a puzzle for people outside those districts. Although the winners were as predicted by this newspaper, there are factors which should cause the hierarchy of the United Bermuda Party discomfort. The bad news for Bermuda is that voters may be more interested in electing a parish resident than they are in electing people who are capable of making a solid contribution.

Primaries are always difficult to judge because of the small vote and that is especially true when there is a three-way race as there was in Paget East. It would seem to us that David Sullivan, a UBP insider, probably took votes away from Lynda Milligan-Whyte, also an insider, although their votes together do not best the winner, Kim Young. It is interesting that Joe Gibbons received more votes as the loser in Devonshire, 275, than Kim Young did as the winner in Paget, 257.

In both primaries the UBP lost its insiders. That could be a message to the UBP that their voters are looking for "new blood'' and voting against the UBP establishment in the wake of a long period of turmoil. We think conservative Paget East voters may well have seen Kim Young as untainted by the shenanigans in the UBP and Lynda Milligan-Whyte as a supporter of Sir John Swan and Independence, despite her denials.

When you look at Senator Lynda Milligan-Whyte's experience in politics and her service in the Senate, especially her service as UBP Senate Leader, she should have been a clear winner. Instead, she was only ten votes ahead of the man no one knew, UBP insider and committeeman David Sullivan.

Senator Milligan-Whyte's television advertising served her poorly and she came across as "standoffish'' while Kim Young came across on the doorsteps as "user friendly'' and involved in the affairs of Bermuda, especially those of women and children.

Bermuda can only pray today that this was an anti-insider vote and not conservative white Paget East voting white.

In Devonshire South Michael Dunkley had an easy win over Joe Gibbons in what had been projected as a very close contest. Joe Gibbons was clearly an experienced UBP insider but a Devonshire outsider. His leadership of the UBP central office, his Central Committee service and his active participation in past campaigns may not have counted with the voters. He did not win even though Michael Dunkley came across poorly on television and seemed to have no basic platform except "I'm from Devonshire.'' Mr. Dunkley also ran embarrassing print advertising which gave no respect to the English language.

There were also nasty but quiet whispering campaigns in Devonshire operated by Dunkley supporters which we have to point out because Mr. Dunkley accused his opponent of "negative campaigning''.

Doubtless the UBP hoped for two clean campaigns which would not give the impression that the party was still at war with itself. It certainly got that wish in Paget East which was clean and run quietly and with dignity from door to door.

Devonshire was a very different situation. The Devonshire campaign should cause Bermuda just as much alarm as the idea that Paget East could have voted white. There must be no room in a ruling party for racial voting or dirty politics. These primaries must have given the PLP some cheer.