It is a pretty safe bet that issues involving Bermuda do not come across British Prime Minister Tony Blair?s desk very often.

Even rows like the appointment of Chief Justice Richard Ground over Bermudian applicant Puisne Judge Norma Wade Miller, supposedly of vital importance to Bermuda, will have barely caused a ripple at No. 10 Downing Street.

Indeed, it is possible that the first Mr. Blair will have heard of that, and the other issues that so consume Bermuda, will have been at a briefing before he joined his family in Bermuda.

Still, this visit will no doubt have given him some insights into the strengths, weaknesses and complexities of this small community that may be useful in the future.

That?s because as the Independence debate slowly builds strength, there will no doubt be issues that Britain will become involved in.

And then it will be helpful to Mr. Blair to have some idea of how a small island can thrive ? and how delicate the balance between success and disaster can be.

One would assume that Mr. Blair and his family will have some notion now of the Island?s success. Certainly they have shown a great willingness to meet ordinary Bermudians on the soccer pitch and tennis courts and this will have given them an insight into the friendliness and tolerance of most Bermudians.

It is worth noting that Bermuda has no natural resources to speak of except the ingenuity of its people. It is also worth remembering that the Island?s success has always been more delicate than most people would like to admit.

It would take no more than a stroke of a legislative pen in the US, Britain or the European Union to do severe damage to the Island?s international business sector and what remains of the tourism sector is always at risk from rises and falls in currencies, economic downturns, acts of terrorism or a hurricane of the magnitude of Hurricane Fabian.

Indeed, regardless of Independence, Bermuda always depends on the kindness of strangers, and it would appear that Mr. Blair was careful to make this point in his meetings with Premier Alex Scott.

The world, more than ever, is an inter-dependent place, something that Bermuda has known for longer than other, larger countries, but sometimes seems too willing to forget.

Then too, Mr. Blair, for all of the criticism towards him over the war in Iraq, has shown a greater sensitivity to the benefits of greater democracy than Government politicians have been willing to demonstrate here.

His Government has held referendums to decide on greater local autonomy in Scotland and Wales, and he has committed his Government to a referendum at some future date on closer economic integration with the EU.

That?s a leaf that this Government could take from Mr. Blair?s book for dealing with Independence and it is to be hoped that it may have come up during the informal talks, or at least come up in discussion with the UK as the Independence debate continues.