There are indications that the Progressive Labour Party's Members of Parliament may not vote this time in favour of the Prohibited Restaurants Act 1996. The Five, led by Ann Cartwright got the support of the PLP and passed the bill through second reading in the House of Assembly last December by a vote of 23 to 16. Without the support of the PLP, the bill will not pass its third reading which is due in June. If it passes the House the bill becomes law on the Governor's assent because it cannot be rejected twice by the Senate which blocked it the first time.

There are reports circulating, and we stress that they are only reports, that under the Constitution, the Governor may have difficulty signing the bill into law because it contains a retroactive clause.

So although the Country was assured that the McDonald's mess was over, we may be in for a shock. The truth is that if the Senate had passed the bill the first time a great deal of grief and a great deal of damage to Bermuda could have been avoided.

There are all sorts of dangers involved in continuing a hamburger war, even if we all know that this is over Government integrity and not hamburgers.

Other countries will see Bermuda as being unable to run its own affairs with any degree of certainty. That will probably, for the first time ever, degrade us to Banana Republic status.

"The Five'' are in a very difficult position especially now that three of The Five are in the Cabinet and attempting to join in the healing of the UBP coalition. Ann Cartwright DeCouto and Trevor Moniz could find themselves reduced to "The Two''.

But the Progressive Labour Party is in the most impossible position. They joined the Five in what appeared to be the best interests of Bermuda and joined The Five a second time to censure the Premier, Dr. David Saul. If they change their minds now and vote against prohibition of franchises they will appear to be playing politics with the good of Bermuda. If the PLP members split, they will send the message that their new leader cannot keep them together. Either event would be a grave mistake for the PLP politically and a grave mistake for Bermuda.

The PLP's Dr. Ewart Brown is quoted as saying that the PLP is open to "reconsideration''. Renee Webb has said that if the PLP had allowed a free vote, she would not have voted in favour of the bill because she does not believe in "restricting business which will create opportunities for people who have never had a chance to get into business''.

Clearly she forgets that anyone can open a hamburger stand and that McDonald's is being promoted by Sir John Swan and Maxwell Burgess who have both had every opportunity to "get into business''.

Clearly the best course for Bermuda is to let the whole McDonald's mess die.

We did not need it in the first place. We do not need it again.