It gets nastier

A large batch of Photoshopped images making fun of Premier Brown and other PLP MPs were making the e-mail rounds recently. Many of them would be considered extremely offensive, particularly one that depicted Dr. Brown alongside Hitler, Mussolini and others.

It's nasty stuff. The Bermuda Sun addressed the responses to these images from representatives of both main political parties.

Two points. The PLP chairperson plays a bit of a political game here, calling on the UBP party leader to issue a public condemnation of those images, however saying that the images were deliberately done at the request of the UBP in the first place. Which, come on. Either give the benefit of the doubt or make the accusation, don't try to do both. It's like he's trying to put the UBP in a no-win situation, which is indeed politics, but not really necessary here.

The UBP leader makes a poor response by claiming that doctored images of himself are making the rounds as well, which screams of deflection and an 'aw shucks' kind of attitude instead of focusing on the images currently being discussed. He didn't come off as disgusted with the images, which to many will seem like he's not too bothered by this issue. Remember, Bermudians generally take offense more easily than our North American friends so I expect people will believe that the UBP leader is completely out of touch with the mainstream based on his comments.

We may never know if it was an anti-PLP group, a UBP directive, a bunch of kids with too much free time on their hands, or even a PLP job to make the Premier et al. a martyr figure, but I do recall the effects of the 1998 election newspaper ad that slagged former MP Delaey Robinson because he had dreadlocks. This too could be a turning point come election day.