The ruling Progressive Labour Party has denied it is not welcoming to whites, following criticism from One Bermuda Alliance leader Craig Cannonier.Mr Cannonier’s comments to this newspaper that the lack of support for the PLP by the white community was the party’s own failure to welcome whites showed a flawed understanding of political history, according to the PLP.“Contrary to what Mr. Cannonier has stated, it is a fact that from its inception in 1963, membership in the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party has been open to all Bermudians,” reads a blog entry on the PLP’s website.“However, history has recorded that those whites who have openly supported the PLP have been ostracised by the white community.”The statement continues: “While we find it inappropriate and unnecessary to name each and every white Bermudian who has been welcomed into the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party since it’s inception, we believe that it is important that we pause and recognise members like Mrs. Dorothy Thompson, Mrs. Doreen Lightbourn, former Tourism Minister, the late Mr.David Allen and certainly the late Dr. Barbara Ball who devoted her life to improving the lives of working class Bermudians.”The PLP also quotes Senator Jonathan Smith as saying that Mr Cannonier’s comments were “insulting”.“As a white Bermudian who broke tradition and joined the PLP, I find Mr. Cannonier’s comments insulting. He claims that the PLP has no white support and that whites aren’t welcome. That couldn’t be further from the truth!“Throughout Bermuda’s history, white Bermudians who were committed to social justice always gravitated to the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party. They have far more battle scars to show than I do, but I can say this: there is a sense of welcome and a sense of warmth. It is a liberating experience not to be shackled by the past and it is a privilege to be treated as an equal in the only Party with a track record of truly understanding what a social contract with the people really means.”According to the PLP “more and more, working and middle class white Bermudians are becoming increasingly disenchanted with an ineffective opposition who seem more interested in representing the interests of foreigners than standing up for Bermudian jobs.“In the next election, the Party believes, that we’re going to see a record number of working and middle class white Bermudians choosing the party that stands up for their economic interests the Progressive Labour Party.”A debate on the white community’s role in politics has flared up in recent weeks following the release of poll results which showed that 88 percent of the white community support the OBA.Kim Swan, who was elected as a United Bermuda Party MP decried the results as part of a continuing unhealthy trend of racial bloc voting, and has called upon Bermuda’s key institutions and the white community to play a role in ending racial polarisation in Bermuda.