suggesting that Bermuda should debate Independence. Indeed, one of the very things the UBP has done is attack debates on Independence as being "premature sources of information''.

In the process of degrading the debates, presumably because they were organised by the Bermuda Industrial Union, the National Liberal Party and the Progressive Labour Party, the UBP VIEW, published last Friday in the Mid-Ocean News, attempts to brand its own former Senator and Hamilton East candidate, Mr. Wendell Hollis, by lumping him with Mr. Julian Hall and sarcastically referring to him as an "expert''.

That tells us that nothing and no-one is respected and the lesson is that we are still in a situation where people who cross the UBP will be made to suffer. Last Friday's UBP VIEW proves that. It is a very threatening development in the face of what is supposed to be an open debate on Independence.

We already have an extraordinary situation where Cabinet ministers cannot resign without having their reputations defiled. It is clear to us that Mrs.

Ann Cartwright DeCouto was subjected to UBP misinformation the moment she resigned from Cabinet over Independence. We think there is a background group who act as UBP "enforcers'' and have nothing to do with being elected or being accountable. It seems these people have now been let loose in the cause of Independence by the small UBP group in favour of Independence. We believe this UBP misinformation machine began the character assassination of Mrs.

Cartwright DeCouto and it still goes on. She is not the first to suffer.

What is more sinister is the UBP stance against public debate of Independence at the same time that it rails against the media in general being a "misinformation machine''. The UBP complains bitterly about this newspaper publishing the opinions of British MP and local resident Mr. Rupert Allason.

It accuses The Royal Gazette of assuming that Mr. Allason knew what he was talking about. The UBP VIEW is affronted by the local press giving people a chance to have a say. It says, "Once anyone in this community has established a public profile, they feel entitled to `speak to the press' with the certainty that their opinion will appear in print. This newspaper must remember that at the next election when the UBP nominates a lot of duds and tries to get them quoted in print.

The UBP VIEW has clearly not heard of freedom of expression or freedom of the press. The UBP VIEW also says, "The most vociferously vocal individual, usually in a supercharged mode, can `make a statement' and be heard.. .That's just like UBP VIEW, "vociferously vocal and supercharged''.

Instead of a debate on Independence clearly the UBP is advocating that Bermudians be fed only what the UBP approves of them being fed.

UBP VIEW claims that letters to the Editor create "myths that are hard to dispel''. Maybe they perpetrate truths that are hard on the UBP. The writer also complains in an anonymous UBP VIEW about anonymous letters to the Editor! But then UBP VIEW comes to what we think is the main reason for its complaints about people expressing themselves by writing letters to the Editor. The UBP VIEW says, "During the Independence debate, many anonymous writers have accused the Premier of moving the Independence debate forward for the worst possible personal reasons.'' No-one is opposed to information on Independence. Public debate and the democratic process are both entirely healthy. But public alarm is caused by a small number of the UBP hierarchy appearing to railroad a programme the majority of the public does not want. Even those in favour of Independence are confused about why Bermuda has to have a rushed scenario at a difficult time instead of a calm and rational look at the issues surrounding Independence.

The UBP has a duty to inform the people on the pros and cons of Independence and then allow the people to decide. Certainly the UBP duty to inform the people does not include criticising the public for debating the issue. But then, desperate people do desperate things.