Opposition leader Pamela Gordon has accused Premier Jennifer Smith of having a selective view of history for blaming the United Bermuda Party for all of the Island's problems.

Ms Gordon told the two day conference at St. Antony's College, Oxford, last month that it was unfair for the Progressive Labour Party to claim the credit for all the good things on the Island, while slamming the UBP for the problems.

Replying to the Premier's presentation, Ms Gordon told the conference: "The (Premier's) comments would have you believe that the current government deserves credit for all that is well in Bermuda and that the current Opposition is to blame for all Bermuda's ills.

"After 30 years of dramatic, yet steady growth under the UBP, the new PLP government inherited an economy that, dollar for dollar, while smaller, was even stronger than the economy George W. Bush inherits as the Clinton administration exits.'' She said Government had to be careful not "kill the goose that lays the golden egg'' by frustrating international business, e-commerce and tourism.

"We must strike a careful balance between promoting Bermudianisation and permitting foreign-owned businesses to achieve profitability.

"We must avoid the pitfalls of over-regulation and xenophobic demagoguery that has resulted in economic devastation in certain other countries.'' She warned Government not to "over-promise and under-deliver'' and claimed the PLP had largely failed in its promise to make social housing a priority.

Ms Gordon said that as well as developing the twin pillars of the economy -- tourism and international business -- the UBP had sown the seeds of e-commerce.

But she acknowledged that a "significant failing'' of the UBP was in settling the issue of long-term residents.