Bermuda's young, seniors and the first Progressive Labour Party (PLP) government came in for praise at a ruling party rally this week in Sandys.

Their opponents, however, were accused of presenting PLP policies as their own, falsely masquerading as a new party and writing a "copy cat" platform.

"People know that the Progressive Labour Party has risen to the challenge," said former Deputy Speaker Walter Lister.

"We've accepted the responsibilities and we've dealt with it. We've had lots of problems and let me tell you - for each problem we've found the solutions."

The meeting, held at Sandys Secondary Middle School gymnasium on Tuesday night, attracted about 80 people.

Sandys area candidates, Youth and Sport Minister Randy Horton, Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister, Finance Minister Eugene Cox and Environment Minister Dennis Lister also addressed the audience.

Mr. Walter Lister said Government policies came directly from the people. And he said young people in Bermuda should also be listened to.

"It's their country too," he said. "We have a great responsibility to speak to those young people who have some very positive ideas... I believe the majority of our young people are good people, but they never get the press.

"I'm not worried about this country going in the hands of those who are coming behind us. Because by and large those young people are very sincere, they are very responsible and most of them have common sense and education together."

He also praised senior citizens saying that they had paid the price for "us to get to this stage of our political development".

"The PLP members stand tall because we stand on the shoulders of a lot of giants. They paid a big price for us to get just to this stage. And I believe that we are only halfway there. So you can't ... say hey we've arrived because we haven't."

The party had the responsibility to prepare the young to assume the responsibility of leadership, he added.

Of the UBP, he said: "If you scratch the new United Bermuda Party, just scratch the surface, underneath you will see the old United Bermuda Party healthy and well. That was proved today (with the recruitment of Sir John Swan). If you've got a new United Bermuda Party why would you go out and get old UBP?

"My point is the new United Bermuda Party is only a facade and there's no need to get excited about it because you know what they did for the last five years."

He said going back to the "days from whence we come" would be "doing ourselves the greatest disservice anyone can do".

Finance Minister Eugene Cox took aim at the UBP's platform.

"It is a copycat platform - a watered down rehash of PLP government policies which are either already in train or works in progress," Mr. Cox said. "You just look at that document and think about it."