According to Mr. Commissiong the "clamour'' for Independence is growing.

Perhaps he can be forgiven for that opinion because, with the exception of a couple of well presented letters to you, Mr. Editor, the anti-Independence lobby has been strangely silent -- it could be because it feels that the two to one anti vote in the Referendum says it all.

There is nonetheless a considerable body of opinion that is far from believing that Independence is the answer to the maiden's prayer. This is particularly so because of the fear that -- as with the Constitutional issue -- we will be dragged kicking and screaming to Independence with little or no attention being paid to a significant portion of the voting population.

Much on the subject is yet to be written, wrangled over, repeated, regurgitated ad nauseam but the purpose of the letter is to consider to what extent Mr. Commissiong's speech to the Kiwanis Club as reported in The Royal Gazette on Thursday, January 25, 2001, if any, furthers the discussion.

It is interesting that Mr. Commissiong should take the trouble to mention the support of the members of the Cabinet and backbench. Surely it would be unusual if they did not support Independence, as it has been part of PLP dogma for many years. So what else is new? He goes on to say that we have a "new Chapter theory'' which seems to ignore the fact that we have been self-governing (with minimal influence from the UK) for hundreds of years. One has to wonder at remarks like "arise my son; you are a subject no more'' and "the Citizen, as King''. They sound like anarchy to me and good emotional stuff as, indeed, are the "national ideal'' "higher instincts'' and "larger motives''. Maybe Mr. Commissiong would like to set out exactly what they mean.

Then we have the "race and nationality theory'', "the racial divide'' and the "construction of a national identity''. At least, Mr. Commissiong, you admit it all sounds Hitlerian -- it is. A national identity and resolution of the "racial divide'' will be achieved by people not theories. Surely from your recent televised meeting and discussions leading up to it will have told you that -- or has it? With your arbitrary views on nationality you will undoubtedly alienate many with dual nationality (perfectly acceptable in much of the rest of the world) and will remove from many -- especially today's children -- the opportunity to live, work and/or be educated not only in the UK but probably also Europe. Do you want to chance the removal of that opportunity? The three remaining theories of "self determination'', "reinventing Government'' and "bread and butter'' are all part of the same emotional lack of reality syndrome and are scarcely worthy of comment. However, it is worth bearing in mind: (a) the cost of conducting our own foreign affairs, the police, defence etc.

etc. would be prohibitive (b) a country of 22 square miles and 60,000-plus people will not have the muscle to make itself truly felt internationally, and, (c) the end of Appeal to the House of Lords will give cause in many circles to a fear that the rule of Law as we know it is about to change.

Alarmist? Maybe.

Finally I had it in mind to comment on Mr. Commissiong's Republican (not in the US political sense) tendencies but realised that it would be pointless in view of the recommendation about "the Citizen, as king''.

A. GOODFELLOW Paget Speak up, Mr. Dunkley January 29, 2001 Dear Sir, Despite renouncing his own foreign rights, UBP MP Michael Dunkley makes no issue with others who were born with foreign citizenship. In his very own UBP, sits an MP who was born and raised in another country, but is allowed to serve in the House of Assembly simply because she never took an oath to become a citizen of those foreign lands. Why doesn't Mr. Dunkley raise the issue of conflicting interests in this case? Perhaps Mr. Dunkley could explain why someone who is born and raised elsewhere should be able to serve Bermuda, while someone who was born and raised in Bermuda should not be able to serve? Surely the oath itself cannot be a true test of conflicting interests? Even more ironic is the UBP's strong support for British passports. While I agree that the passports open up great opportunities for Bermudians, it is quite obvious that this raises even more issues of conflicting interests for Bermuda. What good is that law if 25 percent, 50 percent or 75 percent of Bermudians obtain foreign passports? Should Britain give the go-ahead, every Bermudian could obtain dual citizenship overnight, and have practically the same conflicting interests as any European expatriate worker! Yet Mr. Dunkley and his UBP cronies have no issue here.

