IN 1996 Jeremy Frith published a little book with the title It was unique, humorous and serious at the same time.

Most of the solutions he proposed for Bermuda's problems in this little tome were simple ? just the application of some plain common sense to issues that only tend to become uncommonly nonsensical in the Bermudian context.

The title of Jeremy Frith's book is more appropriate than ever these days. For it describes what the overwhelming majority of Bermudians are thinking today about Independence, an issue that is once again rearing its head because disgraced and discredited politicians like the Premier hope it will distract attention from his colossal ? and very expensive ? blunders.

Frankly, I'm not willing to even consider the possibility of handing my destiny ? and that of my children and grandchildren ? over to a man who cannot build a school on time and on budget. And Alex Scott thinks that he can build a country out of a 20-square-mile coral pinprick?

Permit me to offer my own solution to the vexing subject of Independence:

The United Bermuda Party should immediately set about rebuilding its once powerful and well-run parochial organisations. The UBP should start choosing and promoting its slate of Parliamentary candidates for the next General Election right now because if Alex Scott detects any weakness in the Opposition benches, he may just chance a snap election.

The UBP should also prepare for the possibility that the Premier will attempt to slip Independence through Parliament by stealth, possibly blaming such a turn of events on the British (who have been anxious to dump us for at least 30 years; the perfidy of the British when it comes to getting their own way knows no bounds). Nothing would surprise me these days ? particularly since the British have signed off on the PLP Government amending Bermuda's Constitution on the basis of a simple voice vote in the House of Assembly. If all 22 PLP MPs were to vote in favour of a suddenly tabled amendment dissolving the island's remaining constitutional ties with the UK, the "ayes" would have it ? and to hell what the other 60,000 Bermudians want.

Since the Government is so indecisive about which route to take to Independence, the UBP should seize the initiative. The PLP's dithering and dissembling on the subject of Independence is causing anxiety both here and among our international business partners. So the UBP should put its own motion before Parliament and it should read: "That this House will give the people of Bermuda a voice on the future regarding Independence via a binding referendum".

Let the PLP leadership try to vote down ? or stifle debate entirely ? on such a motion. There would rightly be hell to pay if the party that pays lip service to the concept of one-man-one-vote-all-votes-of-equal-value actually torpedoed a referendum proposal. A referendum is, after all, the purest form of democracy ? one man, one vote, one issue, all votes of equal value.

Given this Premier's obsession with Independence, if he was even remotely confident of victory on the subject he would hold a referendum tomorrow. But he knows that three-quarters of Bermudians would reject the idea out of hand if they were able to vote on Independence.

So the Opposition and the Bermudian people must diligently continue to insist that this question be decided by way of a referendum. Although the PLP likes to ignore this very basic fact, political sovereignty in any democratic society stems from the bottom up ? not from the top down.

Sovereignty emanates from the people: it is only loaned to the politicians every four or five years at a General Election. And when it comes to the all-important matter of national sovereignty ? political Independence ? it would be sheer madness for the PLP to reject a referendum on the subject, to deny the people the right of having the final say on whether or not to seek nationhood because Alex Scott thinks he knows better, knows what's best for Bermudians even if they do not.

Based on his appalling track record of incompetence, it scarcely seems credible that Alex Scott could find his way across the pedestrian crossing in front of the Cabinet Office by himself let alone chart a course for an Independent Bermuda in an increasingly dangerous and unstable world. I for one am not prepared to put my future into his hands. You shouldn't be, either.

Referendums are now routinely used by many countries in the First and even Third Worlds for routine political matters far less serious than the prospect of Independence. It would be politically immoral, some would argue even criminal, for the Government to deny Bermudians the right to express themselves on Independence.

Prior to holding a referendum on Independence, a credible international management firm such as Peat Marwick should be commissioned by concerned Bermuda citizens to determine the cost to every Bermudian household of Independence.

How much additional tax revenue would be needed to maintain a Foreign Ministry? International legations? A mission to the United Nations? The secondment of a respected international outfit would remove any suggestion of PLP or UBP bias in the final report. The voters would know what the bill would be if they were to follow Alex into his Independent Wonderland.

No one in his right mind would purchase a car or a house or any major household appliance without knowing the price. It would be pure insanity to "buy" Independence without knowing the cost ? and we all know the costs will not diminish in the future.

This is the only fair and honest way to resolve the matter. All of the protracted blustering, waffling and indecisiveness that has taken place since Alexander the Not-So-Great called for a "national debate" on Independence is causing anxiety, stress and fear for Bermuda's future.