Former PLP politician Reginald Burrows reflects on his party's rising fortunes, Independence and why the UBP should hang in there, despite its continuing problems

Fresh on the heels of its election victory the PLP should revive the campaign for Independence says party stalwart Reggie Burrows.

He said Independence should be the next stage of Bermuda's development but he is at a loss to know why polls showed the public continually against it.

Bermuda was in a better position to go it alone than some of the nations which had already gone that route, says Mr. Burrows who finished his 37-year parliamentary career in 2005.

He told The Royal Gazette: "When you have Independence everything doesn't go bad.

"I just left Saint Kitt's and I was very, very impressed with the progress Saint Kitt's has made in the last 15 years or so." (Saint Kitt's and Nevis went independent in 1983).

"But for some reason it doesn't seem to take in Bermuda. I don't know what we can do to make it take."

The PLP tried to get the Independence bandwagon rolling in 2005 under Alex Scott with studies and public meetings but the issue was never put to the vote and Premier Ewart Brown opted not to make it an election issue in December.

"We definitely should be talking about it all the time. I don't think we should put it on the backburner. Once tourism comes back with the new hotels and there's housing for the people we might stand a better chance."

Mr. Burrows said the PLP was paying for a blown opportunity when it was in Opposition and the UBP pushed the issue but abstention from PLP voters helped defeat the referendum.

"I do believe we missed a bandwagon when John Swan was the Premier, I think looking back if we had gone with the referendum we probably would have had Independence now.

"There were too many personalities involved in that situation. Arrogance played a part, I think John Swan was riding on a crest and he thought he could get the referendum across with or without the PLP."

But Mr. Burrows conceded autonomy was a tough concept to sell to pragmatic Bermudians.

"Most people are very content with the way things are. Bermudians in particular ask how is Independence going to benefit them, not their children or their grandchildren, how is it going to benefit me?

"If you can't prove it's going to benefit them they are not going to support you most times."

Mr. Burrows argued Independence would give Bermuda the power and authority to negotiate with foreign countries and not have to go through the "mother country".

Mr. Burrows was happy his party won the December election even though he believes it's not good for any one party to be in power too long. "It is always good to change them now and again. If they stay in too long they definitely become arrogant.

"I don't always agree with what the Premier does but I think he is doing quite well."

"But I think he's doing almost too much by being Premier and (running two ministries) - he must be working 16-18 hours a day.

"With Transport and Tourism he's done well, it seems like he's right on top of both of those ministries and also he's doing quite well with leading the country."

Dr. Brown would be well advised to drop the two ministries, advised Mr. Burrows. "He needs to spend more time on running the country and pushing towards independence but I think when he starts those jobs he wants to finish them."

Some believe Dr. Brown could be gone by the end of 2010 and Mr. Burrows said he hoped Finance Minister Paula Cox steps into his shoes.

"It will probably be the wise thing to give Ms Cox, or whoever it is, time to get in office and prepare themselves for the next election which isn't due until 2013."

The PLP was re-elected in what many found to be a bruising campaign. Mr. Burrows said: "Some people might have found it a bit racial, I hope we will finally get to the day when race isn't an issue and we can fight an election on the issues and not race.

"I would have hoped we would have reached that point by now but we haven't."

Racial division is a generational thing which will die out hopes Mr. Burrows.

"It will take a while, we have been divided for so long, 300 odd years, so you can't expect it to happen over night. A lot of blacks were affected by racism and division in a whole lot of ways."

But he said there were signs of positive change.

"I have a grandson that stays with me a lot, he will be 17 very shortly, and I know the way young people think that with them race is not an issue.

"He has as many white friends as he had black friends, he's around their house, not like some of us in years gone by, and they come around his house.

"From Saltus Grammar School, from Warwick Academy as well as Mount St. Agnes but he doesn't go to any of those schools."

Recently some whites have complained antagonism from some blacks is increasing rather than diminishing.

"I have heard some people say that - I haven't seen it myself and probably wouldn't. But I haven't heard blacks be that critical of whites, certainly the people I am around."

He said the big conversation was a step in the right direction. "It gets people talking, doing things together.

"I have always felt this, that although the whites in Bermuda might feel intimidated they have to make a bigger effort to get involved with black organisations because the blacks have no problem at all in getting involved in the white organisation and they were intimidated in the same way years ago."

As a veteran politician Mr. Burrows has seen his party's fortunes ebb and flow.

And while he is not in favour of parties having long stints in power he believes the PLP seemed to be doing all the right things to keep it there by tackling housing and tourism and presiding over a stable economy.

Meanwhile the UBP is having an identity crisis but Mr. Burrows believes those who think it's doomed are wrong.

"I would think they could get elected again if they have the dedicated people to stay in there and work hard. If they start to lose valuable members it is going to be very difficult for them to get elected.

"The PLP fought nine or ten elections before we were successful.

"The problem is the older black Bermudians - some of them would never change and vote for the UBP.

"The UBP can only hope they can attract some of the younger voters who have been brought up in more of a biracial society. But that may take them a few elections before they are successful again."

Mr. Burrows predicts the diehards will carry on but some of the new blood may decide to split.

"If they don't see any light at the end of the tunnel they may decide to get out and form a new group.

"The PLP had the same problem in 1985 when we lost a large portion of our members who formed a new party."

He said to be a formidable Opposition a new group would need the bulk of MPs.

Proponents of a new party believe votes can be taken from supporters of the current parties but Mr. Burrows said: "That is not always true, we have seen two other parties formed - the Bermuda Democratic Party and then the NLP - and they did skim some votes, the PLP were affected by it more than anyone else but the (governing) United Bermuda Party got stronger on both occasions."

He believes any new grouping would split the anti-PLP vote. "Bermuda is too small for a whole lot of political parties.

"I hope for the sake of Bermuda the United Bermuda Party can solve their problems and become a formidable Opposition because that is always good for any country."

He said the UBP wasn't doing a whole lot wrong but needed to be less negative. "Most times it seems like they criticise rather than putting through proposals that will benefit the whole country.

"They have had about five or six leaders in the last ten years - that's never any good.

"I like Kim Swan - he's a relative of mine and I think he's doing his best to try to keep the party together because I think he realises if they split it will take them much longer to win an election than if they stay together.

"I think he is as good a choice as they have, but I don't know if they can win an election."