Former MP John Barritt has just over a week from today to decide whether to declare his candidacy in the upcoming General Election.

Admitting he had to be “realistic” with July 18 looming, Mr Barritt said last night that he remained undecided, but would run as an independent if he chose.

“Prior to the election being called, I spent weeks going around visiting people I know well and who know me well from the 20 years that I represented them.”

Mr Barritt declared much the same in an interview last week for Bernews.com, but has until nomination day on July 4 to throw his hat in the ring.

“Widespread support” runs throughout the island for independent candidates being able to break through “partisan, party politics”, he said.

At present, Devonshire South Central is held by Craig Cannonier of the One Bermuda Alliance.

Mr Barritt retired from politics in November 2011 to make way for Mr Cannonier — and for an OBA founder to run independently in the constituency would represent a momentous decision.

“Time is really against me,” he said, conceding he had expected the election to fall towards the end of this year or even early in 2018.

But the Bermudian public had also been taken off guard, Mr Barritt noted.

“The problem with these sorts of elections, when they are not fixed term, is they don’t give voters an opportunity to properly organise themselves. There has not been one primary, for example. I consider that to be a retrograde step.”

The legislature, he added, “ought to be able to organise itself better, to show the community that people with strongly differing opinions can still work together”.

“With the OBA, we said we would create a network of committees to tackle major problems, to give all the people on the back bench the ability to get involved. As far as I can tell that never materialised — very sadly.”

However, Mr Barritt remained optimistic on the ability of public bodies to sway the political discourse from outside.

“Technology today makes it possible for people to share their thoughts with the House or with Government, and there’s nothing wrong with groups coming to the table to share what they think. Everybody has to have the feeling that they are having a fair say.”

Collaboration, he said, was “not something graciously granted, but should in fact be the first requirement”.