The first, of course, was, "We don't want Independence.'' The second was, "Listen to us. We are tired of Government ignoring the people.'' The second message is now of major importance to Bermuda. Bermudians repeatedly made it clear how they felt on Independence yet senior people carried on regardless and with great disregard for the welfare of the Country.

The people have also made their position very clear on education reform yet some people, who should know better, go on pushing for that mega school which only a very few people want.

Now a great many people are very alarmed by the desecration being done to Bermuda by highly unpopular Planning decisions. Government has an experienced Development Applications Board. It seems to us that when the DAB rejects a development there should be alarm bells in Government telling Ministers that the public is unlikely to be happy if the project is approved. But instead, often under questionable circumstances, ministers simply stamp controversial projects and then ignore the public alarm. Far too often members of Government have some kind of connection with the application which ministers stamp and that was certainly unseemly in the case of the application for the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.

It seems to us that there should be an agreement that if politicians are involved in an application, then the DAB will never be overruled. That is the only way, short of abolishing the minister's right to overrule, that the system will ever even appear to be remotely fair.

To allow the system to continue as it is certainly is not good government. We might also say that it is not democracy at work.

As a result of what has gone on in the past, the public now thinks that Bermuda has two planning laws, one for the people and one for those in power and their friends. Planning is and probably always will be a controversial area of Government. Therefore Government must know that it has to play Planning very straight.

Clearly the new Cabinet has started out with good intent. It is trying to listen and we do know that it is suffering from fallout from its predecessor.

However it does not seem, so far, to have heard the message over Castle Harbour. Perhaps Government has heard the message but it has not yet reached the new Minister of Planning.

Clearly it is unwise for a new administration to begin its term by appearing to help with the desecration of Bermuda. That is what is happening now with Bermuda Properties and Castle Harbour.