MAINTAINING an effective relationship between Parliamentarians and their constituents is a complex matter of communications, especially in a small jurisdiction like Bermuda.

First and foremost, however, and basic to this relationship, is the integrity of an MP and how his or her reputation is viewed by constituents.

Integrity is like being pregnant: you either are or you aren't. There is no such thing as having a little or a lot of integrity. You either have it or you don't.

But in politics there is a further challenge. In an arena where perception can be reality, even if you are a person of integrity, you have to be able to be at least convincing enough to persuade people that you are. By the same token, those who ? in your view ? lack integrity can also be equally convincing: self-confident, good press, well-spoken, possibly even well-loved, just the sort of politician the former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Rt. Hon. Edward Seaga, described in a recent issue of as "silver tongued".

But is it possible to prosper, even survive, in public service without integrity? We all remember: You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all the time. But, unfortunately in some cases, "all the people" is not necessary in a parliamentary democracy, just a majority.

The relationship is made difficult by geography. Size can be and is a determining factor in the relationship that exists between MPs and their constituents, first of all in terms of accessibility. Certainly that is true in Bermuda.

American humorist Mark Twain once said about Bermuda that it is the biggest small place in the world. Mark Twain, in fact, said a number of things about Bermuda ? being one of our first repeat visitors ? for which he is often remembered and quoted. One that I particularly like is: "Bermuda is the size of a fishhook, only smaller."

Look at any map and you will see that he is right.

While size is not everything, it can be important in politics. Bermuda is 20 square miles: 20 miles long as the crow flies, one mile wide at the widest point. It has an electorate of approximately 38,000 spread over 36 constituencies of about 1,100 voters each. Over the 12 years I have been in elected politics in Bermuda, we have rarely had a turnover of more than 20 per cent per constituency between elections, and by turnover I mean the total number of people moving into and out of the constituency and off and on the voting register.

People know each other in Bermuda and they know your business, and I do not just mean commercial business, although they know that too.

Arguably, size can also influence the views which the MP expresses, or does not as the case may be.

A former teacher of mine, in trying to persuade me to take up an education abroad at age 14, said Bermuda is so wide and so long, and people's minds stretch no further. A listening politician never wants to get too far out in front of his or her constituents, especially one who wants to get re-elected.

Joe Louis, the champion boxer, was famous for saying about those who used to dance away when he entered the ring: "You can run but you can't hide." That is true of politics in Bermuda: You can run and get elected but after that you cannot hide. Or perhaps put another way: after you are elected, you cannot run (away) and you cannot hide.

The late Speaker of the United States Congress, Tip O'Neill, is famously remembered for his comment ? and his book which bears it as a title ? "All politics is local." That is very true of Bermuda. You might even say that here in Bermuda it is also personal.

IN Bermuda, if you are not canvassing your constituents on a regular basis, they need not go far to find you: on the way to work, or at work, or on your way home from work, or at home. On weekends, they my find you at the supermarket, shopping in town, at sporting events or at church. We all know politicians who go out of their way to meet and greet people at these events and these venues ? and personally I admit I find that much easier to do that now that I am in the opposition rather than in the government.

Telephone numbers also soon become known, whether or not they are in the telephone book.

Some constituents in Bermuda will also come right round to your house to see you on short or no notice at all. We also now have the dreaded e-mail and web sites. Our political parties have sites. I put one up myself with a colleague. Not that many Bermudian voters are switched on to e-mail yet, although it is a coming force as over 60 per cent of the homes in Bermuda are now wired.

Canvassing and surgeries remain for politicians the more popular means of communicating. The beauty of the latter is that you place an advertisement in the newspaper and whether people come or not, or if very few come, you have a record that they had an opportunity.

In canvassing, something I used very early on has been adopted by colleagues in my party, the United Bermuda Party, and is I think now widely used in the government Progressive Labour Party. If you knock and they are not there, we leave a "Sorry I missed you card", a record again that you tried.

As to the frequency of canvassing, this is often determined by a Member's margin of victory at the last election, or should be in cases where the vote was close.

THEN there is the usual media coverage, which has a tremendous impact on our connections with our voters. Proceedings in our House and Senate are broadcast live on radio. Press coverage and the shadow that you cast in their reports contribute to your relationship with constituents. Although you have no control over your coverage, there is sometimes the opportunity to write columns.

On radio there are the ubiquitous talk shows. I should not complain about them as, in my salad days, I hosted a weekly radio talk show that was produced by the man who is now the Premier of Bermuda. The programme was known as . Neither of us was active in politics back then.

In meetings in Bermuda, both formal and informal, one thing we will always find are those people for whom enough is never enough. Voters, unhappy voters, can be tough task masters.

Something the late Robert Stanfield, a former leader of the Conservative Party in Canada, was once quoted as saying about the press can also be true of voters. He lamented that even if he managed to walk on water, he was certain the press would report the next day: "Stanfield Can't Swim".

Just so.