The Honourable Minister, Ms Paula Cox in her Labour Day speech says, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore," a famous quote from a motion picture. I believe that quote will resonate throughout Bermuda, in fact it already has, because I myself quoted it to a public meeting in Warwick some three months ago and it resonated then. What is curious is that a person so close to the pinnacle of government power, the Minister of Finance, the Deputy Premier, could publicly utter such sentiments at a time like this.

After all, in her dual role, she herself has jointly presided over a government that has, seemingly, helplessly witnessed the rise of all these problems in our society: the rise of violent crime, the ever menacing trafficking of illegal narcotics, the sharp increase in break-ins, the frightening tide of gang activity, the debacle in public education and the societal dislocation that will bring, the erosion of ethical and moral standards of our political leaders, the polarization of the races, and the continuing housing problem.

Her speech reminds me of a scenario where on an airliner, during a long period of high turbulence, where lunches and drinks are flying all about the cabin and passengers are either crying or praying, the co-pilot announces over the p.a. system, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm mad as hell about this and I'm not going to take it anymore." Where is Ms. Cox sitting, in the cockpit where you fly the plane or in the cabin where you're a passenger? Nowhere on the aircraft can you sit in both places at the same time.

Bermudians are, "Mad as hell," but what's even more infuriating is when the second most senior government official in the land mounts a podium and shoulders no responsibility for the problems that beset us. Even on the worst airline the copilot will usually apologise for the turbulence even though he/she didn't cause it. But no, not in the "New Bermuda", the whole issue of responsibility, of accountability, is completely glossed over. It's always someone else's fault.

A better use of the occasion would have been an outline of what the Government is doing and proposes to do to combat these problems, instead of a speech that can be summed up by the simple statement, "I feel your pain." After nine years in power, that is woefully inadequate. The issues that Bermudians are mad about are a chronicle of the failures of this Government since 1998.

One of the most frustrating of these failures is the area of the police and crime. The system we have had in place for many years now, under the rule of both parties, is, by design, a partnership: a sharing of responsibilities for the policing of the Island. Certain responsibilities have been delegated to the Government as it relates to the police, including finances, plant and equipment, and staffing levels. Other responsibilities have been retained by the Governor who works through the Commissioner who is wholly responsible for day to day operations.

Here we are in the midst of a crime wave and the minister who is responsible for Public Safety can only declare that his hands are tied because he, under the present system, cannot command the police. The system requires a cooperative and coordinated approach to problem solving not an attitude that, "If we're not effective, we can blame the system." Under the circumstances this is a pathetic response. Bermudians want action and results, not excuses.

Minister Cox in her Labour Day speech warned against head in the sand, ostrich like attitudes. Until she, along with all the other members of Cabinet, hold themselves accountable for the rising tide of crime and other social problems in this country, they themselves will be the ostriches. The Discovery Channel tells us ostriches bury their heads in the sand to fool predators, but they're not fooling us.

Senator ET (Bob) Richards is the shadow minister for Telecommunications and Transport