If John Barritt is upset at being shunted into the shadow House leader role in order to allow Trevor Moniz to take the legal brief, he is putting a brave face on it.

The 52-year-old lawyer had been re-appointed to the Justice and Legislative affairs portfolio after the UBP's election defeat last month but was moved to make way for Mr. Moniz as shadow Attorney General on Wednesday.

Mr. Barritt told : "I don't think these things belong to anybody. I think its good for there to be a change."

It had come after a three-week stand-off as Mr. Moniz publicly snubbed the offer of the Telecommunications and E-Commerce post from leader Grant Gibbons.

Ironically he has been given the Telecommunications brief along with the shadow Attorney General (AG) post.

Last week Mr. Moniz, 49, said he was excited by the AG job but didn't want to be in his new role for long.

"I don't want to be shadow anything. I want to be a minister," said Mr. Moniz.

However, he conceded the United Bermuda Party had a lot of work to do to get elected next time around after pointing out that July's election was not a tight as some had made out.

With another 80 votes in four key seats the UBP could have tied the election.

But Mr. Moniz said a drawn result wasn't much help as it would only spark another election.

"How many votes did we need to win the election? It wasn't a huge number but it was a lot bigger than 80."

And he said to get a healthy majority the UBP would have needed hundreds of more votes.

With 23 years of experience at Bermuda's bar spanning criminal and civil work Mr. Moniz, a former President of the Bar Association, said the shadow AGs role was a good fit, even though he would have preferred Home Affairs.

However, Mr. Moniz never will be Attorney General as he said the United Bermuda Party was still committed to abolishing the role of a political Attorney General and making it a civil appointment as it was before the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) were elected in 1998.

But it made sense to recognise the reality that currently there was an AG, said Mr. Moniz.

However, PLP chairman Walter Roban said: "The fact the UBP has appointed a shadow Attorney General is a clear acceptance of a change the PLP has made to the structure of cabinet.

"The UBP has accepted this change, which they refused to do in the first term. It is again another acceptance of some of the changes that has been brought about in the New Bermuda."

Mr. Moniz was asked if he would be taken seriously in the Telecommunications role after publicly saying it wasn't a desirable ministry.

He said: "I have clients in the area of telecommunications and I have some knowledge. I will get up to speed very quickly."

Key areas of concern for him are cell phone costs and internet costs. He described his opposite number Ren?e Webb as a Jekyll and Hyde character who was agreeable and intelligent but capable of being an "in your face debater" when riled.

He said: "I can cope. I know her quite well, we have been in the House the same length of time."

Attorney General Paula Cox (pictured) was described as being easy to work with by Mr. Moniz during their time on the register of interests committee, an issue Mr. Moniz championed to the chagrin of some of his own party. Mr. Moniz had cited that as one of the reasons he ended up spending three years in the political wilderness after being removed from the UBP's parliamentary group, only returning in late 2002 as the election loomed.

Asked if his plain-speaking irked colleagues Mr. Moniz said he had been consistently viewed his role as championing transparency and the public interest.

"I think I am very honest and forthright, that is not always appreciated in politics. It's not always viewed as virtue but it is something I stand by and am not about to change."

His colleague Mr. Barritt is now back as Shadow Leader of the House, a post he resigned in 2001 without saying why, although he had enjoyed the job.

Now Mr. Barritt will also take on the chief whip's job - an addition that made sense he said because with every single UBP MP in the shadow cabinet there was no need for a whip to liaise between the party's front and back bench.

As House leader he will have responsibility for organising the order of speakers and parliamentary strategy.

And he will have plenty of opportunity to speak on his old brief - something which has been welcomed by Mr. Moniz who said Mr. Barritt had plenty of experience.

Mr. Barritt, who lost to Dr. Gibbons in the UBP's leadership election two years ago, said: "I am looking forward to the ability to lead the group in the new parliament."