Bermuda Democratic Alliance promised to do things differently — and with a leader who can't stand party politics it's sticking to its words.

Craig Cannonier has even banned the BDA's members from using the word "party" as he pushes for a new kind of politics that doesn't revolve around the us-versus-them bickering he says Bermudians have grown tired of.

"Politics is not about legislation, it's not about the House of Assembly, it's about the people of Bermuda," Mr. Cannonier told The Royal Gazette.

"I know it appears to be this mysterious entity, but it's you and me. While I have been a politician all my life, I have just not got into politics.

"Just like [race activist] Eva Hodgson, I have a disdain for party politics because it's become divisive and it's not brought us together.

"I would love to be able to have an ear to someone like Dr. Hodgson. I would love to give her a voice in our caucus.

"The first thing you have to do is do away with agendas. Party politics has to be done away with. Those agendas need to be squashed and re-evaluated. Any successful company will tell you that with two agendas in the room, you won't move forward. The mindset of Bermuda must change if it wants a better way. It's not us against them."

Critics would argue it's fitting Mr. Cannonier doesn't think politics is about the House of Assembly; after all, last Saturday night he became the first ever non-MP to be elected leader of any of Bermuda's political parties.

Some ask why one of the BDA's MPs — Shawn Crockwell, Donte Hunt or Mark Pettingill — did not step up to lead the Alliance from the front line.

But the Esso gas station dealer said: "I will be sitting in that seat every Friday, where they have the area for the public. It's my job as leader to ensure that all our members represent our core values and show the BDA as who it is, an alliance that includes all Bermudians.

"I will be there to support our members as they represent the people of Bermuda."

He said the Alliance would pick a House spokesman, while each of the three MPs will have their own portfolios.

In the meantime, he will continue to use town hall meetings and the media to get across the BDA's message in the preacher-like style he has honed since he was an eight-year-old boy speaking about his favourite Bible stories to audiences of 100.

"I have come from a very strong Christian background and I believe that I embody those values. My style has become of that background," he said.

But while the Progressive Labour Party is often said to adopt stances to mirror the church's, Mr. Cannonier argues sometimes it's the church that needs to evolve.

"My concern is that the churches are not speaking to what they see is going on in this Country," he said. "I believe that as Christians, as Buddhists, as Muslims, we fundamentally believe in an inclusive way of living.

"I believe the core value of inclusiveness is embodied in all of them. We as a country need to speak to those embodiments."

Yesterday, this newspaper reported how the BDA supports amending the Human Rights Act to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation — a move said to be extremely unpopular among core PLP members.

The rest of BDA's constitution is being kept under wraps until it's ratified in the next few days.

In another slight against the traditional form of politics, Mr. Cannonier bemoaned that the Island's racial divide is still alive and well, in spite of Premier Ewart Brown's Big Conversation.

"I believe the concern from the people is that whilst we [blacks] have a voice we have not been able to embody what we consider to be equal economic power," he said, "yet whites have enjoyed economic power but could feel that they have no voice.

"Martin Luther King coined it very well when he said prejudice is prejudice, whether it's black on white or white on black. The BDA has endeavoured to take on all equally. We will be fiscally prudent to ensure that all benefit, all of us."

So far the Alliance has escaped the kind of attacks which have become the norm for the PLP and United Bermuda Party.

Asked why, Mr. Cannonier said: "I don't know. Is it underestimation? Is it because they feel so strong that they don't need to worry about us?

"What I would like to hope is that they are willing to embrace another voice, that our politics in Bermuda doesn't have to be divisive, that it can be inclusive."

Some predict for all its stated good intentions, all BDA is really going to do is strengthen the PLP's hand at the next General Election — taking votes from the UBP and allowing the governing party to win extra seats.

"Listen, I don't believe that," argued Mr. Cannonier. "I don't believe that at all, because I believe that Bermuda is tired and Bermuda's concerns are not dependent on whether you are PLP or UBP.

"It don't matter if you're black or white, if you can't pay your rent you can't pay your rent."

He would not say how many MP candidates the BDA has lined up, but warned: "The Bermuda Democratic Alliance stands behind the people of Bermuda. If and when an election is called, we will be more than ready to be the voice of Bermuda."