I have given a few speeches in my time and written many more. I can tell you that I have approached none with the trepidation of this one. White guys don't talk publicly about race, at least not if they want to avoid the minefields that are involved — so said, so many people to me as I mentioned I had the honour of giving one of the final addresses in the 2008 Bermuda Race Relations Initiative calendar.

And of course, they are right and that in itself is part of the challenge we face on this subject. Generally, whites are uncomfortable talking about race because they feel they are on a no-win subject. For years, our political divide has been made greater by the "race card".

For years the United Bermuda Party survived, time and time again because whites would not vote PLP and yet blacks would vote UBP. As campaign chairman to the UBP for many years, I had a pretty good idea of the racial break in voting patterns and while efforts were always made to keep the white vote on the political reservation, the main focus was always towards the middle of the road, black voter. But I get ahead of myself.

When I came home to Bermuda at the age of 21 having attending university and school in the UK, I returned, as do so many of us, having forgotten that I came from a country that had practised virtual apartheid for hundreds of years and that while the battles of the sixties had been won and overt state racism had been overcome, the entrenched systems of privilege and institutional racism were alive and well.

Hell, I didn't even understand the whole concept of privilege, of inherited status that gave me rights I just naturally assumed were mine without ever asking how I earned them. I came of relatively wealthy white stock, I was sent to good schools and my parents "knew" the right people here in Bermuda.

Not long after my return to Bermuda, I was in private conference at home (male speak for finding a quiet space and time ostensibly to go to the bathroom) when I was hailed through an open window by a friend who advised that a meeting of young people was being held down the road and that I should come along.

Being innately curious and probably not very quick, I agreed and attended a meeting of mainly white young folks who all had what would have been viewed then as radical ideas. Ideas like lowering the voting age to 18, abandoning capital punishment, one man one vote and the like. Somehow I stood and spoke at the wrong time, and the next thing I knew I was president of a young radical group called the Under 40 Caucus which went on to become a total pain in the neck to the United Bermuda Party and got to the point where, on many occasions I was more welcome on Court Street than I was on Front Street.

Someone obviously had the idea of better in the fold than out and I was made Campaign Chairman for the UBP. After many years as campaign chairman, as a senator and as a Minister of the Government, I got out. My departure from partisan politics was due to many reasons, however the most important was, for me, a complete belief that the constant bickering, the fighting and the divisive language of partisan politics, the endless search to blame and attack, was more part of the problem than part of the solution.

Having left the UBP, I was asked, amongst others, to sit on the Independence commission, to Chair the Bermuda Alliance for Tourism and, most recently, to serve on the Bermuda Hospitals Board. These appointments being made by successive PLP administrations: Suddenly, I was now perceived as being PLP and the fact that I had never made any public, nor private affiliation to this party, was irrelevant. Today there are many who will tell you how Winfield has gone PLP. And it is this factor that I wish to discuss tonight. Because I believe it is an intrinsic part of our fundamental challenge.

When I returned to Bermuda, and as I served in the Under 40 Caucus, I had this naive belief that being such a small community, we should be able to "fix" this division between us and become a symbol of hope to the rest of the world. For years, as I served the longest serving Premier in our history and, as his campaign chairman, worked very closely with him, I retained this hope.

This same Premier, before he was Premier, made an impassioned speech calling for a white revolution and this was the true beginning of my political involvement. Yet, it really is only recently that I have fully understood what John Swan was calling for. And as much as I worked with him, and as many focus groups as I attended, as many black friends as I had, I never really got it. It was the Independence Commission that really was my epiphany.

Because there I found an issue that struck deep into the emotions of both races, that was volatile enough, significant enough and meaningful enough to push Bermudians off their usual polite interactions and to get some speaking real speak. You see up to then, I had thought I understood the whole racial challenge but in reality I was operating in that wonderful place of white liberalism where we convince ourselves we have no prejudices, we think we are good guys.

