Five'' or the results of the Hallowe'en caucus on changes to the United Bermuda Party constitution, there is a basic principle involved in this political row.

"The Five'', who are often seen as destroying their own political party and handing their Government to the Progressive Labour Party are, in truth, occupying the high moral ground. They are standing firm on a principle which is sound and correct. Put simply, the agreement to let a former Premier and a UBP backbencher have a McDonald's stinks badly. True, conservationists are opposed to McDonald's in Bermuda on any level. To others, this agreement to allow a McDonald's in contravention of a long-standing policy against franchises and in the teeth of public opposition to franchises, brings to Bermudian politics an element which Bermudians do not want...at best it appears as political favouritism.

It seems to us that a new Government and a new Premier supported a new Finance Minister in a major mistake. Mistakes can be corrected but, for reasons which we do not know, the Saul Government has consistently refused to correct this one. Members of the public often say that it is because David Saul is only keeping the Premier's seat warm until Sir John Swan returns to power. Clearly that is nonsense.

Some of the public also think Government is politically powerless to ban McDonald's because Sir John Swan and Maxwell Burgess have threatened to cross the floor and join the PLP. There may have been threats but we do not believe Sir John would or could cross the floor and we do not think that at this stage of its growing success the PLP would or could embrace Maxwell Burgess.

There are also some people who believe that Sir John Swan may be punishing those people who killed his dream of Independence by insisting on fast food franchises which he knows are anathema to the same people who voted against Independence.

There is a public perception which may well be correct that "The Five'' would return to the UBP fold if only Government would agree to ban franchises, McDonald's first. The public understands what the Saul Government does not; that if McDonald's goes ahead, then the UBP is unlikely to win the next election.

Then too, if "The Five'' continue to vote against their own Government, it is left without a House of Assembly majority and the Governor, under the strictures of the Constitution, may have no choice but to dissolve Parliament and call an election. We think the UBP would lose an election today given the present political turmoil.

If the UBP used constitutional changes to discipline "The Five'' or to throw out one or all of them, they might well all go and the result would be the same because that too would leave the Saul Government without a majority of the House. Dr. Saul knows that, because he has always been good at arithmetic.

It is just too ludicrous too believe that any Government of whatever political stripe would throw away power over a McDonald's. Bermuda would become an international joke.

We think that Premier Saul understands the magnitude and the complexity of the problem and is struggling with a number of difficult and determined politicians to find a solution which would reunite the UBP. The common ground is that they all want to keep power from the PLP.

As we see it there are only two honourable and satisfactory solutions.

Sir John Swan could end the crisis in the Country and the turmoil in the party he once led and greatly increase his own stature by simply announcing that he is withdrawing from any fast food franchise in the interests of unity.

Premier Saul and Mr. David Dodwell, the chairman of the franchise committee, could announce their opposition to McDonald's in the best interests of Bermuda and convince the committee that such are not in the best interests of Bermuda and that, anyway, this row has to end because it is keeping the Country from important business.

It would be wrong for "The Five'' to swallow their principles and return to the fold because Bermuda might never regain the high ground.