And so Premier Alex Scott has put Independence on the table.

In his speech to the Progressive Labour Party yesterday, Mr. Scott said that the Government and the party will now have Independence on its agenda. And he has encouraged the public to debate the issue fully.

Mr. Scott said this was the ideal time to debate the issue, without the pressure of an imminent general election ? he should know ? a referendum or any other form of Constitutional change on the table.

Indeed, it is clear that he is keen to have full debate, and that is to be welcomed. As he rightly says, you have to take baby steps before you can walk.

And he has framed the debate with some care.

?The ?Nay Sayers? who see no benefit (to Independence) should at least listen to the ?True Believers? who are convinced that all problems vanish as the strains of a new national anthem reverberate throughout the land,? he said. ?They will both find that they have to modify their views and positions if they are ever to live in the real world.?

The latter statement is correct. There may be advantages in going Independent, but only the naive can see it as a panacea for all the Island?s problems. So grounding this debate in reality is the first step.

Nevertheless, it is also clear where Mr. Scott stands. He may want an open debate, but he is firmly in the Independence camp and it is impossible to conceive that he will leave it. It has been an article of faith for his party; the only surprise is that it has taken this long for the PLP to promote it.

?I believe that the topic of Independence is an idea whose time has come,? Mr. Scott said, and twice quoted from the 1977 Pitt Commission that said: ?Only with Independence can national unity be forged and pride in being Bermudian fully develop.?

It is also a foregone conclusion where the PLP and the Cabinet will fall on the issue in spite of the many references to the need for debate. The PLP will support Independence.

Mr. Scott suggests that there will be some allowances made for the disadvantages of Independence, but these will be outweighed by the Government?s perception of the advantages.

And thus, even though there is no imminent General Election looming, it should be clear that the PLP will put the question to the test sooner rather than later. That is inevitable since the Cabinet will now consider the issue.

Mr. Scott says that the Country is not on a fast track to Independence, but there is no doubt that it is on the track, so no one should think there is no need to give Independence full and careful thought.

It must also be said ? while not doubting Mr. Scott?s honest support of Independence ? that there is some political calculation in all of this, just as there was in the PLP?s boycott of the 1995 Independence Referendum, which ended in the fall of former Premier Sir John Swan.

Now it is a chance to take advantage of the divisions within the UBP on the question and, more importantly, to distract attention from housing, the Berkeley scandal and the many other problems confronting the Country.

In the end, it will be for the public to decide whether the advantages of Independence outweigh the disadvantages and this should be done in a clear-sighted way.