The PLP's controversial and sometimes divisive candidate selection process will be 'fixed', with constitutional reforms planned for this year, The Royal Gazette's political writer Matthew Taylor is reporting for rg magazine, which publishes tomorrow.

In an analysis of the pre-Christmas election, Mr. Taylor reports that the nature of the selection process still 'manages to rub quite a few people up the wrong way' according to PLP chairman David Burt.

He also cited their failure to recruit young leadership to the party as a reason to repair the selection process.

The chairman told Mr. Taylor: "Number one, the party needs to fix its candidate selection process. It was better in some respects than previous times round, more inclusive, but still managed to rub quite a few people up the wrong way.

"The party needs to sit up and accept that we can do better. This year we will look at constitutional reforms again."

In addition, the PLP had a number of paid staff this time round to work the campaign and election, and utilised US Democratic Party methods which gave them the boost that they needed to get their supporters to the polls.

Mr. Burt said: "The fact of the matter was we were very well financed and organised. That counts for a lot."

Whales and their migration past Bermuda is the focus of an Andrew Stevenson film and is this month's cover story.

He describes his dramatic first year of filming these giant creatures while they were in local waters, and also reports on efforts to save the whales, with a focus on Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd organisation, a major figure in the movement which has rammed and sunk several whaling vessels.

In his story for rg magazine he writes about their efforts to save this majestic animal and the importance of whales to our Earth.

A leading figure of the birding world, Andrew Dobson, writes about the extraordinary number of fascinating species of birds that we see resting on our shores during their migration.

Of them, an apex predator and the fastest creature on earth, the peregrine falcon — it has been clocked at 200 miles per hour — was spotted by leading wildlife and news photographer Chris Burville, and we have his extraordinary photographs of this impressive bird of prey in this issue.

And we also have a photographic spread of Valentine's gifts from Bermuda's most interesting shops to inspire those readers who are stuck for gift-giving ideas for the holiday. Look for rg magazine inside tomorrow's Royal Gazette.