THE Opposition United Bermuda Party is expected to present its own vision of the future when it gives its Reply to the Throne Speech later today.The speech — the first to be delivered by Wayne Furbert (pictured)<$f"FranklinGothic-DemiCond"><\p>as party leader — will mark a break with tradition.

In the past, opposition parties have used the platform to critique the ruling party’s agenda for the coming Parliamentary year.

Mr. Furbert said yesterday that his presentation would instead focus on what the UBP has to offer as an alternative.

“For the past eight years, Bermuda has had a Government that has failed year after year to meet the needs of the people,” he said.

“Their history is more about their internal dramas and their failures to perform than it is about good government.

“We think the time is right for Bermudians to know that the United Bermuda Party offers something better,” Mr. Furbert said.

“Our whole approach to governing Bermuda is about meeting the needs of the people — something that the PLP Government has failed to do year after year.

“In our Reply to the Throne Speech, we will put forward a programme that is focused totally on meeting the needs of the people. I will lay out in detail our plans to break the back of the housing crisis, improve public education, ease the pressures on our senior citizens, return safety to our streets and neighbourhoods, help those in need and create economic opportunity.

“I will also spell out our plan to take our democracy to a new level through reforms that will provide Bermuda with better, more responsive and accountable government for generations to come.”