The United Bermuda Party needs to make itself more relevant or it will never win a General Election, according to former Tourism Minister David Dodwell.

Mr. Dodwell — who served the party as an MP for 14 years until 2007 — said for many years he pushed for reform without success, even when the UBP was in Government.

But his suggestions, such as putting a Progressive Labour Party MP in the UBP Cabinet to create a more open Government, were never adopted.

Confirming he has not been involved with the UBP since the last election, Mr. Dodwell said yesterday: "I do believe that the UBP needs to change in order to be more relevant in today's politics, particularly as an Opposition.

"I do not think that the UBP can win an election as it is currently structured and operates. That may be disappointing for some people to hear, but I know I'm not alone in thinking that, especially as it only has nine MPs.

"How can you win an election with nine MPs and with another Opposition party (Bermuda Democratic Alliance) that I believe is not going to go away?

"You have two Opposition parties — nine plus three MPs. Let's be real. How does one of them win an election in the current system? It's virtually impossible."

Mr. Dodwell said while the UBP was in power before 1998, he was pushing for it to govern more openly.

"I was calling for some of the things like open committees, welcoming people from other backgrounds," he said.

"I was not opposed to Opposition members being in Cabinet, that we find a better way to get more people involved in a Government. What I hated was this 'winner takes all' mentality.

"There were decent people on the other side: likeable and experienced people. I was for a much more open Government, a process that involved people."

He said he also wanted fixed term elecHe said he also wanted fixed term elections, so everybody would know exactly when the people were going to the polls; and MPs would only be able to serve a limited number of years before being replaced, likely creating a rotation system.

"I had my 14 years, but I was in favour of new blood," he said.

Some people in the party supported his suggestions, he said, while he believes the Country as a whole wants an end to the "us versus them" nature of politics.

"What politicians as a group need to do is try to understand that and then go forward to try to reach that," he said.

"The man in the street is tired. They have been tired of confrontational politics for years."

Former UBP MPs Shawn Crockwell, Donte Hunt and Mark Pettingill made similar comments when they quit to form the BDA last summer.

Mr. Dodwell said he was not surprised to see the three rebels break ties with the party.

"I supported and support that move as a way to shake up an Opposition into thinking about a different way of being in Opposition," he said.

Mr. Dodwell said there was not one single moment that led him to walk away from the UBP, but he decided to spend more time with his business and family after losing his Southampton East Central seat to Zane DeSilva of the Progressive Labour Party.

He said, contrary to a television report last week, he had not resigned; he simply didn't renew his membership.

"I don't really want to get involved but I'm willing to try to set the record straight to clean up on what may be a misunderstanding," he said.

Countering suggestions from some that he's "against the UBP", he said: "I'm no longer involved in the UBP and I haven't been for about two years. I did not resign.

"I'm not opposed to the UBP. I don't belong to any other political party. It's really more that I haven't been involved for a couple of years."

Mr. Dodwell declined to comment when asked if he'd ever return to politics, adding: "Fourteen years in politics really has an impact on someone's family and business life."