political parties.

And the United Bermuda Party hit back after a newspaper advert detailing the party's expenses on public relations -- placed by a group claiming to be "city professionals'' -- appeared on Friday.

The advert claimed inside information on the UBP's advice from the US Farwell Group and suggested a total of $230,000-plus.

And it quoted a Farwell document, advising the UBP on how to win the 30 percent of the black vote needed to guarantee victory.

But UBP spokeswoman Pauline Richards said the information used in the advert was "unethically obtained from the UBP over a year ago'' and was "also inaccurate.'' And she took aim at the PLP, who have retained Hamilton RF Communications to work for them.

Ms Richards challenged the PLP to confirm that RF Communications had hired political consultants from overseas to work on the party's contract.

And she named Trinidadian Roy Boyke, recently taken on board to work for RF Communications.

And she also mentioned US political consultant Bill Johnson, who worked in Jamaican politics prior to that country's last general election.

Mr. Johnson was contacted only weeks ago at the PLP's HQ -- but he insisted he was on holiday and visiting friends.

Mr. Boyke is believed to have been involved in politics in Trinidad and Tobago and to be a special adviser to the premier -- and he was an unsuccessful bidder for consultancy work with the United Bermuda Party.

Ms Richards said: "The UBP has never made a secret of the fact that we have retained the services of the political television consultants, the Farwell Group, and of our long-standing relationship with Penn, Schoen and Berland.'' She added: "We are constantly striving to improve our communications with the people of Bermuda to ensure that our positions as a party are understood by all Bermudians.'' And she said: "Working with these professionals helps us in improving our communications and we believe serves the public interest.'' She added: "All of our consultants are in possession of legal work permits which connect them to their work with the UBP.

"Bermudians make this Country's decisions and as much as the `city professionals' or the PLP try to say we don't, we know that the Bermudian people know that the UBP is run by honest, hard-working Bermudians.'' There was no answer at RF Communications offices in Pitts Bay Road yesterday.

A Farwell document was leaked to the media some months ago and UBP chiefs said they believed it to have been stolen from their party HQ in Hamilton.

A spokesman for the PLP said any questions about RF Communications employees were a matter for the firm.

He added: "RF are our communications people and I would imagine they have hired a number of people. We are not their only account, they have several accounts, and who they employ is a question for RF, not the PLP.