No regrets. This was the typically bold sentiment of Renée Webb shortly after announcing to The Royal Gazette her parliamentary career will soon be over.But you wouldn’t expect anything else from the fiery and forthright MP who faced down CableVision, faced up to Premier Alex Scott and faced massive opposition to her campaign to end legal protection for those who discriminate against gays.

But as she contemplates standing down at the next election Ms Webb revealed she won’t be reviving her bid to outlaw discrimination against homosexuals.

“From the feedback I am getting MPs would rather not deal with it before the election so it is pointless for me to bring it unless it is going to be supported.

“After the election MPs will be much more comfortable dealing with the issue.”

And she hopes other initiatives will help move the fight forward.

She said Government was planning to look at revamping the entire Human Rights act.

“It will be very difficult for Government not to look at the issue of sexual orientation.

“Human rights has always been my thing,” said Ms Webb who studied at the Institute of Human Rights and was in the human rights department of UNESCO.

Reflecting on her 14-year career in Parliament, which began with five years in Opposition, she said she fought for non-Bermudian spouses to be able to work if they were married to a Bermudian, which led to legislative change.

“I thought it was the right thing to do — they should be able to work in Bermuda if they are married to Bermudians, they potentially have Bermudian children, why not contribute to the economy and benefit from it and ensure the family unit receive the best that is possible?”

She took up the cause of single parents to be able to adopt children after working with a colleague who was having that battle. It led to some change including the right to adopt without parental consent if the parents are on drugs or incarcerated.

And Ms Webb even fought for the right for Policewomen to ride bikes.

“There was a young Bermudian policewoman who wanted to join the cycle squad. I have always been an advocate for the rights of Bermudians.”

She marshalled the PLP side of the successful campaign to end the law banning sodomy known as the Stubbs Bill in the mid 1990s.

Surprisingly, given her willingness to battle for homosexuals in what is still a very homophobic island, it was her bitter fight with CableVision, while she was Telecommunications Minister, which earned her the most public approbation.

The stand-off in which a renewed licence agreement hinged on a strict pledge to improve service standards culminated in a fraught weekend when the Island’s TV network was effectively shut down.

The abusive phone calls from angry viewers came to her house at all hours of the night.

“Even though I tried to amend the Human Rights act and end the sodomy laws which people and the churches were against I have never had any personal insult — except around the CableVision incident. People were vexed!

“People literally calling me at three or four o’clock in the morning — it taught me a lot about what is important to a large segment of our community. Take away television — that’s dangerous.”

Many see her spell as Telecommunications Minister as a success. She tackled the monopolies and phone rates were slashed by well over 75 percent.

Then after, David Allen’s death, she became Bermuda’s first female tourism minister but faced a lot of opposition within the department although she said Dr. Ewart Brown was able to make sweeping changes after he replaced her.

“Of the 35 people there when I was there, only six are left. They were asked to resign or fired. We had too many offices all over the place and people not being held accountable.”

“There were no numbers to work with. There was a lackadaisical party atmosphere so a lot of those people are no longer there.”

She said the tourism figures were beginning to turn around during her spell.

But her Cabinet career ended spectacularly when she walked out after a row in which Premier Alex Scott had told her “he was the man”.

Of course, she has no regrets about that either. But she laments Mr. Scott’s successor Ewart Brown hadn’t replaced him sooner as his approach mirrored her own.

“Ideally it would have been great if Ewart Brown had come in earlier and I would have served under him. But obviously I am on my way out. Having said that I think he is in for the long haul as leader of the PLP and the country. So maybe at some point I will come back — but not in the near future.

“I have a lot of respect for him intellectually. But with Alex Scott — I couldn’t have continued under him — it was such an insult to a woman — ‘I am THE man’.

“I wasn’t pleased with the way thing were going under him anyway.”

Asked what was different now she said: “The difference is Ewart will say and deliver. He is not playing to the press. Some politicians just talk to hear themselves.”

She said Dr. Brown wasn’t the sort to announce something unless he was going to deliver.

“I like the style. If I know where someone is going — even if I don’t agree with them.”

Asked where Bermuda will be after a decade of Ewart Brown she believes Bermudians will be empowered in the workforce, after much-needed improvements in education.

“You will see Bermuda as a tourism destination back on the map.”

She said the objectors to hotel projects had always won out.

“Now people are applying to get hotels built — and they are getting them. Southlands would never have happened under anybody else. It will happen. Someone has struck a deal.”

And she expects Bermuda to go independent under Dr. Brown and sees no reason why the issue should not be on the platform this time around.

“The PLP is so popular it doesn’t matter if we put it on there — we will win the election. This time there is some disquiet — people think they need to be educated about independence. God knows what that is about.

“Everybody knows what it means — they travel to independent countries every day.

“I cannot see the current Premier tolerating having to meet with the Governor every Monday. I can’t see it — for ten years — whoever the Governor is.

“There’s the fact that our legislation has to be sent off for some foreigner to sign off on it.”

She said the party had supported splitting from Britain for well over 40 years.

“If L. Frederick Wade had been alive today and been the leader of the party I doubt we would be where we are today. Issues like human rights would have been addressed because he was an advocate of that.

“Issues of independence would have been addressed. Sometimes you just state your position because it is the right thing to do. You have to drag the populace along with you.

“You have a leader now who understands the issues and will take decisions. Sometimes it’s better to take decisions in the interests of the country.”

But she said the compelling emotional reasons for breaking from Britain from the 1960s were not so obvious.

“Integration has taken place, segregation is no longer there. People say independence — why?”

The ability to raise your own flag and not have to wait for the UK to approve legislation weren’t so seductive, concedes Ms Webb.

She said the race issue in Bermuda is a lingering tragedy, as was the fact the race card would be continually played in the coming election. But she takes heart from her belief that whites will be elected for the PLP this election.

“The fact in 2007 we still even talk about issue of race — we don’t talk about Bermudians, we talk about white Bermudians, black Bermudians, Portuguese Bermudians. We have such a divided society.”