We have not spent much time asking ourselves what hundreds of years of slavery and separation and discrimination would do to the psyche of a people. We rest content in the knowledge that we had nothing to do with slavery, that we are not prejudiced in our actions and that we do not discriminate unless of course, people show hatred, dislike, and discrimination towards us. Then we probably become fearful, or we withdraw, or we get angry. But that's really their problem because we are such nice people.

Why was my thought that Bermuda could become a beacon of hope to the rest of the world so naive? Actually, I believe for the very reasons that I suggested we should be able to fix the problem. Because we are so small, we know each other too well and we are, above all else, a small village like community with all the challenges such a community evokes. We are quick to judge and seem equally quick to condemn, or, as Julian Hall put it today, to demonise.

Why must we focus on shooting the messenger as opposed to questioning the message? More relevant even, we are so quick to generalise and group. Whites do this, blacks do that, women prefer this and men prefer that. We like to belong. We like to be part of groups, be that based on income, on interest or on colour. And once we have become part of a tribe we are merciless in condemning, searching for reasons to belittle another tribe. Look how we continue to look down on our neighbours, white on blacks, blacks on Portuguese, and look how we treat expatriates who we have invited in to help us, who are contributing massively to our economy and our quality of life but who we seem bent on belittling and, yes, demonising at every opportunity.

And we love to label, because it is much easier to deal with the labels. So, standing before you is a white, Bermudian by status, divorced male who served as a Minister in the UBP Government. And that would have already have got a significant number into a position of "knowing" me, of judging me before I even opened my mouth.

Of course, because we are such a small community, many of you have known me since I was a kid in Somerset and so you might have already made your judgments and the baggage I carry from my history would have precluded some from actually hearing what I am saying. Because once labelled, it is almost impossible to change.

Then, of course there is that other local syndrome — jealousy. "Who does he think he is" how often do we hear that once somebody has worked to get elected or hold some position of influence. You know, as a manager, one of the greatest challenges I have always had is in promoting Bermudians because Bermudians give their fellow Bermudians such a hard time whenever they acquire more senior positions.

We are also one of the most naturally arrogant people in the world, we believe we are simply the best. Now, on that we may well be right, but it is incredible how wide spread the belief is! But, the point I am making is that we generally refuse the possibility of change, we label each other based on history, on colour or on association and we turn off to listening in favour of the labels we have created. Because I am white and male, I must think this way. Well, guess what, I don't!

As a member of the BRRI I have had the privilege of being part of this great conversation. I have sat with people I probably would not normally have sat with, I have asked questions, listened to replies, watched and heard the pain in many responses, anger or fear or frustration in others. I have seen the long entrenched views on both sides of the discussion swamping the debate of the moment as people fall back into their comfort zones, areas where they have been for years and refuse to accept the challenge, even the possibility that just maybe change is possible.

I have also seen how easy it is to come out of one's comfort zone and to find oneself confused and fearful. Indeed the subject of race, like few others, causes so many of us to revert to type cast roles. And I have to ask why.

It is, at least in part I think, because we find it very difficult to be honest on the issue. Whites are afraid, or at least reluctant to evoke the wrath or even frustration of blacks by being open and honest on how they feel. Whites tend to fall over themselves trying to say what they perceive is the right thing to say, the thing that won't get them into too many problems and, instead come across as being insincere. Or some, go to the other end of the scale and become radical in their disparaging remarks of fellow whites to the point where even to blacks, they sound extreme and insincere. The Big Conversation has taught us that the starting point is honesty and sincerity and, even more importantly, a genuine commitment to listening and getting beyond our entrenched belief system.

Blacks have learned not to get too deeply into the conversation with whites. There are other subjects that are not as painful, nor as difficult and what difference is it going to make anyway?

I also have one more theory on modern day Bermuda and that is, as opportunities become more equal, as the financial equity of the country starts to become more proportionately represented, we are going to start to move into the next evolution of Bermuda society, indeed many would say we are already far along into this next change. Instead of colour being the reason we divide ourselves, now we are building an extraordinary class system. Class based on income and assets, class based on who you know and what influence you have, class based on what circles you move in. But that is a conversation for another day, it is another reason we have found to separate ourselves, another gang we can belong to.

