Published August 19, 2005

NEWLY arrived Governor Sir Edwin Leather correctly anticipated in 1973 that the then-taboo subject of Independence would emerge as a major political issue in Bermuda by the mid-to-late 1970s ? but said the Progressive Labour Party's extremism and "political ineptitude" made it unlikely the then Opposition could build a winning campaign platform around sovereignty before a General Election scheduled to be held no later than 1977.

In a detailed political analysis submitted to British Foreign Secretary Alec Douglas Home in October 1973, Sir Edwin gave his impressions on the Bermudian political scene.

Douglas Home had specifically requested such an assessment during a meeting with Sir Edwin at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in July 1973 shortly before the Governor designate travelled to the island to take up his post.

The British Foreign Secretary had been concerned a series of politically inspired murders in 1972/3 ? including the March 10 assassination of Sir Edwin's predecessor, Sir Richard Sharples ? might be indicative of the increasing radicalisation of Bermudian voters.

In his report, Leather downplayed such "revolutionary" speculation. But he said increasing PLP agitation for Independence would inevitably lead the United Bermuda Party to adopt a stance on the issue ? indeed, the UBP Government's first discussion paper on sovereignty was tabled in the House of Assembly in July 1977.

And while Independence did not in fact emerge as a key issue at the 1976 General Election, the UBP's loss of four Parliamentary seats to the pro-sovereignty PLP ? slashing the lopsided 30-10 UBP Parliamentary majorities that emerged after the 1968 and 1972 votes ? impelled the then governing party to begin assessing the subject.

In his secret dispatch Sir Edwin said the building Independence movement in the Caribbean ? the Bahamas had just gone Independent in July 1973 ? would have a predictable knock-on effect in Bermuda.

"If Independence down there manages to totter along fairly peacefully, without crises or explosions, the tendencies I foresee here will be strengthened," he said. "Conversely, if Grenada or the Bahamas should fall into riots and bloodshed, the cautious, conservative instincts of Bermudians would, I believe, quickly reassert themselves against any new constititional experiments: no one but the PLP leadership is committed to them...

"As we move forward to the next General Election, in three-and-a-half/four-years' time, the Opposition, almost in desperation, will clamour more and more about Independence. If things go along fairly peacefully (in the Caribbean) more and more people ? being like most people everywhere not very politically sophisticated and equally apathetic ? will start to say to themselves: 'Well, if they can do it, so can we'.

"Some time, in a year or two, the Parliamentary caucus of the UBP will get restless ? they are now, but not specifically over this issue ? and grow worried.

"And being nice, honest, kind men but not particularly strong men or experienced politicians they will find the desire to make some move becoming irresistible: 'If it must happen, better under us than under them'.

"'Independence' is such an easy platform slogan: the arguments against it, however overwhelming in logic, are much more difficult to get across to a not very discerning public.

"So circumstances and pressures will gradually build up which will probably force them to proclaim some kind of Independence as their election cry too."

Sir Edwin said, though, that the then PLP leadership's extremist stance on Independence ("immediate expulsion of all non-Bermudians in high places, a lot of silly talk about 'non-alignment' and Africanisation, etc.") would not translate into a vote-winning election campaign.

"They don't begin to understand constituency organisation and all that means; nor do they accept that the only way Opposition parties can gather support is by capturing the middle ground," he said.

"Indeed, by their very arrogance and generally offensive attitude to anybody who dares to disagree with them, they are forever insulting the people in the middle ground and driving them back into the arms of the UBP."

Sir Edwin (pictured) said then Opposition Leader Walter Robinson was a "rotten politician" whose almost exclusive focus on anti-colonialism blinded him to the day-to-day realities of operating and maintaining an efficient party political machine.

In an earlier memorandum to the FCO, written just weeks after Sir Edwin's arrival in Bermuda, he outlined his unhappy personal relationship with Walter Robinson.

"From the moment we arrived, through the swearing-in ceremony, and every time we drive out in the streets ? we managed to make it from east tip to west top of the island in our first week ? we are met everywhere with smiles, waves and friendliness," he said in the August 6 dispatch.

"...I don't think it's an exagerration to say that I have gone up to and shaken hands with well over a thousand people already. And only one was sullen and resentful.

"That one, however, is significant and will obviously cause me every annoyance he can, namely the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Walter Robinson.

"You will have heard that he and all his party, bar one, did not turn up at the swearing-in (though they have since claimed it was not a boycott but it just so happened all of them were busy that morning!)

"By strange coincidence, the first night we went out to dinner to a restaurant we walked in to find him standing at the bar. My wife and I walked straight over and greeted him but with not very happy results.

"He immediately made it plain that so far as he was concerned I was just 'another damned Tory MP' and all Tory MPs were hand-in-glove with the governing party, etc., etc...

"We withdrew as gracefully as possible and the following morning telephoned an invitation for him to come and talk... He at first accepted the invitation but on the day, and at the last possible moment, he phoned to say he 'had no desire to talk to the Governor'.

"I immediately had a talk with the Premier (Sir Edward Richards) about this but he assured me this was par for the course and the only thing for me to do is ignore it (like cricket, Governor-baiting is a traditional sport in Bermuda).

"He has now put down a resolution before the House of Assembly asking the House to inform me, in the most courtly terms, to shut up! I suppose this is unprecedented, at least in living memory, but was to be expected and once again Ministers unanimously tell me to 'forget it and leave him to us'.

The debate is down for today and should be amusing ? how I wish I could take part!" Sir Edwin served as Bermuda's Governor until 1977. He retired here after leaving Government House and died in April at the age of 85.