Dear Sir, Recently I was fortunate enough to have a meaningful conversation with a top civil servant from Whitehall who has had several foreign appointments representing the British Government. After a debate on the effect of the European Union on British affairs the subject naturally turned to the status of the remaining British Overseas Territories. Being a Bermudian, concerned about our Island's future, I was obviously interested in this individual's "inside information''.

It quickly became apparent that Bermuda is a frequently discussed issue in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It seems that Whitehall officials are dumbfounded by the lack of movement by Bermuda on the offer of full British citizenship. Further, certain officials are perplexed how Bermuda continues to reap the benefits of being a British Overseas Territory without making any legislative concessions as requested.

Currently Bermuda is under scrutiny from the OECD and the EU in relation to its perceived financial irregularities. I find the lack of movement on this issue from the Bermuda House of Assembly shocking, not to mention the complete absence of leadership on both sides of the house on something that could undeniably change the rights of Bermudians. It is clear that Bermuda's message that our legislation in the financial sector is sufficient is not getting through to the relevant bodies. A recent report in the Financial Times highlighted this to businessmen and women all over the world. perhaps rather than gallivanting around the world in first class airline seats and pretentious limousines, the Premier and her "bodyguard'' otherwise known as the Chief of Staff, should get their priorities right and set the Bermudian people a timetable on our future, not only on the issue of changes to our financial regulations, but also to our possible acceptance of British citizenship.

The new PLP Government whose track record thus far has been satisfactory, has an opportunity to make the commitment to the youth of Bermuda that it promised during the election in November, 1998. By accepting the offer of British citizenship the people of Bermuda will have full EU rights meaning greater opportunities in terms of education, training and international business. I am in favour of putting this issue to the people to "choose their destiny'', though it would be the biggest mistake any Bermuda could make to vote no, as this would ultimately be a vote for Independence. This in turn would lead to vast expenditure in terms of international obligations that would accompany such a move.

We are in an extremely privileged position in Bermuda, basically obtaining the best of both worlds through accepting the offer on the table. How many nations would be able to say: "Yes I'm British, but I live in a paradise rather than a cramped council estate'' or "Yes, I'm British and have a well paid, secure job'', or "Yes, I'm British and enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world?'' We say those things through acceptance and then also say: "Actually I'm Bermudian with more opportunities than anyone else in the world!'' Remember, Brits cannot say they will have the right to work in Bermuda.

Bermuda, do not allow scaremongering in relation to conscription and other rumours sway you. We must think very carefully about our position before getting carried away by nationalism.

A BERMUDIAN OVERSEAS Surrey, England How to stop the Mr. Bigs June 6, 1999 Dear Sir, I would like to address the illegal drug use and abuse here in Bermuda.

We are doing the usual thing and following the rest of the world. Yet we make the claim that Bermuda is another world. This is the "new Bermuda'', and whenever we hear a speech about the drug trade and abuse, we hear it's a big business.

It's about time we take this new Bermuda, and make it another world, and bankrupt the big business of drugs.

The bleeding hearts and recreational drug users have convinced the authorities that having a bag of "weed'' shouldn't be a crime, these people are not breaking the law, it's for their own personal use. Do you know who they bought that bag of weed from? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out they bought it from a dealer who either got it from an importer or imported it themselves.

Guess who supports, and maintains the illegal drug trade? Re-read the above paragraph.

Bermuda is in the process of setting up a drug court. What are we going to do with it when we have it up and running? As I said it is time to bankrupt the big business. How do you bankrupt a business? You go after their customer base. No customer, no sales. No sales, no business. It would be simple enough for the Police, even with their reduced state of personnel, to set up a watch on known drug selling areas and identify drug buyers. When they get stopped and are found to have what is believed to be an illegal substance in their possession they are held overnight, no police bail for anyone, and taken to drug court the next day. Hence the need for a drug analyst to test the drugs as soon as they are brought in. (Not three months down the road). The next day they are taken to drug court and the magistrate fines them $2,000 for each bag or each rolled joint they had in their possession. (Crack and stronger substances double or triple the fines). No prison time, strictly fines.

