The election campaign strategies of Bermuda's two main political parties turned ugly yesterday with both sides slinging mud and trading insults.

And with polling day still a week away it looks as though Premier Pamela Gordon's plea for negative campaigning to be sidelined has fallen on deaf ears.

Government spokeswoman Pauline Richards got in the first blow when she implied that PLP leader Jennifer Smith lied to the public about her involvement with RF Communications, the PR firm hired by the Opposition.

On Thursday a camera team from the company was accused of using bullying tactics after it gatecrashed a UBP press conference being given by the Premier. Ms Smith later denied accusations that she had known about the company's plan to turn up at the press conference uninvited.

Yesterday Mrs. Richards said PLP bosses were "totally disregarding the truth'' over the matter.

"When the media asked Jennifer Smith about this outrageous incident she denied that the PLP had anything to do with it,'' she said.

"While admitting that she didn't know a lot about business, she then said that maybe it was one of RF's other clients. What clients? What other client could possibly have an interest in a UBP press conference? "The first time, Ms Smith hid behind RF Communications was when she denied that the PLP had any foreign consultants. It is well known there are political consultants in Bermuda working with RF Communications. Yet when questioned about the connection she stated that these consultants must be working with another client of RF Communications.

"The PLP leadership complains about the UBP's use of consultants, something that the UBP has acknowledged openly, while they hid their consultants behind a local PR firm.'' Mrs. Richards also took a swipe at the Opposition's use of Government envelopes to mail out copies of their manifesto to certain civil servants.

And she re-opened the arguments over the PLP's decision to print its manifesto overseas and the Party's involvement in the distribution of negative flyers.

"It seems like every time we turn around we have further evidence that the PLP leadership is totally disregarding the truth,'' she said.

"We just learned that the leadership of the PLP used Government envelopes to mail their manifesto to a chosen few. The law strictly forbids such misuse of public funds but the leadership of the PLP went right ahead and did it anyway.

"The PLP leadership complains about workers getting a fair shake in Bermuda, then print their election material overseas.

"And now the PLP leadership denies any knowledge of their PR firm gatecrashing a UBP event. This not only worries me, it makes me sad. It makes me very nervous to think what life would be like if they were ever in charge.'' On being told of the statement PLP spokesman Corey Butterfield hit back, dismissing Mrs. Richards' comments as "nonsense''.

Mudslinging increases "I find it strange that the person who seems to be concerned about negative advertising is the one who's spearheading it for the UBP,'' he said.

Mr. Butterfield then went on the offensive himself, claiming that the latest UBP television and radio campaign, which insinuates that a vote for the Opposition is a vote for massive tax hikes, was "a blatant lie''.

"It says quite clearly in our platform, in fact it's highlighted, that the PLP will not be putting up taxes,'' Mr. Butterfield said.

"The ad campaign is a lie -- a blatant lie.'' Mr. Butterfield went on to say that it was the UBP that was the party of high taxation -- recalling that the UBP had tried and failed to tax members of professional bodies such as lawyers and accountants.

UBP campaign chairman Mike Winfield then got dragged into the squabble, accusing the PLP of "double speak''.

Defending the advert, Mr. Winfield said: "The PLP's manifesto talks about broadening the tax base and you will also find a call for unemployment insurance.

"They talk all the way through about increasing funds and there's only one way you do that is to raise taxes. Revenue has to come from new and increased taxes. It's not a question of defending the advert, it's a case of it being absolutely true.'' He also criticised the PLP for not getting its manifesto out to the public.

"We are now into the third week of a campaign and the election is just seven days away and only now are they just about to let people see it,'' he said.