passports for its overseas territories citizens were not included in yesterday's Queen's Speech.

The proposal has always faced some opposition in Britain itself where the Home Office, which is responsible for immigration, fears an influx of people from what remains of the empire.

And now that it is a near certainty that Prime Minister Tony Blair will call elections next spring, measures which are unlikely to add votes to the Labour Party column will not be a high priority in the next nine months. Giving British citizenship to the dependent territories will not gain votes for Labour, and may cost it some.

There are other possible reasons for delay by Britain.

One is the lengthy checklist of measures that the overseas territories have been asked to consider. Progress on these measures will obviously vary from place to place with Bermuda ahead of the pack in most areas, including its Constitution.

Britain has always maintained that the checklist and the granting of passports are not linked, but it still provides a reason for not acting this year.

Enthusiasm among the dependent territories for passports has also varied. Some places, like St. Helena are desperate for it. Others like Anguilla, have been lukewarm. Bermuda, based on the public statements of previous and current governments, has never pushed that hard.

That is a shame because British passports remain a superb opportunity for Bermudians to study and work not only in the UK but in the European Union too.

Some Independence supporters may see passports as a disincentive to Independence. That is not necessarily so, but the question which Bermuda needs to answer is whether Bermudians are better off with Independence or with access to the EU. Put another way, is the prize of Independence in the future so great that it is worth depriving young Bermudians of opportunities now? There are indications that Baroness Scotland -- who warned months ago that passports were unlikely before the next General Election -- has worked very hard to get the measure through, and that suggests that this is not a question of Britain being deceitful.

Premier Jennifer Smith also indicated some hope that passports, in urgent cases, might be granted and that is welcome.

Unfortunately, there will always be uncertainty until Bermudians actually have a passport in their hands.

And because Britain took away rights of residence some 20 years ago, it is inevitable that there will be concerns about its ability to deal fairly.

Tony Blair's government has gained something of a reputation for making decisions based on the polls rather than on principles. Unfair or not, it now has the chance to repair that reputation by doing what is right morally on passports.