people voted for their well being and with their deep pockets and not with their emotions. That should not be taken to mean that there is not a great deal of emotion in the Country today because there is.

This was a vote in favour of Bermuda and Bermuda's blessings. This was not some old-fashioned nostalgia vote cast out of affection for Britain or things British. This was a vote against what the public saw as extreme change.

However, we do not think it should be taken as a vote against all change.

The people want a new leader to get Bermuda going again, especially after 18 stagnant months of debate. The people want to protect and enhance what Bermuda has, rather than take a chance on the unknown.

When it came time to vote, Bermudians knew that they were well prepared to manage Independence. Bermudians know that they are capable and talented and well educated. They were only concerned that Independence for a mid-Atlantic speck might be unmanageable by anyone in these turbulent times.

Bermudians are careful and sensible people. They do not want to gamble with their children's future. They want Bermuda to be successful and to be well managed and well ordered before it takes a giant step. To that end a new leader has a mandate from the referendum to set Independence aside, it has been decided for now, and to get to work on race relations, tourism, the general economy, education, and, most of all, drugs.

We think the public is also in a mood to have elected officials behave themselves and put the Country first. There has been little sign of "Bermuda First'' since the last election. The people are well aware of the very bad behaviour some politicians displayed over this referendum. Bermudians know they were lied to and that there was a strong move to mislead them into Independence. They know that the information and the Green Paper they were fed were anything but unbiased. They did not like it because it questioned their intelligence.

The sad thing for those who are pro-Independence is that they would probably have done better in a referendun before they played games with the public. The message is that Bermudians are not stupid and it is stupid to think they are.

It seems that inter-party squabbling and referendum politicking have created a new scepticism in the public conscience about politicians. Several very bad mistakes like "do not vote'' and impossible coalitions have caused the people to feel that politicians may no longer have the best interests of the people and the Country at heart. There is a deep-seated concern that politics in Bermuda is no longer respectable but to be looked at with suspicion. As a result, a number of people in office today no longer enjoy the people's confidence and could not win a primary in their own constituency. That will take time to rebuild.

Now the people want their job done.

They do not want any more political disruption. They do not want any more lies or mis-matched coalitions or impossible promises.

The people want Bermuda to be looked after, quietly and efficiently and with dignity. They want the Country to be run fairly and openly. If the UBP cannot understand that, it will not survive.