seems to be a feature of Hallowe'en in Bermuda. The drivers have to be concerned that terror on the buses will cause them to crash or, worse, kill someone. They have a right to be able to provide public transportation without hassle. If bus drivers do refuse to service CedarBridge then Bermuda will be back to incidents at the Washington Street bus terminal. If group violence continues on the buses, it will only be a matter of time before someone is seriously injured. We do not want that and we do not believe the young people on the buses want that.

As we see it, parents have a greater duty than simply sending their children off to school. They have responsibility for the behaviour of their young people. We think parents, perhaps organised by PTAs, should carry out that responsibility by riding on the school buses and keeping order at least until things calm down again. A great deal of this is probably just youthful high spirits but the results could be very serious.

Exactly why Hallowe'en turns out to be a time of disruption is something of a puzzle. We have already had fireworks banned on the Fifth of November because some people used them inappropriately and it would be a shame if we also have to give up celebrating Hallowe'en. It can be great fun, especially for young children.

We have heard suggestions that "things may be hot'' this Hallowe'en. Who knows where these rumours come from but they do nothing to reassure people that Bermuda is a peaceful place. Perhaps these reports stem from an expectation of high spirits accompanying the ghosts and goblins. But we have to hope that in reality there will be no incidents.

There have also been suggestions that this Hallowe'en may be used as an excuse to make some violent political statements. These are suggestions only and we can only hope that they are both inaccurate and unfounded. We do not want to make too much of this because it is election time and all sorts of reports circulate close to the voting.

It seems to us that if Hallowe'en should be used in any kind of violent way this year the violence might well be taken as politically motivated. It would be very unwise because disruption always causes people to draw back and become much more cautious.

Bermuda is a democratic place and there are not many people who would disagree if we say that this Country should approach the election in an orderly and straightforward way. It would be little short of a tragedy if Hallowe'en were used in any way to disrupt or threaten the democratic process.