Independence. Government is now planning such things as debates, TV programmes and essay competitions, to "inform'' the public on Independence and the public has indicated in polls that it wants more information. We are promised that the information will be "evenhanded''. That would be a welcome change after the biased Green Paper and the very shallow position papers which whitewashed Independence costs for a second time.

In any case, the Government's claim to be "evenhanded'' was immediately suspect when it announced that Deputy Premier John Irving Pearman, who is openly pro-Independence, would chair the public meetings. This is typical of the way the hierarchy of the United Bermuda Party Government has handled the "debate'' so far.

Its "information'' has been heavily pro-Independence and anyone who has dared to speak against it has been chastised and insulted. Even those who are careful, reasoned, rational and very sensible, like Mr. Peter Lloyd, have been subjected to long, embarrassing and illogical diatribes, poorly thought out and badly crafted. Others, even those who are usually friends and supporters of the hierarchy of the United Bermuda Party, have been dismissed and likened to oppressors.

There seems to be no limit to the abuse from Government and no inclination to debate. A debate entails a two-way dialogue conducted with tolerance and dignity. Few people, except those on the careless fringes, will participate if they are illogically abused, wrongly accused and slapped down the moment they speak.

What we have now is not debate and dialogue but political desperation. The UBP's leadership is now split from its supporters and its friends and daily becoming more and more desperate. That desperation shows in every statement.

In the face of a number of polls which indicate that the public is heavily opposed to Independence at this time, the UBP politicians are now attempting to divide Bermudians in what appears to be a misguided effort to attract some people who are normally PLP supporters.

There has always been an unpleasant and divisive racial element in Independence for Bermuda since white Bermudians are heavily opposed and black Bermudians are split on the issue. The leadership of the UBP, Bermuda's integrated political party, should be moving to heal that gap but is not doing so. Now, on Bermuda Day, we have seen the Premier attempt to drive an additional wedge, a class wedge, through Bermudians. He depicted those who oppose Independence as oppressors ... "quietly resisting the whole concept of Bermudianisation''. "If you want to find out who built the glass ceiling, look no further.'' That is an outrageous statement designed to divide Bermudians.

We have to ask how the politicians think they are going to put Bermuda back together again after the referendum? How are they going to heal the wounds? The debate on Independence is already a total puzzle for many Bermudians.

There was no grass roots movement, and even the PLP leader has said that Mr.

Walton Brown's Committee for Independence was unimportant. The public did not ask for a debate on Independence, a few politicians forced it. Now the public is resisting but the politicians are continuing to push against the public's wishes. Shades of the mega school.

The Bermudian public is not stupid and will not follow blindly but has instead decided to protect its interests as it sees best. Part of the reason Bermudians are resisting Independence is that the politicians are out of step and the public is questioning if it wants them to lead anywhere, much less to Independence.

This muddle would be a joke if it were not so serious for Bermuda and so very, very sad. After the last election the public wanted the Government to get on with solving Bermuda's problems and to heal the wounds of the election.

Instead, the Government leaders chose to ignore the problems and to open the wounds.