night's Budget debate. They awarded themselves a 27.9 percent increase over two years.

Rev. Trevor Woolridge (PLP) said that citizens of few countries had the access to their Parliamentarians that Bermudians did.

Every charity approached MPs for donations, he said. "If you dare say no, all of a sudden you are then verbally attacked for all the money that you're paid and that you're not contributing,'' he said.

And if the public expected MPs to appear as their representatives, they should remember that they had to buy clothes to dress for occasions, and so did their spouses.

Constituents will call an MP at one or two o'clock in the morning.

"It is time for a dose of honesty with regard to the worth of Parliamentarians in Bermuda,'' Mr. Woolridge said. The job involved "a great deal of sacrifice to one's family,'' and "takes a great deal of toll on one's health.'' The voters of Hamilton East and the rest of the Country were getting "a bargain for the kind of service they're getting.'' Mr. Woolridge finished his speech by quoting from the Acts of the apostles: "Saul, Saul, why persecuteth thou me.'' "The taxpayers tell me that every day of the week,'' said Finance Minister the Hon. David Saul .

Mr. David Dodwell (UBP) said it was not the first time the salary issue had been raised, but "it should be the last time.'' He favoured linking future increases to the Consumer Price Index.

But Mr. Dodwell was uncomfortable with the 27.9 percent increase, because it was catching up with the last seven years, and he was a new MP.

Mr. Stanley Morton (PLP) said Dr. Saul's resolution was "immoral'' and "disgusting.'' The Finance Minister was not abiding by the decision of the House.

"I don't want 13 percent now and 13 percent later,'' Mr. Morton said. "I want it now. Twenty seven percent now.'' Cabinet Ministers like the Transport Minister, who were responsible for huge budgets and responsibilities, were paid "ridiculous'' salaries, Mr. Morton said.

Mrs. Lois Browne Evans (PLP) said the salary issue was a serious one. She remembered when she was paid five shillings a sitting, and how later that was increased to five pounds under Sir Edward Richards.

"I know what it is to have served my Country for little reward,'' she said.

Many taxpayers wanted something for nothing, she said.

She felt sorry for those MPs with "so little self-esteem that they can't believe they should be paid a proper amount of money.

"For the last 32 years, I don't know too many people out there who would have liked the job of Opposition,'' she said. "To sit here is not a joy.'' The PLP had helped to bring about free education, and trade unionism so workers could earn a decent wage. "When you rock the boat of the Front Street merchants that control Bermuda, and you did it for the meagre salaries that we have received...you can't throw stones at me by saying that we haven't earned our keep,'' she said.

"The name of the game is power,'' Mrs. Browne Evans said. "The power was in the hands of the few. There was no democracy in Bermuda until we came along and started to fight for it.'' Now that some people had it, they cast aspersions on "those people on the Hill.'' "I can assure you, had I stayed in my business and not cared about Bermuda and the workers of this Country I would have had a better life and more money than I have now.'' Or, "had I taken the easy road when it was 50 cents or $1 to join the UBP, more doors would have opened for me.'' She was tired of hearing "uninformed people'' and self-described political analysts saying MPs spent their time in the House fighting.

She was fighting for change and democracy, not for money, she said. "I have no shame in saying, whatever you pay me, it's worth it.'' Those who felt MPs were not worth anything should "come walk in my shoes,'' she said. "It's not an easy road. We're travelling it for others.'' Health and Social Services Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness said Mrs. Browne Evans used "a very broad brush,'' and should not assume everyone on the UBP side was wealthy, or born that way.

"I know about where we came from,'' and "I also know that the fight for democracy continues,'' Mr. Edness said.

When he first became an MP, he was told a backbencher would spend about ten hours a week on the job, but he had never worked that little.

Some suggested an independent body should recommend increases for MPs, but where that had been tried, it did not appear to improve public reaction to pay rises.

His concern about Dr. Saul's resolution was that it would hurt MPs pensions, which were based on salary. While it was alright that the increase come in two lump, "we're suffering a pension loss certainly by one year, and I don't think that's right,'' Mr. Edness said.

Some salaries, like those of the Premier, the Opposition Leader, and the Speaker of the House, were "ridiculously low.'' "I don't know how the Leader of the Opposition is able to function in that post with the little amount that that post is paid,'' Mr. Edness said. "That, quite frankly, is a disgrace.'' "One of the reasons the public may feel that we don't deserve this pay is because we choose to pay ourselves so little,'' he said. "If we had the courage to say that the post that we hold is worth so much...I believe we would get far more respect from the general public.'' Mr. Edness spent Saturday morning at his constituency clinic in Warwick, but follow-ups from such a session lasted the rest of the week.

An MP's salary should be high enough that anyone could afford to do it, regardless of their means.

