major extensions at Elbow Beach. Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge has come out publicly in favour of the grandiose scheme. Now the Opposition Progressive Labour Party has announced general support for the Elbow Beach Hotel plans.

The truth is that PLP support for Elbow Beach development may really be a political ploy.

Bermuda has a recession and a bad one. There is no doubt that Bermudians are short of jobs, really for the first time since the Second World War. The PLP may be trying to place itself in a position where it is able to say it supported the Elbow Beach plans in order to criticise the Government. The PLP could be playing cynical politics and hopes when an election comes to say that Government has deprived Bermudians of jobs. The PLP would be ideally situated to do that if Government has to refuse or to curtail the Elbow Beach scheme to build 39 multi-million-dollar condos for sale to non-Bermudians and "palace'' suites on the dunes at the beach.

Government is faced with the hard decisions, with public concern for the environment and with trying to make the best possible decision for Bermudians and for tourism, while the PLP only has to interest itself with getting votes from those who are disenchanted with Government.

Major decisions of this kind must be made according to what is good for Bermuda in the long term and not as a temporary expediency. They are not easy or simple decisions. US President George Bush marred his presidency and damaged his credibility by claiming he was an environmental president and then dragging his feet all the way to and from the Rio conference.

The bottom line is that non-Bermudians should not be able to arrive here and buy up huge slices of Bermuda and then demand to do things their way and usually the PLP would be the first to object. That is what is happening at Elbow Beach with PLP support. Elbow Beach Hotel's new owners and their management are saying, "We will build our way and we will build now. Or else.'' What is this "Or else''? Or else they will abandon a multi-million dollar investment? That, of course, is the catch. We think that if Elbow Beach gets permission now then every other hotel owner will start saying "Or else'', and there will be no end to this kind of blackmail. Remember, every time someone gets to go too far, there is someone else who will want to go one more step.

We think the new Elbow Beach owners came to Bermuda and bought an old hotel with a good deal of land just so that they could speculate in Bermuda real estate. We doubt if the owners very much wanted to be in the hotel business.

It could be that they planned to take over this poorly designed property, develop it to the maximum anyone would allow, and then flog it, palace suites, 39 condos and all, for big bucks.

Bermuda must worry about that kind of action because it is ultimately bad for Bermuda. We do not think that any Bermudian really wants non-Bermudians speculating in large slices of Bermuda. The fact is, that may be what Mr.

Woolridge is supporting and that may be what the PLP is supporting.

Yes, Bermuda is having a hard time right now but we will have a harder time in the future if we sell out for the sake of some quick jobs and some easy cash.

That's the bottom line for this scheme and it would be a great shame to agree to Elbow Beach now and regret the desecration in the future. We will have plenty of time to think about what might have been after we have ruined Bermuda.