Amid the hubbub and hyperbole of the House of Assembly the dignified Reginald Burrows spoke rarely. But when he did everybody listened.

And when he stepped down from the Senate last week Parliament lost one of its true elder statesmen.

He told of his mixed feelings of relief and sadness about being out of the political limelight after 37 years.

But he did not hold back from unleashing some criticism for his party leaders who he said had lost touch with the grassroots by not tackling the housing issue.

Elected in the watershed Parliament of 1968 he has seen his party?s fortunes ebb and flow but he always held his Southampton East seat.

?If someone told in 1968 I would still be involved in politics in 2005 I would have told them they were crazy. I never intended to stay that long.?

But a long wait was necessary before the PLP reached the promised land of Government in 1998.

Ever the party loyalist, Mr. Burrows, 71, believes the PLP could have been in power much sooner if not for the split in the early 1980s which saw colleagues leave to form the National Liberal Party.

?That put us back a long time. We had been right on the brink in 1980.?

The whole country paid the price for the PLP?s implosion believes Mr. Burrows.

?If it wasn?t for that split I would have hoped that races would not have been as polarised. I think if we had got in power earlier we would have changed the whole scene.?

Instead the tensions linger.

?We have it on both sides those persons that don?t want to unite,? said Mr. Burrows who hopes new generations will get past the racial divide.

Serving under many leaders he picks Freddie Wade, Dame Lois Browne Evans and Walter Robinson as being special.

?Freddie Wade was a real politician, he loved politics. If he had lived things would be different now.

?He was more of a people person than any of them. He was a person who would sit down Court Street talking to people. When there was a riot he was one of the people who got incarcerated.

?Jennifer Smith wasn?t much of a people person as Freddie, neither is the present Premier Alex Scott.?

Always on the conservative wing of the PLP he also has kind words about the UBP?s Sir Henry Tucker for recognising the need for change. The Opposition?s former leader Sir Edward Richards, John Stubbs and David Wilkinson also impressed him.

But changes in his own party are a big source of concern. ?In recent years we have got away from some of the basic policies of the grassroots.

?I am almost positive if Freddie had lived one of the first things he would have got involved in was making sure the Minister of Housing made sure there was enough housing for most of those people who needed affordable housing.

?There?s plenty of houses around but not enough affordable housing.

?That has to be a priority, you can?t have people without proper living accommodation.?

Mr. Burrows also expressed worries about the lack of action on the environment, fearing that sewage pumped into the sea could be causing untold damage to reefs and caves.

The closeness of the last election which saw the PLP squeak in after nearly losing Jennifer Smith?s and Renee Webb?s seats in St. George?s under a re-drawn electoral map came as no surprise to Mr. Burrows.

?There was a certain amount of dissatisfaction in the last election. And it will be the same in the next election about some Government party members.?

Nor was he shocked by the coup which dumped Jennifer Smith after the 2003 poll win, although he was surprised it came so soon.

Mr. Burrows was once touted as leader when dissatisfaction with Jennifer Smith set in. ?At the time some of them wanted me to be leader I was in the twilight of my career, I don?t think I had the energy to lead they way it should be done. It was better for someone with more energy.?

Never serving in Cabinet is something he regrets. ?I expected it in the first term but I realise not everybody can be in Cabinet. I would have liked Works and Engineering,? said Mr. Burrows who has always had an interest in construction having owned a plumbing firm.

He predicts stay-at-home supporters will make the next election close as well. ?Unless they make some drastic changes to housing in particular.?

Despite his decades of service for the PLP he would hate for it to have a monopoly on power. ?I have always been one who after a few years likes to see change, it is not good for any party to be in power too long ? the PLP or the UBP. The most I would like to see any party in power would be probably three terms. ?Even after two terms a party should have been able to accomplish something.?

During more than three and a half decades in Parliament he as witnessed many great debates, but cites the marathon battles over capital punishment as stand outs and cites Bill Cox as perhaps the greatest debater.

?I think we had better debates in those days ? a much higher quality. People did a lot more research, they were a lot more politically inclined. In those days members of both sides believed in party ideology.

?And I have always been one who believed in capital punishment. I couldn?t vote against it so I abstained.?

The change was pushed through in 1999 because Britain demanded it. Mr. Burrows hopes Bermuda would be better going independent but he admits he is not a crystal ball gazer.

?I think it is time to be talking about it. I still feel deep in my heart the UK will eventually say they don?t want any more dependent territories.? Other historical legacies from Britain are also troublesome believes Mr. Burrows.

?The Westminster system is very difficult. You keep your party allegiances and you don?t stray too far from them, as much as you would like to vote with the other party on your conscience, you can?t do.

?I have been tempted to do it on a few occasions ? the last time was with the taxi drivers.?

But he believes a lot of what the PLP stood for has come to pass ? either done by the UBP or by the PLP after it finally won power. ?Things like free education, integrated schools, free bus rides for seniors. The PLP achieved a tremendous amount but we didn?t have a monopoly on good ideas, the UBP had some good ideas themselves.?

Ever humble he is thankful for the voters of Southampton East who backed him solidly for well over 30 years.

Set on retiring at the last election he was given final curtain call in the Senate until stepping down to make way for the returning David Burch.

He enjoyed his two years in the upper chamber. ?It is quite a bit different from Parliament.?

But he said the Senate is not treated with the necessary respect. ?It is not used in a way it was set up for. It is really supposed to be for elder statesmen to have a second look at legislation, not to be used as a training ground for budding politicians who want to get into Parliament. But that is what it is used for by both parties.?

Wherever he has sat Mr. Burrows has always tried to set an example even when all around him are losing their heads in the heat of the moment. ?When I get to my feet I try to make sure I make as much sense as possible.?

His is very much a restrained approach.

?People can do whatever they want but that was my style. I am not one to rant, rave and carry on. When I speak I hope to have something to say. ?I remember years ago I said something and I thought I was the first one but a senior politician told me ? no idea is a new idea, somebody always thought about it before you.?