Bermuda's 2003 general election was a low point in the fortunes of independent or third-party candidates. There were only three candidates who were not from one of the two main parties. Between them, they could only scrape together 0.4 per cent of the vote.

Yet disillusionment with the PLP was high after a first term that fell below many people's expectations. And many were still not ready to see a return of the UBP. So why didn't the alternative candidates do better?

It wasn't always this way. In 1968 there were 12 independent candidates, although none were elected. In 1985 the NLP fielded eight candidates and won two seats. In 1989 they had 15 candidates and won one seat; independent Stuart Hayward won a seat; and a record 13.3 percent of ballots were cast for the NLP or independent candidates.

It's interesting to compare Bermuda's situation with that of the UK. In recent years, that country's third party, the Liberal Democrats, have profited handsomely from disillusionment with the ruling party. In the 1997 election, which saw the Labour Party eject the Conservatives from office after 18 years in power, the Liberal Democrats secured a record 34 seats in Parliament, taking 18 percent of the popular vote. In the 2001 election, they were able to capitalise on dissatisfaction with the Labour Party and the disarray of the Conservatives, increasing their MPs to 40 and their share of the vote to 19.4 percent. Why hasn't a similar thing happened here?

In a place as small as Bermuda, finding enough talented candidates can be hard. Even the major parties have difficulty. In an interview in March, 2003, former PLP MP Julian Hall blamed the party system itself for that.

"It is so important that the best, the brightest and the most sincere from all places within the political spectrum be encouraged to present what they have to offer," he said. "The party political process is destroying that potential and it is alienating so many people who have so much to offer but who simply cannot participate in what amounts to a vacuous, unseemly catfight."

It's also difficult for alternative candidates to persuade the electorate to vote for them. Politics in Bermuda is so partisan that most voters are reluctant to "waste" their ballot on alternative candidates. They either do not appreciate what just a handful of unaligned MPs could do to moderate debate and stop poor legislation from being passed, or do not believe they can win the seats necessary to do so.

But the failure of alternative candidates in Bermuda seems to be due to something far more basic: race. The UBP - rightly or wrongly - is still perceived in many quarters as the "white" party, despite the fact that at the last election 23 of its 36 candidates were black. The PLP is unashamedly the "black" party, fielding only one white candidate at the last election. And the struggle for power between the two leaves no room for equivocation.

The NLP failed because of race-based politics. Born out of a split within the PLP, the NLP became a protest party for disenchanted PLP and UBP supporters alike. However when Frederick Wade remade the PLP into a party that seemed to have a serious chance of toppling the UBP, the NLP lacked the leadership to stop its supporters from being recruited back to that fight.

There is no doubt in my mind that having independent or third party candidates holding the balance of power in the House of Assembly would be a good thing. But I'm also realistic about how likely it is at the present time. While many voters may be frustrated with how little the PLP has done for them, they'd still prefer to return them to power than risk the UBP getting back in. UBP supporters felt the same way about the PLP in 1998. In a climate like that, alternative candidates haven't got a chance.

The PLP's victory in 1998 was a good thing for Bermuda. Right now it's also helpful that the PLP is an almost entirely black organisation. These two factors have allowed black Bermudians to prove that they have the ability to run Bermuda successfully, despite some potholes along the way. This ought to be self-affirming for blacks and reassuring for those whites who doubted them.

In time, this should improve the prospects of third parties and independent candidates. As the PLP gains experience and realises that running a country is not about getting your snout in the trough, as both parties realise that they need good ideas and competent MPs to retain power, as time heals the wounds of segregation, Bermuda should see a de-polarisation of its politics. As the battle for political power becomes less primal, voters will be more inclined to use alternative candidates to express their dissatisfaction with the major parties. That day can't come soon enough.

Phillip Wells www.limeyinbermuda.com