I was having a chat with Tom and Richard in Aberystwyth a few days ago and on discussing a myriad of topics, we fell upon the Falklands War - in the year of my birth.
I happened to mention how it was a controversial decision made in the midst of that war, the sinking of the Belgrano, that led to one of THE televisual duels of that decade.
One of the few times that I can recall seeing Margaret Thatcher really flustered on TV was not at loggerheads with a David Frost or a Robin Day, but with a housewsife by the name of Diana Gould on BBC TV's Nationwide.
I was surprised that neither had seen nor heard of this famous live altercation so I thought I'd blog it out there before I make my way to Cardiff this morning for a day of training as a reminder to myself and to show those who haven't seen it before, the power of the individual.
Diana Gould clearly caught Margaret Thatcher off-guard and her specific and persistant mentioning of the Belgrano being on a bearing of 280 degrees whilst off West Falkland and therefore heading away from the islands rattled the Prime Minister.
What I noted on watching this again was Thatcher's comment that all would be made clear in 30 years time. Of course, we are now 29 years on from the Falklands War and over the next few years it is to be hoped that the national archives will release some very interesting documents from this period.
Both Thatcher and Gould were born in 1925. As far as I'm aware, Gould like Thatcher, is still alive in her 86th year. If that is indeed the case, I hope that she will see some of this information to vindicate her forthright stance.
Because, after all, Thatcher never answered the question...
No comments:
Post a Comment