Last night's marathon debate on the no confidence motion against the Government and the Premier laid bare the tortured soul of the Progressive Labour Party.

MPs were torn between loyalty to the party to which most have dedicated their adult lives, and anger – and disappointment – at their Premier for making a momentous decision without consultation.

For some MPs, it was almost too much, and some came close to breaking with their leader.

But others, like Social Rehabilitation Minister Dale Butler and former Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield, stood by their party, but demanded something very small, yet something enormous as well in return – an apology from the Premier.

That was a profoundly humbling thing for Dr. Brown to give, but he did so, albeit at the beginning of a speech that was anything but apologetic.

Even some of Dr. Brown's closest supporters could not deny the Premier had overreached.

In a night of passionate political speeches, some of the most notable came not from the Opposition United Bermuda Party but from Dr. Brown's own backbenchers and Ministers.

Those included Former Premier Alex Scott, who may not have been a perfect Premier, but who laid out a policy of integrity and prudence that could well have stood the Island in good stead in these times.

Mr. Scott was criticised for wanting to "make haste slowly" when he was Premier, but it is surely clear that had Mr. Scott had the opportunity to take in the four Uighurs, he would have done it very differently from Dr. Brown.

Dale Butler, the first Cabinet Minister to at least partily break ranks, described his unhappiness with being left in the dark and sought an apology from Dr. Brown, a proposal in which he was joined by a clearly unhappy but still loyal Neletha Butterfield and others.

And Deputy Premier Paula Cox also outlined how she would have proceeded had she been in Dr. Brown's shoes, making good sense.

And she also tantalised MPs with a road map for a leadership challenge.

By the end of a momentous night, Dr. Brown carried all of his MPs with him, something that did not look likely earlier.

And he also had former UBP Leader-turned Independent Wayne Furbert on his side, while UBP MP Darius Tucker absented himself before the vote, having earlier said he would vote with the PLP.

So Dr. Brown has survived to fight another day.

But, and in spite of his fighting words, there is no doubt that he has been wounded by this episode.

He has an enormous amount of work to do to heal his party and the community.

¦ Government MP Zane DeSilva told the House of Assembly last night that he was accused of being a "n——- lover" at the anti-Ewart Brown rally on Tuesday.

That reprehensible word and such attitudes and behaviours have no place in modern Bermuda.

If Mr. DeSilva has any inkling of who made such statements, he should report them to the Police so the people concerned can be prosecuted for racial incitement.