Despite months of hype predicting an election was imminent, last Friday's general election announcement still seemed to come out of the blue.

It came in a week in which the Premier had taken a hammering from all sides. He lost his bid to gag the press in London and prominent party supporters were openly attacking him.

On the day of the election announcement, the morning papers revealed he sent a message urging MPs to stay loyal and only consider a challenge to his leadership after the election while BHC whistleblower Harold Darrell, better known as the "Son of Soil" went public claiming Ewart Brown was "not a man who could be trusted".

The Throne Speech was the Premier's moment to regain the initiative with promises about interest-free loans for housing and free education at Bermuda College.

Hard on the heels of the Throne Speech, the Premier announced his decision to seek a fresh mandate — not in front of the press where questions could be thrown at him but via a YouTube video clip.

It was rather surreal but Bermuda was in no doubt it was in a real election campaign by the time Dr. Brown's banquet speech to PLP colleagues the following night had been digested.

In a volley of invective he hit out at the United Bermuda Party and the media, he spoke of "gigantic smear campaigns", "vigilantes", "witch-hunts" and "demented deviants".

The speech earned enthusiastic applause from party stalwarts but cynics within the PLP ranks noted how quickly the Premier had switched from 'we' to 'I' in the address.

Saying the press were out to get him, he claimed this paper had buried a quote from businessman Charles Gosling calling Dr. Brown "a fantastic man" — when in actual fact the quote was "he's a fascinating character".

Seeking to take the high road after the Dr. Brown onslaught, the UBP countered with a Monday press conference where they pledged to abide by a code of conduct. They wanted the PLP to sign up too, although the Opposition admitted it had not shared the document with their opponents.

And the PLP quickly called the UBP's bluff by pointing out they weren't immune to name calling with Patricia Gordon-Pamplin prone to using words like "deranged", "lunatic" and "idiot" in exchanges with her foe.

Tuesday brought another court defeat for Dr. Brown's campaign to gag the press from reporting more on the Bermuda Housing Corporation leaked dossier in the campaign with Puisne Judge Ian Kawaley saying the Premier was "asking the court to engage in some kind of circus in the midst of an election campaign".

The PLP made much of a photo of UBP leader Michael Dunkley with some children featured on a party document after it emerged not all the parents had given written permission. But the PLP made its own gaffe by featuring pictures of a school on three pages of a document plugging its record on housing. (Story: Page 8)

And its housing press conference yesterday hardly set the world alight with Housing Minister David Burch elaborating briefly in monotone on some points from the Throne Speech before a lengthy diversion on a programme designed to help 20 families.

So how do the parties believe they are faring? PLP backbencher Nelson Bascome is confident his party will win the election.

"I think it will probably be an increased majority," he said.

Like many on the Government benches, Mr. Bascome believes the PLP candidates are far stronger than the UBP's.

"I look at the Opposition, these are names that have all of a sudden come up, people you can't readily identify with — our candidates have come from a strong community or civic background."

He predicted the PLP would not be as slow as last time to get their manifesto out, building on themes in the Throne Speech.

Incumbent parties face scepticism when rolling out promises as voters can ask themselves why those things weren't done before.

But Mr. Bascome believes this won't be a problem for the PLP.

"We have a Government which is, for all intents and purposes, a black Government. People are recognising we have people in the majority in control. I think that tends to go a long way in a number of persons' minds," he said.

"For so long black people have been told — you can't do anything — you need foreign help. But now, after nine years, look at the progress we have made. People can see we as a people are making progress."

Other PLP supporters are less confident their party will be able to stave off a UBP advance.

Several fear Dean Foggo and Phil Perinchief are goners in St. George's while more than one party source believes Opposition leader Michael Dunkley will succeed in his audacious gamble to overturn Patrice Minors' 123-vote majority in Smith's North.

One veteran PLP supporter, who said she is not voting this time out of disillusionment with Ewart Brown, said: "Michael's done a lot of work out there. His personal popularity is much higher than Ewart. Patrice winning there last time was a quirk. We almost passed out when we heard she had got in. I would be blown away if Michael Dunkley lost."

She said Mr. Dunkley had a similar appeal to "Flip" Galloway, who kept Somerset North voters topped up with gas just as Mr. Dunkley was keeping Smith's North happy.

That source, who wishes to remain anonymous, also predicted the UBP could take up to six PLP seats, possibly lose Hamilton South to the PLP now Maxwell Burgess is retiring, and make major inroads in Randy Horton and Terry Lister's seats in the West End.

She said the UBP platform, partially revealed in Agenda for Change, looked good and the PLP needed to get out with its own manifesto.

The UBP remains quietly confident they can win but they remain fearful one false step could see the campaign spin out of control.

They remember the carnage caused by an offensive advert placed by a UBP supporter in which PLP opponent Delaey Robinson had been placed on a target.

One insider said the party had stopped short of muzzling its supporters but hoped everyone stayed on message.

"Nothing has been sent saying shut the hell up but I think the party is a little bit creeped out by an outside intervention which can be construed as coming from the party."

The UBP wants to stay out of a dirty fight — even though Premier Brown kicked off the campaign at screaming pitch.

The UBP insider said: "We want to fight on policies but they want to portray us as dirty, rotten scoundrels.

"The campaign wasn't 24 hours old and we were called 'morally bankrupt'. I don't think they have a whole lot to run on. They have been trying to bait us for months."

It's thought the Workforce Equity Act which would pressure companies to employ black Bermudians in proportion to the national demographic was one attempt, said the source.

"They floated it, they don't normally float legislation. We thought it was a political bear trap — if we criticise that legislation they say we are against black Bermudians.

"That Act dominated press coverage for four weeks but it wasn't even in the Throne Speech."

But, as everyone is aware, there is plenty of time for that in one of the longest election campaigns in memory.