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In a workmanlike effort, he characterized the budget as failing to address the needs of a majority of the population - and things flowed from there:

Hon. Francis Fonseca - Leader of the Opposition
"'We have turned things around, and once more are free to fly.' You remember those famous words. 'It is onward and upward.' He proudly proclaimed, 'Free to fly', 'onward and upward'. Well, Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's flight seems to have crash-landed. Mr. Speaker, the Belizean people know the UDP very well, that they will do what they do best. They will always do what they do best, personal attacks and living in the past. And over the rest of today and tomorrow, it will be on in full gear, personal attacks and living in the past. That is all the Belizean people - that is all you will hear from them. Nothing, about jobs, that is all. You all think the people like it. You all escaped narrowly this time, you all think the people enjoy that. Mr. Speaker, the Belizean people have had enough of this excuse. They are living in the here and now, and they want to hear us in this National Assembly, when we talk about the future, and about specific ways of making their lives better. Indeed, for a majority of Belizean, these are the worst of times. Each day brings with it, uncertainty and anxiety. How will they put food on the table? How will they keep the lights on? How will they keep the stove burning? How will they keep their children in school? How will pay the rent or the mortgage? What if I or my child gets sick? Where do I turn? Will I be able to find a job? Or for those lucky enough to have a job, will my employer be cutting back, or cutting my salary? These, Mr. Speaker, are real concerns of real Belizean families in July of 2012, under this failed UDP Government."

Hon. John Saldivar - Area Representative, Belmopan
"Our economy, as I said, was at zero. In 2010, we grew; we recovered, and that - You are talking about the Prime Minister saying, 'We are free to fly, that we have turned it around.' If we were at zero, and we reached 2.7, isn't that turning it around? In 2009, we were at zero; in 2010, we reached 2.7. In the budget presentation of 2011, the Prime Minister said we turned it around. How in the world will that be something bad? 2% growth in the midst staggering economies around us, how will you call that fear? How will you call that a plane crash-landing? No, Mr. Speaker, there was no crash-landing to the ground. The plane is flying, and it's flying well. It's flying in economy mode; it's flying through turbulence. It's flying in difficult times, but we are captained always, by a capable and disciplined pilot, Hon. Dean Oliver Barrow. If anything crash-landed, Mr. Speaker, it's that albatross that has been around our necks, that was placed around our necks by the PUP, the same Superbond. That crash-landed. The Superbond, as we know it, that crash-landed. We're re-negotiating, and it is the United Democratic Party, that's going to fix the Superbond. I don't know where they got the idea that this is a hard-time budget. We're spending over 50 million dollars more than we did last year. This budget is the first budget, if you include a multization that has reached 1 billion dollars with a B. So, this is not a hard-time budget, Mr. Speaker."

Rt. Hon. Said Musa - Area Representative, Fort George
"This is a typical example of a government that has is its priorities all messed up. It is all about words and promises, with no action. They can find millions for foreign travel, embassies abroad, 16 million, including a substantial increase - I noticed - for the New York UN Mission. Well, we all know why. But the budget for various high schools, E P Yorke, Gwen Liz, Saint Michaels- now what's it called, Maud Williams - Mopan Tech in Benque Vejo Del Carmen, Belize Rural High School, CET in Belize City, Sadie Vernon - were all cut. Well, that's what the budget book is showing me, Hon. Minister of Education. You will have to explain it because the book is showing cuts in all these areas, all these schools. What we have here, before us, is an economic, social, and existential crisis facing Belize. It is a budget of excuses, totally lacking in vision or direction, Mr. Speaker. It proposes 100 million dollars more to spend, but yet, they admit that we have 138 million dollars in financial shortfall."

Hon. Patrick Faber, Area Representative, Collet/Minister of Education
"There is no intention on this side of the House- absolutely none - to cut education. This is the highlight - this is their trophy - this is what they are running about. 'Oh, the UDP doesn't care about the country because they are cutting education!' US? It is us you will accuse of cutting education, who started the Gwen Liz Evening School Extension Program that amalgamated the school in the river valley? I invite all of you to go and see. I tried my very best just now, to stop the Right Hon. Member for Fort George from making a fool of himself. I told him, don't touch it, and I would hope that after I am finished dealing with it, that none of you all bother bringing it up again. We said that we will no longer give school money based on that rate, 1. 2, the system that we had in place, where we paid 70% of the salaries in grant-aided school - those are the schools, primarily that we have a partnership with - we said, 'We will not pay you now based on the number of teachers that your school have. We will pay you based on the number of students that you take, and we will pay you based on what kind of students you take. They talk about Gwen Liz - that is the big one; Gwen Liz is in everybody's mouth - how Gwen Liz is going to get a 200+ thousand dollar cut, nonsense. The reason why the figures for Gwen Liz were inflated - or looks inflated - from last year, was because of the Gwen Liz evening program, which is not being put anymore along with that, but is going to be put on its own. So, of course, what was spent last year will not be spent again. Something is wrong with them, and they are honestly trying to mislead people."

Faber's fiery presentation was not only the most intense of the day, it was also the longest, going for a little over an hour.

But it was the leader of the opposition who raised the Prime Minister's blood pressure, when he quoted a 7news item from last year November - one which, apparently the Prime Minister would rather forget.

Here's how that exchange went:

Hon. Francis Fonseca - Leader of the Opposition
"3 months before the last General Elections, the Prime Minister worried about his political fortunes, and was forced to convene a business forum. At which, the only memorable moments came when the Prime Minister - and I think Brother Jules captured this - held his head in his hands, and in a moment of absolute candor and frustration, mumbled, 'No wonder people say we are incompetent, and 9 times out of 10, they are correct."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow - Area Representative, Queen Square
"That's an absolute-"

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte - Speaker of the House
"Members of the gallery, I will clear the gallery. Stop, behave yourself. I will clear the gallery."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is engaging in fabrication, telling a complete untruth, in other words, if the rules had permitted me, I would have said he is a liar. But since I can't say that, I make the point that he really cannot be allowed to get away with that sort of fabrication."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte
"Leader of the Opposition, I need to ask you if you have proof of that. You've already said it."

Hon. Francis Fonseca
"What is the point of order, Mr. Speaker?"

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte
You're standing orders are clear. You can't say something which is openly not true. It's unparliamentary to a quotation or something that happens supposedly on camera. You brought in a member from Channel 7; supposedly, you have proof of this utterance. I must ask - Members of the gallery, it goes for both side, you know. Go ahead, Leader of the Opposition."

Hon. Francis Fonseca
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker; what happened was a UDP Government. They can't take it when you're telling the truth."

And for the record, Fonseca did accurately quote the Prime Minister -from his November 2011 business forum at Old Belize.

Here's exactly what he said in the context of his wider remarks - an exasperated exchange with the former CEO in the Ministry Of Agriculture, Gabino Canto:

Gabino Canto
"PM, the regulations were done by a private lawyers. It was sent to the Sol. Gen.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"For what?"

Gabino Canto
"For approval.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Send it to Cabinet."

Gabino Canto
"The Cabinet has approved it."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Well then, let's pass them. I'm sorry, sir. I don't mean to be impatient, but that is exactly why people have this perception that we are incompetent in Government, and 9 times out of 10 they are correct. Anyway."

And there's more ahead from the house as the member for Fort George Said Musa has a classic story about a horse and some soldiers of misfortune.