Mr. Reginald Burrows (PLP) said the people of Bermuda were getting "good value for money'' spent on their MPs.

No MP had ever been accused or convicted of fraud or blackmail "or any such thing as far as the public funds are concerned,'' he said. MPs and Cabinet Ministers had "always been above board.'' But "MP bashing is something that's not unique to Bermuda,'' he said.

Constituents expected their MPs to be role models, social workers, fundraisers, and contributors to just about every charity, he said. And MPs suffered financially because of the time they spent at the job.

Mr. Burrows said after deductions the increase for the first year would only amount to about $175 a month for a typical MP.

"I'm only hoping that future Parliaments will not have to go through the torture that some of us have been through over the years,'' he said.

Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade said he found "odious...the temerity of the Minister of Finance to take the House resolution and tear it up, and bring back to the House his own resolution.'' It was "contemptuous.'' "Parliament is supreme,'' and "no MP has the power to ignore a decision of this House,'' he said.

He could not believe the Government and the Speaker had "sat back and allowed this to happen,'' and said Dr. Saul's action was "despicable.'' Mr. Wade said he knew of no member of the Government side who supported what Dr. Saul was doing, but nobody seemed prepared to stand up to him.

He wanted the Speaker, with the help of the Attorney General, to make a ruling on whether what Dr. Saul was doing was constitutional.

No member of the Bermudian public "is going to agree that members of Parliament ought to have any pay whatsoever,'' Mr. Wade said. "If you reduced the salary, they would say you haven't reduced it enough.

"We have for years destroyed our own credibility. We have placed no value on our services whatsoever.'' Look at the committee room MPs used. After 6 p.m., no coffee or food could be had. There were none of the facilities you would expect on a normal job site.

The ceiling leaked, the public entered at will, and recently someone came in and threatened one of the members.

MPs were forced to eat in the committee room "like animals'' around a coffee table.

The Premier was in charge of the Country and put in his hours on the job. But "he's the lowest-paid man on his staff.'' Bermudians did not care about their MPs, but they wanted them to buy tickets for banquets and other functions.

"I get sick and tired of having to hear Bermudians belly ache about how their Members of Parliament are a worthless bunch of people and they don't deserve anything,'' Mr. Wade said.

He knew what he was worth and it was time to "stop playing games, playing the fool.'' People considered MPs "a bunch of fools'' because they would not do the job for so little money and in such conditions.

If MPs really only worked one day a week, on Friday, the public should stop calling except on Friday, Mr. Wade said. "Don't call me Sundays and all through the day. Don't destroy my evenings. Leave me alone. I'm not worth anything, anyway.'' But "that's not the way it's going to be,'' Mr. Wade said.

He had told members of the Bermuda Industrial Union: "Next time you want a pay increase, don't come asking me about it. When my turn comes, I'm not worth it.'' Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan said the Constitution provided for the Minister of Finance to bring money matters to the House.

The pay report Parliament adopted was "an indication'' of what should be considered, but not a resolution. And Dr. Saul had the support of his Government colleagues, he was not "acting alone.'' There was a desire for the pay rise to be made retroactive, and some MPs were disappointed they would not be receiving retroactive pay in a lump sum, Sir John said.

"If the Country had been in a different set of circumstances, that might have been considered,'' he said.

The Premier said he knew he was making a sacrifice when he became an MP, and he was not going to make a full-time living out of it.

Parliament met once a week, Sir John said. Often, except at Budget or Throne Speech time, MPs went home by 7 p.m. The facilities could be improved, and members of the house and grounds committee were working on that. As well as the main committee room, the Government and Opposition each had its own, and MPs could also sit in the library.

MPs did not want to get "too far ahead of the public.'' If they were seen to be looking after themselves first, that would lead to an even more cynical view of politicians.

"I think we owe it to the public not to become hysterical about what we're all about,'' Sir John said. "We're about legislating the affairs of the Country in an orderly fashion.'' Retroactive pay would have set "a bad precedent,'' and unions could have asked for the same thing.

Sir John felt the increase should have been ten percent -- "no more.'' MPs had an option. If they did not wish to make the sacrifice, they could step aside and let someone else stand for office.

Dr. Saul said he was indebted to the Premier for pointing out some facts. It was wrong for Mr. Wade to say the resolution was his own.

Parliament had adopted a report but not passed a law, he said.

"We can't all have our own ways, and I think to act as a petulant child...that's not what the Constitution asks of the Minister of Finance, or indeed, of the Government.'' For those who were "sick and tired'' of the way people cast aspersions on politicians, "the fault, dear Brutus, is in ourselves,'' Dr. Saul said. For example, "people today accusing me of being a dictator, when that is not true.'' The resolution was "a blend of common sense and at the same time compromise.'' Just after midnight, the resolution passed without objection.