Friday's rally against racism and the subsequent debate on MP Renee Webb's proposal for a truth and reconciliation commission help, once again, to show that the whole question of race relations is a running sore for Bermuda society.

Former MP and columnist Calvin Smith got in to a lot of trouble at the rally for questioning whether it would have taken place if the tables had been turned. Mr. Smith asked the wrong question: the rally would almost certainly have taken place, but the composition of the crowed would most likely have been quite different.

Similarly, Ms Webb's motion drew similar reactions. The Government did not want to touch it, and claimed that what it was already doing through bodies like CURE and CURB would help to resolve the problems that Ms Webb raised.

The Opposition did not want such a Commission either, but called for a similar approach through a joint select committee to examine the question.

In the House of Assembly, there is a rare consensus on the wealth gap between whites and blacks in the community and the resentments and other problems that arise as a result. The irony is that in recent years the United Bermuda Party has been much more active in coming up with ways to narrow the gap than the Progressive Labour Party.

It would be easy to accuse the UBP of cynically manipulating the issue, but the policies they propose are real and genuine and deserve to be taken at face value.

And the Government can be accused equally of cynicism on this question.

There are times when one begins to think that the Government would prefer to keep racial divisions and wealth gaps alive so that the resentments can be exploited come election time. Certainly the lack of action that Government has taken gives credence to this.

Where Government has tried to apply "affirmative action", it has been spectacularly unsuccessful ? as with the Berkeley project -- or has left itself open to accusations of cronyism as with Ms Webb's own ad hoc efforts when she was a Cabinet Minister.

But the Government can take the lead by taking up a colour blind approach to governance. That means dropping the references to plantations and sun tans and the various other offensive phrases it uses when it is convenient. It means condemning all acts of racism equally.

In other words, it's time to stop the hypocrisy.