same right and we are thankful that in Bermuda politicians of all stripes are free to disagree. But to disagree and to mislead are quite different things.

We cannot understand why some politicians get so excited, indeed almost hysterical, when The Royal Gazette expresses an opinion, unless, of course, we get too close to home for the politicians to be comfortable.

The end of the legislative session and the coming election have made Parliamentary debates particularly acrimonious of late and this newspaper has taken a good share of licks. We do not mind taking our licks but we do, like everyone else, dislike being lied about and we resent it when the public is misled.

However, we understand that an election is coming and it is the practice in many countries these days to run against the media. It is seldom wise for politicians to do so but that is not really for us to judge. The truth in Bermuda seems to be that the Progressive Labour Party is stuck on the media at the moment, and especially stuck on on this newspaper. The PLP has always been good at emotional speeches. But we know, and we think the public knows, that often these speeches contain a great many words but very little substance. The truth seems to be that a few members of the PLP parliamentary group are very good at talking but not very good at factual political opposition.

In last Wednesday's House of Assembly debate the Progressive Labour Party accused The Royal Gazette of being the UBP Government's ally. Yet the lie was given to that in the same session when Government Minister Mrs. Ann Cartwright DeCouto suggested both a Press ombudsman and a Press council to control The Royal Gazette . Strange behaviour toward what the PLP calls a Government ally.

When the PLP attacks The Royal Gazette for being pro-Government it conveniently ignores history. The truth is that for a number of years before the last election The Royal Gazette was constantly accused by the UBP of behaving like the Opposition. At that time the PLP was very weak and very ineffectual, having been pounded by the voters at the polls after the split between Mrs. Lois Browne Evans and Mr. Gilbert Darrell which resulted in PLP stalwarts like Mr. Darrell, Mr. Austin Thomas and Mr. Charles Jeffers founding the National Liberal Party.

In the years that followed the PLP split, the United Bermuda Party had a large majority in the House of Assembly and the PLP was incapable of functioning in any meaningful way. There are a number of serious non-political figures in Bermuda who firmly believe that during that period The Royal Gazette did a better job of speaking up for the people and of presenting an opposition than the Progressive Labour Party has ever done.

The Royal Gazette certainly did not set out to be an Opposition nor did it want to be in that position. The role was forced on the newspaper because the PLP was too weak and divided to perform well.

Those are the facts the PLP chooses to ignore when it accuses this newspaper of being in the pocket of the Government. It is strange how short and selective a memory some politicians have.