The United Nations Committee on Decolonisation?s report on its visits to Bermuda demonstrated that the group brought very little to the table with regards to the debate.

The committee inaccurately stated that the Island has not been informed about its options outside of outright Independence or remaining as a largely self-governing overseas territory.

In fact, most Bermudians who have paid any attention to the debate at all over the last few years have been aware of the options.

But they are also aware that the United Kingdom has ruled out either having the Island become a ?metropolitan? part of the UK or holding ?associate? status which would see virtually no change from the current set-up and has never been anything more than a stepping stone to Independence.

The committee also felt Bermudians were uninformed about the possibility of its joining UN-affiliated organisations. Again, this is not exactly true. Bermuda has joined some of these groupings, notably the International Labour Organisation, and is aware that it could join others.

Finally, the committee stated the glaringly obvious when it said that Bermuda has historic racial divisions, which frequently came up at the public meetings the delegates attended.

Here, the committee made its most valuable contribution when it said Bermuda will have to resolve these issues regardless of whether it becomes Independent or not.

This is correct. While there are some who feel that Independence would bring the races together ? on the basis that ?we?re all in this boat together?, the reality is that many of the sources of division on race are economic, and a change in political status would, on its own, make little tangible difference.

This is a problem that Bermuda, and Bermuda alone, must solve, regardless of a resolution to the current debate.

And this is the whole problem with the Independence debate. The possibility that Bermuda will somehow solve the myriad social issues the Island faces solely by becoming Independent is wishful thinking. It may or may not be true that it will help. But solving problems from race to housing will require much more than a change of flag.

And in the absence of a tangible, compelling reason for seeking Independence, it begs the question of why so much time and effort is being spent on the question.