WHEN Progressive Labour Party MP Ren?e Webb abruptly resigned from the Government Cabinet in the summer, I posed what I fully anticipated would be a rhetorical question. I asked whether Ms Webb would be content to sit on the backbenches and watch events unfold or whether she would become an advocate for the return of the PLP to its core principles.

Judging by the recent spree of interviews the former Minister has granted to the Press, I think that it's safe to say Ms Webb is going to shake up the backbenches and hold the Government accountable for both its actions and inaction as regards the party's founding principles ? principles that had marked the PLP as an effective political Opposition during its wilderness years.

Quite frankly, some of us have been wondering aloud about what happened to the centre left, populist political party that we had supported since the mid-1960s. After finally forming the Government in 1998, the PLP has seemingly been reduced to a shadow of its former self.

Content to err on the side of caution and to govern by opinion poll, the PLP has failed to tackle those hard issues Ms Webb has spoken of in recent days ? issues that involve some of the core concerns its supporters voted them into the Government to address.

This cautious approach of the PLP, its decision to govern by poll becoming more pronounced than ever under the Premiership of Alex Scott, and its deference to the new economic power-brokers and off-shore financial interests that never courted the PLP until it formed the Government, has prompted some of us to consider that what Bermuda really needs is a good, solid nationalist party which will always ensure that Bermudians' interests come first. All of this brings to light the truth of the words of the former wife of South Africa's first black President, Nelson Mandela, when she remarked: "If you don't keep the government close to your chest, you will find that government walking away from you."

This emphatic statement was made by Winnie Mandela when she saw quite clearly that the new African National Congress government (ANC) was increasingly coming under the influence of behind-the-scenes political influence peddlers which had never supported their struggle against apartheid and certainly did not see the ANC ever becoming the government of South Africa.

Certainly former Cabinet Minister Ren?e Webb is correct in her criticisms of the new "Social Agenda" unveiled in the recent Throne Speech. As Ms Webb pointed out, such a programme must go beyond mere social assistance and address the question of economic empowerment.

And since Bermuda's black majority had suffered the most as a result of the policies of Bermuda's racial past, then quite naturally the focus should be on empowerment of the black community. As a first step policies will have to be put in place that will level the economic playing field and give more economic opportunity to those previously denied such opportunities, especially those in the black community.

Ironically, that was the goal of giving the contract to build the new Berkeley school to a black firm, Pro-Active. But at the first sign of criticism ? despite the historical weight of Bermuda's racial past ? the Government backed away from calling a spade a spade and attempted to deny it was pursuing a policy of economic empowerment to benefit the black community by giving a black firm a chance in a more egalitarian economic environment.

Recently, the PLP Government's reluctance to go near the issue of economic empowerment was compounded when the Premier, in discussing the failure of Pro-Active to complete the school project on time and on budget, stated he would have still given the firm the contract if he knew then what he knows now about the troubled project.

But because the policy (or lack of any coherent policy) in regards to economic empowerment had not been made clear, reaction to the Premier's remarks focused on the failure of Pro-Active at Berkeley ? and not on the rightness of an overall policy of economic empowerment to benefit those who have traditionally been left out. As a result the Premier was unable to defend his statement. And, of course, his political detractors had a field day.

Former Minister Webb had no such qualms in calling a spade a spade, as was made quite clear in her now famous statement about empowering people who "look like" her. She was on very firm ground in making that statement.

She has the whole history of Bermuda's racial past and what that has meant for generations of black Bermudians to back her up. But, of course, her comments embarrassed some in Government who are seemingly unable to rise to the historical task to right a wrong.

, as regards the question of Independence, the Government's stated policy is that it would like to see a "dialogue" on the question of national sovereignty. This, to my mind, is a far cry from the PLP which has always claimed to support Independence for Bermuda come hell or high water.

What is needed is an advocate for Independence for Bermuda within the PLP ranks because its once unqualified support for sovereignty started to become very qualified almost a decade ago when Alaska Hall's then leadership championed a boycott of United Party Premier Sir John Swan's Independence referendum. On that occasion political expediency was the real winner; Bermudians were the losers.

I, of course, have no objections to a "dialogue" on the question of Independence ? but from my point of view, as a long-time advocate of Bermudian sovereignty, I believe such a dialogue should include full-throated contributions from Government spokesmen who also fully support Independence.

The call for a referendum on the issue is being pushed by anti-Independence supporters because they know there is an vacuum in terms of political leadership on this issue due largely to the failure of the PLP, despite its claim to the contrary, to be an advocate for the question.

As to the question of what method should be used to decide on Independence, an election or a referendum, to me that is almost irrelevant since the outcome of any debate on sovereignty will be decided by which side gets a majority to support its position. So what difference does it make?

It has been said you should keep your friends close to you but your enemies closer. This is something Premier Scott forgot when he declared he is "The Man" and let Ren?e Webb resign her Cabinet post.

Premier Scott, like so many of his predecessors, seemed to believe that when she left Cabinet she would somehow just go away and become irrelevant. That was clearly wishful thinking on his part in the case of former Minister Webb.

What we are really seeing in terms of her outspokenness and willingness to address unpopular issues is the emergence of some political maturity within the PLP ranks ? a rejection of the notion all MPs should simply toe the party line and uncritically embrace the leadership.