UBP Senator Maxwell Burgess in an emotional speech yesterday.

But the UBP Senate leader said as the only white man in the Government that Mr. Allen would survive.

He said: "The Tourism Minister is a busy-body flying all over the US and Europe trying to find business.

"I know the Government can't fire him because they are hoisted on their own petard by CURE. But fire the man and deal with CURE separately.'' He said the additional money spent by the Mr. Allen's department worked out at $600 per tourist and that the Minister would have been better off spending the cash on air tickets and standing at JFK airport giving them out to people.

The Government had failed to open a single new hotel while others had closed, said Mr. Burgess.

A visibly choked Mr. Burgess mocked the Government's housing programme which he said had produced barely a handful of new homes.

He claimed: "I probably built more houses personally than the Government has.

If I didn't I got pretty close.

He chided Government for leaving Bermudians homeless while they spend $24 million on fast ferries.

"They have got houses, they have got comfort. It makes me sick to my stomach.'' "You can buy one heap of housing with $24 million. It's not as if the money wasn't there.'' "Government has a dismal performance record on housing. It's almost as if those people are somebody else but they belong to us -- they are sisters, brothers, cousins. I am going to help them.'' He said the PLP had promised to get cash by eradicating pockets of sloppiness in Government but they hadn't been "able to find one red cent''.

"People are looking for homes. They said they wouldn't increase taxes but before you could blink they were scuttling around with the land tax.'' He attacked Government for doing little to help ailing local businesses. "They were looking for assurance but they were further burdened by increases by a government who said they knew those businesses were having a lacklustre year.

"Those local businesses walked out of the door backwards. It's a shame, shame, shame.

"They were gasping for a life jacket but you threw them a $13 million concrete block.'' "All at risk because Government thought it better to spend money on oversize cars, trips and parties.

"In November 9 there was a sense of relief, the air was pregnant with expectation.

"The new government said they would be sensitive to the people but those hopes are being looted. Small businesses are under water gagging for breath.'' And he called for resources to be put into retraining the workforce to cope with the challenge of E-commerce.

He said Government was in danger of scaring away international business despite the fact that it provided 11 percent of Government's revenue.

He said Government had dithered over bringing in experienced Police officers while seniors and women lived in fear as violent crime soared.

"It goes up because they sat idle.'' And the UBP Senate leader called for scholarships to be aimed at vocational training to match the private job market in the same way that had been used to bridge the gap in qualified local nurses.

And he said Bachelor degrees were not sufficient any longer. He said: "It's above that now.'' Independent Senator Walwyn Hughes said he was worried that growth was slowing and was relying on domestic demand to keep going.

And he said Government was increasing the amount of borrowing just as the economy was on the down turn.

Sen. Maxwell Burgess UBP Tourism Minister David Allen