phantom ... a phantom Budget. During the entire long-winded debate we have heard about almost every subject involving Bermuda, and a fair number of subjects involving a fantasy island, but very little about cash and the Budget.

The Opposition's role in a budget debate is, or ought to be, to carefully and cleverly question the Finance Minister and the Ministers who are granted money for their departments about these sums of money and how well they are being used. The Opposition should be the watchdog for the public's money, making certain that the expenditure proposed is necessary and questioning how effectively the money will be spent. The Opposition should be offering criticisms and suggestions which lead to public savings. It should also be well informed enough to question whether Government ministries have been careful and wise in their past spending. That is what a Budget debate should be.

But these days the Budget debate is just not like that, probably because the Opposition does not understand its function. In fact, hardly a question has been asked -- or answered -- about the people's money. Some of this neglect is caused by incompetence since there seems to be no-one on the Opposition benches who understands money, much less understands a massive Budget. They can pontificate in political generalities about various ministries but they are unable to deal with the specifics of a Budget in a way that might save the people money or lead to greater Government efficiency, and everyone in the Country knows that we could do with some of both. Then too it seems from the Opposition's approach to their own salary increases that the Opposition members of the House actually like the idea of spending more of the taxpayers' money. It may be that they are happy with spending because they think a precedent is being set for them if they should come to power.

The return of the bases to Bermuda and the millions it will cost the Bermudian taxpayer to run the Airport is the main thrust of this year's Budget.

Basically, the Budget is arranged so that Bermuda can absorb the costs occasioned by the return of the bases with a minimum of grief. Yet we have had very few questions in the House from the Opposition on the cost of the bases or on Government plans to replace the income Bermuda has received since the Second World War from bases personnel. Logically the people might have expected great anxiety over the bases from politicians. That has not been the case.

Either Dr. David Saul has presented a near perfect Budget which pleases the Opposition or the Opposition is more concerned about rhetoric than it is about the taxpayers' money.