You have to give Premier Jennifer Smith credit for at least trying in her address to Bermuda last night.

Often criticised for not communicating with the people, she did so last night, albeit through the controlled medium of a televised address, as opposed to a press conference.

And it is difficult to disagree with the notion that the community should pull together in times of difficulty and certainly the Island is facing challenges now, especially in the tourism industry.

Nonetheless, a few caveats need to be applied.

Ms Smith called for Bermuda to adopt a similar spirit now to the one that prevailed in the United States, and even in Washington, DC, directly after September 11, ignoring the fact that the Opposition offered to come together with the Government after the attacks and received a polite but firm thanks but no thanks. And it should be recalled that the non-partisanship that prevailed in Washington last September is now looking distinctly frayed, especially on domestic issues.

Ms Smith opened her address with a response to the partisan criticism of her embattled Tourism Minister, David Allen, by his opposite number, David Dodwell. She said she was "astonished" that Mr. Dodwell publicly declared that "September 11 did not contribute to the drop in visitor count and tourism revenue".

Mr. Dodwell probably is too. What he said was that Government was using September 11 as an excuse when tourism was in deep trouble before the attacks; a quite different matter.

Having stated that tourism is in trouble as a result of September 11, Ms Smith went on to take credit on behalf of her Government for the influx of $10 billion in new capital from insurance companies, ignoring the fact that the companies were formed as a direct result of the September 11 attacks.

What Government can take some credit for is the fact that the companies chose to form in Bermuda, and not in New York or London or the Cayman Islands.

Whether it is a "telling endorsement of the fiscal policies of the Government" may be hyperbole, but governments have always taken credit for the good news that occurs on their watches.

What is of note in the eternal international companies-tourism debate is the fact that Bermuda's regulations and infrastructure are designed to give international companies based here a competitive advantage over their rivals.

The reverse is true of tourism where the Island's high costs (and high air fares) make it excessively difficult for Bermuda to compete. If service and the product are only adequate, and that is all they are, then the tourism industry faces major structural difficulties.

And sadly, fast ferries (whose primary aim is to reduce local traffic) and increased airport security (necessary after September 11), which Ms Smith cites as examples of Government's commitment to tourism, will not solve that problem, no matter how united and non-partisan the Island becomes after last night's appeal.