the channel now also carries the weekly press briefings, which have been reinstated by the interim government.
Following the fall of Bush’s administration in the wake of his arrest in December, the break-away former UDP five under the leadership of the new premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, immediately convened a press briefing and have continued to hold a meeting with the local media every week since.
During Thursday’s briefing several of the ministers in the minority government mentioned the Cabinet’s support for the continued regular meeting with the media, pointing to its importance in terms of communicating to the public and transparency. Asked why, given that support, they did not speak out when the former premier stopped the weekly press briefings when they were all part of the UDP administration, Cline Glidden put hishands up and admitted it was a mistake.
“Going forward, we are committed to the press briefings,” Glidden said, adding that the failure to hold regular meetings with the press had to be put down to “one of the mistakes made in the past” as he offered apologies for those mistakes.
Deputy Premier Rolston Anglin added that while the weekly briefings had stopped, individual ministers had still met regularly with the press regarding the work specific to their ministries. However, he too echoed his ministerial colleagues’ commitment to the press briefings and keeping the lines of communication open.
During his time in office Bush, the former premier, indulged in a number of attacks on the media and pointed the finger at different publishing houses at different times, even barring CNS from the few briefings that were held.
Although he criticised the media in general he saved his most scathing attacks for Rooster's morning call-in show, Crosstalk, and CNS — in particular the ‘bloggers’, a term Bush used to describe the regular commenters on this media site, which appears to have stuck.
The former premier criticised the local press for its use of Freedom of Information and often made personal attacks on individual reporters and displayed his obvious frustrations when he believed the local media had not delivered his message in the way he had hoped.
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Cline, just how dull-minded do you think the general public is? Ever heard the expression "a man of straw"? You and the rest of the Mac disciples never had the strength of your (now professed) convictions to stand up and be counted (and damn the consequences) under the leadership of Mr. Bush, and now you have the audacity to expect us, the public, to accept you as a man of principle? Pull the other one – it's got bells on!
mistakes?….. you mean gross negligence and incompetence…….. we would have more respect for you if you resigned as an mla……. don't worry the electorate will deal with you come may
West Bay won't be making any "mistakes" this go round from what i hear round ya
You all should have attended the Crusade in West Bay and hear the applause from under three tents when McKeeva walked in and let me tell unna that majprity of them can vote. He is more popular than ever with all those sympathy votes. Not to mention all the prayers thats going up for him, we wonda where Ju Ju prayers are going.
The former UDP members should heed the words of Edmund Burke who said it best all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Can someone get some face powder for Mark Scotland- he looks very pale these days!
Nonsense. You were and still are complicit with all of McKeevas misdeeds: I remember you publicly defending him in the press, on the radio, tv and the LA
You explained it, repeated it, condoned it and enjoyed it when it shielded you from hard questions!
Is this all you offer by way of explanation for yourself for 3.7 YEARS??
Through Cohen, budget collapse, financial irregularities, dodgy deals, scandals, multiple police investigations, corruption allegations, you endorsed cutting corners on deals rather than following normal tendering and procurement processes, failure to produce budgets, awarding yourselves eternal titles, attacks on the media and constituents- including lawsuits against members of the public for asking questions…you defended McKeeva staying in power after 3 police investigations, not chasing Mike Ryan for his debts, Mike Ryan drafting UDP statements, nation Building slush fund…expat tax, dredging NS….Brac paving fiasco…
And then some!
…and you shrug and say ‘ oops’. I say ‘eff that’ – YOU CAN’T GET MY VOTE
This gots to be a joke right?
For 4 years this same group of misfits approved and supported every idea that came from their master including the entire dart deal and NRA deal and told us a dump was good enough for the citizens of BT but needed to be moved to help their number 1 client in GT. there is so much they need to be sorry for it is not possible to make right in 4 months all that they did wrong from 2009 until the UK forced them into doing the right thing for Cayman in December. They can’t be trusted ever again
Julianna, Rolston, Cline, Mark and Dwaye can be described as the “Fraudulent Five” and examples of what bad politics, party loyaltyand bad governance policies are all about. For nearly 4 years they sold out the people of this country in order to stay loyal to their party and their political leader who created them, made them relevant, included them all the shenanigans by rewarding them and who will always own them!
Do not be fooled Cayman they have to go and their attempts at growing a conscience and being sorry is too late!
Wait till after May election, we will see if they are a fraudulent five. They will all be by Mr Bush side, and of course singing "Together again my tears have stop falling, you're back in my arms just where you belong" and why not? He treated them very good and I say they should not forget it no matter what has happened. The old Government will be going back in, unless the New want to be has money to burn.
If they dont have it moneys from Government will be found to pave more yards, etc etc.
