This could not have been how Premier Alex Scott planned to celebrate the first anniversary of the Progressive Labour Party's re-election and his own election as leader of the party and therefore Premier.

Instead of basking in the year's accomplishments and the gradual recovery of his part from last year's split and overthrow of Jennifer Smith, Mr. Scott is embroiled in an ugly spat with former Tourism Minister Renee Webb over her resignation from the Cabinet.

Ms Webb has claimed that Mr. Scott did not like working with a strong woman.

Mr. Scott has denied the claim, and notes his close working relationships with both Ms Smith and Dame Lois Browne Evans as evidence to the contrary.

On the whole, he is probably right on that point.

Ms Webb also has said she had problems with Mr. Scott's leadership style. He has said that she saw him as being "first among equals" in the Cabinet. He disagreed, arguing that he is the leader of the Government and that places him above the other members.

This is a more serious issue. The Westminster system does envision the Premier as being the first among equals. If a majority of Cabinet Ministers vote against a policy the Premier supports, then he will be overruled.

Of course, the Premier does have some recourse when that happens. He can fire the Ministers who disagree with him and appoint others who are more likely to support him. But this carries some risks as well, as Ms Smith learned last year when her post-election Cabinet could not command the support of the Parliamentary group.

And as a compromise candidate, Mr. Scott must know that his own support base in the party is weak and that he has to build a consensus among his Ministers and MPs in order to get things done. It he cannot do that, there are several MPs who still see themselves as leaders in waiting.

That number probably does not include Ms Webb.

But in saying she was dissatisfied with Government's lack of progress on social issues and black empowerment, she will have struck a chord with grassroots PLP supporters.

Lack of progress on issues ranging from housing to health care are among the primary causes of dissatisfaction with the Government, and among black working class PLP members, empowerment will always be a winner, even though Ms Webb's own ad hoc affirmative action programmes within her own ministries have caused deep unease elsewhere.

Mr. Scott, of course, must lead the whole Country and there is still reason to believe that this is his genuine desire. So it is inevitable that he will move more slowly than Ms Webb and others would like.

However, concern is not limited to Ms Webb alone that Mr. Scott, in his own words, has expended political capital on issues like GPS in taxis and Independence while progress has been much slower on problems like housing.

While he has talked recently of the Cabinet's social agenda, he has yet to put much flesh on the bones of the policy. Until he does so, the number of dissidents like Ms Webb are only likely to grow and they will become an increasing thorn in the Premier's side.