the toughest tasks ever faced by a Premier of Bermuda. She has to do her best to achieve the best for Bermuda while being aware that tiny Bermuda does not have very much bargaining power when it comes to decisions made in London.

It does seem however that Premier Gordon has emerged as the leader of the remaining British Dependent Territories and the support of other leaders will give her greater stature in London. We think Bermudians should be proud that Pamela Gordon has established herself as a leader outside Bermuda. Too often the talent which Bermuda produces is taken for granted at home but recognised and accepted abroad.

When the British Empire was the greatest the world had ever seen, Bermuda, the oldest colony, was too small to receive very much consideration and now that the Empire is coming to an end, the remaining colonies are looked on in London as something of a nuisance. Britain is repositioning itself as a part of the European Union and its interests are very different from what they used to be.

We must all be aware that Britain is no longer in the colony business and its interests will come first when it talks to the remaining tiny dependencies.

Yet London should remember that Bermuda has given Britain unstinting support for several hundred years. The Dockyard and other British military establishments in Bermuda allowed Britain to dominate the Atlantic from Newfoundland to the Falklands and thus to "rule the waves''. In this century, through two world wars, Bermudians fought and died for the cause and even managed to provide Britain with financial help. In the Second World War Bermudians quietly gave up their homes and their land to fulfill Winston Churchill's promise of bases for the United States.

Unlike other small and sometimes troubled territories Bermuda has never been a financial drain on Britain. We have given unselfishly without asking for much in return and have seldom been troublesome.

We say all this because we think Britain needs reminding today that Bermuda has been loyal and steadfast and undemanding. Bermuda has a long history, the longest, as a loyal colony. That history may be unknown to senior officials in London today but it deserves consideration as Premier Gordon talks to the British about our future.