Yesterday's Throne Speech was taken with a pinch of salt by the Opposition who said Government had long since proved it was unable to deliver anything it promised.

United Bermuda Party leader Grant Gibbons said: "After seven years of broken promises, lack of delivery and scandal it is a little bit hard to take yet another Throne Speech seriously.

"We have to wonder if they can deliver on it. After all they haven't been able to build a bus station on time or on budget even when they have borrowed the idea of the design from a third world country like Cuba so it is difficult to not treat another list of items the Government propose to do with some suspicion. There has been no substantial progress on areas like housing, seniors, health care and reform of the education system."

The speech lacked any clear theme said Dr. Gibbons who said it started with sustainable development and then went all over the place.

However he said there were a number of things in the speech which the United Bermuda Party supported or even had previously suggested including creating an economic empowerment zone in North Hamilton and giving scholarships to Bermuda regiment soldiers.

Asked about Government's drug initiatives which included a steering committee of top civil servants to co-ordinate policy Dr. Gibbons said he would have been more impressed by a commitment by Government MPs to submit to drug testing. He noted there was nothing on sport or tourism while there was nothing substantial on education despite that nearly half of seniors students were not graduating.