attend a United Nations conference on decolonisation.

Political lecturer Walton Brown -- who went to the St. Lucia meeting -- and lawyer Phil Perinchief all joined forces to demand Bermuda attendance at similar conferences in the future.

Mr. Perinchief -- a one-time Progressive Labour Party candidate who stood as an Independent on a pro-Independence platform at the last General Election -- said he expected better of a PLP Government.

He added: "You might expect that of a UBP Government -- but the PLP has backed Independence for 30 years. You would have expected them to go.'' A UN resolution, passed years ago, set a target date of 2000 for member states to get out of the colony business.

Mr. Brown said: "The Bermuda Government has never attended these conferences.

"But it's important for all the governments of the Territories to attend these things. They're an important source of information and planning.'' And Mr. Perinchief said the UK's White Paper offer of full citizenship to its newly-renamed Overseas Territories could well be a back door method of avoiding getting on the wrong side of the UN.

Mr. Brown explained: "The UN recognises that you can achieve decolonisation by several means -- independence, integration with another country or free association.'' And he said the "two main administering powers'' -- the UK and US -- "had yet to fully accept their responsibility under the UN charter on decolonisation''.

Mr. Perinchief added: "They could be offering this White Paper as a means of getting around obligations to the decolonisation committee.

"If everybody is a UK citizen, it's not a question of being a colony any more.'' Mr. Perinchief added: "If the PLP has decided not to go, this seems to be acquiescing to the UK's position.'' He added that a series of seminars on the White Paper and Independence, featuring a variety of business leaders and political activists, had not been attended by the two main parties -- although the National Liberal Party's Charles Jeffers did show up.

Premier Jennifer Smith is off the Island and could not be contacted for comment.