much worse last Thursday. The Premier, the Hon. Sir John Swan, made it quite clear that the highly divisive Independence referendum may not be held until December. Concerned people already feel that the decision has been left to fester for too long and that another seven months of indecision could cause major damage.

Every day of uncertainty, every day of confusion, every day of loud debate, every day of confrontation, damages Bermuda. Bermudians, whether for or against Independence, do not want Bermuda damaged. Supporters of the United Bermuda Party are very unhappy with many of the things going on in Bermuda right now. It is not difficult to imagine how unhappy the confusion over Independence makes Bermuda's clients.

Sir John says there is concern over certain local businesses who want to get the Independence referendum done as fast as they can to produce the result they want. Presumably he means that certain businesses want Independence defeated.

But Sir John did not point out that the reverse is true. There are many people, not only business people, who feel that Sir John has gotten himself in a box by favouring Independence and promoting a referendum which the majority of his party and the majority of Bermudians do not want. Many Bermudians now see their Premier at the end of his career delaying the referendum and hoping for a miracle which will let him have his dream.

The same people, and they appear to me a majority, now see their Government as caring more about Independence than about the welfare of Bermuda. There is serious concern that Bermuda is burning and the Swan Government is fiddling away. We have to wonder where the voices of sanity and reason are.

How much does it take to convince people that Independence is not good for their individual welfare and not good for the Country as a whole? The international companies which feed us and employ us are making plans to leave yet many Bermudians do not seem to be taking that fact seriously. There is a wonderland approach which says, "Oh well, some more will come,'' which is not true and Bermuda tried it some years ago with tourism and it does not work.

Right now tourism is stalled, companies are making plans to leave, local stock prices are dropping, real estate is not selling, the retail sector is losing money. All of this is influenced by the referendum on Independence. Does anyone need more warnings? Yet there is one more very bad sign. History is littered with examples of Governments fighting with the Country's business sector. In every case the result has been bad. The UBP Government was seen as having a partnership with business, especially the banks, to benefit Bermuda. For 30 years that was successful beyond belief and beyond the expectations of other countries. Now the partnership is in tatters thanks to Independence and recent taxes.

As a former Jamaican cabinet minister said last week, "You're dealing with the biggest coward in the world - money.'' If the money goes, so goes Bermuda's way of life.