This is the full text of United Bermuda Party Leader Wayne Furbert's televised speech from Wednesday night.

My fellow Bermudians,

Earlier this week the Premier spoke to the country on his first 100 days in office.

The reality is that this government has been in power for 3,000 days not 100 days. That's nearly nine years to make real headway on the problems facing the country.

Nine years when it has had the power to build affordable housing, nine years to ensure that our children get the education they need, nine years to come down hard on crime and nine years to do more for our struggling seniors.

So ladies and gentlemen, I feel it is my duty to invite you to look past the "pop and sizzle" that the Premier serves up so well.

When I heard his address on Monday, I was reminded of the quotation: "Oh what a web we weave, when we conspire to deceive." Ladies and Gentlemen, I ask you to see the Government's record for what it is. Let me talk first about housing.

The Premier said he recognized the challenge of dealing with the issue of affordable housing. We applaud him for that, but we know from experience that recognition of a problem does not mean action.

The Government was first elected in 1998 on a commitment to provide housing. What we got instead was a nine-year housing crisis; years when people who could have been housed were not. Against this background the Premier told us of a new task force that has identified derelict properties that might be made into homes, and projects where groundbreaking will soon happen. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is not good enough. They have had nine years to get a grip on this problem.

We need action.

*** The most serious issue facing this country is the state of our public education system.

All of us have watched with alarm as our schools graduated fewer and fewer students. Our concerns were underscored last week by reports showing two thirds of our young men and more than half of our young women "at risk" because of low literacy skills.

The problem in education is one of deep consequence for our society.

The failure to equip our young with basic skills holds dire implications for their lives.

The public has known for years that the problem cuts deeply, and we have called many times for dramatic, comprehensive action to give our young people the education they need to succeed.

We welcome the Government's commitment to a "full-scale" review of the system, and I want to assure you that my colleagues and I will keep close watch on this review to make sure the country gets the answers it needs.

At the same we must register our serious concern that this is one more study.

We've had nine years of studies. We need action. Our children need action. *** Law and order is another area of deep concern.

The Premier proudly describes his new Minister of Public Safety as "keen to address the long-standing issues" surrounding public safety.

We welcome the enthusiasm, but note that issues of law and order became long-standing problems under the Government. The country has witnessed the advance of new and disturbing trends in crime, including the emergence of gang-style violence.

People are fearful. They are disturbed by the sense that as a society we are heading in the wrong direction.

These concerns were reinforced by reports last week showing the final three months of 2006 as the most violent since Police began recording statistics.

In our view, the Government is spinning its wheels on law and order.

We were struck by the Premier's remark during Monday's address that he had initiated discussions with the Governor to find new creative ways to fight crime.

This is exactly the same thing we were told in a meeting six months ago by another Premier.

Once again, the Premier promises a con-versation, but after nine years we need action.

*** Perhaps no other area of Monday's address was spun better than tourism.

The Premier should be proud that visitor arrivals were up in 2006, but it is important to keep some perspective on the situation.

The 2006 results were driven by an unprecedented reliance on cruise ship visitors, not air arrivals, and they follow the worst five-year performance since the start of mass tourism in the mid 1960s.

There is a long way to go before we get this vital industry out of the woods. We welcome the interest of Jumeirah and the Ritz-Carlton hotel groups in Bermuda. Our tourism industry needs new hotel operations, but we caution people not to get carried away by the Premier's rhetoric.

Too many hotel companies have come and gone in recent years without a room being built. I am reminded that just last year the Premier decided not to extend an arrangement with the world-famous Four Seasons hotel group which wanted to develop the Club Med site in St. George's.

The circumstances of that bust-up remain a mystery, but we think he should have done whatever was necessary to get that hotel group to St. George's.

Think of what a Four Seasons operation would have meant to the Old Town. Instead of walking away from the table, the Premier should have walked the extra mile for the people of St. George's. *** We welcome the Premier's concerns about global warming and that Bermuda must play its part in addressing the problems of pollution. But we do not think this government really cares about the environment.

The five-year review of the Bermuda Development Plan has not been conducted since the Government was elected in 1998.

This neglect has left the country facing the current wave of hyper-development with a Bermuda Plan that was put together more than 15 years ago.

It means there is no up-to-date strategy in place that tells us the best way forward.

The current rush by developers for Special Development Orders tells us the system is broken. This is a shame because we are in a vacuum facing crucial decisions that will affect the Island for generations to come.

We are not giving ourselves the best chance for smart decisions. We are not giving ourselves a chance for smart growth. *** The last area I want to address is the Premier's decision to shut down the Medical Clinic.

The Premier wants its patients to be able to visit the doctor of their choice.

It sounds like a good thing, but we are concerned that closing the clinic will create unnecessary challenges for the very people it is supposed to benefit.

There are no guarantees they will be taken by the doctor of their choice.

Many are fully booked and not taking new patients. Many of their offices are not accessible. We urge the Premier to reconsider.

The clinic is a one-stop shop for its patients.

It works for them.

Talk to them, and use their answers to guide you to a better decision.

*** My fellow Bermudians, One of the strangest aspects of life in this country is that despite being known as one of the most prosperous places on the planet there is so much anxiety and concern for the future.

My colleagues and I have been talking with many of you and we understand your concerns.

I understand that there are strong feelings about the direction this country is heading.

I know that many of you sense we are fast-approaching a crossroads between what we are and what we might become.

I know you are concerned that the gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening, and that the struggle to make ends meet is not getting easier.

I know you are concerned about overdevelopment.

I know that many of you are concerned that materialism is eroding cherished values and our community spirit.

I know you want problems solved.

I share your concerns and I want you to know that my colleagues share your concerns. We are with you.

Over the next weeks we will be coming forward with more of our plans to build a better Bermuda.

It will be a Bermuda that provides equal opportunity for all citizens, and gives them the chance to reach their full potential.

It will be a Bermuda where people can trust their government to do what is right.

It will be a Bermuda that ensures our success as a country is shared among the many, not the few.

It will be a Bermuda that protects our heritage and our future.

It will be a Bermuda that brings us closer together as one people.

Whether you are a parent with a child in school, or a single mother juggling too much every day, or someone paying too much in rent, or a victim of crime, or a senior struggling to make it work, you deserve better than what you've been getting.

So tonight I would like to leave you with this thought: The United Bermuda Party will stay the course. We will be there for you.

We know that talk by itself does not move a country forward. If given the chance, we will get the job done.

Thank you for your time, God bless all of you; and take care.