takes up the UK offer of full citizenship and the right to live and work in Britain to be subject to the same immigration restrictions in Bermuda as other overseas residents.

Mr. Perinchief said: "Those who do should be invited to take the offer up by signing a register in London having settled up in Bermuda and moved to Britain.

"That way they can experience first-hand what it means to live, work, study and travel in the UK and Europe.

"They would need a visa to travel to and a work permit to work in Bermuda after they have met the necessary requirements and pre-clearance in Bermuda's Consulate in Britain.'' And he added an Independent Bermuda "would have its own passport, which may require visas to travel to certain places with which it does not have social, political, historic or economic relations.'' Mr. Perinchief also questioned the validity of a recent survey which showed a majority of Bermudians were in favour of the UK offer of no-strings-attached British passports to replace the current second-rate British Dependent Territories Citizen documents.

And he criticised Deputy Governor Tim Gurney's comments that he was pleased at the positive reaction of the population to the offer.

He accused the UK of wanting Bermuda "to replace the Hong Kong they lost to China in 1997''.

And he insisted: "The Deputy Governor is clearly asking Bermudians to take up British citizenship and he has lost any neutrality as a result.'' Mr. Perinchief said it was "racist legislation'' on the part of the then-Conservative Government in the UK which deprived the majority of black Bermudians of full right of entry to Britain -- the Nationality Act of the early 1980s.

And he added: "Bermudians who wish to mature to nationhood only have one option -- Independence.'' Mr. Perinchief also said the then-PLP Opposition had backed away from the strong pro-Independence stance in recent times.

He said the White Paper itself said that the British Government had "consulted widely'' among Governments, Oppositions and Governors of the Territories before drawing up the document.

Mr. Perinchief added that it appeared that none of the Governments pushed the Independence line strongly.

And he said: "It would appear none of the Oppositions expressed that desire, either.''