Continued from Saturday's paper Shadow Environment Minister the Rev. Trevor Woolridge blasted UBP Government members for allegedly not having the guts to stand up for their principles.

While at one time they had appeared brave, they were now exposed as "jellyfish''.

"The whole Government has caved in.'' The Rev. Woolridge also questioned the role of the Press, and asked why The Royal Gazette had not posed the question: "How can a divided party lead this Country?'' He singled out The Royal Gazette Editor Mr. David L. White in his attack.

The paper's March 24 editorial was more concerned with the length of his speech on the floor of the House than anything else, said the Rev. Woolridge.

And provoking laughter among MPs, he said of Mr. White: "I continue to pray for him...God will respond in his own time.'' The Rev. Woolridge predicted the headlines in The Royal Gazette .

"Compromise reached, party unity, party members get behind leader.'' It was unfortunate the Country lacked a fair and objective Press, said the Rev. Woolridge.

He continued by attacking other leaders in the community who had now taken a stance on Independence.

Included in his attack, were religious leaders who had shown great concern over the decriminalising of homosexuality.

What had happened to all these concerned individuals on an issue as critical as Independence? Opposition House Leader Mr. Reginald Burrows said it appeared MPs had wasted time with the debate, since the UBP members had made a so-called compromise.

He wondered why Mr. Pearman had not withdrawn the referendum bill.

Mr. Burrows said the PLP had not made a big push for Independence in recent years because it was not a major concern with voters.

But he said if ever a Country was ready for Independence it was Bermuda.

The Island had the social, economic, and political structure in place for the transition.

Unfortunately, Government lacked the political will to make the break with the past.

Mr. Ottiwell Simmons (PLP) voiced dismay and shame over the behaviour of Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan and Mr. Pearman.

The real leaders of the UBP were Mr. Moniz and the Hon. Cartwright DeCouto, he said.

"It is a real case of the tail wagging the dog.'' Mr. Simmons said Sir John and Mr. Pearman should resign, and he described the UBP as a "real shambles''.

"The tail is wagging the doggie part of the UBP, but the doggie part can't bite, and has no teeth.'' Shadow Education Minister Ms Jennifer Smith said entrusting Independence to the UBP was like going out on a blind date.

She pointed out most Bermudians did not feel now was the right time to be debating Independence.

And she said UBP MPs could settle the matter by voting against the referendum bill.

Ms Smith said those UBP members who were against Independence would be taking a big risk by compromising.

She predicted Parliamentarians would not be portrayed in a good light by history.

History would record how the UBP tried to drag its rebels through the back door.

"We will not be shown in the best of lights.'' Shadow Delegated Affairs Minister Mrs. Lois Browne Evans began by banging the party drum for single-seat constituencies.

She also waded into Government for the cloak-and-dagger party deals at Chancery Lane, the UBP headquarters.

The Country wanted to know whether Sir John was in a strong enough position to take Bermuda to Independence in the event of a "yes'' vote at the referendum.

Mrs. Browne Evans also asked why black people always appeared to be the appeasers.

For it was clear the black people on the UBP front benches -- apart from Mr.

Woolridge -- were in favour of Independence.

And yet they had appeased the whites who were opposed, she said.

Mrs. Browne Evans said Government should not hold back the desires of "indigenous Bermudians'' and the ordinary people of the Country.

"I'm indigenous?'' asked Government Whip Mr. John Barritt .

"You're indigenous,'' Mrs. Browne Evans said. "You can even point to your grandfather, who helped start the black school, Berkeley Institute.'' "My great-grandfather,'' Mr. Barritt said.

Nobody should stop Bermuda from moving forward to one day being a great nation all could be proud of, Mrs. Browne Evans said.

Mr. David Dodwell (UBP) said holding a referendum was "all logical.'' "We're giving the people of this Country an individual choice as to how they move forward,'' he said.

The Green Paper committee had only begun its work and would issue position papers before the referendum. The PLP favoured a general election, where "a multitude of factors'' would be involved to "cloud'' the Independence issue.

While the PLP complained about Bermuda's electoral boundaries, a referendum was "pure democracy'' -- one man, one vote, Mr. Dodwell said.

Contrary to Opposition claims, Government was showing leadership by holding a referendum, he said.

Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade said: "I've never heard such contorted and such convoluted thinking as I've heard from the last speaker, in particular, and heard all day.'' In keeping the UBP alive, "the integrity of those who say they're in favour of Independence'' had been sacrificed, Mr. Wade said.

The chance of a referendum deciding in favour of Independence would be "slim...at the best of times,'' and "at the worst of times it will be impossible,'' Mr. Wade said.

"It daily is being made more difficult by the very Government in power.'' Government was spending thousands of dollars to add more names to the electoral rolls.

"For the Boundaries Commission,'' said Deputy Premier the Hon. Irving Pearman .

As the numbers got larger, meeting the requirements of the referendum bill got more difficult, he said. Government had hired canvassers this year, something the Opposition had been urging for the last two or three boundary commissions, Mr. Wade said. "We lost the argument every year until this year.'' In a deal that was struck on Thursday, anti-Independence forces in the UBP had prevailed, Mr. Wade said. "If you're good at poker, then you can win the day.'' Were pro-Independence forces going to be able to persuade 14,000 Bermudians to vote "yes,'' against "the mighty machine of those opposed?'' "I'm just so pleased the PLP has their case together,'' Mr. Wade said. The party had offered to work with the UBP toward Independence, but "we were snubbed,'' he said.

