It started simply, as an online-journal of sorts to keep friends and family in England up to date on a new life in Bermuda.

Now, however, the Limey in Bermuda website ? www.limeyinbermuda.com ? has taken flight as political and social forum where anyone with an interest in the Island can air their views and read to the perspectives of others.

At times, the debate is easily hotter than a Friday night at the House of Assembly ? and, with fewer rules, it is often far more diverse.

The blog was created by ?The Limey?, Phillip Wells, an Englishman married to a Bermudian who moved to Bermuda just a year and a half ago.

Mr. Wells writes the original posts stirring up debate on Bermudian current events ? then lets his readers go at it.

Surprised at the success of his blog, Mr. Wells admitted that at times it can be ?slightly scary?.

Remembering the first time he saw himself quoted in a article, he said it hit suddenly that people really were reading ? and judging.

?So you have to appreciate that you have a certain sort of responsibility. You have to moderate a bit what you write.?

As he is not a full-time journalist (Mr. Wells is a software developer by day), he said he often relies on traditional media such as to provide inspiration for the debates.

?Also if I come across anything amusing, I?ll write about it. I do try to aim it at anyone with an interest in Bermuda ? locals, ex-pats and tourists. I try to give a sense of what it is like here.?

Moderate at heart, Mr. Wells said not many of his comments are particularly outrageous. Some of the those who comment on his site tend to be slightly more extremist, however.

?There?s definitely a sort of regular core of people who comment and it?s very interesting reading what they have to say ? that?s one of the main reasons I run the site,? he said.

?Sometimes it degenerates into bickering and name-calling. That?s frustrating, because often they are serious issues.

?I do try to censor sometimes, particularly personal insults, but I probably do err on the lighter side of that because, at the end of the day, people have opinions.

?It is important to recognise that people do feel like that. Whether you think they?re crazy or they don?t make sense, people have those opinions, and we?ve all got to deal with it.?

Debates on race are often raging, he said, while discussions on Independence ? though heated in the beginning ? have simmered down considerably in recent weeks.

?In general, they don?t seem interested,? Mr. Wells said. Admittedly there is not much that can be said without repetition at this point, he added ? nevertheless, the decrease is noticeable.

Having only been in Bermuda for 18 months, Mr. Wells said one huge draw of the site for himself is listening to the views of locals. ?It gives me a better understanding of Bermuda and how people think. It?s brought me into contact with people I wouldn?t otherwise be in contact with.?

Comments on the site have changed his own outlook on some issues, like Independence, he said. ?I started out being completely dismissive of the idea.

?Now, as a result of the various discussions, I can probably appreciate more that national pride is a valid reason in favour of it. I still don?t think that?s enough. But I can understand why some would want it on that basis.?

While blogs usually tend to be more like journal entries for the person running the site, Mr. Wells said he prefers to frame the debates and listen to the views presented.

While many seem to read his site, he wanted to encourage more people to comment ? the more the merrier.

He does at times worry that the site may be perceived as too one-sided. Several times he has been criticised for being too negative.

?That?s probably more to do with my personality ? it?s not that I?m coming here and finding fault, I just tend to focus more on things going wrong.

?I do try to be balanced, in particular with Government... But, from my view, part of the job of the media is to hold Government to account. So, inevitably, there will be more criticism of the Government.

?If the UBP were in power, it would be the same. I?m actually quite looking forward to them being in power so I can prove that to myself.?

There are definite differences between the Bermuda Government and the British Government, he said. Though the PLP is no longer relatively new to power, he said the party still seems to focus much of its energy on the Opposition.

But when the Government claims the UBP committed transgressions in its past, he said, ?I just don?t care.

?I just want a Government prepared to stand up and be accountable. But there doesn?t seem to be much sense of the line between right and wrong.?

The reported incident regarding Health Minister Patrice Minors? inquiries on behalf of her father, who was evicted along with other Bermuda Housing Corporation tenants from BHC property on Anchorage Road last year, was one which stood out.

Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons first raised the issue in the House of Assembly.

?I?m still not entirely sure if what she did was inappropriate,? Mr. Wells said. ?What was interesting was not that, but the level of criticism aimed at (VSB reporter) Sherri Simmons (who first reported the story).?

Participants on Limey in Bermuda accused Ms Simmons, married to Shadow Transport Minister Jamahl Simmons, of being biased and creating a story which was not there.

?But she?s a journalist and it was said in the House of Assembly,? Mr. Wells said.

The reluctance on the part of any politicians in Bermuda to resign at any point also struck Mr. Wells. ?They don?t have to resign, but they could just admit when they are wrong,? he said. ?There?s no shame in that.?

Mr. Wells does have some thoughts in mind for the future of the site. For now, however, he is content to let it run.

?I love getting other people to throw their opinions in,? he said. ?The views of ten people are far more interesting than the view of just one.?