Now that the One Bermuda Alliance has presented its Reply to the Throne Speech, readers may find it interesting to analyse the messages from the speeches by looking at them — by words and numbers — to understand the priorities of each party.

But first I would like to address the OBA’s allegations of “Trump-like” behaviour by the Government: this ignorant comparison only further highlights the Opposition’s disconnect with the people of Bermuda.

I am pretty sure Patricia Gordon-Pamplin does not think the Progressive Labour Party has allegiances with neo-Nazis, denies climate change, or commits any of the other horrendous behaviours of the President of the United States.

So what exactly did she mean? Because to quote another US politician, Trump’s “basket of deplorables” cannot claim to represent the voice of most Americans.

But in Bermuda, the PLP won the popular vote and secured a landslide of parliamentary seats. That is quite the mandate.

However, the Opposition leader still doesn’t get it. It’s not about us, it’s about the people. We gave oxygen to their voices, not ours and that is why they voted for us. But if you really want to see how the OBA got it so wrong — and continues to do so — just look at the analysis of the Throne Speech and the Reply.

Here I have listed how often the Government and the Opposition used certain words in their speeches; words that resonated with the electorate throughout the election campaign.

Economy: 15 (PLP), 0 (OBA)

Jobs: 14, 5

Growth: 10, 2

Education: 18, 6

Inequality: 1, 0

Discrimination: 1, 0

Justice: 1, 0

Empowerment: 3, 0

Bermudian: 37, 13

* “Trump-like” was used twice by the Opposition leader

After the election, when former premier Michael Dunkley was asked about criticism that the OBA did not do enough to help black Bermudians, he said it was a “fair assessment”.

Given that acknowledgement, and the OBA’s historic loss at the polls after the only one-term government, a casual observer would have thought the OBA would try to let voters know that it heard them; that it got the message; and that it would join in the fight to tackle the divide between the “Two Bermudas”.

Instead, the Reply chastised Bermudians for wanting to change the status quo.

What politicians say and don’t say matters; it lets you know what they prioritise and what matters to them.

The Opposition leader and the former premier have in tandem shown the Bermuda public exactly what they think of them. Instead of a renewed focus and energy, they have determined that the best way to function is in the most petty and self-serving of ways.

• Lawrence Scott is the government MP for Warwick South East (Constituency 24)