That was how Government Sen. Lawrence Scott described the United Bermuda Party's internal fight over Independence which dominated much of 1994.

And in many ways, the term is descriptive of Bermudian politics generally this year.

The brawl in the UBP caucus spilled over into the House of Assembly, where Government backbenchers the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto, Mr. Trevor Moniz, and the late the Hon. John Stubbs got their licks in on the Independence issue.

Then it crashed out onto Reid Street and into the Upper House, where Independent Senators joined forces with the Opposition Progressive Labour Party and assured a slow death for the Independence Referendum Act 1994.

The fight included blows to the leadership of Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan.

Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade said that Cabinet resignations by Mrs.

Cartwright DeCouto and the Hon. Michael Winfield revealed "a crisis of confidence,'' and in May an aborted UBP plot to oust Sir John was revealed.

But a description of the attempted coup as "harebrained'' proved accurate, and Sir John ended 1994 with his leadership on more solid ground than when the year began.

Meanwhile, the PLP was staging an internal brawl of its own. Leader Mr. Wade -- whose problems included anger from the religious right over his vote to legalise gay sex -- was challenged in October by PLP Sen. Terry Lister. The young businessman had strong support among delegates to the PLP's party conference, but not among the caucus. In the end, he gave up the challenge, but not before he was publicly chastised by veteran MPs. The effect on Sen.

Lister's political career remains to be seen, but veteran Mr. Walter Roberts lost his deputy leadership to Ms Jennifer Smith in the fall-out.

Only in the National Liberal Party did a leader step aside willingly and gracefully in 1994. Mr. Gilbert Darrell, the only leader the NLP has ever had, announced in December that he was ready to step aside. Though the third party is without a seat in the House of Assembly, hopes are riding high on the planned return in 1995 of Mr. Charles Jeffers, who will likely assume the NLP leadership.

Other political highlights of 1994 included: The Royal Visit in March, when the Premier's thinly-veiled references to Independence at the official dinner were seen as a stunning faux pas.

After free votes in Parliament, the passage of a bill to decriminalise consensual sex between adult males, followed too quickly by the death of its sponsor, UBP veteran Dr. Stubbs.

The victory of the Hon. Grant Gibbons in the June Paget East by-election forced by Dr. Stubbs' death. After withstanding heavy criticism that he won the UBP nomination through a political fix, Dr. Gibbons went on to become the Goverment's point man on the Base closures.

Speedy moves to assume responsibility for air operations from the US Navy by June 1, 1995, awarding of a multi-million-dollar Airport contract to a Canadian firm, and PLP warnings that Base opportunities would only be shared among "UBP cronies.'' The return to the Senate of lawyer Mrs. Lynda Milligan-Whyte, amid Government promises that women's issues were to be high on the Parliamentary agenda.

Government's ackowledgement of a "glass ceiling'' for blacks, though the Premier later said it could also serve as an excuse for failure. Legislation was introduced to create a new Commission on Unity and Racial Equality and to strengthen the Human Rights Commission.

A February Budget that eased exchange controls and lifted the interest rate cap, with more of the same expected to follow.

The politics of crime -- Opposition calls for a Royal Commission on growing crime, while Government introduced rewards for information and stiffer firearms penalties.

Approval of a 27.9 percent pay increase for Parliamentarians that shocked the Island. Those who opposed the increase had the last laugh in 1994. Finance Minister the Hon. David Saul has yet to table legislation to approve the raises.