Independence advocate and political analyst Walton Brown yesterday welcomed the Bermuda Independence Commission Report, saying it would help to spark an informed debate on the issue.

Now, he said, the Government must let the public know what it intends to do.

Mr. Brown, who also conducts polls for through his company Research Innovations, was one of the few public leaders to comment on the 600-page report, said the report appeared to have clearly met the objective set for the BIC.

Admitting that he had not yet completed reading the report in detail, he said that so far it appears to be ?a very fact-based report which covers a very wide range of issues ? all of which are relevant to the discussion?.

The report should provide some basis for debate as the country continues to move forward, he said.

?It?s a fount of knowledge that we can rely on ? From this point on we will likely hear a much more informed debate.?

Many questions remain, specifically about what avenues Bermuda would take on going Independent. However Mr. Brown said that while no one can predict the future, the report does an excellent job of ?taking on all those important questions and outlining in a very reasonable way what the possible outcomes are?.

Premier Alex Scott has said that a Green (discussion) Paper on Independence will be put forward by Government once Bermudians have read and discussed the BIC report.

A White Paper, in which Government will lay down its policy on Independence, will follow suit.

Yesterday Mr. Brown said the Green Paper should be completed in ?very short order?, with Government basing it entirely on the BIC report. The public, he said, should ?quite rightly expect a decision regarding Government?s timeframe soon?.

As for the choice between referendum and General Election, he said that a referendum is clearly the better choice for an incumbent party. ?Why risk losing power with an election??

In the context of Bermuda, however, where the party elected as Government is the party with the majority of voters on its side (as opposed to, for instance, in the UK), a General Election could be suitably pursued.

Mr. Brown said he had no preference for either method as he views both as legitimate.

?All I want to see if for us to have a real discussion on the issue and make a decision,? he said. ?Now it?s for Government to decide on the course.?