it reports on the PLP. There have even been suggestions from a PLP politician that the reporters write "good stories'' which are then edited to reflect against the PLP. Reporters will tell you that is not true and that their stories are almost never edited for content unless they get the facts wrong.

The accusations are hard for this newspaper to live down and the best we can do is to soldier on and report the news as best we can. We try to get it right but we are human on Par-la-Ville Road and, like the rest of the world, we are not free from mistakes. Unlike other operations which have the opportunity in private to conceal and cover their blunders, by the nature of being a daily newspaper, we make our mistakes in public.

To cover any political party a newspaper has to have access. Where the PLP is concerned, we have so far had great difficulty writing stories during this campaign because the Leader of the Opposition has been almost invisible and almost impossible to reach for comment or input in stories.

Then too, in yesterday's edition there was a complex story about the economy written by a senior business reporter to which the Shadow Finance Minister refused to contribute. The Opposition Leader is generally simply unavailable but in the case of Eugene Cox, he knew the story was to discuss party economic and financial platforms and he would not put the PLP's case. We wanted our story to be complete which it could not be without the Shadow Finance Minister. We found his refusal puzzling at best.

It seems to us that someone may have given the PLP leadership the advice that it can win and should stay quiet, stay low, avoid making mistakes and it can get safely home.

The world economy is in turmoil and Bermudians have a right to be concerned about their economic future. The fact that the world economy is turning sour in the midst of a Bermuda General Election is outside Bermuda's control but it is an uncertainty and a problem for both political parties. The party which is elected will have a tough situation to face.

We think the people who are about to vote have a right to hear from both parties, not just one, on this issue. The public should not be asked to make a decision without knowing the specifics.

We think that even if the Premier and the Opposition Leader do not debate on television, then there should be a televised debate between the UBP and the PLP on the current and future economy and on taxation. We need to hear directly from Finance Minister Grant Gibbons and Shadow Minister Eugene Cox.

The economy is of vital importance especially at this time and the person who occupies the Finance Minister's portfolio may be of greater importance to the overall good of the Country than the Premier. The public has a right to hear, face to face, what the present Minister and the Shadow Minister have to say.