Masefield replaced stems from his refusal to ask the Members of the Public Service Commission to resign.

It may be that Premier Jennifer Smith and her Cabinet hope that a veteran politician from the British Labour Party Government would be more sympathetic to the Progressive Labour Party government than a career diplomat.

If that is their thinking, then Government should tread carefully: Lord Waddington, from the right wing of the British Conservative Party, was quite happy to disagree with the United Bermuda Party, also a conservative party, and in the case of the Independence Referendum, was prepared to go directly against then-Premier Sir John Swan's wishes.

There is no reason to believe that a Labour Governor will be any less strong-minded. It should be recalled that a Governor has a two-fold role: to represent Bermuda's interests with the British Government; and to ensure British Government policy is carried out in Bermuda. This can lead to disagreements between an elected Government and the Governor.

It also seems unlikely that Britain would agree to recall a Governor who has done nothing wrong. Mr. Masefield has carried out his responsibilities carefully and without fuss. While sections of the community may have disagreed with some of his decisions -- and this newspaper disagreed vehemently with his decision to let Police Commissioner Colin Coxall go -- no decision that he has made justifies a recall, least of all the row over the PSC when Mr. Masefield followed the Constitution to the letter.

THE UBP IN PAGET WEST EDT The UBP in Paget West Some people today may feel that the United Bermuda Party got the worst of all worlds with its Paget West branch committee's decision to select Sen. Patricia Gordon-Pamplin as its by-election candidate.

Former Deputy Premier Jerome Dill's decision to drop out of the running for the seat meant the branch committee was robbed of a strong candidate. That is a disappointment when the UBP's racial imbalance and lack of experience in the House of Assembly is considered.

The decision to reject Ann Cartwright DeCouto robbed the UBP of another veteran candidate, who while white, is also experienced and a powerful debater when she is in form.

Sen. Gordon-Pamplin is a relative newcomer to politics. If some accuse Mrs.

Cartwright DeCouto of disloyalty to the UBP, then Sen. Gordon Pamplin can be tarred with the same brush, except that she went much further; she ran as an Independent in Warwick East in the 1993 General Election and could be blamed for the loss of Gerald Simons' seat -- even though her campaign was based solely on a personal beef with Mr. Simons' running mate, Irving Pearman.

Beyond that she has little public standing, aside from the fact she is the Opposition Leader's sister. Indeed, she is most notorious for asking if the decision to decriminalise homosexuality would be reviewed by the Government.

Given that, she now has a difficult role. Although Paget West has traditionally been a UBP safe seat, the PLP's success since the last Election and the comparatively strong showing of George Scott in the last election means that it is not guaranteed. Going into this campaign, Mr. Scott has the advantage of having canvassed the constituency recently and it seems fairly certain that the PLP will make a concerted effort to win it. Should David Sullivan choose to run as an Independent, the UBP vote could very well be split, giving Mr. Scott an excellent chance at winning.

The UBP must be aware of this and its success or failure in the campaign will show if is is on the road to recovery or if the splits and internal problems which have plagued it for so long are going to continue to damage its ability to be an effective Opposition -- or even a functioning one.