hell or high water'' to push through the changes or would they acknowledge there were serious concerns, even among some of its supporters.

"Arrogant, dictatorial, autocratic. That's their attitude to these reforms,'' he said.

Most countries had an entrenched majority -- ie a specific percentage of the electorate -- for constitutional change and Bermuda deserved this.

He saw no support among Bermudians for reducing the number of MPs, and Government's claim that fewer MPs would "enhance democracy'' was the "biggest joke'' of all -- and the PLP didn't even see the irony.

Although the PLP claimed seats were gerrymandered, when the 1966 Boundaries Commission drew up new seats, the PLP agreed on eight out of nine of the parish seats.

Former Environment Minister Arthur Hodgson said because of Bermuda's "sordid'' racist history, listening to the UBP talking about fairness was like listening to the Mafia calling for honesty and doing away with crime. It might be appropriate, but had little credibility.

When slaves were liberated in 1834, Bermuda's rulers increased the amount of land needed to vote to keep slaves out of the electoral system, he said.

Later, the voting age was put up from 21 to 25, and property owners were given two votes.

"When they divided the parishes into two, it was to ensure that at least one part of a parish was dominated by white people. That's the whole origin of the constituency boundaries,'' he said.

At the 1966 Boundaries Commission conference, all the PLP asked for was fairness.

Claiming the British Government viewed its colonies through racist eyes, he said: "I have no confidence in whether Britain may or may not do it (what is fair), they act in their own interests.'' UBP Leader Pamela Gordon said she had to set the historical record straight about allegations her party did not consult the people over previous constitutional changes.

A 1963 joint select committee for constitutional change produced a report in 1965, paving the way for the 1966 conference which increased the number of MPs from 36 to 40.

According to official minutes, the PLP delegate to the conference was agreeable to either single or dual seat constituencies.

She accused Government of still behaving like the Opposition in some of the accusations it was making, claiming the PLP was continuously "re-writing history'' to damn the UBP.

To correct the "misinformation'' that the UBP did not consult and barrelled things through, she said the UBP held referenda on capital punishment and Independence.

On the constitutional change to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, there was no conference because it was agreed unanimously by the parties.

Ms Gordon explained why the UBP had never changed the constitution, despite agreeing that it needed updating.

She said the 1979 Constitutional Conference agreed there should not be another one unless it was for Independence. The British Conservative Government which was elected in 1979 told them the same thing.

In 1997, when Tony Blair's Labour Government was elected, it told the territories that Britain would either embrace them completely or let them go independent.

Ms Gordon introduced a UBP amendment to the motion urging that a Constitutional Conference be held and that the outcome be ratified by a referendum.

The amendment urged that any further constitutional changes would have to be backed by two thirds of the House of Assembly and the Senate, then affirmed by a majority vote in a referendum.

Other changes would involve freedom of access to information held by Government agencies, and protection against discrimination on grounds of gender, marital status, sexual orientation and age.

Ms Gordon said the UBP would persevere by taking the amendments to Government House to urge it to send them to London for consideration.

The PLP's Dame Lois Browne Evans encouraged all Bermudians interested in constitutional change and the Island's political history to read the Pitt Commission Report of 1978.

"It dressed and undressed the issues of this country,'' Dame Lois explained.

"It touched on everything.'' Countering Opposition readings of the constitutions of other countries, she said: "Do we want to copy Mauritius? Isle of Man? Tuvalu? A country that has had continual parliamentary democracy and an elected lower house since the 1600s? "We are the leaders of the Overseas Territories,'' Dame Lois added.

"I don't know where the Opposition Leader was going when she was talking about the Cayman Islands and their uni-cameral (single chamber) parliament.

"How could we when we are half a step away from Independence. We are the envy of the Overseas Territories.'' Dame Lois suggested that the Caymans Islands was not as "philanthropic'' as Bermuda and said the turning away of a mostly homosexual cruise ship a few years ago was an example of this.

Turning to the recent public meetings Dame Lois said she did not think "the supporters of the UBP asked any intelligent questions'' and later called them "royalist/loyalists''.

"They're supposed to be intelligent people and then they'll get round to what they're afraid of,'' she said, adding that she was approached by a Government worker who assumed that the only function of the Privy Council was to adjudicate court cases.

"I would have loved to have had that type of question,'' she said. "There are diverse divisions of the Privy Council.'' Dame Lois also suggested the Bermudian public should thank the PLP for its progressiveness and foresight.

"We had only formed in 1963 and there we were in 1966 at a Constitutional Conference in London,'' she said. "We were fast tracking this community. This country owes a great debt to the PLP and some people out there need to learn their facts and history.'' Premier Jennifer Smith said she had listened carefully to the debate and said she found it "remarkable at how contradictory'' the Opposition had been overnight.

Ms Smith defended the level of debate on the issue in the community and defended her comments that there would be the "widest possible debate''.

"It appears from the Hon. John Barritt's comments that I have to supply definition to every single words that I use,'' she said.

Constitution motion carried She added that he "comes up with some other meaning'' in interpreting her.

Concerning her characterisation of what would happen following her tabling of the proposed amendments in August, she said: "That is exactly what I meant.

The widest possible debate.

"I expected the Opposition to conduct their own debate. I am quite capable of explaining our position. I expected them to explain their own position.'' Pulling a copy of Royal Gazette coverage of Thursday night's meeting, Ms Smith noted that the only positive comments on the proposed changes were included in the last two paragraphs, which claimed that "many'' members of the audience were supportive of her changes.

Ms Smith also defended herself from an accusation from the Shadow Development and Opportunity Minister that she had "misled'' the public and being "deliberately deceitful'' in suggesting the public would have input in the legislation. "I did not, would not, and could not mislead the public,'' she said. "And the public will deal with him as it will deal with all of us who are elected members (of parliament).'' And Ms Smith took a further swipe at the UBP, suggesting that its proposed amendment to the motion include provisions for the transfer of power for Police and other security services to Ministers as suggesting the Island become independent "through the back door''.

Only Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon "left me in no doubt'' as to how she felt about the motion while the others left her "confused''.

The first clause of the Opposition's proposed revisions and amendments -- dealing with a mandatory constitutional conference -- was turned back by the Government majority.

This led its proposer, Mr. Barritt to withdraw all three sections of the amendment, saying the point was then moot.

With a further voice vote, the motion was carried by Government. The House of Assembly had been sitting for just over 24 hours.