on the opposite side of the House proved too strong a temptation during yesterday afternoon's debate in the House of Assembly.

Shadow Health Minister Renee Webb landed in hot water with Speaker Ernest DeCouto after making a personal reference to Finance Minister Dr. Grant Gibbons .

Ms Webb was referring to earlier remarks made by the UBP's Maxwell Burgess about the failure of the Co-Op when she said: "He talked about the fact that Derrick Burgess was not concerned about the workers of this Country because of his attitude to the failure of the Co-Op.

"But the BIU and the Co-Op are two separate companies. It's like Gibbons Management Services failing and turning around and blaming the Gibbons Department Store.

To cries of derision from the Government benches Mr. DeCouto asked the Hamilton East MP to withdraw her remarks.

But she fought back insisting that she was only giving an example.

"The point is I think that when a member stands up and blames the BIU for the failure of the Co-Op that's really stretching it,'' she said.

She also questioned why Mr. Burgess was in the Cabinet at all in light of the fact that he has taken legal action against the Government.

Again she was pulled up by Mr. DeCouto, who said: "You have to be careful you don't impute improper motives. You are suggesting that the honourable member is not fit to be in the Cabinet.

Ms Webb went on unruffled, teasing Government members with an electioneering speech.

"I know that members on that side of the House are very touchy,'' she said.

"They have just lost one of their members and clearly that's disturbing and they're depressed and over-reacting.

"I realise that we are in election mode and all sorts of accusations are going to be made about the PLP -- we are soft on drugs and we support this and that -- but we have two more months sat in this honourable House and I know that this time feathers are going to get ruffled because their demise is inevitable and if it isn't it should be.'' But Ms Webb's flow had to be interrupted a third time after she accused The Royal Gazette of being an open supporter of the Government.

"At the end of the day it's the Mr. and Mrs. Bermudas of this Country who decide their future so, despite all the accusations and what's printed in The Royal Gazette the records of the UBP and the PLP will be viewed by the people of this Country and we will be judged accordingly, she said.

She added that The Royal Gazette is "historically the voice of the UBP'', a comment that produced a threat from Mr. DeCouto.

"You can't say that,'' he said. "Clean up your act or you may have to leave these chambers.'' For the rest of her monologue Ms Webb managed to keep out of trouble. But she was unable to finish her speech before finally being ordered to sit down by Mr. DeCouto, who claimed she had run out of time.

But Ms Webb's contribution managed to liven up what had previously been an uncontentious first day in the House.

A few moments later newly appointed Health Minister Wayne Furbert brought everyone's attention to a fly sheet that had been placed on the windscreen of numerous vehicles in Hamilton, including his own.

Claiming to have been printed by the Organisation for the Preservation of Bermudians, the poster gave statistics highlighting the fact that the vast majority of unemployed were black males and ended with the slogan "Time for change -- kick the fools out''.

But when Mr. Furbert began accusing PLP members of being responsible for the poster there were roars from the Opposition benches.

Dennis Lister raised a point of order, stating that there was no evidence that the flyer had come from the PLP.

"For all we know it could have come from a disgruntled member of the UBP,'' he said.

Mr. Furbert retracted his comment but riled Opposition members still further when he blamed a PLP supporter for being responsible.

The PLP's Eugene Cox asked for a second point of order, shouting: "He lied, he lied''.

He was quickly rebuked by the Speaker of the House who said: "You should be very careful. Those are not good words to use in this House.'' Shadow Works and Engineering Minister Stanley Morton also came under attack when he suggested that politicians were not paid enough for their work.

The comment prompted a swift rebuke from the Government's Paget East MP Kim Young .

"I cannot leave the House without expressing my disappointment when I heard Stanley Morton requesting more money,'' she said.

"I thought we were here to serve people at whatever cost and it just makes me wonder what would happen if the PLP ever did get in.''