the story in today's newspaper about United Bermuda Party MP Trevor Moniz's refusal to accept a position in the Shadow Cabinet.

After the Independence Referendum he demanded a Ministry which then-Premier David Saul refused to give him.

When some of the other members of "the group of five'' also demanded specific portfolios and were turned down, Mr. Moniz and the others opted not to join the Cabinet at all.

That decision, along with the Referendum defeat itself and the McDonald's row, resulted in continued dissent and division, and contributed to the UBP's defeat on November 9.

Now Mr. Moniz has done it again. Apparently, he wished to be Shadow Minister of Home Affairs and Public Safety, one of top portfolios. When Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon offered him Telecommunications instead, he turned it down and opted not to hold a portfolio at all.

Instead he plans to speak on Home Affairs as an Opposition backbencher; a sort of Shadow Shadow Minister of Home Affairs and quasi-Independent.

Mr. Moniz has every right to his often strong opinions and he has at times been a lonely voice speaking for what is right. But he also has a history of failing to work with his UBP colleagues when they need him.

Recently, former Premier Sir John Sharpe wrote in the Bermuda Sun: "The UBP in Opposition needs to be unified in purpose and presentation. If Trevor Moniz heeds the advice that Jennifer Smith has given her own people `to stand your ground while bending to the will of the majority', he has the capacity to be a useful member of the Opposition team. But if he does not, really, he should make way for someone else who will.'' Sir John was either remarkably prescient or had some inside knowledge when he wrote his article. Mr. Moniz, who has chosen not to take heed of the sound advice he was given, would be wise to think again.

ALL ABOARD All aboard The first of what are likely to be many new Government Boards was announced yesterday when Tourism Minister David Allen announced his reshuffle of the Tourism Board.

The Tourism Board is one of the most important of the 108 boards and Mr. Allen seems to have chosen well. While the chairman, David Hamshere, is gone, Mr.

Allen has retained a number of old members while bringing in new people who represent a cross-section of the tourism industry.

Many represent the tourism "niches'' which Mr. Allen believes are the answer to the Island's tourism problems. Others come from the labour movement, which has been under-represented on the board. A range of hotel managers, many of them senior managers but not chief executives, are now on the board.

Presumably Mr. Allen hopes that this group of professionals can come together and bring new insights to the industry's deep-seated problems and develop solutions which work.

New MP Delaey Robinson, who has experience in finance and in tourism, is chairman and it will be up to him to lead the board and develop a consensus about the industry. It will be a tough job, but Mr. Robinson has an added incentive. If he succeeds, he will have proven the people who placed the now infamous "hair advertisement'' wrong.