breaking his long political silence last week to criticise the Government's failure to separate the powers of the Attorney General and the still-vacant Director of Public Prosecutions position.

Sir John was correct on the point that the Government, as a political entity, should not be deciding whether or not to prosecute criminal cases. This should, he rightly said, be a job for the DPP, based on whether or not there is a case, not the Government's based on what may be politically convenient.

Nonetheless, it is surprising that Sir John would choose a relatively narrow -- albeit important -- political point to "go public''. Invariably, political observers will wonder if Sir John now intends to become more involved in politics again after being bruised over Independence and the McDonald's affair.

Sir John avows he is not interested in entering organised politics again, either through the United Bermuda Party or through another political entity.

But as Premier from 1982 until 1995, as a successful black businessman and as a person who still has a high degree of personal popularity, Sir John can be an important voice on important issues.

This may be more important now than ever before; Sir John said he was shocked at the lack of public debate on the gambling machine and on other issues. He warned that lack of debate on matters of public interest is dangerous for democracy and the calls by Government Senate Leader Milton Scott for the dismissal of the Independent Senators could lead to a "holocaust of ideas'' in Bermuda.

The refusal of some members of the Government to speak at all, the attitude of others that "we've got 26 seats in Parliament so we can do what we want'', the relative weakness of the Opposition; and the reluctance of some community leaders to speak out -- either because they do not want to hurt the Government or because they do not want to give offence -- has resulted in a paucity of public debate.

This does not mean that people should oppose for the sake of opposition; instead it means that issues can and should be raised and debated before a policy is set.

No-one has a monopoly on good ideas, and in an era when many of the ideological debates of the 1960s and 1970s have been settled, the challenges facing the Island often boil down to questions of good management where people of different political stripes -- or no politics at all -- can contribute.

Here Sir John has a role to play. His experiences, both personal and political, can help the whole Island. And more voices are needed in the debates on Bermuda's wellbeing.

But no-one should rule Sir John out of a bigger role.

Winston Churchill came back from a decade in the wilderness to become British Prime Minister at the age of 70 and Richard Nixon overcame the albatross of Watergate to be eulogised as a great American President at his death. Compared to that, Sir John shrugging off the Independence Referendum and McDonald's would be a snap.