Was it an election gimmick or a decision taken on principle?That’s the question surrounding Premier Paula Cox’s announcement last week that, if re-elected, the Progressive Labour Party will abolish conscription for the part-time Bermuda Regiment and establish a smaller, full-time volunteer unit in its place.There are several reasons for cynicism on this.First, Bermudians Against the Draft are threatening to launch a write-in ballot campaign for the general election, which could see voters spoiling their ballots to protest conscription.If the election is as close as may think it will be, and if those most likely to oppose conscription are more likely to be Progressive Labour Party voters, then even if the campaign only attracted fairly small levels of support, that could be enough to determine several seats.BAD spokesman Larry Marshall, in rejecting the idea, noted that the PLP had made a similar promise in 2007, only to do nothing after the general election. Fool me once …The PLP has shown very little sympathy for BAD in the past. Some members may well be opposed to conscription while others have expressed strong support, including former Cabinet Minister and Senator Lt Col David Burch, a former Regiment Commanding Officer and current candidate.In any event, actions speak louder than words. While the Regiment technically falls under the command of the Governor, the PLP Government showed no public reluctance about the lengthy legal proceedings which have ensued since. So it is not at all clear that this is a considered position.Most importantly, this proposal has very little detail attached to it, and there does not seem to have been a great deal of thought given to it.Certainly, there has been talk about the Regiment taking on the Coast Guard and marine protection roles of the Bermuda Police, and that would require a full time force. Whether the Regiment as it is currently constituted can or should be doing that role is still debatable.This newspaper, for the record, does not believe that conscription should be abandoned wholesale. There are times, for example in the event of a security emergency or an international conflict, when the Government should have the power to require military service of its citizens.But there has been growing uncertainty about whether the Regiment is still needed to fulfill its existing role.Traditionally, its primary job has been to provide support to the police in periods when the internal security of the Island is threatened, primarily in riot control. This is a function that does indeed require a large number of personnel, both to guard key points and to perform actual riot control in the streets.But the more time elapses between December 1977, when the last riots erupted, the less critical this function becomes. Indeed, the greater internal security threat now comes from gangs, and the Regiment is a very blunt tool for that.In the absence of that role, ceremonial duties and clean-ups after emergencies either require fewer soldiers or they do not require a military response. For hurricanes, the Regiment is more a convenience, since it can mobilise large numbers of young men quickly.But that does not mean that a smaller, professional Regiment is necessary. Again, what is its function?If Bermuda needs a Coast Guard, then that is what it should have. But Government and the public must think through what an army is needed for.Nor is there necessarily a cost savings. The Regiment now costs $7.1 million and has 32 full-time staff and around 400 part-time soldiers. A full-time army of company strength, would require about 150 officers and men, and even at a private soldier’s salary of $50,000, that would cost $7.5 million and the cost would in fact be much higher. If the army is smaller than that, what purpose would it serve?Given that, it seems clear that the PLP has given inadequate thought to what it wants. There may be some principled thought about it, and there is no doubt that conscription is politically unpopular, but that does not make this right. The lack of planning and detail makes this look like a cynical election ploy.