The Government’s Throne Speech and the Opposition’s response to it dominated debate in the House of Assembly this afternoon.

It took One Bermuda Alliance leader Jarion Richardson only 30 minutes to deliver his party’s vision of how it would govern if elected to office.

Jason Hayward, the Minister of Economy and Labour, led the Government’s response — and spent a full hour lambasting the OBA for what he called its lack of ideas and foresight.

Mr Hayward said: “That reply was filled with misinformation and inaccuracies. They need to get their own house in order first.

“Let me propose a question to the population. Do you believe they are capable of governance?” he taunted.

The minister repeatedly referred to the “fairness” of government policies that “put people before profit”, while the OBA had adopted a strategy of “doom and gloom”.

Claiming that the Progressive Labour Party had been founded by “visionaries” based on the principles of “fairness and economic parity”, Mr Hayward rattled off a list of achievements, including social protections for “our beloved seniors”, affordable housing and a first-class education system.

“We have been making steady and meaningful progress, addressing challenges head-on,” he claimed.

“We are supporting seniors who have dementia — this is a government that cares.

“Look what we have done for our youth, our seniors, our workers and fairness.

“But while we have done much work, we recognise that more work needs to be done.”

Backbencher Christopher Famous later followed suit, claiming that the OBA had been obstructionist.

He accused the party of “scaremongering” during the Government’s talks of joining Caricom as the party made connections with Caribbean dignitaries.

Mr Famous added that the OBA criticised development of the Bermudiana Beach Resort as being unsafe, all while planning to put others in the same complex during the America’s Cup.

He said that during the time, the PLP-led government had created 750 affordable homes during its time in power and lowered payroll tax for taxicab drivers by 80 per cent.

Scott Pearman, the Shadow Minister of Justice, praised elements of the Throne Speech and insisted on his fight for bipartisanship.

He welcomed the inclusion of seniors in more elements of society, such as sitting on a jury and returning to the workforce, but he reminded the House that many were forced to return to work.

He went on to call plans to pay off Bermuda’s debt with corporate income taxes a “reckless promise”.

Mr Pearman explained that while any surplus of income tax should be used to pay off debt, relying on something that could be so fickle would be unwise.

He added: “It is very dangerous to make false promises to the electorate.

“The people are suffering. To tell them that all is fine damages all of us in the political sphere.

“There is turbulence ahead and we need to be ready.”

Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, echoed the need to combat noncommunicable diseases in Bermuda such as hypertension and cancer.

She said that many of these, including diabetes and obesity, were caused by poor diet, and concerted efforts, such as the reduction of trans fat, needed to be taken.

Ms Wilson also pushed the need to break down the stigma against mental illness, saying that it kept people from seeking help when they needed it.

She proposed several countermeasures, including a campaign to break down mental health stigma, a suicide prevention strategy, a mental health youth summit and a programme to give general physicians a crash course on addressing suicidal thinking.

Ms Wilson said: “Good mental health is a strong point in having a good life.

“Having a mental illness is no different from having a physical illness.”

Ben Smith, the Shadow Minister of Education, said that the education strategy was of deep concern for many — even those without children.

He called for the proposed auditing process to be independent to avoid bringing political motivation into the classroom.

Mr Smith added that failing to do so could aggravate an already strained academic situation — something he even called “a form of birth control”.

Diallo Rabain, the Minister of Education, offered the Opposition an olive branch.

Referring to a shake-up of the education system, he said: “People are not going to like change but it had to be done.

“We’re not going to make everyone happy but we’re going to try.

“But I want to embrace the OBA’s efforts in education and bring them with us.”

Jache Adams, the junior finance minister, was less diplomatic.

Describing the Opposition as looking “so small, so lost”, he said: “The party delivered the worst reply I have ever heard in my life.

“If this is the best they can do collectively, they are in more trouble than I thought.