If the referendum resulted in a no vote, the PLP would not raise Independence as a major plank in the next election, Mr. Wade said. If the PLP won the next election -- fought on a general platform -- it would educate Bermudians about Independence, and call a fresh election "only on the question of Independence'' in one to two years.

"Those who supported Independence could go out and vote for us. Those opposed could stay home.'' An election provided the chance to explain to people what was intended with respect to the Constitution, Mr. Wade said.

If he got a "yes'' vote, the Premier planned to consult with the Opposition and go to London for a Constitutional conference. But, "I have no mandate to go to London and do anything, even after we have a referendum that says yes,'' Mr. Wade said.

Even if a White Paper was issued before the referendum, that did not give the public the chance to say it supported one aspect, but not another. "We want a plan for what you plan to put in the Constitution to be put to the voters.'' Referenda were foreign to Westminster democracies, and voter turn-out generally declined in such votes, he said. In the United States, they were used "when they want to avoid making decisions.'' "The Country's being asked to buy a pig in a poke with a blank cheque,'' Mr.

Wade concluded.

Mr. Pearman said Government had reviewed its earlier position. "On this side of the House we have differences,'' he said. "But in the final analysis, we've learned the art of fighting it out and coming out stronger.

"It's an experience the loyal Opposition has never had.'' Leadership required "the art of compromise.'' "The art of selling out,'' said Shadow Human Affairs Minister Ms Renee Webb .

New management styles empowered the people, who "want to be asked -- particularly on issues as substantive as this,'' he said.

Mr. Pearman said if the referendum resulted in a "no'' vote, "the Government undertakes not to raise the issue during the life of this Parliament.'' In deciding on the amended formula for voter requirements, "we looked at the Scottish Act 1978,'' which also required 40 percent of voters to turn out, he said.

Government had been accused of hypocrisy, Mr. Pearman said. But could the Opposition that was bemoaning the loss of "a golden opportunity'' to get an Independence mandate "be the same political party that's been saying for the past week that we don't support it, and we'll be telling our members not to support it?'' "We've never said that,'' said Mr. Walter Roberts (PLP).

"I'm pleased to hear that,'' Mr. Pearman said.

"There's no doubt that Bermuda will be relieved to an extent if this measure is passed tonight and we can get on with other things that have concerned the Country,'' Mr. Pearman said.

Once the bill was passed, the Green Paper committee would begin to issue position papers on Constitutional issues.

The House then moved into committee, and Mr. Pearman proposed an amendment.

Instead of requiring a two-thirds voter turn-out, 40 percent of the electorate would have to vote in favour, along with a simple majority of votes cast, for the question to be answered yes.

Shadow Labour and Home Affairs Minister Mr. Alex Scott then proposed another amendment -- one that would allow only born Bermudians and status Bermudians to vote in the referendum.

Mr. Wade said Government's amendment would make it more difficult to obtain a yes vote, and the PLP amendment was to keep the principle "that only Bermudians should vote.'' For the referendum, the electoral roll should be "cleansed'' of non-Bermudians whose names were on it because they were in Bermuda prior to 1976.

While their numbers were small, the PLP knew there were more non-Bermudian voters "than we lost the last election by,'' Mr. Wade said.

Shadow Delegated Affairs Minister Mrs. Lois Browne Evans then proposed an amendment that would delay the referendum until "a day agreeable to the Premier but after the next general election.'' The amendment was in keeping with the PLP position that Government had no mandate to pursue Independence or hold a referendum, she said.

Health and Social Services Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness said the amendment from Mrs. Browne Evans was "not acceptable to Government and we will not support it.'' A vote was then called, and the amendment was defeated in committee 19-18. On Mr. Scott's amendment, Mr. Pearman said it would disenfranchise people who had been enfranchised since 1976.

Wishing to correct Mr. Wade, Mr. Pearman said the UBP won the last general election by 1,817 votes.

Mr. Scott said the PLP was on record as opposing the residential vote since 1980.

But Mr. Edness said the Government would not take away people's rights. The PLP was "prepared to jeopardise the integrity of this country by taking away the rights of these people,'' he said.

Shadow Human Affairs Minister Ms Renee Webb said even the British Government and the Green Paper said the decision on Independence should be in the hands of "the Bermudian people.'' "Why should non-Bermudians decide the destiny of this Country?'' she asked.

"it's ridiculous. We have tolerated them voting in elections.

"I don't care how long they've lived here,'' she said. "They're not Berudians, and as a consequence, they should not be allowed to vote.'' Shadow Tourism Minister Mr. David Allen said the resident vote was large enough to effect the outcome in at least two constituencies in the last general election.

"I am embarrassed that the member from Warwick West in this day and age, when he's talking about Independence for Bermuda...wants to protect the votes of foreign contract workers.'' Mr. Wade said the PLP had said that after Independence all Bermudians by birth or grant would be deemed citizens. The UBP had not stated its position, and perhaps would include such residents.

The vote was then called, and the amendment was defeated 19-18.

The House then voted on Mr. Pearman's amendment, which passed 19-18.

MPs then moved from committee to the whole House, where the Independence Referendum Act passed second reading by a 20-18 vote at 9.18 p.m.

It passed third reading in a voice vote about 30 minutes later.