Friday's Throne Speech, the first of Paula Cox's tenure as Premier, contained less of the high flown philosophy and lengthy quotations from eminent men and women that have characterised some past Throne Speeches. At this point in Bermuda's development, that change is welcome. This speech was much more a getting down to work speech, which suits the mood of the Country.

That does not mean there was no philosophising. The fact that it began by approvingly quoting a management consultant says much.

And towards the end, the Speech said: "As a new season unfolds in Bermuda's political landscape there remains a need for common effort in pursuit of common purpose. We must strive for harmony in our discourse and not disagree just for the sake of disagreement. The community is tired of that and wants a country that is prepared to have all hands on deck pulling in the same direction. That which divides us cannot be allowed to trump that which unites us."

Indeed. This newspaper has long said that Bermuda can no longer afford the divisiveness and point-scoring that has characterised Bermuda politics. So it is welcome news that the Government now recognises that.

In his column in this newspaper on Friday, John Barritt quoted former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's dissatisfaction with the Westminster system and the way it forced people to exaggerate or invent differences. This problem is exacerbated in a small community like Bermuda, where a limited pool of talent also comes into play.

Since it's unlikely that the Bermuda Constitution and the Westminster system are going to be overthrown any time soon, change and cooperation will have to come within the existing system and that is easier said than done.

But if dogmatic adherence to policies or ideas, simply because they came from one person or party, can be replaced with a pragmatic approach to whether such policies actually work and whether there is a better alternative, then that would be a start. Similarly, if criticism for criticism's sake can be replaced with the recognition that some ideas are good and welcome, then that would help too.

If the Government seriously wants unity, then it will require compromise and consensus building from all. Nor does it mean that there should not be healthy and honest debate; it is through those discussions that better ideas and policies evolve.

But these need to be conducted for the betterment of Bermuda, not for the advancement of a particular party. Is it naïve to think that such a change in mindset is possible? Probably. Does that mean it's not worth pursuing? Absolutely not.

And so, in that spirit, there's a good deal to commend in the speech. As expected, there was much on the need for better financial management, a push for greater equity and equality in the community, a nod to transparency and, as is often the case with the Throne Speech, a great many details that still need to be ironed out, which is where the devil lies.

Few would argue that people of different genders should receive the same pay for the same work, or that the Immigration Act needs to be overhauled, or that the rapid increases in health insurance premiums need to be slowed. But just what those ideas mean in practice is unclear, and how they will be implemented will be telling.

Certainly, the business world will welcome the announcement that the tax protection scheme for exempted companies will be extended through 2035. Although it was never likely to be allowed to lapse, this decision removes uncertainty, which business famously hates.

Still, it is to be hoped that the basic framework for economic growth will be improved. Bermuda has only two genuine forms of raising foreign exchange in order to buy the imports on which it depends for survival.

Tourism is dependent on the US economy, where growth is slow and unemployment is high, but much can be done to improve the product. And the international business sector, which has fuelled growth for two decades, is being vigorously courted by other jurisdictions.

Making these two sectors more competitive must take first precedence in the current environment. High minded social initiatives cannot work or be afforded if the economy continues to shrink.

So it is to be hoped that this notion will be foremost in the Cabinet's collective minds as they get down to work this week.