veteran politician and former NLP leader Gilbert Darrell believes it will not be until November.

He may be very close. We would not be surprised by an announcement in early October and a campaign of about one month. But then, we have no information either.

If Bermuda is only about two months away from voting, why are things so quiet? It is still August and the Legislature is not sitting, but that is not the total answer.

It is beginning to seem that the Progressive Labour Party has accepted advice which may amount to: run the advertising, knock on doors, keep quiet and coast. You are doing well, do not take the chance of making a bad mistake. We have to think that kind of advice has been accepted because the Leader is very quiet, doing very few public appearances and staying away from the media.

The controversial stalwarts Alex Scott and Ewart Brown are keeping a very low profile with the only real public effort coming from Derrick Burgess and Rene Webb.

Keeping quiet for fear of making a mistake may hold with the PLP's agreement to a debate between their Leader, Jennifer Smith, and Premier Pamela Gordon and then an about face which was masked by a call for the Premier to set the election date before a debate.

The decision not to debate was a mistake. There is nothing wrong with a debate which would allow Bermudians to see their political leaders face to face. This is especially true since the two leaders are relatively new in their jobs and the PLP's platform is something of a mystery.

As we see it, the PLP's vote against lifting the 60/40 rule on the Bank of Bermuda was a mistake because it gave a clear indication that the PLP does not understand Bermuda's economy.

There is nothing wrong with giving the voters a chance to see and hear for themselves what the leaders are saying. Indeed we think the public is entitled to that.

Any sitting Government is able to create news and photo opportunities to promote itself. Yet, like the Opposition Leader, the Premier has been keeping a very low profile. That is not so true of her ministers who have been making opportunities to explain their achievements and to announce projects which are largely beneficial to the public like the sale of US Base housing.

We always have to wonder why it takes an impending election to get a great many things done, but the Premier's push for action now is better than not at all.

But the really puzzling thing is the low profile of both leaders. If this is to continue, then the public needs debates because it will have little else on which to base a decision.