people will already have seen with their own eyes -- the Government has the goodwill of the vast majority of voters.

The survey indicated that almost 70 percent of the population feel the PLP's election victory is good or very good for the Island, while just five percent say the result is very bad.

These are very encouraging results for the Government, even allowing for the fact that it is still very much in its honeymoon period and for the fact that polls can be wrong.

The fact that many United Bermuda Party voters also regard the result as good for the Country is interesting. It reinforces claims that many people have joined the PLP since the General Election. The fact that the dire predictions of many hardline UBP supporters have not come true in the Election's wake means even those who voted for the UBP are inclined to look charitably on the PLP and want it to succeed for the good of the Island.

The UBP should not necessarily take that as a sign that it has lost voters.

But the UBP's own relatively low profile since the Election means that voters are more aware of the PLP as a result.

An interesting facet of the poll is the wide range of views people have on where the PLP should be placing its priorities.

Housing, which was a crucial issue in the Election campaign, is described as a priority by ten percent of respondents, a surprisingly low figure. More people are concerned about education and the same number about tourism.

This can be seen as a reflection of the wide array of challenges facing Government and Bermuda. It also suggests that the importance attached to issues depends to some extent on how much public attention they attract.

Affordable housing is still a problem but the pressure groups seem to have disappeared for now, perhaps to give the Government time to decide what it is going to do about it.

The greater question is how Government can use its popularity to deal with the concerns of the public. Government has a mandate to make changes and can use it as a lever to enable it to make good on its Election promises.

Popularity at this level also gives Government the chance to do something much bolder -- to ask people to do what might in normal times be unthinkable.

In tourism, where high prices are making Bermuda increasingly uncompetitive, this Government could ask for hotel workers to make sacrifices in order to hold room rates down. In return, hotels should offer other benefits to its employees and enable them to share the operator's profits, should the move result in recovery.

This is a proposal which would have been met with mistrust had the UBP made it. But the PLP enjoys a high level of popularity and trust with the populace and can push for the "new tourism'' ethic in which all people benefit from its renewal.

These are the kinds of bold steps which Government can make while it enjoys strong popularity. High approval ratings do not last forever, so Government must move now to build a new Bermuda.