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You've got to hand it to the PLP, they are good at what they do.

I'm not talking about governing. I think most people would agree that after ten years they have disappointed with whatever was intended for the New Bermuda.

Go down the list and it's hard to put a finger on real success.

The economy is not stronger. Education is not better. Tourism is a shambles. Cronyism is up. Public safety is down.

What I am talking about is the PLP's ability to send messages that create the impression, not the reality, of an activist government working for the people.

I call it button-pushing politics. It's what politicians do to distract and mislead. It's what they do when they don't want people to notice that they have not delivered.

There is a history to this.

The latest instalment took place on Labour Day weekend. At the Friday BIU banquet, Acting Premier Randy Horton floated the idea of a 35-hour work week for Bermuda's workers.

In 2006 the Government actually fought the union over this very issue in a tribunal and its arguments won the day. But after months of labour unrest, including two marches on Parliament by thousands of workers, and with Labour Day on the horizon, the government pulled the 35-hour week from the shelf to announce it was now "seriously" considering the idea.

"Keep on talking", Mr. Horton told union leaders, "that conversation has been interesting..."

Employers, unionists and social workers quickly responded to the headline in a swirl of pros and cons. The government rode the crest of the debate without making any commitment to the idea whatsoever, without engaging in any substantive discussion about how it would work.

It got through Labour Day unscathed and the public has been left with, well, nothing really.

In mid-week we said the public had been treated to a shallow, cynical exercise that amounted to nothing more than pandering. It was a well-reasoned, constructive critique, which I invite you to read at www.ubp.bm.

The 35-hour week was just the latest instance of PLP button-pushing. You may remember a steady stream of it in the run-up to the last election.

Remember the Workforce Equity Act? That was going to right the balance in the work place. Fines were to be levied against non-compliant companies. The Government was going to get tough to ensure opportunity for all Bermudians.

Whatever happed to that Workforce Equity Act?

Remember Goodwill Plus? That was the Premier's plan to attach a Bermudian understudy to overseas workers so that after three years, "Johnny" could take over "Sven's" job. Again, it was about opportunity for Bermudians.

Whatever happened to Goodwill Plus?

Empty promises

Remember as concerns grew about the Government's approach to the economy, the Premier assembled the Council of Economic Advisors? They met in October in a flash of media attention and again in January. The first priority was to help parents get "quality time at work and quality time at home."

Whatever happened to the Council of Economic Advisors?

I will finish with the St. George's Police Station, though I could go on. Early in the 2007 election, the UBP promised to open the station to enhance law and order in the Old Town. Senator David Burch scrambled to the site and, with Hustle Truck workers noisily "preparing the building" for renovations, said the station would be open "24 hours a day within months."

That was one year ago, and still nothing.

Bermudians want their government to perform well. But it will not happen if we allow ourselves to be misled by this government's button-pushing approach to business. We need to call them out.

Let's hold them to account and, in the process, get them to think about solutions not slogans. That's what the UBP aims for in virtually every public statement we make. After all, solutions are what Bermuda needs.

Michael Fahy is the chairman of the United Bermuda Party[[In-content Ad]]

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