MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Max Hastings film

Max Hastings film “Reluctant Heroes” was shown on television here lastnight. Predictably, it was very anti-Falklands.

Max Hastings began by describing the Falklands as one of the "mostunlovable places on earth, bleak, barren. In 1982 successive Britishgovernments had been trying to give them away for decades".

At the end, the film had a few comments from three British veterans and an Argentine. But there was no comment or interview with even oneIslander. Hastings himself said that he had come to support the war asnecessary to prevent aggression from succeeding. But he went on to say:"The key question is how long the wishes of 2,800 people are to decide theIslands' fate? Will the British forever pay £26,000 per year for every manwoman and child to sustain fortress Falklands".

The three British veterans on his program did rather better. OneParachute Regiment soldier, Spud Ely, said basically that it was a questionof democracy, and that Islanders had a right to stay with Britain if theychose to.

But Max Hastings' hostile opinions dominated the film and hefinished by saying that: "it seems wrong that these Islands at the otherend of the World should remain prisoners of colonial history". He said thatit would take years - but that a settlement "some eventual partnershipwith Argentina" was inevitable ... "for the sake of Britain, Argentina andthe people of these Islands".