United Bermuda Party Senator Kim Swan called Premier Alex Scott a ?political Houdini? for being able to escape criticism and scrutiny ? through ?politricks? ? over some of his Government?s more controversial projects.

The Opposition Leader in the Senate said that like the master magician and illusionist Harry Houdini, the Government is able to disappear, but the avoidance of accountability cannot be avoided. ?The people are paying for the smoke and mirrors that has permeated during this time period. Like Houdini, who hired a publicist after he died, the Government will avoid doing the people?s work.?

But Government Leader in the Senate Larry Mussenden rebuked Sen. Swan, saying ?we should conduct ourselves in this chamber with some decorum?.

Sen. Mussenden added: ?For him to label the Premier of this country as Houdini is below the belt and lowers the expectation that the members of this community have for us.?

Sen. Swan said the Government appears to not care that much about of the issue of the senior secondary school, still uncompleted.

?How does that fit the escape methods of Houdini? Government uses the race card as a political ploy, call people Uncle Toms and racists,? Sen. Swan added.

Sen. Swan charged that Government is using ?politricks? to create the illusion that ?Uncle Toms and racists? were responsible for the Berkeley project?s delay. ?If there is a political entity that could be characterised as the political Houdini of today, the Honourable Premier is at the top of that list because there has been some great escaping of accountability,? Senator Swan said.

He also claimed the deflection of criticism has cost the Government $50 million and consequently, the doors are not open yet and the children are not being educated.

?What is politically criminal about this is that the Government can go along, business as usual and avoid the real accountability. We don?t hear about the Minister responsible for that Ministry putting ads in the paper about that issue.?

The Shadow Minister for Tourism also claimed that the Government has not held any press conferences to discuss that issue. Sen. Swan said that the advertisement?s taken out by the Government in the newspaper for housing and education are things to be expected from the Opposition not from Government who has the responsibility and the purse strings to get on with the job.

?Illusions can be akin to deception and certainly a Government founded on deception, an administration founded on deceiving its former leader, it?s no wonder we find ourselves in the position we find today,? Sen. Swan said. He added: ?The irony of it all is that during the first months of this administration, it was a public relations miracle and from then on it has been a nightmare.?

Opposition Senator Bob Richards then defended Sen. Swan, saying his remarks were not derogatory.

?Senator Swan was merely using a metaphor, he was not in any way denigrating the Premier. He was just using a metaphor to make a point and it had nothing to do with disrespect.?

Sen. Mussenden said Sen. Swan is a ?headline grabber and was trying to call the Premier a Houdini?, adding: ?Right thinking members of society don?t expect for our Premier to be labelled in such a way.?

Sen. Raymond Tannock in responding to Sen. Swan said while there has been delay in the Southside housing project, it will be completed. He said there are number of Government projects underway, including a review of housing needs.

Sen Tannock added that Government must me mindful of sustainable development and should be careful of building houses without establishing what the needs are and how to meet those needs Sen. Tannock said.

?There are plans afoot to deal with housing on North Street as it relates to single units for those people, single men in particular, who are looking for a small apartment,? Sen. Tannock said.

He added that there is an initiative underway by the Ministry of Housing, Works and Engineering and the Ministry of Health and Family Services, to redevelop the North Street area.

Work at the senior secondary school is going smoothly and will be completed Sen. Tannock added.