You are right Bo Bo, they are trying to look good now but it is too late. The vindictiveness and power will take them out. Some people can get help and others must drown in their problems. Your crying day will soon come too. Power in the wrong hands hurt alot of people. Just look at some of their relatives alone, when the husbands pension can be taken from a 91 year old woman. We have people from Timbuck 2 that was married to Caymanians and wealthy Caymanians at that who are benefiting from their husbands seaman grant but because I am not liked I cannot get mine. Any way as promised after the Election the pension can be retracked because God is still on his throne watcjing all of this and dont care how much they fool the people with the church the good and great God is seeing.
Easy to have a backbone now, huh, once the monkey off he back.
Wutless, all of unna.
If that is all Cline is sorry for when they were all enabling McKeeva Bush's Premiership for the last 3 1/2 years, he is sadly mistaken.
we should never forget their spineless support of mac over the first 3 and half years…..
vote them out!
CNS:
For God's sake, please stop showing that picture. His days of relevancy are over, and it's unwarranted torture to be freshly reminded of what he did to us by exposing us to this picture. It makes me throw up a little bit, just at the back of my throat.
I disagree. We all need to remember this picture, and the hell we have beenthrough. Like a cockroach that you think is dead, it just might start moving again.
On the contrary, please continue to use it. It's always refreshing -and something of a relief – to be reminded of the lunacy we are no longer being subject to under Mr.Bush's premiership, and whoever took the shot deserves some kind of award. (And at the risk of being advised to 'grow up" by some humourless sod with the weight of the world on his slumped shoulders, might I suggest CNS offers prints for sale to the public worldwide?)
Boy oh boy, elections is near. How do I know? Because politicians start asking for forgiveness and "four more years" to do it right.
Wonder how many fools will fall for it again, again, again, and again?!
They should all have two terms only and their salarys split in half the amount that they are getting now. Those salarys thay they voted for themselves are ridicilous. Imaginr there are some people here who have to live on $500 a month, no wonder we have so much crime.Then the little assistance that we get is usually determined by the Politician who only assist those that vote for them. The same Mack and his West Bay crew are certain of their seats as they look out for one and all. No one cant take that from Mack. He just need to send a good Bracer up to run in Cayman Brac. Our darling Mr Adams will also be in the race too, just have to get the right ones in other Districts as West Bay have no problem.
"Asked why, given that support (of the 5 UDP breakaways), they did not speak out when the former premier stopped the weekly press briefings when they were all part of the UDP administration, Cline Glidden put his hands up and admitted it was a mistake."
Is that the best answer you have for the nation Mr Glidden? "A mistake".
So are we to understand then that everytime they are asked a question along the lines of "why didn't you stop McKeeva when he……" they'll just put up their hands and shrug and say it was "a mistake"? It was a mistake every time no doubt.
These clowns, who could only stand by and "make mistakes", are going to ask you to re-elect them. They are and always will be spineless, duplicitous, hopeless politicians of the lowest possible order. They want to pretend it was all MAc not them, but for so so long all they had to do was act collectively and vote. They only did so at the very end when Mac was finished and they wanted to save themselves.
Well, if Juju was there I would not have been surprised if she dropped to her knees and asked everyone to hold hands as she pray for forgiveness and spritual bleach-washing.
These people are a bunch of jokers! They still believe it is 1985 and they can used bovine-sketology (is that how you spell that Gillie?) to blind us.
It may be 1985 in some parts of WB and CYB, but no where else.
Don't get too comfortable in the Premier Office Juju. Come election time, you and your driver both will have to find something else to do!
Bracca who had enough
I think it’s a good thing and a start towards the right direction. Just please your promesses and that now should apply across the House. Work together as much as possible. Minimum wages Enforced would also help us “We the people ” to be able to work and dish those who work for minimal pay yet still good for them in their country. If not How can we compete ? Put your constituents to work a.s.a.p. We are diligently watching and waiting for yet better days to come.
Too Freaking late!
Screw your apology!! You refused to stand up to Mac all of that time = none of you ever associated with McKeeva or the UDP will be getting my vote ever again!
Stopping media briefings and ill mannered attacks on the media and others who ask questions, is a clear indicator of Mac's unworthiness (lack of acceptable political decorum) of such an office of premier, or any office!
I don't particularely trust the Fab 5, completely, but they clearly present themselves as far more respectable now that they are not following Mac!
It is interesting that since Mac's departure, we now actually hear aloud the thoughts of ministers, whether you like them or not is irrelevant. The point is that you hear them and that you can later judge on whether these thoughts are all huff and puff or whether something actually comes out of them. Openess always pays off. I personally dont have a lot of time for the new lot, they sat behind Mac for too long doing nothing..they could have bolted a long time ago to the benefit of the Island, but it is refreshing to actually know what is in their minds. For that, I will give them a thumbs up.
They made mistakes?
And in other news the skeleton of poor King Richard III has been found under a parking lot in Leicester – which brings me much relief because I was really worried about poor King Richard…
And now to hear an admittance that mistakes were made by the UDP – that certainly calls for another drink…