And allow me please, to spend just a moment on the subject of gangs. We are now quick to criticise the manifestation of so called street gangs. And, as adults, we shake our heads and ask how could this have happened? Ladies and gentlemen, stop shaking your heads, because we, our generation are the reason. For generations we have been fighting each other, hurling abuse at each other, always seeking to put the other down, to score points. Any excuse, has us out writing new speeches, seeking new ways to castigate the other.

I ask you tonight, what are the two longest serving most public gangs in our community? Could they be, just possibly, the UBP and the PLP? And as we work hard to castigate the other, as we spend so much of our time trying to come out on top, so we can win the next election, could we be responsible, at least in part, for what is wrong in our community today? Now I know, I can hear the response coming already, it's the only system we have, it's the only one that works, and it has served us well for so long. Well, has it served us that well and is it doing so today? Does that system, created so many years ago, still work for us, is it still effective, is it giving the people of Bermuda hope, opportunity and the allowing them to maximise on their own potential? Are there alternatives?

I often talk to people about politics. I often ask why people are still supporting the UBP, or the PLP and so often the answer I get is, my family has always supported that party, I am white so I support the UBP, or I am black so I support the PLP! And it is these answers that manifest our most significant road blocks to real progress. Because as long as the leadership of any party can rely on a significant segment of the population to always vote for their party regardless of policy, of practice and of behaviour, the whole fundamental system of democracy is threatened.

When we get to the point when we can truly step back and say I am going to vote for the group that has the policies that I believe are right and for the people I most believe will deliver on those policies and who have my best interests at heart and those of my country, then we are maturing as a country. More importantly can we move beyond what we are, be it black, white, PLP, UBP, etc, and move towards what is it we want for our community, what is that we must achieve, what it is that is holding us back from really excelling, what stops us being an example to the rest of the world?

And then, together developing policies to address those issues, to work together to overcome the injustices that have existed, and still exist, to seek agreement and consensus – what then could we become?

I am sure that I, like so many, shook our heads in disbelief when the election of President Elect Barack Obama, a case of huge celebration across the world became, in Bermuda, yet another reason why we should hurl abuse at each other. And this is not intended to be focused solely on our Premier, he asks legitimate questions, questions that we avoid rather than seek to answer. And while I would have hoped the question could have been asked differently, there should also have been mature response, response that recognised the essential truths in the statement and which sought to provide a bridge across the division. Instead we have one gang attacking the other and the rest of us sit back and have to learn from that example.

We can go on attacking each other for eternity. We can go on questioning the rationale and motivation for statements, we can go on seeking to find political gain, leap at perceived mistakes, shooting the messengers, and we can go on suffering the consequences.

I submit, however that the Bermudian of today is desperately seeking an alternative. They are looking for leadership that says do as I say and do as I do and then demonstrates why with their actions, they are deeply thirsty for solutions, for real talk that proposes real answers and which seeks to unite not divide. They hunger for a vision, a dream of what we may become. I submit the success of Senator Obama lies in his ability to ignite our collective imaginations and to motivate each of us, he asked us all a series of questions and he, with us, replied with an answer that was positive and gave hope to a vision of a different world.

He delivered a message of inclusion not exclusion, he asked not to separate or reward or recognise one against the other but to unite and make the world a better place. This half white, half black American penetrated way beyond our prejudices, his message and his style took us beyond his colour and united us in a vision. He asked us, can we be different, can we work together, can we emerge from our own historical baggage and be different and, at least his supporters who came from all segments of American society, came back with a single, exciting and dynamic answer. At least in those moments, they, like us were impassioned to reply, yes we can.

So let me return to my earlier theme. To those of you who sought to package me and define me because of my historical baggage, I hope I have proved you wrong. For those of you who sought to label me, I am not PLP, I am not UBP, I am fiercely and passionately, Bermudian. I will continue to serve if asked if I think I can contribute to Bermudians.

