The election campaign is hotting up and we are promised a Shangri La paradise by all candidates. Quite why we haven’t got it already with the billions of dollars of income over the past years, they don’t explain, except to blame each other.

At the launch of Third District Representative Julian Fraser’s new Progressives United party, a supporter said that it was not Mr. Fraser’s fault that the traffic lights installed at the roundabout some years back did not work: The project was approved by Cabinet. That’s as may be, but Cabinet members are not experts in traffic management. The contractor himself, an expert, said that they would not work, especially with pedestrian crossings right at the lights.

Certainly, the United Kingdom has roundabouts with traffic lights, but they are much larger in area, with a drive-round between the lights — and certainly no pedestrian crossings.

Mr. Fraser says campaign contributions should be limited to $10,000, but reports do not make clear whether that is per donor, or the total of all donations. Where does that leave the white envelopes?

Notably, he did not resurrect his Sea Cows Bay harbour project again. But he does want a school in every district and a canteen in every school.

PVIM

Opposition Leader Ronnie Skelton, the leader of the new Progressive Virgin Islands Movement, in lauding “his” accomplishments, mentioned that before National Health Insurance the government had paid out huge sums for medical treatment abroad for people who couldn’t afford it — sometimes as much as $300,000. One shouldn’t put a price on human life, but we are not Kuwait, and such expenses don’t appear to be budgeted for.

These costs won’t decrease with NHI, but there will be some input from contributions. Thus we have no idea how healthy the territory’s finances are. Similarly, with millions paid out in court-ordered damages for various cases.

And you don’t need a very long memory to remember that we are going to be overrun by 450 medical students next month, eager to get their degrees from a potentially unaccredited teaching establishment. Perhaps the idea was quietly dropped after the sacking of the former minister of health and social development? If they don’t come, landlords will have to hope that the people needed to run 400,000 offices for offshore companies will take up the slack.

VI and UK

The present political situations in the VI and the UK are remarkably similar. The governments are in disarray: one over Brexit; the other over corruption allegations, election fever, and possible loss of income. We signed over $7.2 million to an airline that never flew. The UK has signed a contract for £13.8 million to provide extra lorry ferries in the event of a no-deal Brexit, with a company called Seaborne Freight, which has no ships and knows nothing about ferrying. Sound familiar?

Several parties

With five or more parties fighting the election, who will be the king-maker, or the king (or, outside chance, the queen)? Walwyn, Skelton, Fraser, Fahie, RAA (who are they?), or that dark horse Pickering? Take your pick.

Meanwhile, I just got my voter’s registration card. It was a simple straightforward procedure at the Elections Office in Road Town opposite the old Beacon office. The card is free and it lasts ten years. It is not actually necessary to carry it to vote, but if you lose it you will have to pay $25 for a replacement.

To be continued…