He said the Hon. Sir John Swan should quit after the Senate threw back the Independence Referendum Bill to the House of Assembly.

"The Premier ought to leave politics and go away. It would be better to let somebody else handle affairs.

"He should resign because he has made a mess of the Independence movement.'' Mr. Wade said Sir John was paying the price of "bulldozing the Independence issue'' through the United Bermuda Party caucus and House of Assembly.

But Sir John was scathing in his response.

"Mr. Wade should have resigned after losing two elections. We are all entitled to call for resignations, but I am not treating what he says seriously.'' He said Mr. Wade was struggling to find his own ground on Independence.

And he accused Mr. Wade of throwing his "principles to the wind'' in a bid to frustrate Government over breaking with Britain.

Sir John added he would have to discuss the latest Independence hitch with party colleagues.

He imagined the Referendum Bill would have to be dealt with by Parliament before a Commission of Inquiry was set up to examine the pros and cons of Independence.

It will be at least seven weeks before MPs have a chance to discuss the Bill again. They return on May 6 to the House.

But Sir John's plans for a referendum before the end of a year have been plunged into uncertainty.

"I wouldn't like to say when it will be held,'' he said.

On Friday night, Independent and Progressive Labour Party Senators voted through a key change to the legislation.

This would ensure a referendum was decided by at least 50 percent of those entitled to vote.

Government Senators were defeated in their battle against the change proposed by Independent Sen. Alf Oughton.

But their defeat came amid fierce controversy.

The success of the proposed amendment hinged on Independent Sen. Norma Astwood's vote.

After appearing to speak against the change, she voted for it.

She later claimed she would have voted differently if Government had guaranteed a referendum would only be decided by a "sizeable'' majority.

Government Senate leader the Hon. Gerald Simons said he was on the verge of giving the assurance.

But he was stopped in his tracks for allegedly flouting rules while Senate was in committee.

It was claimed his speech had strayed too far from the matter under discussion -- the amendment.

Ironically, it was Sen. Astwood, chairing the committee, who cut him short.

Government insiders yesterday voiced amazement at this.

"Sen. Astwood was in the chair and could have let Sen. Simons reply to answer her concern. The way the Senate conducted itself was very strange.'' The Senate could change the Bill again if the House threw out Sen. Oughton's amendment.

But then the House would have the final say. Legislation cannot be continually bounced between MPs and Senators.

Mr. Wade said Sir John only had himself to blame over snags to the Independence legislation.

Independence based on a referendum was "fraught with difficulties'', he added.

It raised the issue of what would be a sufficient majority of voters for Government to split from Britain.

Britain had already said it required a "substantial majority'', said Mr.

Wade.

Government had still not tackled this point.

"People have been left by the way Sir John has handled it,'' said Mr. Wade.

"I don't think Sir John knows what he is going to do now.'' Mr. Wade said his party would vote for the amended Bill in the House of Assembly.

He would also seek to have his motion -- aimed at killing a Commission of Inquiry -- debated "at the first chance I get''.

Sir John described Sen. Oughton's amendment as undemocratic.

And he ripped into Mr. Wade for supporting it when the PLP wanted Independence decided by a general election.

Elections were decided by a "simple majority''.

There was a complete contradiction, therefore, in Mr. Wade's stance, said Sir John.

Government backbencher Mrs. Ann Cartwright DeCouto, who quit the Cabinet over her party's handling of Independence, yesterday declined to say how she would vote on the amended Bill.

Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto, however, has argued firmly against a referendum.

But she declared Sen. Oughton's amendment should stand -- if a referendum took place.

"The real issue, however, is that we should not be having all this debate,'' she said. "It has done inestimable harm already.'' She added: "Almost everything I said would happen has happened, unfortunately.'' Fellow Government backbencher the Hon. John Stubbs was also playing his cards firmly to his chest over whether he would support the amended Bill.

He said the UBP caucus would have to meet to discuss the Senate decision.

Dr. Stubbs believed Independence enthusiasts would be frustrated by the delay.

"I, myself, believe it may be good to have another look at the matter.''