PREMIER Alex Scott last night delivered a broadside at the UK, claiming that Britain "doesn't look out for this child, we're like a step-child".

Opening the 38th Progressive Labour Party annual delegates conference at the Devonshire Recreation Club, the Premier issued a rallying cry to party members to "come to the aid of the party" at what he described as "the dawn of our finest hour".

While he spent time listing the Government's achievements and acknowledging party stalwarts, the focus of Mr. Scott's speech was on his party's "continued effort to take Bermuda to full democracy".

He defended the PLP's policy to decide Independence by way of a General Election, and while he agreed that a referendum "would have its place", he insisted that the compromise solution of holding both at the same time was a responsible way forward.

The surprise attack on Britain came after Mr. Scott referred to last week's meetings of the Overseas Territories Consultative Council in London.

"In many ways I believe that this will prove to be the most productive OTCC session of the three that I have attended," the Premier said.

"People are coming to constitutional advancement in some form almost everywhere in the remaining British territories. How ironic, how very ironic.

"To bring the irony closer to home, I say to those who question our decision to approach the subject of self-determination for Bermuda in a robust way that we would have been seen to have decided by default that dependency was more desirable than sovereignty, that isolation was more desirable than integration, that as far as we have come is more desirable than where we could constitutionally go, that while we declare all men and women equal, we are not equal as Bermudians to the challenge of nationhood, even though 190 countries in the world with far, far less than we have now have far, far more than we have.

"They have pride of place in the community of nations, they have the will to inspire their people to higher heights. They have decided it is more important to them as a people to be all they can be as a nation. How ironic.

"As they experience nationhood we sit here in the mid-Atlantic as an Overseas Territory hoping that the UK is looking out for our interests on the world stage. How, how, how ironic. Our latest experience of that almost lost us the opportunity to negotiate ownership of our commercial satellite slot. This is an opportunity which could by some estimates equal approximately one year's local budget.

"As an Overseas Territory the UK Government did not look out for our interests and instead the Isle of Man, like a modern-day pirate, came close to plundering our commercial opportunities in space.You see, there are real benefits, real monetary benefits, in going Independent. You see, Great Britain, the Mother Country, doesn't look out for this child, we're like a step-child.

"We're deemed to be so wealthy they don't have to care yet we care more about Great Britain than I think Great Britain cares about us. How, how, how ironic."

Turning to the method by which Independence should be decided, Mr. Scott argued that a General Election was the only platform which could provide "full and extensive discussion" on such a complex issue.

"It gives time for people to hear, question and then decide. A referendum without this process leaves many questions unanswered," he said.

"However, a referendum would have its place after we know that a great majority of our residents fully understand the importance of self-determination. Once we achieve a fully-informed electorate it would be reasonable to consider a referendum on self-determination. There are a number of options available to us and our approach to SD has been unique amongst nations.

"But what we're doing here is being recognised around the world as being a most responsible way. We're doing it in a responsible way, a democratic way and in a way that I hope most Bermudians, in time, will come to appreciate."