will talk and talk and talk.

When you want them off your doorstep, ask about Independence. Not that the leaders of the United Bermuda Party and Progressive Labour Party are opposed to the idea. Most Bermudians are.

"I would say that the leadership of the two parties support in principle the idea of Independence for Bermuda, but they believe that to pursue the issue at present will have negative electoral consequences,'' said Mr. Walton Brown, spokesman for the Committee for the Independence of Bermuda.

"Therefore, they've decided to avoid discussing the issue.'' Premier the Hon.

Sir John Swan was asked about Independence during the news conference at which he announced the October 5 election.

"I have always said, and it's the party's position, that a referendum would be the route,'' before Independence was pursued, Sir John said. Pointing to the UBP's campaign platform, he added: "It's not in this blueprint.'' The PLP, which has historically supported Bermuda cutting its historical ties with Britain, has yet to make its election platform public. But there will likely be little change from 1989, when Independence rated scant mention on the last page of an 18-page document.

"We still believe in Independence,'' Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade said then. "But we believe Bermudians need to be educated.

"We recognise that they have said they are not for Independence at this time, so why should we push it down their throats?'' National Liberal Party chairman Mr. Geoffrey Parker also said it would be up to the people. "We are not in an economic position at the moment to even consider the idea,'' he added.

The official word from Britain -- voiced by a foreign affairs spokesman in 1988 -- is that Bermuda could become Independent or stay as it was, but there would be no "half-way house''.

The Island has remained firmly colonial since, while taking on some trappings of nationhood.

Commonwealth Day became Bermuda Day, a National Song was launched, the Legislative Council was renamed the Senate, and the Premier received an official residence and official car.

Those changes were well-received, but a 1988 poll by The Royal Gazette showed that 80 percent of Bermudians were opposed to Independence in the near future, up from 66 percent in 1982.

That survey was published less than one month after Sir John aired his personal view in a speech to the Hamilton Rotary Club.

The Premier outlined a litany of problems with Bermuda's continued reliance on Britain and said: "We believe that it is both timely and prudent for us to re-examine our historic relationship with Britain in the light of changed circumstances.'' The speech drew criticism from not only the UBP, but the PLP. The UBP was concerned about the cost and whether international companies would leave the Island as a result. The PLP questioned the Premier's authority on the issue.

Sir John, who has been consistent in saying a referendum would be required first, has bowed to the party position and said little about his personal view of Independence since.

Mr. Brown said the fall-out from Sir John's speech helped demonstrate why Bermuda was not rushing toward Independence. The UBP was divided on the issue, and although the PLP "support it almost entirely ... there has not been any recognition of the non-partisanship involved in moving Bermuda toward nationhood.'' As for the poll, Mr. Brown noted that 40 percent of Bermudians favoured a move toward Independence after five years. It also showed the need for more education on the issue, he said.

The initial cost -- estimated at $2.3 million in a 1987 Green Paper -- was nothing when compared to projects like the new prison or incinerator, he said.

And a survey by the Bermuda International Business Association showed more than 80 percent of those in the offshore business community did not consider Independence a major issue, he said.

Few talked about benefits of Independence, like development funds associated with United Nations membership, the resolution of "status'' problems, and the ability to secure more favourable airline routes, Mr. Brown said.