And I believe the following:

I believe that if we can but put aside, for a moment, those things that separate us, we will discover that there are many, many more things that can unite us. That if we can, discard our historical prejudices, our inherent thinking, our hates, our dislikes and our rush to judgment, then we, as Bermudians, can solve these issues. But we must do so based on reality and honesty. At the risk of evoking even further wrath, let me say a couple of more truths to me:

I believe that one of the fundamental challenges we face in evolving beyond our racial stereotypical situation, is to solve our education system. I believe we must focus on providing the very best educators in the world so that our children will graduate ready to meet the competition of the world, head to head. Let's not condemn one man who has given so much of his own time and talent for one remark, let's bring that same energy and passion to solving education.

Let's make it impossible for any individual to be denied a position, an opportunity, because of the colour of their skin, because of their gender, of handicaps and yes because of their sexual preferences. Let's ensure that race cannot be an excuse for poor performance so that some whites cannot criticise us for affirmative action and, most importantly of all, let us listen and watch and emulate our children.

Look around you Bermuda, watch your children. They are fed up with the way we have chosen to divide our country. They are fed up with rhetoric in place of action, of excuse in place of effort. And they are going to move ahead. As a generation we have failed to live up to the challenges of the environment, we are passing on a globe that is sick, perhaps even dying and we are so attached to the good life that we are unwilling to make the sacrifices needed to save it. We would prefer to smile insincerely at each, than have that real conversation, to hear and to learn, to understand and evolve.

Because, contrary to the negative hype, the Big Conversation has been all about that, about listening and hearing. About understanding, about communicating and that, in itself is huge action.

As a generation, we have much to answer for because we have not solved the issues we were faced with. As we grew up, our generation had huge hope and huge expectations, somewhere we sacrificed that hope, that potential, on the altar of personal wealth.

We locked our doors, turned away from being a community and became focused internally on our own growth, our own aggrandisement, our own reward. To those who say, enough with the talking what about the action, do some more listening and just maybe we will start to evolve the big understanding which has to be the next step forward.

We must also, as whites, accept the fundamental advantages that we were given as whites. I ask you to drive along Harbour Road, South Shore, Fairylands, Tuckers Town and so many of Bermuda's best pieces of real estate and see who owns those homes. They are definitively owned by whites and why, because whites had the opportunity, the privilege to buy that real estate so many years ago when they were definitively advantaged and have passed them down, from generation to generation.

No-one is suggesting these homes should be forcibly removed and transferred but what we need to do is understand how that makes black Bermudians feel as they drive along those roads. Can they really have reasonable expectations of owning one of those homes?

And today's discussion is not about demanding that whites give up something so that blacks may take it, it is rather about ensuring, no guaranteeing, that every person has equal advantage, equal privilege, equal opportunity. As soon as we can reach an understanding that this is not a discussion of taking from one group and giving to another but rather about demanding that opportunity is truly fair, then we can move forward.

We need to individually come to a profound change and, let me begin that process with an honest commitment to you all. Because this Big Conversation must now lead on to individual action:

When asked to vote again, I will ask myself — who understands my issues, who has the policies I believe are right, who do I trust to deliver and who is working for a solution, who is seeking to bring us together and bring solution to our collective conscious, and then I will vote on those answers and it will be immaterial what party they represent.

Further in between now and then, I will do whatever I can to listen and to truly hear, not to label and not to pre judge and to understand, to recognise I speak from a position of privilege that that privilege also gives me the opportunity to be an agent of change.

So when asked to become involved, to try and make a difference, to hear the other side, to seek to understand, to become involved in this big conversation, to seek solution, to break away from the entrenched positions of yesteryear, I am hoping that we all can genuinely look at each other beyond race, to feel that we genuinely are each other's brothers and sisters but to do so based on honesty and reality.

And then to answer, like our cousins in America, when challenged if we are able to make this change, if we have the will and the courage to at last break free of the past and create an Island based on community, on merit, on energy, on equal opportunity and individual talent that we will answer with those three, now famous words.

Yes we can.