and tells us he was amazed by the changes in "atmosphere'' and attitude.

Two long-time residents who were planning to leave tell us that they now plan to stay because Bermuda "feels'' so much better.

A friend who works in a major hotel says that the day after the election you could sense a change "even in the chambermaids''.

A Bermudian who came home from school for American Thanksgiving noted, "Everything was very friendly at the Airport.'' There can't be many people who have not noticed that something of a pall seems to have lifted from the heads of many Bermudians and, so far, we have not noticed any great depression among United Bermuda Party supporters or among non-Bermudian workers. They, of course, are "waiting to see'' and it is very early days yet.

Yet it is clear that, as it says, the new Government has started by working toward "an atmosphere of cooperation'', "a spirit of respect and harmony'', "transparency and accountability''. Certainly those are goals with which everyone in the Country can agree. Bermuda is too small a place to go on allowing any Bermudian to feel excluded in their own Country.

What has caused the changes in "atmosphere''? Basically, the people.

Bermudians exercised their democratic right to change their Government. For over 30 years they had chosen not to do so. There was nothing sinister about the very long years of service by the United Bermuda Party, although some people suggest the opposite. The UBP always commanded a majority of the popular vote.

The length of time was certainly unusual in the democratic process but it reflected the simple fact that the people were satisfied with the way they were governed. In our view, the UBP itself worked hard to throw away that satisfaction and caused the political tide to change against them.

In many democratic countries goverments change regularly and the "atmosphere'' we notice in Bermuda comes from people who have never enjoyed a change and have never succeeded in electing the political party of their choice. With success comes satisfaction. The political trick is to maintain that satisfaction.

We hope that the new Government may also cause Bermuda to "lighten-up'' somewhat; to stop being quite so restrictive and judgmental; to stop complaining about the little things and start concentrating on all the good things that are right about Bermuda.

The new Government's election has provided a great deal of elation. This is certainly a good time to be Bermudian, to feel Bermudian and to enjoy Bermudians. Even those who would never think of voting PLP are joining in the good spirits simply because they are catching.