It is profoundly hypocritical for the UBP to have (for many years) given out Bermudian status as if it was a membership to a country club, but then take this vehement approach to a Bermudian who sought opportunities in the US, only to then call for changes in UK policy that would allow every Bermudian to develop conflicting interests with any country in the European Union! Is it not madness that we have a Bermudian who did what was necessary to gain international experience, to now have the UBP bash him upside the head for bringing his talent back to the island? Is Mr. Dunkley going to bash those Bermudians holding UK passports (I doubt it)? And please, don't say anything about the Queen, because we call British residents expats too.

Let's be frank here. Mr. Dunkley's superficial approach to this issue is nothing more than another grasp at the UBP's massive collection of straws to turn voters against the PLP. Bermudians need to realise that the issue is not the law itself, but rather the spirit of the law.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE Sandys Parish Don't write children off January 27, 2001 Dear Sir, Please allow me to corroborate the substance of E.H. Trott's letter, which appeared in Saturday's (January 27, 2001) issue of The Royal Gazette .

It must have been heart breaking for the parents of the Police Cadets to learn at this late stage that they and their children were misled as to the quality of education available in the Government schools. Unlike other parents in the same predicament, I decided some years ago that to allow my child to remain in the local Government school would have been disastrous. I did something about it.

Some years ago, I became suspicious about the quality and direction of the education my son was receiving and decided to speak with a lady bearing a sophisticated title employed at the school he was attending. I pointed out to this lady that the system in place then seemed to be neither a typical US model nor the system used in British schools and most of the British Commonwealth. I went so far as to argue that my son might be better off spending the time at home. This lady assured me that everything would eventually fall into place.

After a period of almost one year, I became really disillusioned since my son seemed to be going backwards rather than meeting the standard I associated with students preparing to write `O' level examinations. I went to the school again and proposed to this lady (who is a born Bermudian) that I would not take my son out of the school but I will be seeking private tuition, which is geared towards the British `O' level standard.

I could not believe my ears when I heard the response. It went something like this: If you think your son is having difficulty now just wait until he attempts to write `O' levels, `those exams are too hard for these children'. I literally went into shock, I immediately recognised that the major problem in Government schools with perhaps one exception, was that little was expected of the students and quite frankly, they were conscientiously being prepared for failure rather than success. In short, little was expected of the students and consequently, much less was given.

To shorten a long story, I immediately took my son out of that school and sent him abroad to complete his education. In the end my son was able to gain seven `O' levels and went on to complete English university entrance requirements.

For years either through neglect, indifference or both, the previous Government saw fit to provide our students with what must be the worst education in the world, for a country which has such a high commercial profile. In one case, a Minister of Government tried to bamboozle the public by arguing that our students had done better in some meaningless test than some of their counterparts in California. It did not matter to him that the parents, to whom these remarks were addressed, did not know what the standard in California was and indeed whether our children were being adequately equipped to meet the challenges here in Bermuda. In essence, what the Minister was saying was that since we did better than some students in California we should be thankful.

I am acutely aware that many parents would be unable to send their children abroad because of the costs. In that case, the next best thing would be for parents to organise and demand from Government that their children get the quality education that we the parents pay for, and the students deserve. We cannot blame the previous government indefinitely, we must ensure that the current government do something about the problem.

I will hasten to add that my son was not an `honour student' in Bermuda to use the notorious term. Indeed my son was just about average. I was aware however that he wanted to learn and he deserved the opportunity to do so. I am sure that had I not taken the bold step then, perhaps he might well have been a regular visitor to Westgate by now.

The former government never understood that there is a reason why there are not a lot of Westgate inmates with three or more `O' levels, or the equivalent. From what I can gather, it would appear that either by design or ineptitude, the school system in place meticulously turned out students who by necessity, must flounder through life aimlessly, because of their inability to function in society.

