house.'' "Government should find me a job.'' How often do we hear all that and a great deal more in Bermuda? In an attempt to be a responsive Government and to keep the people happy, successive UBP Governments have provided more and more baby sitting for the people. That is not necessarily a bad thing for Governments to do...until it backfires.

The more you provide, the more people expect. The more they get, the more they want until they become dependent on Government instead of themselves. In the end Government becomes the enemy because the result is a society of victims who excuse themselves and blame Government for all their own failures.

There is another element. The people eventually rebel at the high cost of Government becoming their national nanny and giving them the things they ask for. The British Labour Party gave and gave and taxed and taxed until it became known as the party of high taxation and, as a result, lost its mandate.

Finance Minister Grant Gibbons is now trying to move Bermuda's Government out of its role as national nanny and appears to be trying to position Government as a facilitator. That will not be easy because it is always difficult to take away from the people the things they have begun to take for granted, even if they are complaining about the price.

Dr. Gibbons has made it clear that there "is a limit to what Government can accomplish alone, there are limits to how much revenue it can raise and there are limits to spending. Increasingly, success comes when Government works as a facilitator...'' While providing some help, Dr. Gibbons has challenged hoteliers, retailers and local manufacturers to make it on their own. Since they are three major job categories, he has indirectly challenged the people to get to work and produce successes.

The Finance Minister has made it clear that Government is not the solution to all the Island's problems. Government is prepared to work with the community and with sectors of the community but it is not prepared to do their work for them.

At the same time, Government will fulfil its responsibilities. "Government understands that our efforts to seize new global opportunities are meaningless unless our homes and streets are safe and our citizens and visitors feel secure.'' Thus Dr. Gibbons is spending real money on strengthening the Police and upgrading schools. He is also increasing spending on health care and care for the elderly. He has committed half a million dollars to the Monitor Group which is looking at tourism but that is only to help the private sector to get the job done.

Will Bermudians accept the challenge not to ask what Government will do for them? There is likely to be a good deal of complaining because Bermudians are now used to saying "me'' rather than "us''.