Yesterday’s formation of the One Bermuda Alliance represents a watershed in Bermuda politics. Although Kim Swan and Charlie Swan look likely to try to keep breathing life in the United Bermuda Party, the reality is that it is dead and gone.It is replaced by the One Bermuda Alliance, whose formation also signals the end of the Bermuda Democratic Alliance.What remains to be seen is whether the spirit of the BDA and its desire to reshape politics in Bermuda will live on. If not, the OBA is unlikely to be successful as an Opposition, or, as Interim Leader John Barritt said yesterday, as an alternative government.For the UBP MPs joining the OBA, the challenge is to show it is not old wine in new bottles, or any of the other metaphors being tossed around. Mr Barritt went some way to addressing this when he said: “I recognise that other people will continue to see the UBP associated with a historical legacy of white privilege, and the failure to do enough to benefit the black Bermudian and Portuguese community.”That may not be enough, but it’s a start.For the BDA’s members, the challenge is different. Having specifically rejected the UBP previously, they now have to explain why they are joining forces with ex-UBP MPs. In part, former leader and soon to be Senator Craig Cannonier can do that by noting the “fierce urgency of now”, that Bermuda’s problems can only be solved by people coming together, and that they are much bigger than any differences the parties may have had.That’s a start too. But Mr Cannonier needs to show why, beyond unity, the OBA is better than the BDA. Certainly, the OBA holds the promise of a new way of governing and “doing politics” and this will resonate with those who feel the current system, regardless of who is in power, is failing Bermuda.So Mr Barritt’s welcome to “people who have been discouraged and disillusioned by the old, tired ways of doing politics and who are looking for a new home to chart a new course for change” may find fertile soil, as will the promises of greater transparency.But it may be that Mr Barritt’s own example will be the proof that people are looking for. Too often, politicians are accused, rightly or wrongly, of being more interested in power and perks than policy and doing good.But Mr Barritt, by accepting that he will only be leader for four months, and by offering to give up his seat to make way for a new leader if that person is not an MP shows that this is a different kind of politics.Whether that spirit will continue remains to be seen, but for now, it’s a breath of fresh air. So far, the OBA has not fleshed out its policy positions beyond general statements of principle. It will need to do more than that, and it will need to differentiate itself from its predecessors and from the Progressive Labour Party Government to show that it is a unique entity.To do so will require a break from the past and a symbolic change, similar to when the British Labour Party dropped its commitment to nationalisation under Tony Blair.How the Government will react is already fairly clear. The PLP has already run out the wolf in sheep’s clothing line and this is likely to continue. No effort will be spared to portray the OBA as the same old UBP.That general approach has been enough to keep the PLP in power for a decade, but as the Island’s crime and economic problems mount, it may not be sufficient. If the OBA can stake out policy positions based on common sense and give people a sense of optimism about the future, the possibility of having two parties in Parliament, both qualified for government, is real.Bermuda needs a strong opposition and has not had one for too long. The OBA may be it.