the next election in the March issue of RG Magazine .

The Progressive Labour Party leader is the subject of a cover profile by RG senior writer Elizabeth Harvey in the 76-page colour magazine, distributed free with tomorrow's edition of The Royal Gazette .

Declaring that Bermuda's experience of rule to date by a single party as "not healthy'', Ms Smith states: "I think it has bred a society where some people feel the political process is not even a true and democratic process because they don't feel their vote counts. They don't see that there's ever a change and while we can dismiss this by saying, as some have said, that everybody's happy with the United Bermuda Party, we know that's not true.'' Ms Smith accuses the UBP of "constantly'' painting the PLP as racial bogeymen and undermining confidence in the Party and black Bermudians' ability to govern.

"When people realise that, `Oh yes, this group is not wearing horns and a tail and yes, they can do a credible job and no, they haven't dumped us into the sea', then I think their eyes will open...and they will say, `Oh, they are just human beings like us'. That is when Bermuda will make its next giant step forward...we can't enter the 21st century still carrying all this baggage. It's like being afraid of the dark.'' In the profile, Ms Smith talks about her childhood in St. George's, where she still lives, growing up the politically turbulent 1970s, her 17-year battle to wrest her Parliamentary seat, St. George's North, from the UBP and her lifelong passion for the arts.

The March issue -- RG 's 50th -- also includes the first of two homes and gardens sections the magazine will be producing this year.

Colour is the focus of this issue with some of Bermuda's leading interior designers, as well as some talented amateurs, showing how to make the best use of colours in decorating a variety of rooms from bright, fun playrooms to rich, formal living rooms and naturally-hued bathrooms.

Peter Carpenter shows readers how to plant a splash of colour in their spring gardens while Catherine Draycott profiles three young local craftsmen creating exciting new styles with traditional techniques -- potter Jonathon Northcott, metalworker Simon Hodgson and furniture maker Jamie Constable.

Also in this month's RG : Travel experiences the spirit of the New South in Charlotte, North Carolina; Joe Gibbons serves up some succulent shrimp recipes in Cuisine; Real Estate columnist Andrew Horsfield explains why buying your first house may cost less than you think; and Roger Crombie is in the doghouse.

It's all in this month's RG Magazine and only available with tomorrow's edition of The Royal Gazette . Don't forget to pick up your copy!