Friends, and now sparring partners on the campaign trail. In what must be the cleanest constituency campaign in this election, Members of Parliament Mark Pettingill and Dale Butler are both quick to attest to their friendship — and are slow to criticise each other, with the exception of some good natured ribbing. They exchange jokes on the campaign trail about whether there should be a Butler or a lawyer — a reference to Mr Pettingill’s profession — ‘in the House’. The Progressive Labour Party’s Mr Butler goes so far to say that the high profile defence lawyer who is standing against him would make a good attorney general — though not in the next Government.Mr Pettingill, who is running under the One Bermuda Alliance banner for Warwick North East, focuses on the national political scene while Mr Butler emphasises the constituency work he has done. None-the-less, canvassing in an environment where the political pendulum is swinging towards the Opposition OBA makes it more difficult than in previous elections, said the area MP.“I find it a little challenging. The constituents tell me they want the best man for the job — but they say ‘you’re in the wrong party’.“But if you believe you should vote for the best man, then you should vote for me,” the MP stated. “Constituents are less concerned about me they say their concern is about national issues. They want some reassurances that I will deal with unemployment and debt.”Mr Pettingill said: “Dale is my friend and he is popular and well-liked. He has been involved in the community. The biggest challenge for him is having to address the record of his Government. It’s a challenge — I wouldn’t want to do it.”Mr Pettingill, who is currently the MP for Warwick West and is moving to fight Constituency 25 for this election, said: “I have many friends in the PLP — it’s shame people don’t see that ... if they saw us eating together and having coffee together ... it’s just we hold a different view, and a different perspective about what needs to be done.“In this election we can all get things done in the community. And it’s important that we do. In the constituency I make sure that I help out, by putting up road mirrors, clipping hedges, painting over graffiti — all the types of things that should be done in the community, and I do all that. The next thing is how you play a part in the larger picture. Once you win, it will be different — finally you will be aware of what’s involved — and it is going to involve a lot of hard work. The idea of being involved in a new Government is very daunting, because I feel we are only aware of part of the mess that is going to have to be addressed — we are venturing into the unknown. I am satisfied that this has been extreme mismanagement which has led to the financial mess of this country,” he said.“I think that a real question for voters is, has the public purse and have other significant issues been well handled overall? And overall the answer to that question is a resounding ‘no’. We can’t be 1.5 billion dollars in debt (if it wasn’t) — it’s the result of a steady decline over the last 14 years.Is it fixable? “If it took 14 years to get into this mess — there’s no magic wand to fix it in a year. You have to ascertain the extent of the problem and then go about the job of transforming things, with as much transparent integrity and effective administration as possible, and I fully believe that we offer that. Look at the group. We are strong individuals who would not tolerate any questionable conduct, given the individuals who form part of a whole. And I am doubtful it would ever arise. You hear “this can’t happen again” — people are not prepared to give Government a licence to carry on in this manner — and they are quite vocal about that.“It’s a refreshing change — a complete shift on the doorstep, which is heartening. Now, it’s people who have called me and said: “Will you come to my house, or they have called and said: “I have voted a certain way in the past, and now I want to help you and work for you.” In fact, two people who worked on Mr Butler’s last campaign are now significant members of my team,” he said.About those national issues, Mr Butler said: “The party has already learned. With the wider membership — when they want potatoes, you give them potatoes. When it starts to hurt and to be a health issue — then you step back and reassess and change the diet. “ And he pointed to work permit term limits and the inability of Bermudians with non-Bermudian spouses to buy a second home together as two policies that have to change. “You have to reassess term limits and you have to reassess the real estate. So I see a reassessment of the economic situation,” he said.“I do foresee some changes when we get back in. The party realise we really have to make some constructive changes, because things have suffered.”