rubbished by Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness.

And he said the Progressive Labour Party was long on talk -- but short on concrete solutions.

Mr. Edness hit out after Opposition Leader Jennifer Smith said senior party members were drawing up an action plan to tackle the problem of teenage violence, which would be implemented by the first PLP Government.

Ms Smith said the party was not yet in a position to say what they would do, but that the PLP election manifesto would give "the fine details''.

She added, however that the PLP position was "well-documented'' in previous studies and statements, Budget debate speeches and its response to the Education Act.

She was speaking after the PLP launched their annual conference with a forum on the problems of violent youngsters.

But Mr. Edness said: "It's absolutely ridiculous because she says she has promised a major crackdown on youth violence if her party is elected to Government.

"I think the electorate has to watch when people say `elect us and then we will tell what our programme is'.'' Mr. Edness also took a swing at claims by Ms Smith that policies developed by the PLP had been adopted by the United Bermuda Party Government.

He said: "I'm sick of hearing that one -- all they come up with are generalities. There's never any substance given to what they put forward.

"Here is a party which has kept quiet and not put forward any reasonable, credible alternative solutions, like you would expect any party to do.

"It's all right to say `elect us and we will do it' -- you can't take that to the bank.

"I have seen their plan on crime -- it's all sorts of statistics cobbled together from Government departments. There were no solutions.'' Mr. Edness added the PLP were also silent on the cost of their supposed programmes.

He said: "They have tried to make themselves look like a credible alternative by keeping quiet or stating generalities, but they have not put forward any policies which the public can see on the economy or anything else.'' Mr. Edness pointed to the restructuring of the education system, the new North Shore incinerator and associated remodelling of the Pembroke Basin and free education for everyone up to the age of 18 as solid UBP achievements.

He added the financial assistance plan for families which needed help, housing allowance and the building programme which "provided hundreds of families with homes'' in the 1980s were all Government schemes which had promoted the welfare of Bermudians.

Mr. Edness said: "I think people should look very carefully at the PLP when they claim they are an alternative. I like Jennifer Smith -- but I don't believe she has the competence or ability to lead the Country and neither does the PLP.'' POLITICS PTL