That being the case, Grace Bell's defection from the United Bermuda Party to the Progressive Labour Party has been the most discussed subject of the past weekend. It seems to us that it blunted the impact of the Premier's extensive and progressive Cabinet changes and caused people to begin to focus very seriously on the coming election.

Throughout her UBP career in Parliament Grace Bell has been a good constituency MP even if she has not been a star in House of Assembly debates or a candidate for a Cabinet ministry. It was very clear at the East End that Mrs. Bell was close to a number of PLP politicians, notably the ailing St.

George's North MP Leon (Jimmy) Williams. That had always caused UBP insiders to be somewhat nervous about her commitment to the UBP. Whether or not that had an impact on her success inside the UBP we do not know but it must have been a factor in political considerations.

It is clear now that the UBP was reluctant to run Mrs. Bell again in St.

George's South and we can only think that their polls must have indicated that she was unlikely to win again. Since the UBP needs that seat, there must have been a party decision to look for another candidate. That would not, of course, have been welcome news for Mrs. Bell. She must have been disappointed not to receive a Cabinet seat especially since she probably saw herself as qualified for something like Community and Cultural Affairs. In light of that, it may be that Mrs. Bell felt rejected by the UBP.

Any elected MP has a contract with the party's voters in their constituency and a decision to "cross the floor'' is a major one because it breaks that contract. However everyone has a right to follow their conscience and that includes MPs. Mrs. Bell is a sincere person and we have no doubt that she examined herself carefully before making the decision. That must have been difficult for her because the history of people who have switched parties in Bermuda has not always been a happy one. They generally lose their credibility with the voters.

Why Mrs. Bell denied her switch to the very end and why she did not tell her leader, Premier Gordon, or her running mate Rick Spurling about her decision in advance of her House of Assembly announcement is puzzling. We would have thought that common courtesy required that she tell those two especially since Mr. Spurling is also the UBP House whip.

What impact will her decision have? It certainly makes House of Assembly votes very close in the last months of this Parliament. In St. George's South it frees the UBP to openly look for another candidate. If the PLP decides to run Mrs. Bell in St. George's South, she may be easier for the UBP to beat than some of the people who have been suggested as possible candidates in the last few months.

Politics aside, the decision was Mrs. Bell's to make and the UBP should respect it. We can only hope no-one will stoop to making Grace Bell an object of derision. She has contributed too much to her constituency for that kind of behaviour to be acceptable.