PrimeTime Live begins to look more and more like a set-up.

We think there could be a high-level conspiracy in the US Navy to cause enough bad publicity to close the Base. We think the conspiracy has come about because top brass are protecting the Bermuda Base because they like to frolic here. It could well be that the two men who claim to have blown the whistle on the base are only pawms. Someone in the hierarchy of the United States Navy or even someone in the congressional Armed Services Committee decided that a new President meant the time was right to cause a stink which would lead to close examination of the importance of Kindley Field.

Look at what happened. Those two navy men spilling all to ABC-TV were just too pat and too improbable. Given the ramifications for those individuals and given what their anti-Navy expose would do to their careers, these two men must have been guaranteed top protection before they moved to do this thing.

Then Sam Donaldson and his crew were given total run of a military base and were allowed to ask what they liked and film what they liked. Donaldson seems to have a had a pre-conceived notion of this base being the US Navy's private Club Med. He then did his best to make the story and the film footage fit his notion. The US Navy cooperated in that effort. It went so far that the local media, which might have asked embarrassing questions, was banned from the Base while Donaldson was there, reportedly at his suggestion.

As the TV piece progressed on our screens, it became clear that at least one Admiral was doing a remarkably poor job of putting the US Navy's case for continuing the base or even of explaining how and why the Base is here. He had not one good word to say for this Base under his command. The US Navy normaly fights for its own.

What this incident does is make it very clear to Bermuda just how vulnerable we are, even to our friends in the United States. Tiny islands are at the mercy of outside forces and very easily subjected to the notion of even a Sam Donaldson. The piece could not have been much worse for Bermuda, right down to the statements of how expensive Bermuda is and the implications that Bermuda was involved in a rip-off of the American taxpayer.

Bermuda's base lacks protection in that there is no internal US problem involved in closing overseas bases. Close a base in the US and the neighbourhood screams at its representatives. Close a base overseas and you are wisely saving money and your home vote is still safe. That's how vulnerable Bermuda is.

Closing the base in Bermuda is a triple threat to Bermuda's economy. It would cost Bermuda millions to operate the airfield. Bermuda would lose the spending of base personnel. Bermudians would be out of jobs on the base.

Clearly Bermuda has a real problem.

Bermudians were facing cuts at the Base realistically, but we don't think there were many people who thought the Base could close. As a result of this programme, there is already a move in the United States Congress to close Kindley, whereas only months ago the Base seemed so permanent that the PLP was foolish enough to suggest we should charge the US rent.

We think something is not right in this whole event and we must wonder if political infighting, military or civilian, is going to cost Bermuda dearly just when we thought things were looking a bit better.