Darrell's motion to take note of the economy was an embarrassment to the Country.

Finance Minister the Hon. David Saul's very apt and expert address on the state of the economy and the results of the recession was happily delivered at an hour when it could be heard on radio by people who had not yet been anaesthetised by waffle. Dr. Saul's was the important speech during the excessive debate. Shadow Finance Minister Mr. Eugene Cox did his best to reply to Dr. Saul but was clearly unprepared and relied almost exclusively on "Ah ahs'', "Um Ums'' and "Mr. Deputy Speakers'' rather than any facts of interest.

Why was the motion placed before the House by Mr. Darrell? We are puzzled.

It may be that National Liberal Party leader Mr. Gilbert Darrell wanted to lend a hand to the United Bermuda Party, and he certainly achieved that. Mr.

Darrell is a very long-serving member of Parliament and must have known that the UBP would take every advantage of his motion to showcase just how well Bermuda has weathered the recession under its guidance. Mr. Darrell has to understand the workings of the House. It is just not possible that Mr. Darrell tabled such a motion for what was clearly going to be the last day of sitting before an election without understanding the opportunity he provided for the UBP.

The UBP took full advantage, because it was well prepared and well organised, of putting its economic success before the people. The PLP must, however, have overlooked the motion until the last minute and scrambled with words rather than substance to keep the House of Assembly in session all night to no purpose. The whole thing was, in fact, the kind of silliness which demeans the Country. This kind of childish performance does not indicate care and concern for the people's business. It does indicate just how little there is for the PLP to criticise when that party decided to turn the economy into a talking joke. We think Bermuda and Bermudians deserve better treatment and better representation.

This was not a House of Assembly debate. It was a series of tedious and poorly constructed monologues where the main thought was "Um um''. That is not the function of Parliament nor is it why Bermudians elect representatives. People are elected to do Bermuda's business in a reasonable way, to look after Bermuda and to take care of Bermuda's image. Those aims are not served by non-productive all night House of Assembly sessions that have more to do with ego and obstruction and people bashing than with anything serious. Bermudians know that we have survived the recession much better than most countries. That has to be to the credit of UBP Finance Ministers who have managed the economy well and kept borrowing down.

The marathon debate could have been of some service to the Country if it had taken a look at the future, a look at such things as the need for continued economic care in still unsettled times, the importance of international companies and the need for them to be comfortable in Bermuda and the need to cut the costs of a Bermuda holiday and to serve the visitors well. That could have been of some help.

However, the PLP, which did most of the talking, did not do the people's business. The Opposition chose to dwell on the past. We prefer to look to a better future and we had to note what the Premier said of his Government, "We don't want to capitalise on yesterday, we want to capitalise on tomorrow.''