government and expressed some disappointment at the lack of progress which had been made so far.

But it has to be recalled that the PLP has up to five years to put its policies in place and the second year will be crucial in doing so.

Today's Throne Speech is the legislative and policy blueprint for the next Parliamentary session and gives the Government the opportunity to say exactly what it plans to do.

Some of its plans have already been flagged and there have been suggestions that other ideas -- including constitutional reforms changing the number of constituencies and abolishing the two-member-per-constituency system could be coming.

That kind of constitutional reform tends to take time to be done correctly -- and moving on it too soon could raise the spectre of as many as ten lame duck MPs who will have nowhere to run in the next Election.

It may seem contradictory to complain about the lack of progress on the one hand and to urge caution on the other, but that is exactly what the Government should do when it comes to Constitutional reform.

There's plenty for the Government to do in the meantime.

One of the major areas of dissatisfaction before the last Election was the housing shortage and the perception that the then-Government did not have much sympathy for those living in overcrowded and expensive conditions.

It's likely that the PLP has more sympathy, but there has still been precious little action since last November and the Throne Speech is an ideal place for the Government to state what its plans are and when they will be executed.

Government should also outline where it stands on the UK White Paper and on the issue of tax havens.

So far there has been a good deal of travel and some movement on the financial aspects of the issue.

But the people need to know whether Government intends to abolish capital punishment and judicial corporal punishment, what other financial regulations are going to be put in place and how the Government intends to consult the people on the central question of dual citizenship and whether it supports the idea.

The Throne Speech will almost certainly deal with Government's plans to reform the Civil Service -- but here there needs to be a good deal more discussion on what form it will take.

The Government could also make clear how it intends to proceed on tax incentives for the tourism industry and what efforts it will be making to make the sector more competitive -- and to encourage new investment in the Island's hotels.

If there is disappointment with the lack of progress so far, the Government has time to make up for it.

Having been elected on the strength of an ambitious platform aimed at continuing Bermuda's economic success while addressing the burning social issues of the day, the Government needs to start turning words into action.

There is no better time to start than today.