While an election date has yet to be announced, the atmosphere is so charged with speculation over a wide range of issues, that many people are sensing what appears to be an attempt by the Government to shift the political goal posts.Whether Bermudians support one political party or another, they expect any Government to have their interest as the highest priority when forming various policies to improve life for everyone.There is an undeniable groundswell throughout much of Bermuda that this has not been the case, and that a change in direction is needed. News of Government reforms and probes to make things better is welcomed, but many voters remain sceptical.It is not a question of the Government having done everything wrong, but more transparency would have wiped out perceptions that when things do go wrong, rather than examine what happened closely, they would prefer to move along as though nothing had happened. That may not be the case, but public perceptions should never be taken lightly.In our small society, debates on sensitive subjects tend to get personal so quickly that the focus often shifts from the actual subject, to personal attacks that only create further divisions at a time when we need to collectively solve our problems.It is as if Bermuda has moved into a new era of finger pointing to place blame for our current plight of being in enormous debt, along with social issues that continue to rock our lives.Even more troubling is that instead of throwing the door wide open for criticism and inviting any questions on matters relating to the people’s business, officials often engage in damage control, and defensive tactics that confuse and reduce public confidence.Placing the blame for our economic woes on the worldwide recession does not cut it with most people, because there were ample warning signs everywhere, yet Government spending rolled on as though there was no bottom to our resources.Few Governments in democratic countries openly admit blunders, yet they all make them. And elections always bring out the good, the bad, and the ugly in politics. That being so, we could be in for a rough ride before the dust settles to begin a new chapter in our political history. We as a people need to calm ourselves and keep our tempers under control when it comes to expressing how we feel about officials and certain issues. Nasty remarks cut deeply, and since we are all on this ship together, we should display the respect we expect from others.The Government public relations machine needs to fine tune itself to avoid statements that may be well intentioned, but in the current climate are likely to touch off a wave of resentment from people who see authorities as scrambling to shift the goal posts in order to score political points.Attacking various businesses for alleged over- pricing might very well be a subject for a Government study, but an in-depth study of Government spending in recent years should also be conducted with equal vigour to get a better picture of events along the road to our present position.There are many senior citizens sitting quietly in their homes wondering what has become of the Bermuda they once knew. Many of these people are too weak and tired “to fight city hall”, but they are just as important.Many seniors live in neighbourhoods where foul language, gang activity, and loud music are parts of everyday life. They should not be subjected to this in their sunset years, but we know Bermuda has changed, some of it for the worse.Bermudians these days seem more concerned about how Bermuda is run and not who is running it. Which ever political party is able to convince the populace they mean business in building a Bermuda with transparency, honesty and integrity with the people first … well again it is up to the voter.