Bermudians for Referendum have vowed not to give up after their latest bid to get Government to commit to a separate poll on Independence was again brushed aside by the Premier.

Alex Scott issued a two paragraph letter which said the Government would make a decision on Independence in due course.

Frustrated Bermudians for Referendum organiser Mike Marsh said: ?The Premier is not answering. His letter doesn?t even mention a referendum.

?We didn?t write about Independence, we wrote about a referendum but he?s side-stepped the issue.?

The group had submitted two petitions on the matter ? the latest signed by 15,523 people ? equivalent to 52 percent of the valid votes cast in the last election.

Mr. Marsh asked: ?Is this a democracy or not??

He said it had been almost a year since the group submitted its first petition calling for a referendum.

Asked about the group?s next move, Mr. Marsh said further letters to the Premier would follow.

?We will write every week if necessary. Government is not listening to the people.?

Marching and appealing to the British Government and European courts are possibilities while he also plans to run at least one forum on the advantages of referenda for deciding big issues.

And there is no bigger issue than Independence for the Bermudian people, said Mr. Marsh, who added a vote would ultimately decide not whether the Island split with Britain but whether it splits with Europe.

He said polls consistently showed the majority of Bermudians were against Independence.

?That must be why the Premier doesn?t want a referendum.?

Mr. Marsh?s group want a referendum on Independence to be held at least six weeks before an election while the Premier has said a referendum might be held on the same day as an election or after.

Questions sent to the Premier by had not been responded to at press-time last night.