Now, here comes the deal, the magistrate then offers to cut the fine in half, if they agree to go into a drug abuse programme and agree to be tested for drugs on a regular basis. (If they are found to have drugs in their system when tested, they go back to court again with another heavy fine). The drug user gets to have the embarrassment of their picture in the paper (so we all know that "Mr. A. drug user'' is the one using drugs and not one of the other many drug users that live in Bermuda) the user's family is aware that this person is a drug user. The user's employer is also aware that this particular employee is a drug user. These people (family and employer) are going to ensure that this person attends the drug rehab programme in place. Who is going to pay for all of this? The drug buyer the person who is supporting the illegal drug trade here in Bermuda.

If the Police pick up only three users a night, five nights a week, 52 weeks a year, at the half price rate of $1,000, that's over three-quarters of a million dollars a year. Sure, it will slow down after the first year or two or three, or maybe four. We then will have a domino effect. Fewer buyers, less drug selling areas, less drug areas, less Policemen used to look for buyers.

The market will become gradually smaller. Fewer drug importers more chance of the police and customs to catch them. Less people importing drugs less people in prison. (At $45,000 per person per year or is it $60,000?) If someone is picked up a second time in a two or three year period double the fine, and back into rehab. Now let me answer some of the bleeding hearts.

Where will the poor user get the money to pay the fines? They will use the same money that they would have used to buy illegal drugs. (The added bonus when paying fines is, there is a little less money to buy illegal drugs) If employed, an automatic wage attachment. If not employed, set up a street cleaning operation, so there would be a work programme. (This is not putting prisoners to work which upsets the bleeding hearts of the world, as cruel and inhumane). This would be a work programme for the unemployed to assist in paying off fines. An added bonus again is that some of the dealers would also get picked up, while they are on a work programme and attending the rehab sessions they are not out there selling drugs.

I am sure that there will be critics of my solution, and it may not get the support of the authorities as it may hit to close to home. If you choose to attack me for my stance, or to do nothing at all, just remember, you are then supporting the buyer, who supports the dealer, who supports the importer. So really you are supporting the drug trade here in Bermuda.

RICHARD A. POWELL Warwick Solve over-population June 8, 1999 Dear Sir, Dr. Valerie James must surely be congratulated for the brave comments she has made, as reported in your June 7 issue Royal Gazette. The gutless UBP could not bring themselves to address this issue and for a different set of reasons the PLP will never do anything about it either.

With unlimited land mass the People's Republic of China has long had enforced family planning. However, here in little Bermuda, with very finite land masses and limited economic and tax development potentials, we allow selfish people to reproduce.

Thanks to this behaviour, more characteristic of an uneducated Third World country population, our precious environment has been trashed. It should be clear as day to anyone that our main problem here is easy to recognise, but hard to admit: There are too many people in too little space.

This is something that a clear-eyed environmentalist, Stuart Hayward, recognised many years ago.

As for Dr. James' suggestions, I say let's go a step further. Don't just castrate sex offenders, remove everything. A sex offender can still commit crimes with what's left after his testicles have been removed.

As for all these irresponsible people doing all the unsupportable reproducing...impose a greater degree of taxes on the single parents, this is where the burdens to this society are coming from. Eliminate all of these social assistance programmes and free education, it's not working anyway because the standards are already so low. Give tax credits and incentives to people who pay for private education and the childless who perform voluntary community services or even adopt a pet! We are 30 years late in addressing this problem and I don't envision anyone having the courage to do anything about it now.

In the meanwhile, Bermuda continues to sink beneath the waves becoming more like a ghetto in the Atlantic every day.

ANOTHER ENVIRONMENTALIST City of Hamilton Disappointed by Bascome June 5, 1999 Dear Sir, As a progressive health care professional, Mr. Editor, I am extremely disappointed with the Health Minister Mr. Nelson Bascome's unprogressive, unenlightened and quite frankly, Mr. Editor, cowardly comments concerning the global trend to re-legalise marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Yes Mr. Editor, re-legalising of marijuana. The Bermudian people need to know, need to be informed, Mr. Editor, that not only was marijuana legal for millions of years, harming no-one, from creation until 1937, but that it has also been historically, mankind's most useful plant, for millions of years! Those are the facts Mr. Editor but the question remains, does Mr. Bascome have the courage to acknowledge this factual reality! DR. CLARK GODWIN Pembroke