from the political noise and remember a few realities.

Whatever happens in Washington about the US bases in Bermuda will be a matter between the United States Government and the Bermuda Government. No government deals with politicians who are not in power. They may be polite. They may listen. But that is all. The noise the Progressive Labour Party is making about its weekend in Washington is just that, noise. The trip was for local consumption because it will have had no effect on power brokers in Washington.

The PLP delegation had a good time and saw some friends. There is nothing wrong with that. What is wrong, is the suggestion that they were carrying out an important mission for Bermuda. They were not in a position to do that and it would have been wrong to do so because the PLP is not the Government. The PLP Washington trip was purely a political and electioneering response to Sir John Swan's successful Washington talks. It was "Me too'' and "So can we'', little more.

Drugs are unlikely to become an issue of this campaign because politicians hate to alarm the public while running for election. Yet drugs are very high, maybe at the top, on the list of Bermudian concerns.

Bermudians have to remember that the Progressive Labour Party failed to take part in Dr. David Archibald's Drugs Strategy Team, despite the fact that it was designed to be non-political. The PLP promised its own drugs report which it never produced. The PLP then made efforts to disrupt the formation of an Interim Steering Committee on drugs. There are also real indications that when it finally decided to join in non-partisan drugs committee, the PLP did its best to disrupt the formation of a National Drug Commission. Why? Drugs know no barriers and should be an issue on which Bermuda can unite. But we think the PLP decided that it could make political points on drugs.

Crime is a major concern of Bermudians and seems to be more of interest to the people than the political parties. Judging from letters, the public is keen on law and order and a "crack-down on crime''. Individual Bermudians appear to be interested in protection for themselves from criminals.

Neither the UBP nor the PLP come across as particularly tough on crime. Both parties are doubtless wary because jail inmates are almost all black. The UBP platform wants a safe and just society while returning those who have paid their debt to society to productive lives. That's a pretty liberal stand.

The PLP has no party platform as yet but it has stated that it "abhors rising crime'' and goes on to blame crime on the UBP. However, it is clear from past PLP statements that, as a party, it is less enthusiastic about stiff penalties for crime and drugs than the UBP is, and the UBP has produced some very stiff sentences for drug offences and such things as crimes against women.