For former MP Arthur Hodgson he's the best man for the job, for environmentalist Stuart Hayward he's someone not to be trusted.

Either way it is clear that Ewart Brown's ability to spark extreme reactions in people has continued into his Premiership.

When Dr. Brown launched his leadership last year, Mr. Hodgson was in his camp — but with reservations.

Now he says: "He has convinced me he's the best person available for the country. Obviously, he is not perfect but we are not at liberty to choose perfection or non-perfection.

"We can only choose from what's available — and he's the best available."

He said Dr. Brown's chief strength was his ability to identify the problems — but a year was a short time to get much done about them.

And he noted Dr. Brown was restricted in that he could only choose his Cabinet from those in Parliament and cannot appoint his people to the Civil Service but has to work with those available.

Former Premier Sir John Swan, who ruled for more than 13 years, agreed 12 months was a very short time upon which to judge Dr. Brown.

But he said Dr. Brown had implemented a number of important programmes in that time span, including a new cruise ship policy and more efficient cab use.

"I think that the housing programme will come to fruition shortly," Sir John added.

The golf event and music festival were also hits, he said.

But he questioned the Premier's attempts to fix the race problem. "You don't need to be so much up in people's faces," Sir John said. "It is somewhat offensive and also it could be seen to be unreasonably demanding."

He said Government could simply use the instruments it had by fine-tuning the economy or amending the law — but not in a heavy-handed way.

"We don't want to build a society that has the ability to discriminate and recriminate," Sir John said.

"We are only 45,000 Bermudians, probably 85 percent of those households are in good shape. It's the ten to 15 percent that need help — we should find ways of helping them.

"Stop talking about the problem like it's some unsurmountable enormous problem, it's not. It is doing your homework and administrating the results of that homework to help people who are in no position to help themselves.

"We should not structure our economy around them, we should make sure our economy helps them. But we are threatening those who have on the basis of those who don't have."

Liberal commentator Tom Vesey said: "I wrote when he first came in that he had the potential to be either the best or the worst Premier Bermuda has ever had. Essentially he's been both at the same time.

"I hope he's shown every other politician in Bermuda how important it is to be intelligent, energetic and dynamic and enthusiastic, which is not something we have had a lot of over the years.

"People do want things to happen. For whatever bullying or lack of consultation Ewart does, at least project the impression of getting things accomplished."

Mr. Vesey said Dr. Brown had been heavy-handed with some of his initiatives in dealing with business such as threatened curbs on car use for expatriates and tightened immigration procedures.

Mr. Vesey said broad, sweeping rules were puzzling at a time when Bermuda had virtually no unemployment and opportunities abounded for young Bermudians.

"It sours the climate and makes international business suspicious of Bermuda and Bermudians unnecessarily suspicious of international business."

And with the rules would come exceptions, which would then spark claims of favouritism, said Mr. Vesey.

For environmentalist and former Independent MP Stuart Hayward, Dr. Brown has been a divisive figure and his use of coarse language in Parliament and in public was unbecoming of a leader while his priorities were questionable.

He said: "While the feel-good events of golf and music concerts may be good for tourism, the staggering rise in housing costs and the disastrous state of public education should be getting the bulk of the effort and attention of the Island's leader."

The Brown Premiership had seen a stepping up of personal attacks against opponents within the party and without, said Mr. Hayward.

"They attack the credibility of the critic rather than deal with the issue," he said.

"Perhaps the worst of it is merging of race and politics. So, if you want to criticise the PLP, a political entity, the critic is labelled as criticising blacks."

He said the tactic was unhealthy and divisive.

"One thing indicative of Dr. Brown's way of dealing with things is he finds it easy to pick fights with people — whether it is protesters such as with the Medical Clinic or his political opposites," Mr. Hayward added.

"He has that side to him — you are either with us or you are against us. If you are against us you have no part in the dialogue — we will discredit, disown, disinherit, disparage."

And often a step was taken before the rationale was developed, said Mr. Hayward. "The clinic closure was a perfect example. It wasn't until months after the announcement of the closure that we heard the reason and months after that, that the reason was expanded into a serious rationale."

Mr. Hodgson agreed that the Dr. Brown closure of the clinic could have been handled better.

"Sometimes he makes unnecessary enemies," he said. "He has to take time to make sure people are on board — politics is a slow process — you can't hasten it.

"If I were forced to identify areas of weakness, I would say he has some difficulty in loving his enemies but, I suppose, we all have some difficulty in that area. He's willing to listen but I don't know if he always hears you when he listens.

"He appointed me (as sustainable development roundtable chair) and has listened and been very supportive."

But there are many good points to the new leader, said Mr. Hodgson.

"His success in tourism goes without saying. It's a job he started before he became Premier and I am sure the reason he retained is was because he didn't want to lose the initiative there."

And Dr. Brown has enhanced Bermuda's reputation in America because of his contacts and knowledge, said the former Environment Minister, who added that while Dr. Brown had slowed down the Independence drive, if he succeeded in his initiatives, the country would trust him to take the next step.

Reggie Burrows, of the conservative wing of the PLP, said: "Overall I am impressed, I think he's done a favourable job. One thing about him — he gets things done.

"We don't always agree with his decisions but most times it has proven successful. A quick example? A lot of people were very upset the Music Festival was moved from the National Stadium but it was the best thing that could have happened."

But Mr. Burrows was not without his reservations.

"I think his high profile leadership doesn't really go down well with a lot of people," he said. "Bermudians, on the whole, are not used to that."