Disgusted. That's the general feeling of independent pundits and party supporters alike about what some are calling the dirtiest election ever.

In the final full week of the campaign, a bullet was sent to Premier Ewart Brown while the PLP continued a relentless attack on Opposition leader Michael Dunkley after former Narcotics chief Larry Smith tried to tie him to a drugs dealer.

Liberal pundit Tom Vesey said: "This is the most shameless and lying election campaign I've witnessed, and I've witnessed a lot of them — in Bermuda and in the US.

"It's almost all from the PLP side. I was surprised how much play Larry Smith received for his lunatic insinuations about some kind of Dunkley drug involvement, which are demonstrably false, and appalled that the PLP chairman actually calls Smith's insinuations 'an inconvenient truth'.

"The 'back-to-slavery' lie continues at PLP rallies, and the PLP continues to advertise that the UBP is out to re-introduce hanging and out to get HOTT radio — after the Broadcast Commissioners ruled that the station violated election rules enacted by the PLP itself. "You'd think there are limits, but apparently there aren't," Mr. Vesey said.

While businessman Charles Gosling said: "I think whoever wins has got a lot of healing to do because this election has been a bad experience for the whole community."

He said the election had only served to exaggerate divisions to the point where most people were voting against someone rather than for someone.

Former independent MP Stuart Hayward said: "It is certainly putting me off. I would like to think that all but the most pugnacious among us would prefer clean campaigning.

"Unfortunately, I believe there is a segment of the population, those who may have least access to political, economic and/or intellectual power for example, who identify with the lashing out style of politics and whose emotions are a target for this kind of campaign.

"I would like to believe that there are increasingly more of us who see the danger of pouring poison into the well from which we all must drink."

He said the next Premier would need to make significant healing gestures, across racial and party lines after the election.

Former National Liberal Party leader Charles Jeffers voiced irritation about the adverts by the Reality on Independence group raising an issue that was not on either party's platform this time around, though he suspected it could boost the UBP vote.

He said if the party lost again then it would have to think seriously about disbanding but if the PLP narrowly wins by just two seats there will be moves to unseat the Premier. "If Paula Cox is not ready then who? She's the ultimate statesperson," he said.

And Mr. Jeffers said Mr. Dunkley has stood up well to the personal onslaught waged against him. "He's done a good job in answering the allegations, he has grown as a leader," he said.

Mr. Jeffers theory about a tight win for Dr. Brown hastening his demise was backed by two PLP supporters who spoke to The Royal Gazette.

One — in her 30s — said she and her friends believed it was most likely her party would squeak in, aided by memories of racism claims within the UBP earlier this year.

"I think the UBP a year ago stood a chance of getting back in. This election, I don't think the PLP will win not because of its attributes but because of the shortcomings of the UBP and the allegations of racism and cronyism — some people are still talking about it.

"But there is going to be change, not necessarily of the party in power. I don't think Premier Brown will be Premier Brown for too much longer. He's been surrounded with controversy, I don't think it is in the best interests of the party he stays."

She said laid-back Bermudian voters weren't comfortable with his American style of operating and the election campaign had been universally horrible.

"I am reminded again of how it has gone too American," she said. "In some cases it's the parties, in some cases it's the supporters as well.

"People defaced Jeff Sousa's sign — I thought that was awful. There is bickering back and forth — it's deplorable."

And one PLP woman in her 50s agreed her party would just edge it but the tight result election would serve as a wake-up call amid burgeoning complacency. "You have a certain community that feel Government is taking us for granted," she said.

She noted paving work was finally being done in her West End neighbourhood nine years into power in a seat which the PLP had held since the party system began.

And she noted the Opposition understood how hard they had to work for votes.

"You see the UBP working much harder canvassing in areas they have never been before and hitting houses three or four times."

Predicting PLP MPs Dean Foggo, Dale Butler and former Sen. Phil Perinchief, who is trying to retain outgoing MP Renee Webbs's seat, were all in jeopardy for various reasons.

She said a 19/17 result could trigger an internal putsch against Ewart Brown, possibly triggered by Alex Scott who would have nothing to lose from sparking a leadership contest.

And this week, amid the cacophony of attack adverts and smears, the party manifestoes emerged — finally. Mr. Vesey said voters should be offended at how late they came out, giving not enough time for anyone — even organisations with resources like political parties or the media — to fairly analyse the proposals.

"There's no way most people are going to have time to read through the platforms which makes them a little useless in helping you to make up your mind in a well-informed way."

He said the PLP platform contained a lot more exciting freebies, while the UBP platform had a lot more specific stuff. "So the PLP's was more exciting, but the UBP's probably more likely to actually be carried out," he said.

Mr. Vesey said the Vexed Bermoothes blog (http:// www.vexedbermoothes.com/) calculates that the PLP platform contains "28 vague high-level proposals" while the UBP platform contains "more than 300 specific street-level proposals".

"I haven't done the calculations myself. Not enough time! But the UBP platform is definitely more detailed and more organised," he said.

Mr. Vesey added there was a lot more pressure on the UBP to make specific and convincing promises. "We already have a PLP Government so we know exactly what they're like already. The PLP has less to prove, and can spend more time trying to convince people that it's accomplished a lot already."