Mr Cannonier, a relative newcomer to Bermudan politics, was propelled into power in December 2012 when his One Bermuda Alliance ousted the government of Premier Paula Cox and ended 14 years of rule by the Progressive Labour Party (PLP).

BBC: Bermuda profile

So he simply appointed three trusted public personalities to head a far-left Progressive Unionist Party, a Socialist Labour Party and a centrist Liberal Party.

ECONOMIST: Democracy can sometimes be too tame

And it may help the Working Families Party, a progressive political party largely made up of labour unions, which already has more grassroots support than the fragmented Democrats.

ECONOMIST: New York's troubled politicians

Although the Labour Party's roots lay with the working class and private sector unions, New City co-editor John Muscat contends that the Rudd Labour Party has transformed into an instrument of the bureaucracy and "progressive" gentry.

FORBES: New Geographer

The standards committee's inquiry will drag on for several weeks, giving the Scottish National Party and the Conservatives plenty of chances to assert that New Labour, far from bringing progressive politics into Scotland, is aping the worst habits of Westminster.

ECONOMIST: Scottish politics