Some of the United Bermuda Party's remaining MPs no longer have the passion for the battle, Opposition Senate Leader Michael Dunkley declared yesterday.

Sen. Dunkley issued a rallying cry to the last nine UBP MPs standing, telling them to fight for their political lives by working in the community and proving wrong the critics who have dismissed the party as a dying entity.

"Some of them — do they have the passion for the battle? If you don't have the passion, you get out," Sen. Dunkley told The Royal Gazette.

"There are some that don't. Definitely. You can see it in their performance. We have to change. There has to be some change of the guard. Some people don't have the passion any more. Are you ready? Are you really ready to fight the battle?

"Maybe it's a rally cry. I want to rally the team. I'm still committed. The UBP has to close some of the injustices of the past. We have to get over a lot of the reactionary outlook we take."

The UBP is reeling from Sunday night's resignations of MPs Shawn Crockwell, Donte Hunt and Mark Pettingill, Senator Michael Fahy, chairman Sean Pitcher and adopted candidate Wayne Scott, who are launching their own party; up to 20 party members are said to have since announced they will quit the party.

Those departures followed high-profile exits of MPs Wayne Furbert and Darius Tucker, leaving the UBP with just a quarter of the House of Assembly's seats.

Defectors had complained old faces were holding the party back because they represented the failed legacy from successive election defeats, and reinforced the UBP's white elitist reputation.

Sen. Dunkley said he disagreed with the breakaway group's demand to kick out veterans who had been elected to serve — but he had offered to resign from the Senate in any case.

"I have told Kim Swan I'm still willing to serve, but if he wanted me to resign from the Senate I would resign. I did tell him I have got a passion for Bermuda and won't go away," said Sen. Dunkley.

He said talks about reform had begun straight after the 2007 General Election defeat — at which, as party leader, he lost his seat as an MP — and that some had wanted him to walk away.

He explained: "I'm pleased to say that after the last election we had our discussions in the party about who would be leader. There were colleagues in our group who wanted me to move off the political scene. I'm not ready to go. I believe there's a great many people in Bermuda who would be disappointed if I did.

"Politicians' shelf life is based on their ability to listen to the people, and when they think my shelf life is up they will tell me."

And he argued that although five vocal change-pushers had left the parliamentary group, the UBP could still force the change people want to see.

"The people pushing for change are not all gone. John Barritt wanted change, I want change, most colleagues still want change," he said.

"It's laughable to say to me but I think everybody in the party knows what reality is now and that the party is in for a difficult time. But that doesn't bother me because for me it's not about the UBP. I want us to move forward, I want Bermuda to move forward."

Sen. Dunkley said he had talked with the six defectors since their departure, saying they are all good friends of his.

"It hurt me when those guys left. I like all those guys," he said. "I know there was frustration within the party on the slowness of accomplishing change. Those guys think very similarly to me and a lot of our colleagues about politics.

"When those guys made the decision to move, probably because the story got out and they were forced to do what they had to do, it hurt me. Not only do I think politically like them, also they were good friends.

"Have I been talking to them? Yes, of course, we're friends. I give everybody advice if they ask for it, whether it's political adversaries, business adversaries or whoever. I even give PLP members advice — anybody who's willing to have a conversation.

"I wish them all the success in the world. I'm very dissatisfied with politics in Bermuda. I think that's echoed by a broad section of the community: PLP, UBP, any party, black or white, rich or poor.

"I think people are dissatisfied with the way politics has gone in Bermuda, and maybe that's increased because of the tough economic times Bermuda is facing. "If they can do something different that allows politicians to serve Bermuda, that's good. If the PLP Government can improve to serve the people better, good.

"Shawn and Michael and the other guys have been involved in politics for a short period of time. They do have experience and also have a lot to learn.

"I want the people to understand Michael Dunkley came into politics as a UBP representative, more importantly I came into politics to work with my colleagues to make a better Bermuda.

"I don't care who makes that better Bermuda. I just believe I can play a valuable role to make that happen. Whoever makes it, I support them. Even the Premier, I will support him."