I am not here to argue for the British system of education. There is no doubt that the United States system of education has served that country well in the past judging from its leadership role in the world. My argument is however that the British system is proficiency-based. Consequently, one is able to judge what an `O' level or `A' level student ought to know. The current system used in the Bermuda government schools does not lend itself to any quantifiable standard, except that a disproportionately large number of students are leaving school without the ability to function literately in this country.

I would like to take this opportunity to urge the current government to abandon the current system and either re-adopt the British system or one that is measurable, such as that (CXC) used in the Caribbean. This may be a difficult pill for the current Government to swallow. However, it is my belief that it is not too late for the Minister of Education to admit defeat because of the broken system he inherited, and start all over again, rather than foolhardy following the current abyss which seems bereft of any substance or standard.

I know I will have my critics who will argue that not every child is academically gifted and all the rest of it. I have heard it all before.

However, I cannot think of many professions, trades or calling that do not require basic education. If the failing Cadets were in possession of even two `O' levels in any subjects, it is not likely that they would be failing at the Bermuda College. Furthermore, I suspect that what the Cadets are being taught at 16-17 years old, should have been learned many years before.

There is one other matter that merits consideration. The person or persons responsible for recruiting these Cadets in the Police Service ought not to be let off lightly. Surely she/he must know or ought to have known that that these failing students would not have been able to fulfil the requirements at the Bermuda College. I was made to understand that some years ago the Police recruited a professional Human Resources Officer. I am now to believe that the system in place is worse than when the recruiting was carried out by police officers? Where is the accountability? Finally, it is my honest belief that a large majority of the failing students in Bermuda's government schools can succeed if they are made to strive for goals. Instead, they are being told from an early age that `some hills are too steep to climb'. That is essentially what I was told by the lady at the government school my son attended.

Unfortunately, years of providing substandard education in governmental schools has reinforced the settled hopeless thinking by parents and students alike, that our children are born failures and are less capable of learning, than children in other jurisdictions.

In fact, our children are as capable of learning as children anywhere else are. I should know, my son was one of those hopeless students.

HOPEFUL BERMUDIAN Hamilton Parish Dream on Bermuda! January 29, 2001 Dear Sir, I read with interest and a certain amount of mirth the article on attempting to attract Scottish golfers to Bermuda during their winter off-season.

Firstly I am sure that every golfer understands that the golf packages to Spain and Portugal, to name two venues, are extremely attractive both from a financial point of view and a varied point of view. There are literally hundreds of excellent venues in both countries and the prices are very attractive. For the price of an airline ticket to Bermuda a Scottish golfer can fly return to Spain or Portugal, stay in a hotel for a week, play seven rounds of golf, eat out every night and still have change in his pocket. More importantly the golf courses are equally as attractive as Bermuda courses. I do not understand why anyone would come to Bermuda to play the three government golf courses when clearly one course is a waste of money and the other two are manned by staff that are neither friendly nor accommodating. Why would anyone take the abuse handed out at each of the Government venues when it is obvious that some of the staff have no interest in providing service to any overseas guests. Bermuda could learn a lot from Scottish hospitality.

Dream on Bermuda, its probably better value and much more interesting for a Scottish golfer to fly to Hawaii.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL Delighted by vacation January 27, 2001 Dear Sir, For many years I have been a fairly regular visitor to Bermuda, usually staying in one of the unique cottage colonies such as Pompano or the Reefs.

Lately, in company of a friend my visits have been to the annual Bridge tournament, held at the Southampton Princess. She plays bridge, I relax and play a little golf. Last year due to indifferent food and seemingly indifferent service, we decided not to return.

A brochure advertising a change of venue to the Sonesta Hotel prompted us to give Bermuda one more chance.

I cannot over emphasise our delight at the change. The staff at the Sonesta have been wonderful, the food excellent and the accommodation and ambience delightful. Somehow they manage to give a large hotel the feel of one of the traditional cottage colonies.

We have assured the organisers that as long as the tournament remains at Sonesta we will be back.

DAVID STEVENS Ajax Ontario