I've been away for a few days, and getting bits and pieces of the Privy Council developments. I'm now catching up on all the news that's legally permissible to print, and the silent but deadly reaction from the Premier's spin doctors.
I must say though, that the rather expert Googler over at Vexed Bermoothes has dug up a few juicy tidbits on the World Tourism Marketing Summit, where Dr. Brown strangely found himself incommunicado for a few days:
Indeed, you may ask why is Bermuda sponsoring the CHINESE tourism summit in BEIJING when we have closed our marketing offices in most gateway cities to save money?Simple: the event runs from October 28 through 30 making sure that Dr. Brown is otherwise disposed when the Privy Council meets on October 29 to consider the BHC matter.
A date which just so happened to coincide with his legal defeat (a result that even his advisors and lawyers have been out saying was entirely expected (aka - we were just buying time)).
Funnily enough, it would seem that Dr. Brown has literally proven the story we were told as kids that if you dug a hole deep enough eventually you'd hit China. Who'd a thunk it?
But back to that Marketing Summit, where Dr. Brown was given an award...for bringing business travelers to Bermuda...er, I mean "The Tourism Leadership Award".
It would seem that Bermuda, the smallest country at the summit, was also one of the largest sponsors. And it also seems that the event was organised in part by the primary movers behind the African Diaspora Heritage Trail as Vexed points out:
So how did little ole Bermuda get sucked in as a major financial sponsor of the Chinese World Tourism Marketing Summit?Perhaps because the event’s organisers include The Bradford Group, a US marketing company. The Bradford Group is also the organiser of the Africa Travel Association and the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism. As it happens, these two organisations are the major boosters of Dr. Brown’s African Diaspora Heritage Trail.
So, don't be too bowled over by that award, it appears to have been a thank you gesture for funds delivered, as was the quid pro quo of giving Dr. Brown a destination to profile far away from Bermuda while he took it on the chin at home.
The silence can't continue forever. While the PLP spin doctors appear to back on the same refrain as they were when this all broke back in August (ie. we're focused on the issues, it's all a great UBP media conspiracy), eventually it might dawn on them that corruption is an issue.
Cue disenchanted PLP insiders.
Posted by Christian S. Dunleavy