Deputy Premier Ewart Brown accused the Opposition of showing a lack of Christmas spirit by painting ?a negative mosaic? of Bermuda in the last House sitting of the year.

?As a Government we are moving towards political maturity,? he said in the final speech of 2003.

?We are beginning to put Bermuda first. We have also recorded the Opposition?s attempt to paint a terrible picture of Bermuda ? a negative mosaic.?

He accused the UBP of ?being negative? over seniors, housing, health, education and the Police and of being obsessed with trying to find scandal in the current administration.

?Are we the perfect Government? No. But we are the people?s Government. We have an election to show that the people of Bermuda are denying all the things that the Opposition say ? the people chose that we should be here.

?We are the best ever Government for the majority of the people of this country.? He then listed a catalogue of scandals that hit the UBP Government including what he described as massive conflicts of interest over a ?gift? to a construction company and the purchase of Police cars and school computers from companies owned by, or by the families of, UBP Ministers.

?When we came here, we found a House full of conflicts of interest,? he added.

Earlier Housing Minister Terry Lister had expressed similar sentiments, telling the House: ?All we hear from the other side (the Opposition) is about scandal.

?But we have nothing in our pockets except hard work and small pay.?