embarrassing to the Country. If we cannot debate Independence in a way which respects people's varying opinions then clearly we are not mature enough to debate Independence at all. If people, pro or con Independence, are going to be denigrated in public because some politicians want to defend their agendas, then Bermudians should question to what lengths these politicians will go.

If Government had produced an honest and straightforward Green Paper on Independence for debate then much of what is happening now would have been avoided. The Green Paper led many people to think that this was not going to be an open process. Therefore opinions solidified in a growing atmosphere of mistrust. That mistrust has grown because of some recent misstatements. People responding to statements about Independence must be careful not to twist other people's words or meanings. Bermuda is just beginning this debate and already people are being badly misrepresented and accused of statements they did not make.

If the Independence debate continues in this way, we will have a Country so divided that it can never be put back together again. There are plenty of examples in history of Countries which have torn themselves apart over far less than Independence. We already have a situation where both political leaders have begun to destroy their friends.

Bermuda has to remain calm so that we can discuss the issues. As an example, the bottom line of this decision may well be the cost of Independence to individual Bermudians.

What will come out of each person's pocket? Will people get some value for their money or will their money be squandered on show? Will standards be so much better after Independence that people will not mind paying for such things as ambassadorial residences abroad or will we be worse off and still expected to pay more? Ignore what the Green Paper says about costs. Everyone who read it knows that the costs were a joke.

What will the real costs of overseas representation be? How much will the Civil Service need to be increased at home to service overseas representation and what will that cost? Who will represent us overseas since we do not have a developed diplomatic corps? Will travelling amateur diplomats need a top civil servant to help them? Will these jobs go to cronies who will expect top salaries? Expense accounts? Cars? Servants? Security? The public wants to know the realities and the costs.

Like most decisions this one on Independence might well hinge on money.

Will Bermudians be better off financially after Independence? What is the likelihood? The questions are not being answered openly now and we fear that if people who know the answers try to answer, they may well be abused.