Government's decision not to send anyone to the United Nations decolonisation summit meeting in Anguilla was quite right.

Why should Bermuda attend a conference of countries put on a list by the UN when, as Britain argued at the conference, the Island should not be on the list of the world's "non-self governing territories" at all.

Why not? After all, Bermuda is still considered to be a British colony, at least in common parlance.The distinction comes down to language and whether a "colony" has the right to self-determination or free association with another state.

Bermuda can choose to become Independent, either through a referendum or an election, whenever it chooses. The fact that it has not chosen Independence up to now - and in fact rejected it in the 1995 referendum - means that Bermuda has chosen to remain a British overseas territory.

That fact, and the fact that Bermuda is to all intents and purposes self-governing - after all, the Island even has the right to negotiate agreements with countries as diverse as Cuba and the United States - makes a mockery of its presence on the list.

There should be some allowance in the UN for those countries that choose to remain as they are.

Apparently, Bermuda's official absence at the conference caused "anger" among some delegates. so what? One of the advantages of being self-governing is that you can choose which conferences you want to attend and those you do not.