Sir John Swan has insisted that he is not returning to party politics, but community activist turned political pot stirrer Toppy Cowen is keeping the faith.

"I don't think its a definite `no' at all. I think he could be persuaded, I really do," Mr. Cowen said.

"If the party announces support and there is a clear indication from Dr. Gibbons that he would step down I am absolutely convinced he will return. No doubt whatsoever."

"A person doesn't express the views he has been expressing over the last several months and sit idly by and say `they are not doing it'. He is persistent, he is a doer. He is the one who in my estimation just gets things turned around."

Yesterday Mr. Cowen vowed to continue his campaign to bring Sir John Swan back into the political ring.

And he freely admitted that he is hoping to generate a groundswell of support for Sir John's return to force a debate in the Opposition party's parliamentary caucus.

He has already gone on the record to say that he, and hundreds of other party supporters, want to draft Sir John to run for a seat in the House of Assembly and then take over the party leadership from Grant Gibbons.

Mr. Cowen says that Sir John has an excellent chance of helping the UBP win the next general election and that Premier Jennifer Smith is no match for the former premier.

He added that he had nothing against Dr. Gibbons and that the Gibbons family had made a great contribution to the Island.

"But does Dr. Gibbons have the flair, the knowhow to win an election ? That's what it's all about."

Sir John Swan resigned the premiership in 1995, after 13 years, when he lost a bid to make Bermuda an independent nation and he quit his Paget East UBP seat in March 1997.

Widespread speculation that he was planning a return to politics began in 1999 when he broke a four year silence by calling on the Governor to appoint a politically neutral Director of Public Prosecution.

Since then Sir John has been relentless in speaking out on public affairs.

Sir John will be "waiting to see what kind of reaction he gets on the possibility of his return to politics," Mr. Cowen added. But he denied what a number of party insiders believe - that the former premier is orchestrating his own campaign.

He said yesterday's story in The Royal Gazette on the campaign had energised many of the rank and file members of the United Bermuda Party (UBP).

He had talked with at least 50 people by late afternoon yesterday.

"I would say the greater percentage of people would like to see Sir John return. Most think it won't happen but the fact remains he's extremely popular," he said.

A number of people had called to offer help with the campaign, he added. Mr. Cowen said that while the UBP's parliamentary group would not want to "stick their necks out" by making public comments on the issue of the party's leadership, the power resided with the rank and file members.

"With the UBP they will have to debate it," he said.

At least one UBP MP, Jamahl Simmons, indicated that he is not too keen on ousting current party leader Grant Gibbons in favour of Sir John.

Mr. Simmons said that he has known about the campaign for at least four months. "But I didn't think anybody was serious about it, because Sir John has always said he didn't want to do it."

The newest member of the UBP parliamentary team reminded The Royal Gazette that Dr. Gibbons played a "key role" in recruiting him into the party fold, and said that his loyalty will remain with Dr. Gibbons.

"What I respect about him is he's someone who has this label of being one of the old families and he's trying to grow beyond that."

On the move to draft Sir John, Mr. Simmons said there were a number of people who wanted to apply what had worked in the past on today's new politics.

"Anybody would want to play in a team with a champion, but the reality is we've got a great leader and we're building something new."

And shadow legislative affairs Minister John Barritt, who narrowly lost the leadership contest to Dr. Gibbons, would only say: "I take the man at face value of what he said - that he's not interested and that's the end of that."

"Old politicians don't die," said Mr. Cowen when asked how he would handle resistance from Sir John's family.

"They don't fade away, they just keep on coming."

Last night Dr. Gibbons did not return calls to The Royal Gazette.